Random Stuff!

[TheLocalYokel]

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/story-behind-75m-superyacht-just-1864244

I saw this yacht moored in the Harbourside this afternoon. It's extremely impressive.

 

[superking]

The yacht departs this Thursday. The news report said crew polished the out side,and the pictures shown on tv showed it too. Just what money does.

 

[Jerry]

Who's is it?

 

[superking]

Its believed to be owned by billionaire worth estimate 8000 billion. He is American 80 years old. He was a hedge fund manager and mathemation. The yacht is worth 75 mil.
His name is James Jim Simons. I never heard of him. He is one of the richest persons in the world.

 

[Severn]

His net worth is around $18.5 Billion, or around £14 Billion. Still a sizeable number! If he were to live in the UK he'd be about number 5 in the UK rich list.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

His net worth is around $18.5 Billion, or around £14 Billion. Still a sizeable number! If he were to live in the UK he'd be about number 5 in the UK rich list.

Just one place below you then, Severn.

The yacht departs this Thursday. The news report said crew polished the out side,and the pictures shown on tv showed it too. Just what money does.

The outside of the yacht was gleaming when I saw it.

There's always someone.

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/protesters-tell-owner-obscene-superyacht-1870904

This is what the yacht is like inside.

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/super-yacht-bristol-james-simons-1869905

 

[Jerry]

It does make me laugh when people have a go at rich people like that. It's generally down to complete jealously!

 

[rollo]

It does make me laugh when people have a go at rich people like that. It's generally down to complete jealously!

Know what you mean some people wake up every morning determined to be offended about something preferably before breakfast. I believe the owner is a generous philanthropist.

 

[Jerry]

Know what you mean some people wake up every morning determined to be offended about something preferably before breakfast. I believe the owner is a generous philanthropist.

They probably don't even know who the owner is let alone researched what he's done in his life. The irony is if they want to protest about Carbon footprint then why aren't they at the airport protesting about the business jets!

 

[superking]

I see a liner in Avonmouth doing a change over of passengers. The liner Saga pearl 2 is the first time in Avonmouth let alone change over of passengers. The Portbury and Avonmouth docks seem to be building their liner trade every year.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

I see a liner in Avonmouth doing a change over of passengers. The liner Saga pearl 2 is the first time in Avonmouth let alone change over of passengers. The Portbury and Avonmouth docks seem to be building their liner trade every year.

It does seem to be a growing market. Avonmouth is not near the top of the list when thinking of an exotic cruise port but, as with the neighbouring Royal Portbury Dock, it has its own link onto the M5. What wouldn't BRS give for such motorway connectivity.

The below link seems to show the main cruise provider but there are others with other vessels too.

https://www.cruiseandmaritime.com/search/bristol-avonmouth

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Metrobus

I tried the Metrobus this afternoon for the first time - route M3, which links the city centre with the north-eastern edge of the conurbation, and is the only one currently in operation although M2 starts next month

I caught the 1340 departure at the route's city centre terminal (Colston Avenue). There are 11 en-route stops plus the terminals at either end.

Because it is school holiday time we made good progress through the central area to the M32. We left the motorway via the bus-only exit which took us to to UWE in 14 minutes - students are currently away of course although there are some summer activities.

After that we drove around the ring road, with new bus lanes in places, to the Bristol & Bath Science Park, followed by a ride through the brand new suburb of Lyde Green - I hadn’t realised how large it already is and there is still much development taking place. We reached the Emersons Green shopping centre at 1412 (a journey time of 32 minutes), two minutes early and we also stopped for two minutes during the journey as we were ahead of time.

There were no more than about 15 passengers in total on the double-decker bus during the entire journey. I asked the driver how busy the route is generally and he told me that passenger numbers are above expectations (which might have been low - my cynicism) and that the previously planned increase in frequency from every 20 minutes to every ten minutes will go ahead.

The Metrobus has the advantage over the city buses of using the motorway and ring road for much of its journey, and passengers have to buy tickets at a machine at the bus stop before boarding, unless like me they have a concessionary card. Apart from Lyde Green (where there is a park and ride facility), Emersons Green and part of Stapleton/Frenchay, the route doesn’t directly serve many well populated suburbs. In university term time UWE might well be a busy stop although there are already a number of city bus routes to the central areas from there.

Early afternoon in the summer holidays might not be the busiest time for the route.

To compare I returned on one of the city bus routes that link Emersons Green with the city centre - the 48 in my case. We departed at 1421 and the double-decker routes via the outer suburb of Downend before travelling along the long Fishponds and Stapleton Roads to Old Market, thence around the central area. It serves the busy and congested suburbs of Fishponds, Eastville and part of Easton. City buses still have the disadvantage of drivers taking money and issuing tickets although more and more passengers are using methods that avoid cash payment. There are also many more bus stops on the 48 route than on the Metrobus.

We arrived at route 48's city centre terminal (Rupert Street) at 1510, on time which is unusual for city buses in Bristol. Rupert Street is about a quarter of a mile from Colston Avenue so for parity I’ll add two minutes to the journey. This means the Metrobus took 32 minutes against the 51 minutes of the city bus.

