I forgot to mention

If that is the best we can do for Saint Patrick's Day, then my recommendation for the town council is not to bother next year. The parade was a joke and the "fun fair" not much more than an eye sore.

Free Compost bins?

Wow! South Dublin County Council is giving compost bins to anyone who asks for one. They must really want people to composte their waste. Out here, you gotta fork out the €50 (or €120 or whatever) for you composte bin.

I still haven't bought one. I've been separating the rubbish pretty faithfully, but at the end of the month when I'm putting out the bin (so far once a month) I just put all the cartons and composte in too. It doesn't cost me anything and I'm not that keen on having a composte bin in the yard. I suspect that the bin will be full long before anything has broken down into spreadable composte. What then?

Near the end of the year, I'll probably get one because it looks like we'll have to pay by weight next year.

{I'm not keen on government bodies giving things away, to be honest. However, the argument in favor of free rubbish collection in urban environments that existed when it first started - waste is a health hazard - is no less relevant today than it was years ago.}

One law for everyone

Noticed this afternoon that the authorities, in their wisdom, have resolved the multiple speed limit situation. Now we're all allowed to do 120KPH for the entire stretch from Shankill to Bray, where the limit drops to 100KPH. Is that two full miles at motorway speed? I might just die with excitement.

Parking in Bray

Is there any organisation that simply raises its fees by 160% without batting an eye other than government? Today was the first time I had to pay €1 for a parking disk that cost €0.38 up to December.

I doubt I'll bother with the library again and I may look for a new barber. Also, I see no reason to shop in Bray at all. I used to like the fact that it didn't cost an arm and a leg to park my car, but those days are over now. The only store that makes commercial sense to me in Bray now is Smith's and with no parking in front and the fact that I'll soon be able to get to Tallaght nearly as easily as to their store in Bray, I suspect that Bray will soon be nothing more than a series of traffic lights along the route to Shankill.

Snow job

Unbelievable how 3/4" (I'm being generous) of snow caused so much trouble in Bray and beyond last week. Was there even a single truck out salting or sanding the roads? I have my doubts. Traffic was at a standstill through the town and only barely moving on the Southern Cross.

And, as if the roads weren't bad enough, there were the morons who helped make a tough situation impossible. I know snow is rare here, but surely the basics could be explained, maybe with radio spots on snowy days? Here's what I remember from driver's education classes in upstate NY:

1. bring a bag of sand in the car in case you get stuck on an icy patch (I realize that very few people had this available to them last week, but it's not a bad idea to get one)
2. accelerate and decelerate SLOWLY – quick pumps are better than slamming on the brakes and holding the pedal down
3. drive in as high a gear as you can without stalling
4. leave a lot of room between you and the guy in front
5. signal turns well in advance

I'm sure I'm forgetting one or two items, but this would be a good start.

Signage

I noticed last week that the DLCC (or whoever) had removed the speed limit sign on the entrance to the M11 at Shankill. That means the limit is no longer 120KPH for drivers entering the road there and 60KPH for drivers who joined at Loughlinstown. That has to be seen as progress. Still, the new limit for those who join at Shankill is 50KPH, which means there are still two distinct speed limits on that one stretch of road.

As well as the two legal limits, there's no doubt that many (most?) drivers believe the 60KPH zone ends when they get past the last of the road works. Many of these drivers are hitting speeds approaching 120KPH beyond Shankill, but there are still a sizeable number who insist on obeying the legal limit of 60. This is an invitation to disaster and the DLCC or Wicklow CC MUST erect signs beyond Shankill indicating what the limit is on that stretch of road.

Back again

Another long spell where I failed to keep you abreast of my insights about life in Bray has now ended. I know you were gasping and I'm sorry about that.