Recently in travel Category

Warning all drivers! If you are brave enough to drive into a shop's car park, make sure you keep your receipts! The bad news is that even if you do, you could be hit up for £110, like our dear friends from ParkingEye tried to do to me after their cameras spotted my car legally parked up next to Morrisons in Solihull.

What gives these people the right to send intimidating letters demanding money without stating exactly how the rules were broken? What if I didn't have the receipt from that day's shopping - it was from a few weeks back?

Well, thank God I did but when they appealed against the decision, they told me they will send an official response in the post, which may not be actioned for 10 days and if I hadn't paid in 13 days, I would have to pay the charge of £80 plus £30 admin fee! Where do they get their figures from? Thin air, I think.

When I got their response, it was by email; so they make their own crazy rules and then break them.

By the way, they decided to "cancel the charge" as a "gesture of goodwill."

Goodwill?! Yeah right. I didn't do anything wrong!

Drivers beware!

As a driver, I'm tired of the growing trend of jaywalking; people who risk life and limb by casually and deliberately stepping out in the way of traffic.

How many times have you drivers had to break sharply or swerve suddenly to avoid one of these people, sometimes doing their best 'talk to the hand' gesture?

It was really sad to hear of the death of a Solihull teenager last month, but truth be told, all the evidence points to the fact that he was playing 'chicken' on a busy 'A' road with friends.

What in the world made him and his pals think that this was a good way to pass the time?

I'll tell you: every council and law enforcement body that has stood silent or conveniently looked away while this practice becomes common practice.

And the romantic coverage of this accident waiting to happen hasn't helped either, as it obscures the real issue.

This practice needs to criminalized, so innocent drivers aren't victimised and pedestrians realise the law will no longer protect their stupidity.

Re the suspension of flights over Europe - are we a nation that takes its safety seriously or do we just love to have something to moan about?

I've watched and heard would-be travellers moaning about how the disruption that the halted flights have caused to them. The grounding of flights because of the volcanic ash clouds caused by an eruption in Iceland was always going to cause problems. I know there are people stranded in far off lands whose situations may be more serious than people looking to jet off on holiday. Prayerfully their issues will be looked on favourably.

I am glad that the aviation authorities have taken action to preserve the lives of travellers, rather than wait for a disaster and then lament about what they should have done.

How many instances have we had recently of authorities turning a blind eye to potential problems or take necessary action, then telling us where they went wrong and how they are going to 'ensure this tragedy never happens again?' Baby P, Khyra Ishaq and Harold Shipman ring a bell? Need I go on?

Remember any damage to aircraft flying through the ash may not become apparent for some time. Who knows what effects the ash will have once it had seeped into and settled on aeroplane engines?

Sometimes life isn't about taking actions that suit us now but the more serious effects they may have in the longer term. Agree?