Yesterday I took a trip out to Swindon Karting centre with Matt and Ed to enjoy a few laps round the track. Some might find it incredible but I hadn’t actually been go-karting before so I wasn’t really sure what to expect. I’m glad we made the effort though as it was a thoroughly enjoyable hour or so. We had time both on and off the track and were able to spend time observing others to improve technique.

Watching others whiz round the track makes you think it is an easy pass time but I can assure you its no where near as easy as it looks. Corners approach suddenly and the rear end of the cart swings out quite wildly if you brake too hard on the approach or accelerate too much on the exit.

Sadly victory wasn’t to be mine on any of the sessions we had on the track, but as my print out showed, I at least improved lap on lap against my previous efforts. We all definitely want to go again at some point though and I don’t think it will be long before I find myself in a go-kart once more.

At the end of my street there is a convenient snicket, just wide enough to allow a car to pass through, that affords me easy access to the main road and when I get there, an easier right or left turn than if I had used the proper route.

Sadly road works are currently taking place at the end of my street and have blocked access to the snicket. I realised this yesterday morning when I tried to use it to get to work. I was forced to go the long way round and wait 5 minutes for a gap in both sides of the traffic so I could turn right. I hope these works are soon finished as driving out of my street is so much more painful without this lifesaver of a cut through.

This was featured this morning on BBC Radio Swindon so I thought I’d share it with those of you who have yet to hear it. The tune certainly made me chuckle.

If you drive a large vehicle and come across a sign warning of a low bridge and displaying a maximum height less than that of your method of transportation, what do you do? Most would say they turn around and go an alternative route, but it appears that, in Swindon at least, the solution is just to carry on going and hope you will get though.

The problem with this attitude is that they haven’t yet invented a lorry that can defy the laws of physics and this morning, on my way down the hill from Old Town as I journeyed to work, one truck driver found this out to his, and every other motorist’s cost.

As I approached the railway bridge I noticed the queue for the lights was a long one, even for the morning rush hour. After sitting stationary for over 5 minutes and realising that I might very well be late for work, I nudged out slightly into the middle of the road in the hope I might get a look at what the problem was. I saw to my horror that a lorry was stuck fast underneath the bridge and that while the odd car was getting past every time there was a break in the traffic flow on the other side of the road, I had very little chance of getting through before 10 O’Clock.

As luck would have it I had with me my trusty map of Swindon and using this and a neat bit of u-turning I went the long way round and came out not too far from the bridge but on the other side. Needless to say the truck was still stuck and the queue of traffic was now tailing back probably as far as the centre of Old Town.

I arrived into work a little after 9:15am. I guess there is a lot more to be said for leaving some contingency time than I thought, even if I do only have a 5 minute long journey to work.

Well, in Swindon at least. Listening to BBC Radio Swindon as I awoke this morning I was informed that last night the council had voted to remove all the speed cameras in Swindon such that the budget currently used in maintaining them could be better deployed elsewhere on Swindon roads. To me this seems to be a most excellent decision. Nothing is more likely to cause an accident these days than worn out sections of road and deep potholes that lurk on our street corners. This is of course not to mention the improperly fenced gasworks close to my street that attempts to lure any unsuspecting driver down a 6 foot hole. Its high time the real causes of road accidents are properly addressed with a funding injection. Bravo I say. Bravo.