| Orwell Bridge likely to be closed tomorrow! (Wednesday 24 January) 14:58 - Jan 23 with 17783 views | FinidiCentenary |
Well, it has been open for nearly a week.
http://www.ipswichstar.co.uk/news/high-winds-to-close-a14-orwell-bridge-in-suffo
Only a matter of time before Terry Baxter tells us the local economy / town centre has lost another million quid. So that's three million in three weeks (assuming the figures are anywhere near accurate).
Am I right in saying that we don't get any money for a Northern Bypass, but Norwich successfully asked for a pot of money from the same kitty for something cosmetic, which was not particularly needed.
Given this is the road which pretty much most of the goods shipped to and from the UK have to travel to, I'm amazed there hasn't been a solution sorted a long time ago. Yet another day of gridlock to contest with on the towns roads. [Post edited 23 Jan 2018 15:02]
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| Orwell Bridge likely to be closed tomorrow! (Wednesday 24 January) on 15:09 - Jan 23 with 7276 views | J2BLUE |
This is ridiculous. Combined with the roadworks getting to work will be great. |  |
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| Orwell Bridge likely to be closed tomorrow! (Wednesday 24 January) on 15:59 - Jan 23 with 7204 views | Benters2 |
Cant help the weather can they? | | | |
| Orwell Bridge likely to be closed tomorrow! (Wednesday 24 January) on 16:05 - Jan 23 with 7191 views | artsbossbeard |
| Orwell Bridge likely to be closed tomorrow! (Wednesday 24 January) on 15:59 - Jan 23 by Benters2 |
Cant help the weather can they? |
Spot on, Benters.
The issue for the Ipswich based people is that Nacton Road, which is the next junction on from the bridge (and is always busy) has a 3 junction traffic light system on the go for 8wks for junction improvement work. It's slow moving as it is with the bridge in use.
This is coupled also with the Bixley Road/Heath Road roadworks, which is you'd potentially use if you came off the next junction up and attempted to cut through Foxhall.
Gridlock-ahoy! |  |
| Please note: prior to hitting the post button, I've double checked for anything that could be construed as "Anti Semitic" and to the best of my knowledge it isn't. Anything deemed to be of a Xenophobic nature is therefore purely accidental or down to your own misconstruing. | | Poll: | Raining in IP8 - shall I get the washing in? |
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| Orwell Bridge likely to be closed tomorrow! (Wednesday 24 January) on 16:07 - Jan 23 with 7175 views | hype313 |
| Orwell Bridge likely to be closed tomorrow! (Wednesday 24 January) on 16:05 - Jan 23 by artsbossbeard |
Spot on, Benters.
The issue for the Ipswich based people is that Nacton Road, which is the next junction on from the bridge (and is always busy) has a 3 junction traffic light system on the go for 8wks for junction improvement work. It's slow moving as it is with the bridge in use.
This is coupled also with the Bixley Road/Heath Road roadworks, which is you'd potentially use if you came off the next junction up and attempted to cut through Foxhall.
Gridlock-ahoy! |
Forgot about the Foxhall/Bixley roadworks, add the roadworks outside the Golden Hind, tommorow will be fun... |  |
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| Orwell Bridge likely to be closed tomorrow! (Wednesday 24 January) on 16:08 - Jan 23 with 7170 views | Benters2 |
| Orwell Bridge likely to be closed tomorrow! (Wednesday 24 January) on 16:05 - Jan 23 by artsbossbeard |
Spot on, Benters.
The issue for the Ipswich based people is that Nacton Road, which is the next junction on from the bridge (and is always busy) has a 3 junction traffic light system on the go for 8wks for junction improvement work. It's slow moving as it is with the bridge in use.
This is coupled also with the Bixley Road/Heath Road roadworks, which is you'd potentially use if you came off the next junction up and attempted to cut through Foxhall.
