Page 40 | To wonder what all the fuss is about ULEZ

Winterday1991 · 2023-07-21T08:52:30+00:00

Hardly anyone is affected, only if you have a very old car. No, you should not be free to pollute the air by driving around in a polluting vehicle and so should have to pay a penalty to do so. It annoys me as everyone agrees we need to tackle climate change, but no one wants the hit on their life/ change their lifestyles.

limitedperiodonly · 05/08/2023 18:30

ScribblingPixie · 05/08/2023 16:01

It sounds great. I qualify for free public transport next year when I am 60 - fingers crossed, it's not cancelled.

No way will that happen for the time being, I think you're safe. I love that you can visit free museums and galleries, the parks, Westminster - take a packed lunch and the whole thing is free. London should be like this for all Brits though - it's everyone's capital city and contains such a lot of our heritage. I hate the 'keep off our land' attitude that Londoners are being encourage to adopt.

I love where I live. It's my home and it's profoundly offensive to hear @Dibblydoodahdah say that I should move out if I really cared about my health.

I'm stunned by that comment. She actually thinks I should leave my neighbourhood where I have lived and built up relations with neighbours for 32 years and try to rebuild all that somewhere else because people want to pollute my air and it's somehow inevitable?

Like I said, I am stunned that anyone would say that

I love where I live. It's not for everyone. Sometimes I look at other places and think it would be wonderful to live there, but I know what works for me. I have experience of living in other places, such as Theydon Bois, Essex, and so reserve the right to give my opinion that it was very disappointing.

I live in a very touristy area of London and I take great pleasure in helping visitors either from other parts of Britain or abroad. I always give them my recommendations for the abundant restaurants in my neighbourhood within budget and food preferences and tell them that the bus is often better than the Tube because you get a free sightseeing tour.

I hate wankers who say you should never make eye contact on the Tube or stand on the left. I talk to people if they seem all right. And on the escalators people make mistakes. You just say: "Excuse me, please"

It's not hard.

Indigotree · 05/08/2023 18:43

limitedperiodonly · 05/08/2023 18:30

I love where I live. It's my home and it's profoundly offensive to hear @Dibblydoodahdah say that I should move out if I really cared about my health.

I'm stunned by that comment. She actually thinks I should leave my neighbourhood where I have lived and built up relations with neighbours for 32 years and try to rebuild all that somewhere else because people want to pollute my air and it's somehow inevitable?

Like I said, I am stunned that anyone would say that

I love where I live. It's not for everyone. Sometimes I look at other places and think it would be wonderful to live there, but I know what works for me. I have experience of living in other places, such as Theydon Bois, Essex, and so reserve the right to give my opinion that it was very disappointing.

I live in a very touristy area of London and I take great pleasure in helping visitors either from other parts of Britain or abroad. I always give them my recommendations for the abundant restaurants in my neighbourhood within budget and food preferences and tell them that the bus is often better than the Tube because you get a free sightseeing tour.

I hate wankers who say you should never make eye contact on the Tube or stand on the left. I talk to people if they seem all right. And on the escalators people make mistakes. You just say: "Excuse me, please"

It's not hard.

Show quote history

Yes. Those of us who have lived here all our lives, too, families lived here for generations back, are told we should move if we don't like people coming and polluting our air. It's disgusting.
And many Londoners aren't well off enough to be able to move elsewhere.

Dibblydoodahdah · 05/08/2023 18:58

@limitedperiodonly well you’ve offended me multiple times on here, completely misrepresenting what I said. If you’re lungs are really as bad as you say there are then I am genuinely suprised you can give in central London. My mum had less than 30% lung function for a quarter of her life and there is no way she would have been able to live in central London. She couldn’t manage public transport for a start. She moved to somewhere more suitable as her condition detoriated despite living in her previous home for over 30 years. She was very pragmatic.

jannier · 05/08/2023 19:15

Ginmonkeyagain · 05/08/2023 09:24

Pensioners are entitled to free public transport across all of London.

I would be happy as a non car owning London tax payer to support cheaper or free public transport - I mean I already contribute to free public transport in London for pensioners, disabled people and under 11s. My taxes also contribute to the ULEZ scrappage scheme despite less than half of people in my borough owning a car.

Sometimes we all have to take a financial hit for tbe greater benefit of the comunity.

