E-bike.

One thing that I find very annoying is the number of people who refuse to pay the fare when using local buses. As someone who relies heavily on public transport, I personally find this offensive. In my own experience this started off with teenage boys and older, drug using wastrel males who either did not want to, or could not pay the fare to get to their destination. Fare evasion is a serious criminal offence that could lead to prosecution, a criminal record and a fine of up to £1,000. On many occasions the bus drivers allowed the miscreants to board and use the bus without any dispute. Recently the issue has become more widespread; now it would appear that a wide spectrum of the public think that they can use buses without paying - and it seems that some bus drivers are seemingly not bothered by this. Not long ago I witnessed a bus driver getting racially and verbally abused by a couple of teenage boys. I reported this to the Police, who took the matter very seriously and came to my house to take a statement from me. They then contacted the bus company, and then the driver of the bus. Unfortunately the driver did not want to make a formal complaint, and subsequently the case was dropped. From what I understand, the driver got verbal abuse on an almost daily basis, and had come to view it as a hazard of the job. London's bus network is facing a crisis as fare evasion continues to rise. Despite the convenience of contactless payment and various ticket options, a growing number of passengers are choosing to avoid paying for their journeys. This issue is not only costing Transport for London (TfL) millions in lost revenue but also impacting the overall quality of the service for honest fare-paying passengers. While TfL maintains that fare evasion rates are relatively low, anecdotal evidence an my own experience suggests a significant increase in the number of people boarding buses without paying. This issue is particularly prevalent during off-peak hours and in certain areas of the city. Several factors contribute to this problem:- 1) Ease of evasion: The open-door policy of London buses makes it relatively easy for passengers to board without paying. 2) Lack of enforcement: While TfL employs revenue inspectors, their numbers are insufficient to deter widespread fare evasion. 3) Economic pressures: Some argue that the rising cost of living is driving more people to avoid paying fares. The financial implications of fare evasion are substantial. Lost revenue affects TfL's ability to maintain and improve the bus network. This can lead to reduced service frequency, older buses, and higher fares for honest passengers. Furthermore, fare evasion creates a sense of injustice among those who consistently pay their fares. It undermines the principle of everyone contributing to the cost of the service. The estimated £100 million lost to fare evasion across the whole network every year could fund more than 1,000 additional members of front line staff or police officers on the network. What do yo think? Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

I photographed an apparently stolen and abandoned rental E-bike in the car park of Morrison's in Erith on Tuesday afternoon. The London Borough of Bexley is not part of the current E-bike trial area by rental company Forest, which owns and operates the type of E-bike in the photograph. You can see the boroughs they do cover by clicking here. E-bikes are a great idea in principle, but in practice there are problems. Electric hire bikes, while intended to promote eco-friendly urban transport, have become a source of frustration for Londoners. The convenience of these bikes has been overshadowed by the increasing problem of riders abandoning them on pavements and public spaces. Dumped e-bikes create hazards for pedestrians, especially those with disabilities or visual impairments. Clearing abandoned bikes incurs significant costs for local authorities. The reasons for the E-bikes being abandoned are multiple, but the main reasons appear to be that insufficient and inconvenient parking options lead riders to leave bikes wherever is most convenient. Some riders simply don't care about proper disposal, treating the bikes as disposable items. In some cases, bikes are hacked or stolen, with the culprits abandoning them after use, as would seem to be the case with the E-bike in the photo, as it is not permitted for the rental vehicles to be taken out of their designated operating area, which does not include the London Borough of Bexley - the E-bike model in the photo contains a GPS tracker, which the rider would appear to have defeated. Some measures are being taken by the rental companies to reduce the dumping of E-bikes; these include introducing hefty fines for improper parking to deter irresponsible behaviour. Efforts are underway to create designated parking areas for e-bikes. Some operators are exploring geofencing and other technologies to control bike usage and encourage responsible parking.