Gridlock-ahoy! |
Crap innit. | | | |
| Orwell Bridge likely to be closed tomorrow! (Wednesday 24 January) on 16:09 - Jan 23 with 7162 views | artsbossbeard |
| Orwell Bridge likely to be closed tomorrow! (Wednesday 24 January) on 16:08 - Jan 23 by Benters2 |
Crap innit. |
Yep! | |
| Please note: prior to hitting the post button, I've double checked for anything that could be construed as "Anti Semitic" and to the best of my knowledge it isn't. Anything deemed to be of a Xenophobic nature is therefore purely accidental or down to your own misconstruing. | | Poll: | Raining in IP8 - shall I get the washing in? |
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| Orwell Bridge likely to be closed tomorrow! (Wednesday 24 January) on 16:10 - Jan 23 with 7158 views | Lord_Lucan |
| Orwell Bridge likely to be closed tomorrow! (Wednesday 24 January) on 16:05 - Jan 23 by artsbossbeard |
Spot on, Benters.
The issue for the Ipswich based people is that Nacton Road, which is the next junction on from the bridge (and is always busy) has a 3 junction traffic light system on the go for 8wks for junction improvement work. It's slow moving as it is with the bridge in use.
This is coupled also with the Bixley Road/Heath Road roadworks, which is you'd potentially use if you came off the next junction up and attempted to cut through Foxhall.
Gridlock-ahoy! |
It would be gridlock with the bridge closed even if there were no other roadworks in town.
The trunk road system into the largest container port in the country is an absolute scandal - and everyone from central government right down to the simple Suffolk small minded bypass deniers are to blame. |  |
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| Orwell Bridge likely to be closed tomorrow! (Wednesday 24 January) on 16:13 - Jan 23 with 7134 views | Benters2 |
| Orwell Bridge likely to be closed tomorrow! (Wednesday 24 January) on 16:09 - Jan 23 by artsbossbeard |
Yep! |
Glad i dont have to come out that way to to work. | | | |
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| Orwell Bridge likely to be closed tomorrow! (Wednesday 24 January) on 16:14 - Jan 23 with 7127 views | BackToRussia |
| Orwell Bridge likely to be closed tomorrow! (Wednesday 24 January) on 16:10 - Jan 23 by Lord_Lucan |
It would be gridlock with the bridge closed even if there were no other roadworks in town.
The trunk road system into the largest container port in the country is an absolute scandal - and everyone from central government right down to the simple Suffolk small minded bypass deniers are to blame. |
Apparently the freight rail line is just as bad as the A14, meaning they have to put more freight on the roads than they should.
So it's just a cluster fvck basically. |  |
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| Orwell Bridge likely to be closed tomorrow! (Wednesday 24 January) on 16:20 - Jan 23 with 7110 views | artsbossbeard |
| Orwell Bridge likely to be closed tomorrow! (Wednesday 24 January) on 16:10 - Jan 23 by Lord_Lucan |
It would be gridlock with the bridge closed even if there were no other roadworks in town.
The trunk road system into the largest container port in the country is an absolute scandal - and everyone from central government right down to the simple Suffolk small minded bypass deniers are to blame. |
My biggest issue with the bypass, which is a no-brainer I might add, is that there's no way a road is going to simply be put down without a new housing estate/urban sprawl attached and then we're back to square one.
We'll need a bypass of the bypass and then a bypass of that bypass. | |
| Please note: prior to hitting the post button, I've double checked for anything that could be construed as "Anti Semitic" and to the best of my knowledge it isn't. Anything deemed to be of a Xenophobic nature is therefore purely accidental or down to your own misconstruing. | | Poll: | Raining in IP8 - shall I get the washing in? |
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| Orwell Bridge likely to be closed tomorrow! (Wednesday 24 January) on 16:21 - Jan 23 with 7107 views | FinidiCentenary |
| Orwell Bridge likely to be closed tomorrow! (Wednesday 24 January) on 15:59 - Jan 23 by Benters2 |
Cant help the weather can they? |
You are correct in that they can't help the weather.