Not everyone is fit enough to walk to the bus stop stand in the cold rain and not get on the bus because it's full and then wait 45 minutes to the next one or do multiple bus changes to get to chemo miles away.

limitedperiodonly · 05/08/2023 19:29

Dibblydoodahdah · 05/08/2023 18:58

@limitedperiodonly well you’ve offended me multiple times on here, completely misrepresenting what I said. If you’re lungs are really as bad as you say there are then I am genuinely suprised you can give in central London. My mum had less than 30% lung function for a quarter of her life and there is no way she would have been able to live in central London. She couldn’t manage public transport for a start. She moved to somewhere more suitable as her condition detoriated despite living in her previous home for over 30 years. She was very pragmatic.

I don't care if I've offended and misrepresented you. I didn't do it intentionally. You have offended and misrepresented me also, probably inadvertently, so as far as I'm concerned we're quits.

Your mum's 30 per cent lung function for a quarter of her life that you never mentioned before is worrying and if her concerns about it caused her to move out of her neighbourhood then that is terrible.

Did she live in Central London or somewhere else? I ask that because air pollution levels in other areas are shocking.

In any case, how dare people pollute the place she knew and loved and force her to move? Is that what happened? If so, how fortunate that she found another place rather than having to stay in a place with rising air pollution caused by selfish people. Some people are not that fortunate and have to stay. Like that little girl in Peckham I keep linking to.

Your mum shouldn't have had to move from the home she loved unless she wanted to just because of selfish people, should she?

Dibblydoodahdah · 05/08/2023 20:07

@limitedperiodonly no, nothing to do with air pollution. She was born in the Highlands of Scotland and lived in the countryside or at the edge the of countryside most of her life. But she moved closer to a town when her health deteriorated and she could no longer use buses or trains. Pretty impossible to use a disabled scooter in most stations.

Sigmama · 05/08/2023 20:13

Jennifer, taxis are a good alternative for people who can't use public transport for what ever reason

Sigmama · 05/08/2023 20:13

Jannier

Dibblydoodahdah · 05/08/2023 20:17

@Sigmama far too expensive. My FIL had to pay over £100 return for a taxi to the hospital when he was having chemo. Not that many people can afford that on a regular basis. I live 12.9 miles from my nearest hospital and it’s £40 for a single journey. And I was refused care by that hospital when I was pregnant with my second child so I add to travel to a hospital 40 miles away!

limitedperiodonly · 05/08/2023 20:22

Dibblydoodahdah · 05/08/2023 20:07

@limitedperiodonly no, nothing to do with air pollution. She was born in the Highlands of Scotland and lived in the countryside or at the edge the of countryside most of her life. But she moved closer to a town when her health deteriorated and she could no longer use buses or trains. Pretty impossible to use a disabled scooter in most stations.

So why are you giving your mum's circumstances which have nothing to do with air pollution in this discussion about people who are affected by air pollution?

Soozikinzii · 05/08/2023 20:26

I typed in The registration of our old car ie a 54 plate fiesta and that we inherited from my mum and it didn't need to pay . So the cars affected must be very old indeed or use diesel . So after I realised that it's all being manipulated to cause a fuss . Very few vehicles will be affected.

Dibblydoodahdah · 05/08/2023 20:26

@limitedperiodonly because she had a life limiting lung condition and so do you, is that not correct? I have first hand experience of someone with a life limiting lung condition and, as I said, she wouldn’t have been able to live in central London. Aside from the air pollution, she wouldn’t be able to deal with the public transport. Is that not relevant?!

limitedperiodonly · 05/08/2023 20:40

Dibblydoodahdah · 05/08/2023 20:26

@limitedperiodonly because she had a life limiting lung condition and so do you, is that not correct? I have first hand experience of someone with a life limiting lung condition and, as I said, she wouldn’t have been able to live in central London. Aside from the air pollution, she wouldn’t be able to deal with the public transport. Is that not relevant?!

No, not really. Why would your mum have not been able to live in central London? The public transport is very good.

I can understand why she could not want to live in central London, but not why she couldn't. That's a different matter

It's like you telling me that if I really cared about my health I would move.

Can you see that?

Dibblydoodahdah · 05/08/2023 20:50

@limitedperiodonly because she couldn’t use public transport! Did I not just say that above?! Completely inaccessible for someone with a lung condition as bad as hers. How many tube stations have decent disabled access?! Also the air quality on the tube is awful.

She even used to struggle with someone spraying an air freshener near her. Happened when she was in hospital and there was no room for her on the respiratory ward so the nurse didn’t realise what a problem it would be. Any degree of air pollution would have been a nightmare. As I said, I am suprised that you can live in central London given that your doctor is amazed that you are still here.

