As for the proposal I am curious as to how the residents of the East And South East London boroughs will qualify for the half price deal. I am hoping it will cover the vehicles of all pensioners. I have a little bit of money in my Dart Charge account in case I ever use that crossing, but every year I still have to tell them to keep it going (rather than confiscate the money I suppose) or I risk getting a fine. I can imagine the systems/computer geeks designing some god awful convoluted payment and checking system that makes sense only to them ‘you just have to do this, you only need to do that, you create a password with two capital letters, three numbers, four bits of punctuation and five eeemojeees to participate, simple’s’.
and yet you manage to accommodate a VPN and seemingly inquisitive about streaming a game from some of your comments on here despite your suspicion of all things technical 😉
There is nothing good in putting stuff on the internet, it has to be kept to a minimum and kept simple.
That’s quite a view. 🤔
I do agree things kept simple work best and that’s why some apps and some websites are infinitely better than others where they consider the actual user navigating them.
As for the proposal I am curious as to how the residents of the East And South East London boroughs will qualify for the half price deal. I am hoping it will cover the vehicles of all pensioners. I have a little bit of money in my Dart Charge account in case I ever use that crossing, but every year I still have to tell them to keep it going (rather than confiscate the money I suppose) or I risk getting a fine. I can imagine the systems/computer geeks designing some god awful convoluted payment and checking system that makes sense only to them ‘you just have to do this, you only need to do that, you create a password with two capital letters, three numbers, four bits of punctuation and five eeemojeees to participate, simple’s’.
and yet you manage to accommodate a VPN and seemingly inquisitive about streaming a game from some of your comments on here despite your suspicion of all things technical 😉
There is nothing good in putting stuff on the internet, it has to be kept to a minimum and kept simple.
Apart … for example … allows connection with friends and family, reducing feelings of isolation, especially among the elderly and disabled.
Or maybe it helps find health, educational, and job-related information, reinforcing informed decisions.
Maybe online access increases employability and potential earnings, vital for economic growth.
Or even the internet facilitates easier participation in democratic processes, such as voting and community initiatives.
As for the proposal I am curious as to how the residents of the East And South East London boroughs will qualify for the half price deal. I am hoping it will cover the vehicles of all pensioners. I have a little bit of money in my Dart Charge account in case I ever use that crossing, but every year I still have to tell them to keep it going (rather than confiscate the money I suppose) or I risk getting a fine. I can imagine the systems/computer geeks designing some god awful convoluted payment and checking system that makes sense only to them ‘you just have to do this, you only need to do that, you create a password with two capital letters, three numbers, four bits of punctuation and five eeemojeees to participate, simple’s’.
and yet you manage to accommodate a VPN and seemingly inquisitive about streaming a game from some of your comments on here despite your suspicion of all things technical 😉
There is nothing good in putting stuff on the internet, it has to be kept to a minimum and kept simple.
Apart … for example … allows connection with friends and family, reducing feelings of isolation, especially among the elderly and disabled.
Or maybe it helps find health, educational, and job-related information, reinforcing informed decisions.
Maybe online access increases employability and potential earnings, vital for economic growth.
Or even the internet facilitates easier participation in democratic processes, such as voting and community initiatives.
Etc etc etc
I have been clumsy, I mean putting stuff about finances and bank accounts and stuff, which will presumably be what the authorities want from you in relation to Congestion Charges and tunnel use.
As for the proposal I am curious as to how the residents of the East And South East London boroughs will qualify for the half price deal. I am hoping it will cover the vehicles of all pensioners. I have a little bit of money in my Dart Charge account in case I ever use that crossing, but every year I still have to tell them to keep it going (rather than confiscate the money I suppose) or I risk getting a fine. I can imagine the systems/computer geeks designing some god awful convoluted payment and checking system that makes sense only to them ‘you just have to do this, you only need to do that, you create a password with two capital letters, three numbers, four bits of punctuation and five eeemojeees to participate, simple’s’.
and yet you manage to accommodate a VPN and seemingly inquisitive about streaming a game from some of your comments on here despite your suspicion of all things technical 😉
There is nothing good in putting stuff on the internet, it has to be kept to a minimum and kept simple.
Apart … for example … allows connection with friends and family, reducing feelings of isolation, especially among the elderly and disabled.
Or maybe it helps find health, educational, and job-related information, reinforcing informed decisions.