What they can help is
a) Not closing it to all traffic when there are high winds, just like how it used to run for years and years prior to the last 12 months or so, with little or no incidents as a result
b) If it really is dangerous for high sided vehicles then close the bridge to these vehicles and allow all other traffic to use the bridge normally at a reduced speed if absolutely necessary
c) Better plan major roadworks in areas likely to see diverted traffic from the bridge to avoid the months where the wind is most likely to be highest and the bridge most likely to be shut
d) Proper campaigning by politicians for funds to build a Northern Bypass instead of going after pointless vanity projects like Gummers wet dock nonsense
e) Actual communication between the councils and parties responsible for roads and maintenance as it strikes me none of them talk to each other or the power companies as quite often diversion routes from one set of maintenance is also undergoing maintenance when it's non emergency work, been planned for months and completely clashes
f) When they do close the bridge, perhaps not do what they did last week. Tell everyone all day the bridge would be closed the following day, then announce it would definitely be open and then confirm at 7am they were closing it after all, leaving people without the option to leave early or plan another route until it was too late | |
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| Orwell Bridge likely to be closed tomorrow! (Wednesday 24 January) on 16:23 - Jan 23 with 7090 views | BackToRussia |
| Orwell Bridge likely to be closed tomorrow! (Wednesday 24 January) on 16:20 - Jan 23 by artsbossbeard |
My biggest issue with the bypass, which is a no-brainer I might add, is that there's no way a road is going to simply be put down without a new housing estate/urban sprawl attached and then we're back to square one.
We'll need a bypass of the bypass and then a bypass of that bypass. |
That is why they need to invest in public transport and new roads. | |
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| Orwell Bridge likely to be closed tomorrow! (Wednesday 24 January) on 16:23 - Jan 23 with 7090 views | artsbossbeard |
| Orwell Bridge likely to be closed tomorrow! (Wednesday 24 January) on 16:21 - Jan 23 by FinidiCentenary |
You are correct in that they can't help the weather.
What they can help is
a) Not closing it to all traffic when there are high winds, just like how it used to run for years and years prior to the last 12 months or so, with little or no incidents as a result
b) If it really is dangerous for high sided vehicles then close the bridge to these vehicles and allow all other traffic to use the bridge normally at a reduced speed if absolutely necessary
c) Better plan major roadworks in areas likely to see diverted traffic from the bridge to avoid the months where the wind is most likely to be highest and the bridge most likely to be shut
d) Proper campaigning by politicians for funds to build a Northern Bypass instead of going after pointless vanity projects like Gummers wet dock nonsense
e) Actual communication between the councils and parties responsible for roads and maintenance as it strikes me none of them talk to each other or the power companies as quite often diversion routes from one set of maintenance is also undergoing maintenance when it's non emergency work, been planned for months and completely clashes
f) When they do close the bridge, perhaps not do what they did last week. Tell everyone all day the bridge would be closed the following day, then announce it would definitely be open and then confirm at 7am they were closing it after all, leaving people without the option to leave early or plan another route until it was too late |
Radio Suffolk were also reporting that the electronic signs on the A14/A12 were still reporting the bridge as closed 2hrs after it was re-opened. | |
| Please note: prior to hitting the post button, I've double checked for anything that could be construed as "Anti Semitic" and to the best of my knowledge it isn't. Anything deemed to be of a Xenophobic nature is therefore purely accidental or down to your own misconstruing. | | Poll: | Raining in IP8 - shall I get the washing in? |
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| Orwell Bridge likely to be closed tomorrow! (Wednesday 24 January) on 16:24 - Jan 23 with 7083 views | ITFC_Forever |
| Orwell Bridge likely to be closed tomorrow! (Wednesday 24 January) on 16:23 - Jan 23 by artsbossbeard |
Radio Suffolk were also reporting that the electronic signs on the A14/A12 were still reporting the bridge as closed 2hrs after it was re-opened. |
Those over-head signs always take hours to catch up. |  |
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| Orwell Bridge likely to be closed tomorrow! (Wednesday 24 January) on 16:25 - Jan 23 with 7079 views | FinidiCentenary |
| Orwell Bridge likely to be closed tomorrow! (Wednesday 24 January) on 16:14 - Jan 23 by BackToRussia |
Apparently the freight rail line is just as bad as the A14, meaning they have to put more freight on the roads than they should.
