Janathon Day 24: Fly tipping

Janathon Day 24: Cycle - 15 miles, Time 1hr 04min , Weather - overcast (yet again)

On Day 22 I talked about the increasing number of pub closures. I didn't delve too deeply into the reasons behind  the trend but could have mentioned factors such as a changing sense of locality. More of us work outside the area we live in, we commute to work and will often socialise, after work in the bigger town. Also friends might be geographically spread so that any meeting might take place at some neutral spot rather than locally. This means the traditional local has to really fight for custom.

It is something that will be worked out and it is not necessarily a bad thing when a pub closes (some of them were pretty rough). But the trend of how and where we socialise is well worth watching (I think for example that coffee shops take up a lot of the daytime slack as places to meet and chat).

As I said before, cycling is a way of getting out and noticing what is happing in the area. Mostly my reaction "Oh that's interesting" and then I move on. I don't get angry or upset as I am not in any state of continual irritation with the way the world is changing. Change happens - the interesting thing is to try to understand it.

There is however an exception - something that is guaranteed to get under my skin - and that is fly tipping.

My rides take me along many little used country lanes and often round bends, in clearings, or field entrances, slightly off the road, objects are dumped. I have seen fridges, chairs, mattresses - well just about all domestic items. Then, of course there is rubble from a small building work. This example of tyres obviously comes from a small trader unwilling to pay the price of disposal.

Seeing it never fails to sour my mood.

The next thing that has to happen is the Council has to clear it up and, in a time when local government is taking the main frontline hit in budgetary cuts, this is a problem. Not only because we are all paying extra for something we shouldn't but because, if the amount of remedial work increases as times get harder at the same time as council budgets are getting smaller, things will deteriorate. 

I think the way a place looks, the quality of maintenance, is tremendously important  to how we feel about living somewhere. I don't want it to be degraded and jeopardised by thoughtless and selfish action of those who don't give a damn.

Apart from that I had a good ride. My mood was not soured for long - it was a momentary flash of irritation. I came home feeling quite refreshed. My overall mood is completely different to the general tone of this post .