Royalbloo · 05/08/2023 20:51

My mum has COPD and can't cope with perfume, air fresheners or deodorant sprayed near her

Ginmonkeyagain · 05/08/2023 21:15

@jannier where in London do you have to wait 45 mins for a bus?

Royalbloo · 05/08/2023 21:15

Ginmonkeyagain · 05/08/2023 21:15

@jannier where in London do you have to wait 45 mins for a bus?

Nowhere

limitedperiodonly · 05/08/2023 21:19

Dibblydoodahdah · 05/08/2023 20:50

@limitedperiodonly because she couldn’t use public transport! Did I not just say that above?! Completely inaccessible for someone with a lung condition as bad as hers. How many tube stations have decent disabled access?! Also the air quality on the tube is awful.

She even used to struggle with someone spraying an air freshener near her. Happened when she was in hospital and there was no room for her on the respiratory ward so the nurse didn’t realise what a problem it would be. Any degree of air pollution would have been a nightmare. As I said, I am suprised that you can live in central London given that your doctor is amazed that you are still here.

@Dibblydoodahdah As I have said: this is my home. It was you who told me I should move because of air pollution. That was outrageous. Breathtaking, in fact.

But let's say I did move to escape air pollution. What if I found the new place became as polluted as the last? Or didn't have good public transport so I was stuck in my house? Should I move again? How many times do you think it would be reasonable for me to keep moving just so people could continue to drive polluting cars?

Or do you think there might come a point where we tell them to stop doing that? I think we reached that point a while ago

I really can't believe you are saying this given that your mum had a serious lung condition and mobility problems.

Dibblydoodahdah · 05/08/2023 21:31

@limitedperiodonly outrageous or pragmatic….Now, if you said you couldn’t afford to move somewhere else, I would have sympathy…but given that you live in the centre of the most expensive city in the UK, that can’t be an issue. Even if you live in a council house, a swap would be easy. And for someone with mobility problems like my mum, the car was far from evil. It was a lifeline. She couldn’t manage public transport to get to her regular hospital appointments, which is why I have sympathy for those people who need to use their cars.

Sigmama · 05/08/2023 21:45

Dibbly - £12.50 sounds like a bargain then

limitedperiodonly · 05/08/2023 21:47

How many tube stations have decent disabled access?! Also the air quality on the tube is awful.

@Dibblydoodahdah Many have step free access. My station does and yesterday I was idling my way away counting how many stations on the line did. It was quite few.

That's the Victoria Line. More modern lines such as the Jubilee or updated ones such as the Central, District and Circle are a lot better.

There have been amazing improvements to all tube lines over the last 20 years and also the Elizabeth Line, which is not strictly a tube line, but which my friend from Brentwood, Essex, raves about. It whisks her in comfort to Tottenham Court Road for shopping and the West End cinemas and whatnot in about 30 minutes.

You should try it. Have a look at the TfL website . As for air quality, I don't know. But can you prove it's any worse than being on a busy road?

Dibblydoodahdah · 05/08/2023 21:48

@Sigmama not if you’re on minimum wage, even worse if you’re a minimum wage worker on a night shift and it becomes £25.

limitedperiodonly · 05/08/2023 21:55

Dibblydoodahdah · 05/08/2023 21:31

@limitedperiodonly outrageous or pragmatic….Now, if you said you couldn’t afford to move somewhere else, I would have sympathy…but given that you live in the centre of the most expensive city in the UK, that can’t be an issue. Even if you live in a council house, a swap would be easy. And for someone with mobility problems like my mum, the car was far from evil. It was a lifeline. She couldn’t manage public transport to get to her regular hospital appointments, which is why I have sympathy for those people who need to use their cars.

@Dibblydoodahdah you are truly a thing of wonder. In fact I'm starting to wonder whether you are in fact actually real or just fucking with me.

It would be better if you were fucking with me. It scares me to think people actually believe the shit you're shovelling.

Sigmama · 05/08/2023 21:58

Dibbly, owning and running a car ain't exactly cheap

Dibblydoodahdah · 05/08/2023 22:00

@limitedperiodonly even many of the step free stations (only about a third of them are step free) still have a gap between the platform and the train. A big issue if you have a disability scooter. Yes, they can bring a ramp, but it’s not user friendly for someone that is so severely ill.

I live 20 miles from the Elizabeth line so it’s not a very practical option for me.