Bexleyheath has been the location of a several serious stories recently - there was the case of the 9 year old girl who was killed in an incident that I don't want to go into details about, as there will be a forthcoming court case involving the alleged perpetrator. You can read about the case here. Following this, there was an alleged assault involving a man who received life threatening injuries, which you can read about here. Last Sunday afternoon, a section of road next to Bexleyheath Clock Tower was sealed off and the emergency services were in attendance. Photos above - click on either for a larger view. It was not clear what had happened - if you were there, and were a witness to what went on, then please send me an email with the details - hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Barnehurst has played an important part in British musical history; the pub The Red Barn (photo above - click on it to see  a larger version), next to Barnehurst station was the home to the resurgence of Traditional Jazz music in the 1950's.  This genre, characterised by its New Orleans-inspired style, had enjoyed popularity in the 1920s and 1930s but had fallen out of favour during World War II. However, the postwar era brought about a renewed interest in this nostalgic musical form. The immediate aftermath of World War II was a time of uncertainty and hardship for many Britons. Trad jazz offered a comforting escape from the realities of life. Its infectious rhythms and upbeat melodies provided a sense of nostalgia and optimism. The music evoked a simpler time, before the war had disrupted the world order. The development of radio and television in the 1950s played a crucial role in promoting trad jazz. BBC Radio broadcasts featured numerous trad jazz bands, exposing listeners to the genre and helping to build a loyal following. Television programmes also showcased the music, further increasing its popularity.The trad jazz revival of the 1950s had a lasting impact on British music culture. It inspired a new generation of musicians and helped to preserve a musical tradition that had been in danger of disappearing. Trombonist Chris Barber, who died in March 2021 aged 91 years regularly played at The Red Barn. The pub was built back in 1936 and was home to local jazz band the 'George Webb Dixielanders'. George Webb, a worker at nearby Vickers, formed the band with his friends in 1944 and performed regularly at The Red Barn on Monday evenings. The pub is celebrated as the home of the revival of traditional jazz in Britain and jazz legend George Melly unveiled a plaque on 4th July 1985 to commemorate this. The pub still has the plaque and photographs of this event on display. His source material, like the Yerba Buena's were the early recordings of Oliver, Morton and Armstrong. The Dixielanders made some recordings for Decca as well as sessions for the small Jazz label. Trumpeter, Humphrey Lyttelton joined the band and assumed leadership. In 1949, the band made some historical recordings with Sidney Bechet. The Lyttelton band went on to record many sessions for the Parlophone label, eventually landing a top twenty hit with Bad Penny Blues. Incidentally, back in the 90's, I used on occasion to see George Melly at Charing Cross station, where he was probably waiting for a train to his home in Blackheath. I used to think his outrageous, lurid suits were part of his stage attire; this was not the case – he really wore them in public! You really could not miss him, even in a crowd of people.

Following the silent colour film of the Woolwich Ferry and the ferry approach from back in 1963 that I featured as the end video last week, I have been contacted by regular reader and occasional contributor Richard, who writes:- "I well remember the old ferry approach and crossing back and forth was an entertaining way to spend the day as a child. I was always especially impressed with the engine which you could see on the lower deck. All that shiny brass and the sound of the engine chugging away brings back so many memories. My Father used to cross the ferry daily on his motor bike on has way to work at the Vesta's factory in Silvertown where they made all manner of items from aluminium foil. A BSA Bantam Super, 175cc two stroke engine which could just about reach 60 miles an hour with a good tail wind. It was forever going wrong and he used to spend hours with the engine stripped down with the parts spread out across our back yard. I remember I used to have to help him with identifying the wiring as it was all various colours and he was colour blind. When he wasn't using it to commute to work, I would hop on the back and we would go out exploring the Kent countryside for hours. We never knew where we were going or where we would end up but it was all a great adventure for an 11 year old. It all went horribly wrong one day when, on his way down the wooden ramp onto the ferry, the back wheel slipped on some spilled diesel. he was only going at about five miles an hour but the bike slid out from under him and landed on his leg. He broke his femur and was in hospital in traction for six weeks and spent several months afterward convalescing. he couldn't work. Social security payments were not what they are today and we had to live on a pittance and he had to sell his bike. Shame. If something like that happened today, someone would have been on the receiving end of some serious legal action but it was a different world then".

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The end video this week was taken during a drone flight over the Anchor Bay area of industrial Eastern Erith on the River Thames, Comments and feedback as always to me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.