Maybe online access increases employability and potential earnings, vital for economic growth.
Or even the internet facilitates easier participation in democratic processes, such as voting and community initiatives.
Etc etc etc
I have been clumsy, I mean putting stuff about finances and bank accounts and stuff, which will presumably be what the authorities want from you in relation to Congestion Charges and tunnel use.
But why feel that way?
Paying online and self service is efficient and keeps costs down.
I feel that way because of the risk of account or data being compromised or leaked.
Any more consequence or inconvenience than being robbed / burgled / mugged ?
my personal view is that there are risks but no more than other aspects of life and actually banks etc carry many losses on your behalf should the worst happen.
Paying online is infinitely an advantage for so many tasks today.
Could someone who's concerned about the payment process for this explain to a non-Londoner how it differs from the online payments that have been used for the Dartford Crossing for years?
I feel that way because of the risk of account or data being compromised or leaked.
Any more consequence or inconvenience than being robbed / burgled / mugged ?
my personal view is that there are risks but no more than other aspects of life and actually banks etc carry many losses on your behalf should the worst happen.
Paying online is infinitely an advantage for so many tasks today.
I heard on the wireless last night that 40% of crime is fraud, yet less than 1% of police resources is devoted to tackling it. It was part of a conversation about having a contactable police officer for every Ward in the land.
Could someone who's concerned about the payment process for this explain to a non-Londoner how it differs from the online payments that have been used for the Dartford Crossing for years?
When you’re signed up for the Dartford crossing you keep a credit in there and it tops up when below a certain level and automatically takes payment .
With TFL stuff I’m pretty certain I’m paying £10 per year per car to register it and you’re automatically charged with congestion /ulez whatever
Could someone who's concerned about the payment process for this explain to a non-Londoner how it differs from the online payments that have been used for the Dartford Crossing for years?
When you’re signed up for the Dartford crossing you keep a credit in there and it tops up when below a certain level and automatically takes payment .
With TFL stuff I’m pretty certain I’m paying £10 per year per car to register it and you’re automatically charged with congestion /ulez whatever
Well I am satisfied with the Dartford charge. You actively pay a credit and it sits there until it is used up. I am pretty sure I have £20 in there (I don’t have a clue as to how to check mind) and it is like having a penny jar for emergencies. The TFL system sounds like you have to give them your bank details and they take out money when they see fit. That is an open door to fraud, mistakes, hackers, rip offs and disputes. If TFL had a Dartford system where you deposit an amount that runs down, and is very very easy to check on, then it would be safer. When I say easy to check on, I mean getting a monthly text message telling you how much money you have left, and warning you when it gets down to five quid.
I feel that way because of the risk of account or data being compromised or leaked.
Any more consequence or inconvenience than being robbed / burgled / mugged ?
my personal view is that there are risks but no more than other aspects of life and actually banks etc carry many losses on your behalf should the worst happen.
Paying online is infinitely an advantage for so many tasks today.
I heard on the wireless last night that 40% of crime is fraud, yet less than 1% of police resources is devoted to tackling it. It was part of a conversation about having a contactable police officer for every Ward in the land.
Well that stat maybe true. But you are not 40% likely to suffer loss or inconvenience.
The vast majority of transactions are without issue.
As ever take sensible precautions / follow the advice of your bank and protect yourself that way just as you would with how you look after cash or any valuables
I feel that way because of the risk of account or data being compromised or leaked.
Any more consequence or inconvenience than being robbed / burgled / mugged ?
my personal view is that there are risks but no more than other aspects of life and actually banks etc carry many losses on your behalf should the worst happen.
Paying online is infinitely an advantage for so many tasks today.
I heard on the wireless last night that 40% of crime is fraud, yet less than 1% of police resources is devoted to tackling it. It was part of a conversation about having a contactable police officer for every Ward in the land.
Well that stat maybe true. But you are not 40% likely to suffer loss or inconvenience.
The vast majority of transactions are without issue.
As ever take sensible precautions / follow the advice of your bank and protect yourself that way just as you would with how you look after cash or any valuables
Thank you for the response. I am not especially convinced, in a similar way I think cyryptoecurrency is the equivalent of the people of the Low Countries using tulips as money.
When the tunnels open (in 2025 they say!) the bus Superloop 4 will run from Grove Park to Canary Wharf. It will be a boon for me because it stops at Lee and Blackheath stations, they say the last stop before the tunnel will be at the Sun in the Sands. Am I right in assuming they mean the London side of the big roundabout will be the bus stop, or the Kent side? If it is near Old Dover Road then the Valley is walkable from there. How frequent are the superloop buses?
