Avonmouth from above

Here is a photo of Avonmouth docks taken in March 2009, camera focal length 55mm

All those built up areas on the edges of the docks are car parks full of cars that have been unloaded and are now sitting, awaiting purchase -purchases nobody is making.

Here is a photo of Bristol from above, focal length still 55mm. That green strip is Purdown camp; the M32 is to the right of it, Lockleaze and Horfield to the left. The proposed new north-fringe cycle city route comes through there.

Without altimeter data there is no way to be sure, but unless the plane was losing height after take-off, the amount of space dedicated to unsold cars at Avonmouth, is about the same as Horfield and Lockleaze combined.

No doubt, then the owners of Avonmouth Docks will be pleased by the announcement that the government is offering 2000 pounds for scrapping an old car when you buy a new one. Why not offer the same amount for anyone who scraps an old car and joins a car club? Or gets a year-long train season ticket? Or even, dare we say it, a bicycle?

The best bit is that it doesn't matter how bad the CO2/mile rating of the car is, any new car will do. If this was to be a green budget, then restricting it to low CO2 emission vehicles would be the way to do it.

Silver Lining to the Credit Crunch

Christmas is over, and the Credit Crunch may be bad for many, but for a few it is proving very good news.

On Bristol's famous Gloucester Road, for instance, there are some fantastic opportunities for saving money and beating the recession.

Every cloud, it seems, has a silver lining, and free parking is not to be sniffed at as the drivers of WR07ENX and V808LUK have found to their benefit.