Originally Posted by Stuartli

So why is The Office continuing to prove so successful under exactly the same circumstances?

Furthermore, Brexit hasn't induced price rises in the shops - it's mainly down to the war in Ukraine hitting vital supplies, including energy, to us, the EU and other parts of the world from that country and Russia.

BREXIT hasn't induced price rises in the shops? You're having a laugh, mate! Go take that up with a real expert in the retail sector - like Sainsbury's old CEO, who says it most definitely has - duh!

Originally Posted by The PNP

BREXIT hasn't induced price rises in the shops? You're having a laugh, mate! Go take that up with a real expert in the retail sector - like Sainsbury's old CEO, who says it most definitely has - duh!

Perhaps if you'd think outside the box a bit more often you'd know that inflation and customer price rises are affecting all countries, not just the UK, and are not related to Brexit.

Currently inflation, for example, is 7.8 per cent in the EU overall, 11.7 per cent in Holland, 9.8 per cent in Spain and 7.6 per cent in Germany.

So I'm not having a laugh, mate, only you with your continual delusional viewpoints on the world's economics which are, frankly, far removed from the reality.

As I've told you before, Russia's invasion of Ukraine is responsible for a lot of it. The former supplies a large proportion of Europe's energy needs, plus other essentials such as fertiliser etc.

Ukraine was, before the invasion, one of the world's major supplier of, for example, wheat, barley and sunflower oil (the latter more than 50 per cent) and the effects are seriously hitting food and other essentials supplies in the majority of countries.

So before you post misleading comments, check out your facts first. Duh...

Originally Posted by Stuartli

Perhaps if you'd think outside the box a bit more often you'd know that inflation and customer price rises are affecting all countries, not just the UK, and are not related to Brexit.

Currently inflation, for example, is 7.8 per cent in the EU overall, 11.7 per cent in Holland, 9.8 per cent in Spain and 7.6 per cent in Germany.

So I'm not having a laugh, mate, only you with your continual delusional viewpoints on the world's economics which are, frankly, far removed from the reality.

As I've told you before, Russia's invasion of Ukraine is responsible for a lot of it. The former supplies a large proportion of Europe's energy needs, plus other essentials such as fertiliser etc.

Ukraine was, before the invasion, one of the world's major supplier of, for example, wheat, barley and sunflower oil (the latter more than 50 per cent) and the effects are seriously hitting food and other essentials supplies in the majority of countries.

So before you post misleading comments, check out your facts first. Duh...

You have a very short memory. Prices in the shops increased due BREXIT, long before things went t*ts-up in Ukraine. Starting within days of the 'leave' vote, due to our £pound immediately losing 20% against the euro. Which caused everything imported from the EU (by far our biggest supplier) to go up by 20% across the board. And we've been on a slippery slope ever since!

Originally Posted by The PNP

The fact remains, that the less traffic on a road (e.g. Queens Rd) the more likely people will be to take a bike into town via that road.......Remember the big lockdown, when traffic was virtually zero everywhere? What happened? People descended on bike shops in their droves - and went cycling on-road with little fear of a knockoff!

People were out and about on bikes because the weather was good and many were sat at home on furlough, the bike was a good excuse to get out and about.

Take note how quickly bikes vanished when the weather turned, plus of course as more returned to work, you can't possibly use a totally artificial situation as the start of some great revolution, having said that in your case, I should probably withdraw the last comment.

Originally Posted by Blackrock

Yeah, right!

Agreed! 'Allowed' does not come into it.

Originally Posted by silver fox

People were out and about on bikes because the weather was good and many were sat at home on furlough, the bike was a good excuse to get out and about.

Take note how quickly bikes vanished when the weather turned, plus of course as more returned to work, you can't possibly use a totally artificial situation as the start of some great revolution, having said that in your case, I should probably withdraw the last comment.

Having discovered the joy of cycling, many of those newbies would likely have continued riding into town after the lockdown ended.....But as is well known, when asked why not cycle, people give their number one reason for not doing so as fear of traffic.

Is that 'fear' justified? Maybe, maybe not. I recognise the risk, but it doesn't stop me taking the bike into town. For many others, it does though. At end of day, it's all about perception of risk, not the actual risk, which may in fact be quite small. When they can plainly see that the risk has been removed, just watch them come out of the woodwork again!

Wonder if any of the Council members will stop and think about this? In all areas where cars are welcome and car parking is free - the shops are thriving or at the very least - busier than in Southport. In Southport, where there are too few roads leading into town, where speed pillows are often used, low speed limits imposed and free flowing traffic is discouraged - businesses are struggling - heaven knows how the proposed conference centre will fare! But any how - why on earth would a cyclist need to go to Southport town if everywhere is closed down?