I feel that way because of the risk of account or data being compromised or leaked.
Any more consequence or inconvenience than being robbed / burgled / mugged ?
my personal view is that there are risks but no more than other aspects of life and actually banks etc carry many losses on your behalf should the worst happen.
Paying online is infinitely an advantage for so many tasks today.
I heard on the wireless last night that 40% of crime is fraud, yet less than 1% of police resources is devoted to tackling it. It was part of a conversation about having a contactable police officer for every Ward in the land.
Well that stat maybe true. But you are not 40% likely to suffer loss or inconvenience.
The vast majority of transactions are without issue.
As ever take sensible precautions / follow the advice of your bank and protect yourself that way just as you would with how you look after cash or any valuables
Thank you for the response. I am not especially convinced, in a similar way I think cyryptoecurrency is the equivalent of the people of the Low Countries using tulips as money.
I agree re crypto. Emperors new clothes until it can be shown in simple terms why it’s better than traditional currencies and which is where most advocates fail.
Supposedly a response to the banking collapse but it’s volatiiity is ridiculous and only those who have profited can justify it.
When the tunnels open (in 2025 they say!) the bus Superloop 4 will run from Grove Park to Canary Wharf. It will be a boon for me because it stops at Lee and Blackheath stations, they say the last stop before the tunnel will be at the Sun in the Sands. Am I right in assuming they mean the London side of the big roundabout will be the bus stop, or the Kent side? If it is near Old Dover Road then the Valley is walkable from there. How frequent are the superloop buses?
If only there was the technology available to be able to instantly look up things like bus and journey times ........
When the tunnels open (in 2025 they say!) the bus Superloop 4 will run from Grove Park to Canary Wharf. It will be a boon for me because it stops at Lee and Blackheath stations, they say the last stop before the tunnel will be at the Sun in the Sands. Am I right in assuming they mean the London side of the big roundabout will be the bus stop, or the Kent side? If it is near Old Dover Road then the Valley is walkable from there. How frequent are the superloop buses?
If only there was the technology available to be able to instantly look up things like bus and journey times ........
If society always travelled at the speed of the slowest we would still be living in caves and hitting each other with shitty sticks.
When the tunnels open (in 2025 they say!) the bus Superloop 4 will run from Grove Park to Canary Wharf. It will be a boon for me because it stops at Lee and Blackheath stations, they say the last stop before the tunnel will be at the Sun in the Sands. Am I right in assuming they mean the London side of the big roundabout will be the bus stop, or the Kent side? If it is near Old Dover Road then the Valley is walkable from there. How frequent are the superloop buses?
If only there was the technology available to be able to instantly look up things like bus and journey times ........
If society always travelled at the speed of the slowest we would still be living in caves and hitting each other with shitty sticks.
When the tunnels open (in 2025 they say!) the bus Superloop 4 will run from Grove Park to Canary Wharf. It will be a boon for me because it stops at Lee and Blackheath stations, they say the last stop before the tunnel will be at the Sun in the Sands. Am I right in assuming they mean the London side of the big roundabout will be the bus stop, or the Kent side? If it is near Old Dover Road then the Valley is walkable from there. How frequent are the superloop buses?
If only there was the technology available to be able to instantly look up things like bus and journey times ........
If society always travelled at the speed of the slowest we would still be living in caves and hitting each other with shitty sticks.
Can I moan about the Dart charge here? I haven't crossed it in years. Went through four times in three days, the third time was after 10pm. I thought I had a week to pay it. 48 hours after the last time I went through, I went online to pay. It wouldn't let me because I was too late - I had until the end of the following day each time. I had to pay £105 in fines. That's fucking ludicrous. No reminder, no warning. I don't know what the signage is like telling you you have until the end of the following day, I assume there must be some but I didn't notice it which implies it's not good enough. Fucking 105 quid. Madness.
Can I moan about the Dart charge here? I haven't crossed it in years. Went through four times in three days, the third time was after 10pm. I thought I had a week to pay it. 48 hours after the last time I went through, I went online to pay. It wouldn't let me because I was too late - I had until the end of the following day each time. I had to pay £105 in fines. That's fucking ludicrous. No reminder, no warning. I don't know what the signage is like telling you you have until the end of the following day, I assume there must be some but I didn't notice it which implies it's not good enough. Fucking 105 quid. Madness.
