News Round Up
by Patrick O'Connor
AS you get older, you need every bit of help to survive...
A story in the Daily Mail reveals that traffic lights could be changed to stay on red for longer to help Britain’s ageing population.
The paper says that the Government is reviewing crossing times after concerns about ‘pensioners struggling to cross the road’ before the lights change.
Apparently figures for the time it takes pedestrians to cross the road have not been reviewed since the 1950s, despite a significant rise in the number of elderly people.
The Mail quotes a Government source as saying: “It is right that we look at how we can use better technology to make crossing safer – particularly for some elderly or vulnerable pedestrians who may welcome slightly more crossing time.”
And judging by a report in the Daily Express, youngsters at a Surrey school are to get a helping hand – to have a lie in!
The independent fee-paying Hampton Court House School in East Molesey is to start the academic day at 1.30pm and finish at 7pm for all students aged 16 and over.
The move follows research by neuroscientists which showed that teenagers learn better if they are allowed to wake up according to their body clocks.
Headteacher Guy Holloway said: “There are 168 hours in a week and how productive they are depends on how they choose to use those hours.
“At Hampton Court House we don't think we have the answer for everybody, it's about what works in our community. We want to get them into an environment where they can get quality sleep and their bodys are functioning well.” Bet they still turn up late...
Ah well, nothing stands in the way of progress. According to a report in The Independent, Network Rail is prepared to cause what it admits will be 'substantial harm' to parts of the Liverpool Road railway station in Manchester, reckoned to be the oldest surviving mainline station in the world, by building a 3,600 foot viaduct above it.
The station, along with the surrounding Victorian track structures – including a Grade I listed brick viaduct designed by George Stephenson – has been described by English Heritage as the railway equivalent of Stonehenge.
The viaduct, costing £132m, is part of a £600m rail modernisation scheme, aimed at improving services across the north of England.
However, Sir Neil Cossons, a past chairman of English Heritage, says Network Rail’s handling of the design and consultation of the viaduct is “fundamentally flawed”.
The 1969 classic Simon and Garfunkel hit 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' is among many people's favourite songs and now the riverside cottage overlooking the crossing which was believed to have inspired the record is up for auction.
The Daily Mail says that the American duo wrote the hit after enjoying breathtaking views from Bickleigh Bridge in Tiverton, Devon.
The bridge, built in 1809, is overlooked by Bickleigh Cottage, which was built in the 17th century and extended in 1973. It was a hotel til 2000 when it was turned into three dwellings and all the properties are now up for sale with a guide price of £600,000.
Oh dear, it seems that the government is not too hopeful about England's chances in next month's World Cup in Brazil.
The Independent tells us that an analysis by the Home Office reckons there is a high likelihood of England being knocked out in the tournament’s group stages and the national team has virtually no chance of reaching the semi-finals.
The report was aimed at forecasting the impact of extending pub opening hours during the World Cup on drink-fuelled crime and alcohol sales.
It said: “While England are certain to be playing in the matches in the first period, there is a high probability that they will not be playing in the later matches.
“To account for this, we have used odds from Betfair, implying that England have a 54 per cent probability of progressing past the group stage and an 11 per cent probability of progressing past the quarter-finals, allowing us to estimate the expected benefits.”
Reference lists:
The Express (www.express.co.uk)
The Independent (www.independent.co.uk)
Daily Mail (www.dailymail.co.uk)