On a ‘normal’ weekday (ie outside the school holidays) both buses might take a little longer especially the city bus.

So in summary the Metrobus knocked about 20 minutes off the journey but serves a much smaller catchment. The bus was almost new but no more nor less comfortable than city buses of similar vintage. What I particularly dislike about city bus travel is the incessant halting at bus stops so the Metrobus was a pleasant experience with its fewer stops, and I don't think we stopped at more than half of them anyway.

Is the cost of building and running it worthwhile? I’ll reserve judgement on that for a while.

 

[tpm]

Is the cost of building and running it worthwhile? I’ll reserve judgement on that for a while.

To be seen. I suspect there will be a fairly strong network effect (*). The initial outlay may have been substantial, but adding more routes going forward will be considerably cheaper, e.g. to keep a high frequency on the core routes but cover a wider area in the outer zones. We won't have to dig up the city centre again for the next handful of MetroBus routes (hopefully). Same for positive externalities: most of the bus lanes and priority junctions built can be used by normal bus services.

(*) This was also my biggest concern about it, because once you have the initial network it will always be much cheaper and comparatively more beneficial to add yet another branch to the existing network than to build a new higher-quality mass-transit network which might perhaps achieve a higher modal shift. So basically we're doomed. Stand by for the MetroBus to Portishead

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Stand by for the MetroBus to Portishead

But the transport secretary said that money saved on the emasculated rail electrification would be spent instead on local rail projects. Yeah right, but perhaps not on arguably the most important of all the new elements of a Metro West: Bristol-Portishead.

One thing that is going ahead at full speed is the quadruple tracking of the line from Dr Day's Junction outside Temple Meads up the Filton Bank. When returning on the 48 bus yesterday I noted that the second overbridge at Stapleton Road that was demolished some time ago has been replaced by a new bridge to carry the additional tracks. The new bridge was installed in three days in July according to the Network Rail website.

https://www.networkrail.co.uk/runni...rn-mainline/bristol-upgrades/city-of-bristol/

 

[superking]

The transport minister was on breakfast tv this morning talking about the railways in general. One thing he said was they have cut no modernisation to the system.he also said that they were at full speed with electrician of the rail system around the country.It got me thinking about what they have cut round Bristol with electrictrician been cut.I thought you either don't know whats going on or you a liar. Typical bull s--t.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Metrobus

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/new-metrobus-route-take-longer-1916133

More moans about the Metrobus. The M2 route (Long Ashton Park and Ride to central districts) begins early next month. It will replace the 903 park and ride service.

The snag is the M2 will take a different route to the 903 that will affect commuters who work in offices in the Anchor Road area, including the 'City Hall' at College Green (Americanised twaddle; why did the previous mayor go to the expense of altering the name given Bristol's cash-strapped situation? Sounds like Batman and Gotham City - it will always be the Council House to me).

Anyway, these poor people will either have to walk about half a mile to reach work or stay on the M2 as it completes its circuit of the central areas which will add 20 minutes to their commute time. I appreciate that there will be some who for medical reasons might find this difficult but the majority might will probably benefit from a bit of exercise before and after their day's work in an office.

 

[superking]

It sounds like no thought gone into any bits of the metro fiasco.
It also looks like we are going to have a metro type operation by any way or means. Sort out where it goes and how at a later date.

 

[tpm]

or they can get off at the SS Great Britain stop in front of the Spike Island arts centre and walk ~3-4 minutes ~400 yards (<0.3 miles) to the SS Great Britain Landing ferry stop and take the ferry to Hannover Quay from which it's at most a few more minutes to the various Anchor Rd office buildings (bit more to City Hall of course, got to cross Anchor road and go up the stairs to College Green). I'd love to have that commute, but I can see how it's less convenient than being dropped off directly at the Anchor Rd bus stop. Not to mention the walk to the car on the P+R side

 

[TheLocalYokel]

or they can get off at the SS Great Britain stop in front of the Spike Island arts centre and walk ~3-4 minutes ~400 yards (<0.3 miles) to the SS Great Britain Landing ferry stop and take the ferry to Hannover Quay from which it's at most a few more minutes to the various Anchor Rd office buildings (bit more to City Hall of course, got to cross Anchor road and go up the stairs to College Green). I'd love to have that commute, but I can see how it's less convenient than being dropped off directly at the Anchor Rd bus stop. Not to mention the walk to the car on the P+R side

I think the ferry is one pound per crossing (there might be cheaper 'season tickets' but I have no idea if there are) - a tenner a week.

I agree that some people find walking anywhere a chore even when they are perfectly fit enough to do so. Two brisk ten-minute walks per day to and from their office from and to the Metrobus stop will do the majority the world of good.

 

[tpm]

I think the ferry is one pound per crossing (there might be cheaper 'season tickets' but I have no idea if there are) - a tenner a week.

£14 a month it seems, but it's a fair point of course.