Pretty sure there's a shit load of signage saying you have until midnight the following day.
I've still forgetten but they pardoned my first offence.
Can I moan about the Dart charge here? I haven't crossed it in years. Went through four times in three days, the third time was after 10pm. I thought I had a week to pay it. 48 hours after the last time I went through, I went online to pay. It wouldn't let me because I was too late - I had until the end of the following day each time. I had to pay £105 in fines. That's fucking ludicrous. No reminder, no warning. I don't know what the signage is like telling you you have until the end of the following day, I assume there must be some but I didn't notice it which implies it's not good enough. Fucking 105 quid. Madness.
Pretty sure there's a shit load of signage saying you have until midnight the following day.
I've still forgetten but they pardoned my first offence.
I just don't think when I'm driving along those are the signs I am programmed to look for. I'm thinking about which lane I should be in and looking out for those signs. Maybe if you go through it a lot and know where you're going your brain has more time to register other signs. Just feels really harsh. And perhaps one day to pay isn't a very generous amount of time either!
Can I moan about the Dart charge here? I haven't crossed it in years. Went through four times in three days, the third time was after 10pm. I thought I had a week to pay it. 48 hours after the last time I went through, I went online to pay. It wouldn't let me because I was too late - I had until the end of the following day each time. I had to pay £105 in fines. That's fucking ludicrous. No reminder, no warning. I don't know what the signage is like telling you you have until the end of the following day, I assume there must be some but I didn't notice it which implies it's not good enough. Fucking 105 quid. Madness.
Pretty sure there's a shit load of signage saying you have until midnight the following day.
I've still forgetten but they pardoned my first offence.
I just don't think when I'm driving along those are the signs I am programmed to look for. I'm thinking about which lane I should be in and looking out for those signs. Maybe if you go through it a lot and know where you're going your brain has more time to register other signs. Just feels really harsh. And perhaps one day to pay isn't a very generous amount of time either!
I agree with this. Easily missed and certainly forgotten at the end of your journey. The only safe way is to set up account in case of need to mitigate against this.
It’s also why I’d like to see analysis of the ULEZ charge. Is it repeat offenders with no intention of paying, relative one offs or visitors from locations beyond Greater London who don’t know about the scheme etc.
The perception is a law abiding driver gets stung with high penalties whether it’s absent minded parking, / modest overstaying, inadvertent straying into a yellow box but causing no obstruction etc. but real crime seems to go relatively unpunished
Can I moan about the Dart charge here? I haven't crossed it in years. Went through four times in three days, the third time was after 10pm. I thought I had a week to pay it. 48 hours after the last time I went through, I went online to pay. It wouldn't let me because I was too late - I had until the end of the following day each time. I had to pay £105 in fines. That's fucking ludicrous. No reminder, no warning. I don't know what the signage is like telling you you have until the end of the following day, I assume there must be some but I didn't notice it which implies it's not good enough. Fucking 105 quid. Madness.
Pretty sure there's a shit load of signage saying you have until midnight the following day.
I've still forgetten but they pardoned my first offence.
I just don't think when I'm driving along those are the signs I am programmed to look for. I'm thinking about which lane I should be in and looking out for those signs. Maybe if you go through it a lot and know where you're going your brain has more time to register other signs. Just feels really harsh. And perhaps one day to pay isn't a very generous amount of time either!
I also agree with you. As a driver your perception of a drive will be completely different to a passenger.
The amount of times I'm in lane changing traffic on the M25 when my wife points out there's a pair of kestrels above is enough to test the patience of a saint.
I feel that way because of the risk of account or data being compromised or leaked.
Any more consequence or inconvenience than being robbed / burgled / mugged ?
my personal view is that there are risks but no more than other aspects of life and actually banks etc carry many losses on your behalf should the worst happen.
Paying online is infinitely an advantage for so many tasks today.
I heard on the wireless last night that 40% of crime is fraud, yet less than 1% of police resources is devoted to tackling it. It was part of a conversation about having a contactable police officer for every Ward in the land.
I hope you got those Bakerlight batteries charged up ok for your talking amazing wireless!