Cycling is a leisure pursuit for the majority of cyclists - although a large number of cyclists are also commuters. Anyway - it is NOT the town that needs these cycle lanes. Cycle lanes would be better served in quiet pleasurable areas - i.e a quiet cycle lane through the dunes perhaps? Or build a bridge over the River Ribble, widen the existing footpath that leads to the Banks of the Ribble, and join this up with the Preston Guild cycle way. Or create a cycle path along the old Cheshire Lines, link it to the Coast Road and open up a better route to Liverpool. The whole cycle path would then be continued from the Preston Guild, through Southport, and up to Liverpool. Who wants to just cycle around a town?

Originally Posted by Stuartli

Perhaps if you'd think outside the box a bit more often you'd know that inflation and customer price rises are affecting all countries, not just the UK, and are not related to Brexit.

Currently inflation, for example, is 7.8 per cent in the EU overall, 11.7 per cent in Holland, 9.8 per cent in Spain and 7.6 per cent in Germany.

So I'm not having a laugh, mate, only you with your continual delusional viewpoints on the world's economics which are, frankly, far removed from the reality.

As I've told you before, Russia's invasion of Ukraine is responsible for a lot of it. The former supplies a large proportion of Europe's energy needs, plus other essentials such as fertiliser etc.

Ukraine was, before the invasion, one of the world's major supplier of, for example, wheat, barley and sunflower oil (the latter more than 50 per cent) and the effects are seriously hitting food and other essentials supplies in the majority of countries.

So before you post misleading comments, check out your facts first. Duh...

British Oil Bottlers say they have only a few weeks of supplies left - yet already the prices have increased. There should be no need to import Sunflower oil - Sunflowers grow quite well in the UK and was one of the major crops in the 1800's. The Ukraine exports 20 million tons of wheat to Africa, the Gulf States and Europe- Russia produces the largest volume of Wheat in the World, the UK grows 9.6 million tons of wheat. Industry in the Ukraine has not been affected by the War - products are still being made - so why has the War affected farming? The war is localised, it is not occurring on the farms right across the whole country.

Taking the land area size v crops of affected countries into consideration:

UK Land Area = 243,600 square km
Ukraine Land Area = 603,548 square km
Russia Land Area = 17,100,000 square km
US Land Area = 9.800,000 square km
London (for comprehension) = 1500 square km
Kiev = 839 square km.

Originally Posted by said

Ukraine exports 20 million tons of wheat to Africa, the Gulf States and Europe- Russia produces the largest volume of Wheat in the World, the UK grows 9.6 million tons of wheat.

It's Ukraine, not The Ukraine.

Yet again you post incorrect information, in this case about wheat producers. Latest figures are:

• China (134,254,710 tons)
• India (107,590,000 tons)
• Russia (85,896,326 tons)
• United States (49,690,680 tons)
• Canada (35,183,000 tons)
• France (30,144,110 tons)
• Pakistan (25,247,511 tons)
• Ukraine (24,912,350 tons)

Originally Posted by Stuartli

Perhaps if you'd think outside the box a bit more often you'd know that inflation and customer price rises are affecting all countries, not just the UK, and are not related to Brexit.

According to the London School of Economics, Brexit is responsible for a 6% increase in the UK’s food prices.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/u...65985.html?amp

Originally Posted by said

Who wants to just cycle around a town?

People need to go into town on a bike, for all the same reasons people drive into town.....To buy/sell things, to eat/drink, to get to appointments, to meet friends/socialise, for the bank, to watch events, etc. Talking of events, I always use the bike when visiting the Flower Show, Airshow and Musical Fireworks.

Originally Posted by Stuartli

So why is The Office continuing to prove so successful under exactly the same circumstances?

Furthermore, Brexit hasn't induced price rises in the shops - it's mainly down to the war in Ukraine hitting vital supplies, including energy, to us, the EU and other parts of the world from that country and Russia.

So which cycle route closed all of the other Southport pubs?

Originally Posted by said

Wonder if any of the Council members will stop and think about this? In all areas where cars are welcome and car parking is free - the shops are thriving or at the very least - busier than in Southport. In Southport, where there are too few roads leading into town, where speed pillows are often used, low speed limits imposed and free flowing traffic is discouraged - businesses are struggling - heaven knows how the proposed conference centre will fare! But any how - why on earth would a cyclist need to go to Southport town if everywhere is closed down?

Cycling is a leisure pursuit for the majority of cyclists - although a large number of cyclists are also commuters. Anyway - it is NOT the town that needs these cycle lanes. Cycle lanes would be better served in quiet pleasurable areas - i.e a quiet cycle lane through the dunes perhaps? Or build a bridge over the River Ribble, widen the existing footpath that leads to the Banks of the Ribble, and join this up with the Preston Guild cycle way. Or create a cycle path along the old Cheshire Lines, link it to the Coast Road and open up a better route to Liverpool. The whole cycle path would then be continued from the Preston Guild, through Southport, and up to Liverpool. Who wants to just cycle around a town?

Free parking in the town centre would result in shop/office workers parking their cars in the morning and leaving them all day. That would result in even less parking for shoppers!