So it's just a cluster fvck basically. |
I'm sure I read somewhere that 90% of everything sold in the UK comes through Felixstowe and therefore crosses the Orwell Bridge.
It's absolutely mad in that case given the billions and trillions of trade affected that we rely on this one bridge which is closed to haulage vehicles three times in three weeks when it's windy and the entire town is brought to a standstill.
I don't understand how nobody has been held to account for the complete cluster fvck as you rightly refer to it as. | |
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| Orwell Bridge likely to be closed tomorrow! (Wednesday 24 January) on 16:26 - Jan 23 with 7081 views | amy73 |
| Orwell Bridge likely to be closed tomorrow! (Wednesday 24 January) on 16:10 - Jan 23 by Lord_Lucan |
It would be gridlock with the bridge closed even if there were no other roadworks in town.
The trunk road system into the largest container port in the country is an absolute scandal - and everyone from central government right down to the simple Suffolk small minded bypass deniers are to blame. |
Being occasionally delayed in traffic for a small time is no reason to build over green fields and destroy villages. What happens when new roads are full up? It would be better to modify behaviour. | | | |
| Orwell Bridge likely to be closed tomorrow! (Wednesday 24 January) on 16:27 - Jan 23 with 7068 views | FinidiCentenary |
| Orwell Bridge likely to be closed tomorrow! (Wednesday 24 January) on 16:24 - Jan 23 by ITFC_Forever |
Those over-head signs always take hours to catch up. |
I wouldn't be surprised if they can only be changed by a man from the local council going out and changing them at the road side, who can't reach them because of the gridlocked traffic lol.
In reality, they are controlled remotely by a computer, by someone who at worst, could update them based off the Highways twitter confirming the bridge is open again within seconds of it being reopened. | |
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| Orwell Bridge likely to be closed tomorrow! (Wednesday 24 January) on 16:27 - Jan 23 with 7068 views | ITFC_Forever |
| Orwell Bridge likely to be closed tomorrow! (Wednesday 24 January) on 16:21 - Jan 23 by FinidiCentenary |
You are correct in that they can't help the weather.
What they can help is
a) Not closing it to all traffic when there are high winds, just like how it used to run for years and years prior to the last 12 months or so, with little or no incidents as a result
b) If it really is dangerous for high sided vehicles then close the bridge to these vehicles and allow all other traffic to use the bridge normally at a reduced speed if absolutely necessary
c) Better plan major roadworks in areas likely to see diverted traffic from the bridge to avoid the months where the wind is most likely to be highest and the bridge most likely to be shut
d) Proper campaigning by politicians for funds to build a Northern Bypass instead of going after pointless vanity projects like Gummers wet dock nonsense
e) Actual communication between the councils and parties responsible for roads and maintenance as it strikes me none of them talk to each other or the power companies as quite often diversion routes from one set of maintenance is also undergoing maintenance when it's non emergency work, been planned for months and completely clashes
f) When they do close the bridge, perhaps not do what they did last week. Tell everyone all day the bridge would be closed the following day, then announce it would definitely be open and then confirm at 7am they were closing it after all, leaving people without the option to leave early or plan another route until it was too late |
a) Indeed.
b) High-sided vehicles will simply ignore the warning and go over anyway - how do you enforce it.
c) High winds can occur any time from October through to March, for a day or so at a time, perhaps two or three times a winter. You can hardly not have any roadworks just because it might be windy.
Someone suggested that the roadworks are lifted when the bridge is shut. Pretty difficult if you've got big holes or no road surface to use the road anyway.
d) Yes, although Gummer's Bridge will help as well for day-to-day traffic. | |
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| Orwell Bridge likely to be closed tomorrow! (Wednesday 24 January) on 16:29 - Jan 23 with 7061 views | BackToRussia |
| Orwell Bridge likely to be closed tomorrow! (Wednesday 24 January) on 16:25 - Jan 23 by FinidiCentenary |
I'm sure I read somewhere that 90% of everything sold in the UK comes through Felixstowe and therefore crosses the Orwell Bridge.