Can I moan about the Dart charge here? I haven't crossed it in years. Went through four times in three days, the third time was after 10pm. I thought I had a week to pay it. 48 hours after the last time I went through, I went online to pay. It wouldn't let me because I was too late - I had until the end of the following day each time. I had to pay £105 in fines. That's fucking ludicrous. No reminder, no warning. I don't know what the signage is like telling you you have until the end of the following day, I assume there must be some but I didn't notice it which implies it's not good enough. Fucking 105 quid. Madness.
Pretty sure there's a shit load of signage saying you have until midnight the following day.
I've still forgetten but they pardoned my first offence.
I just don't think when I'm driving along those are the signs I am programmed to look for. I'm thinking about which lane I should be in and looking out for those signs. Maybe if you go through it a lot and know where you're going your brain has more time to register other signs. Just feels really harsh. And perhaps one day to pay isn't a very generous amount of time either!
I also agree with you. As a driver your perception of a drive will be completely different to a passenger.
The amount of times I'm in lane changing traffic on the M25 when my wife points out there's a pair of kestrels above is enough to test the patience of a saint.
Whereas if it were a pair of ti*s you may be more forgiving 😆
When I used to work on websites I would do those feedback sessions where I would stand behind a mirror window thing and watch people using the website. We would tell them to look for something on the site and if they couldn't find it, I would get frustrated because I thought I had made it easy to find. But the thing is, it doesn't matter how much I think I have made it easy, the only thing that matters is whether the test user found the thing we wanted them to find.
I think the same applies to the signage for the Dart charge. I'm not a moron I don't think, and I am willing to pay the charge. So if I can go through four times and not see the signs, the signs have failed. Just because there's enough of them to not uphold my complaint it doesn't mean they're doing a good enough job.
When I used to work on websites I would do those feedback sessions where I would stand behind a mirror window thing and watch people using the website. We would tell them to look for something on the site and if they couldn't find it, I would get frustrated because I thought I had made it easy to find. But the thing is, it doesn't matter how much I think I have made it easy, the only thing that matters is whether the test user found the thing we wanted them to find.
I think the same applies to the signage for the Dart charge. I'm not a moron I don't think, and I am willing to pay the charge. So if I can go through four times and not see the signs, the signs have failed. Just because there's enough of them to not uphold my complaint it doesn't mean they're doing a good enough job.
Ah yes with systems and processes never under estimate the capacity for users to behave in a stupid way 😆
Comments
I do agree things kept simple work best and that’s why some apps and some websites are infinitely better than others where they consider the actual user navigating them.
Or maybe it helps find health, educational, and job-related information, reinforcing informed decisions.
Or even the internet facilitates easier participation in democratic processes, such as voting and community initiatives.
Paying online and self service is efficient and keeps costs down.
my personal view is that there are risks but no more than other aspects of life and actually banks etc carry many losses on your behalf should the worst happen.
With TFL stuff I’m pretty certain I’m paying £10 per year per car to register it and you’re automatically charged with congestion /ulez whatever
The TFL system sounds like you have to give them your bank details and they take out money when they see fit. That is an open door to fraud, mistakes, hackers, rip offs and disputes.
If TFL had a Dartford system where you deposit an amount that runs down, and is very very easy to check on, then it would be safer.
When I say easy to check on, I mean getting a monthly text message telling you how much money you have left, and warning you when it gets down to five quid.
I am not especially convinced, in a similar way I think cyryptoecurrency is the equivalent of the people of the Low Countries using tulips as money.
Am I right in assuming they mean the London side of the big roundabout will be the bus stop, or the Kent side?
If it is near Old Dover Road then the Valley is walkable from there.
How frequent are the superloop buses?
I've still forgetten but they pardoned my first offence.
The perception is a law abiding driver gets stung with high penalties whether it’s absent minded parking, / modest overstaying, inadvertent straying into a yellow box but causing no obstruction etc. but real crime seems to go relatively unpunished
The amount of times I'm in lane changing traffic on the M25 when my wife points out there's a pair of kestrels above is enough to test the patience of a saint.
I think the same applies to the signage for the Dart charge. I'm not a moron I don't think, and I am willing to pay the charge. So if I can go through four times and not see the signs, the signs have failed. Just because there's enough of them to not uphold my complaint it doesn't mean they're doing a good enough job.
The Sun has a reading age of 8
The Mirror of 10
The Mail 10-11
The Express 12
The Times 16
It might be wise to assume sign readers, and internet users, have the general capacity of Sun readers and set things out accordingly.