'Power to the people!' was the catchphrase of Citizen Smith - the British TV sitcom of the late 1970s. Funny how things pop into your mind from so long ago. I've just googled it and checked Wikipedia, and there's an entry with a photo of actor Robert Lindsay giving his character's people power salute of a clenched fist. I used to like that show.
People power was exercised by me earlier this week. I reported some potholes on the pothole website.... Yes, it's great, there's a website called 'fixmystreet.com' which logs your (essentially) complaints and links them to the appropriate County Council.
The interesting thing is the potholes I reported had originally been reported on 14th February (how romantic!). They had been marked as 'fixed' a week or so later, and then the file had been re-opened with comments saying they're 'still not fixed', 'not fixed and getting larger' and so on. The other reporters had been brief, you might say concise.... I was not.
My report pointed out that the 'fixed' pothole was further down the road, and the continuing problem lay in the effect the position of the unfixed potholes had on the traffic flow. There was a large and deep pothole on the left-hand side of the road, which traffic swerves towards the right to avoid. In doing this traffic was unavoidably confronted by two further, centrally located potholes, which caused either (a) traffic to swerve over the central white line, or (b) stop. Oncoming traffic at this point of the road is often central as there is on-road parking which the oncoming traffic hasn't had time to return to correct position on carriageway. The potholes were also located outside a primary school, and at school rush hours this was an accident waiting to happen.
My report got results. 2 days later the holes were fixed. Hooray. I think it was the pointing out the consequences that got the action.
In the meantime I googled the meaning of the word 'potholes'. Obviously we all use the term, and know what it means, but why are the holes in the road called that? The version I liked the best is that the potters in Josiah Wedgewood's era (1730-1795) used to collect clay from the fields. In the winter, when the fields were frozen, they turned to the roads, as these were no more than dirt tracks which would have had a broken surface from the horses hooves and the carriage wheels. The potters dug holes in the road in search of clay, and that's where the term 'pothole' comes from.
Back to people power. I'll be voting in the local elections next week. In my opinion it's important to vote, because if you don't participate in the process how can you criticise it if there's something you don't like? If you're going to moan, then at least take a part and vote. Make your voice heard. Count for something, not nothing. 'Power to the people' and to the Tooting Popular Front, we're back to Citizen Smith again, aren't we?
Night night, keep it sweet, Kat :)
People power was exercised by me earlier this week. I reported some potholes on the pothole website.... Yes, it's great, there's a website called 'fixmystreet.com' which logs your (essentially) complaints and links them to the appropriate County Council.
The interesting thing is the potholes I reported had originally been reported on 14th February (how romantic!). They had been marked as 'fixed' a week or so later, and then the file had been re-opened with comments saying they're 'still not fixed', 'not fixed and getting larger' and so on. The other reporters had been brief, you might say concise.... I was not.
My report pointed out that the 'fixed' pothole was further down the road, and the continuing problem lay in the effect the position of the unfixed potholes had on the traffic flow. There was a large and deep pothole on the left-hand side of the road, which traffic swerves towards the right to avoid. In doing this traffic was unavoidably confronted by two further, centrally located potholes, which caused either (a) traffic to swerve over the central white line, or (b) stop. Oncoming traffic at this point of the road is often central as there is on-road parking which the oncoming traffic hasn't had time to return to correct position on carriageway. The potholes were also located outside a primary school, and at school rush hours this was an accident waiting to happen.
My report got results. 2 days later the holes were fixed. Hooray. I think it was the pointing out the consequences that got the action.
In the meantime I googled the meaning of the word 'potholes'. Obviously we all use the term, and know what it means, but why are the holes in the road called that? The version I liked the best is that the potters in Josiah Wedgewood's era (1730-1795) used to collect clay from the fields. In the winter, when the fields were frozen, they turned to the roads, as these were no more than dirt tracks which would have had a broken surface from the horses hooves and the carriage wheels. The potters dug holes in the road in search of clay, and that's where the term 'pothole' comes from.
Back to people power. I'll be voting in the local elections next week. In my opinion it's important to vote, because if you don't participate in the process how can you criticise it if there's something you don't like? If you're going to moan, then at least take a part and vote. Make your voice heard. Count for something, not nothing. 'Power to the people' and to the Tooting Popular Front, we're back to Citizen Smith again, aren't we?
Night night, keep it sweet, Kat :)
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