It's absolutely mad in that case given the billions and trillions of trade affected that we rely on this one bridge which is closed to haulage vehicles three times in three weeks when it's windy and the entire town is brought to a standstill.
I don't understand how nobody has been held to account for the complete cluster fvck as you rightly refer to it as. |
Well no, because a lot of it goes via freight train too.
But as I said, apparently the rail line they use is just as congested and poorly managed as the road network, meaning they are double fooked.
It just shows you how far away from practical governance we actually receive. At best we get a series of expensive mistakes! | |
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| Orwell Bridge likely to be closed tomorrow! (Wednesday 24 January) on 16:32 - Jan 23 with 7036 views | FinidiCentenary |
| Orwell Bridge likely to be closed tomorrow! (Wednesday 24 January) on 16:26 - Jan 23 by amy73 |
Being occasionally delayed in traffic for a small time is no reason to build over green fields and destroy villages. What happens when new roads are full up? It would be better to modify behaviour. |
Top trolling again Amy. Much better than some of your past efforts.
Last week it took me nearly 3 hours to get to work for what is usually a 15 minute journey. I couldn't not go to work. There was no other route that was quicker. I don't drive a high sided lorry.
Like the majority of people having to get to work, the usual route is blocked for hours and the alternate routes are therefore suffocated with the diverted traffic.
What behaviour would you like to modify exactly? Maybe Eddie Stobart can give their drivers bikes to transport 20 tonnes of goods to Birmingham?
Or would you prefer it if we just did away with trade altogether? | |
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| Orwell Bridge likely to be closed tomorrow! (Wednesday 24 January) on 16:34 - Jan 23 with 7023 views | Benters2 |
| Orwell Bridge likely to be closed tomorrow! (Wednesday 24 January) on 16:21 - Jan 23 by FinidiCentenary |
You are correct in that they can't help the weather.
What they can help is
a) Not closing it to all traffic when there are high winds, just like how it used to run for years and years prior to the last 12 months or so, with little or no incidents as a result
b) If it really is dangerous for high sided vehicles then close the bridge to these vehicles and allow all other traffic to use the bridge normally at a reduced speed if absolutely necessary
c) Better plan major roadworks in areas likely to see diverted traffic from the bridge to avoid the months where the wind is most likely to be highest and the bridge most likely to be shut
d) Proper campaigning by politicians for funds to build a Northern Bypass instead of going after pointless vanity projects like Gummers wet dock nonsense
e) Actual communication between the councils and parties responsible for roads and maintenance as it strikes me none of them talk to each other or the power companies as quite often diversion routes from one set of maintenance is also undergoing maintenance when it's non emergency work, been planned for months and completely clashes
f) When they do close the bridge, perhaps not do what they did last week. Tell everyone all day the bridge would be closed the following day, then announce it would definitely be open and then confirm at 7am they were closing it after all, leaving people without the option to leave early or plan another route until it was too late |
I agree cant they just slow every driver down Police escort that sort of thing?
Ive just looked at the weather 0600 SSW 41 mph winds through to 1200 SW 47 mph winds.
I get they are worried that a empty container lorry might blow over,but would a full being escorted on the middle lane going slow,just park em up and lets have a convoy!
10.4 | | | |
| Orwell Bridge likely to be closed tomorrow! (Wednesday 24 January) on 16:35 - Jan 23 with 7017 views | FinidiCentenary |
| Orwell Bridge likely to be closed tomorrow! (Wednesday 24 January) on 16:27 - Jan 23 by ITFC_Forever |
a) Indeed.
b) High-sided vehicles will simply ignore the warning and go over anyway - how do you enforce it.
c) High winds can occur any time from October through to March, for a day or so at a time, perhaps two or three times a winter. You can hardly not have any roadworks just because it might be windy.
Someone suggested that the roadworks are lifted when the bridge is shut. Pretty difficult if you've got big holes or no road surface to use the road anyway.
d) Yes, although Gummer's Bridge will help as well for day-to-day traffic. |
With b) it would be extremely easy and relatively cheap to build a mobile barrier on each side of the roadway with a height restriction and put these across when the bridge is 'closed'.
It would allow traffic to pass under it, whilst not allowing the vehicles at risk from the wind to proceed over the bridge.
Failing that the council could just stick a couple of orange coated people there to issue heavy fines to all vehicles ignoring the signage and make a shed load more money in fines that they can reinvest in more traffic lights in the town centre. | |
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| Orwell Bridge likely to be closed tomorrow! (Wednesday 24 January) on 16:38 - Jan 23 with 6999 views | ITFC_Forever |
| Orwell Bridge likely to be closed tomorrow! (Wednesday 24 January) on 16:35 - Jan 23 by FinidiCentenary |
With b) it would be extremely easy and relatively cheap to build a mobile barrier on each side of the roadway with a height restriction and put these across when the bridge is 'closed'.
It would allow traffic to pass under it, whilst not allowing the vehicles at risk from the wind to proceed over the bridge.
Failing that the council could just stick a couple of orange coated people there to issue heavy fines to all vehicles ignoring the signage and make a shed load more money in fines that they can reinvest in more traffic lights in the town centre. |
There would always be some lorry driver who ignores / doesn't understand the warnings and gets stuck.
And how do you put a barrier across without significantly slowing the flow of traffic anyway while it squeezes through? (And also round the lorries that have ignored the warning).
Fines is probably the only way to enforce it - they have the cameras on the bridge anyway which record number plates for the average speed cameras. All they have to do is study the footage between the two times the bridge is closed to high sided vehicles and job done. | |
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| Orwell Bridge likely to be closed tomorrow! (Wednesday 24 January) on 16:39 - Jan 23 with 6999 views | FinidiCentenary |
| Orwell Bridge likely to be closed tomorrow! (Wednesday 24 January) on 16:34 - Jan 23 by Benters2 |
I agree cant they just slow every driver down Police escort that sort of thing?
Ive just looked at the weather 0600 SSW 41 mph winds through to 1200 SW 47 mph winds.
I get they are worried that a empty container lorry might blow over,but would a full being escorted on the middle lane going slow,just park em up and lets have a convoy!
10.4 |
I saw a video years ago on Facebook with a similar bridge in Switzerland or somewhere, where they had two cars with flashing lights going in opposite directions.
They escorted traffic at 20mph or something, then when they reach the other end, they did a U-turn onto the start of the bridge and carried it on.
Seemed incredibly simply and effective. Nobody could speed, everything was moving. Simple. | |
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| Orwell Bridge likely to be closed tomorrow! (Wednesday 24 January) on 16:40 - Jan 23 with 6992 views | artsbossbeard |
| Orwell Bridge likely to be closed tomorrow! (Wednesday 24 January) on 16:35 - Jan 23 by FinidiCentenary |
With b) it would be extremely easy and relatively cheap to build a mobile barrier on each side of the roadway with a height restriction and put these across when the bridge is 'closed'.
It would allow traffic to pass under it, whilst not allowing the vehicles at risk from the wind to proceed over the bridge.
Failing that the council could just stick a couple of orange coated people there to issue heavy fines to all vehicles ignoring the signage and make a shed load more money in fines that they can reinvest in more traffic lights in the town centre. |
The whole stretch of the A14 has cameras along it for the 60mph enforcement and then fine lorry drivers/firms who are in breach, simple.
Thinking about it, the fine would have to be significant enough to be deemed too expensive for the firms in terms of additional diesel/mileage costs. | |
| Please note: prior to hitting the post button, I've double checked for anything that could be construed as "Anti Semitic" and to the best of my knowledge it isn't. Anything deemed to be of a Xenophobic nature is therefore purely accidental or down to your own misconstruing. | | Poll: | Raining in IP8 - shall I get the washing in? |
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