Delays and Diversions

 

Not a whole lot going on over the weekend (in my little corner of the world) except the recent snow melting and turning to rain. All gone again now; but leaving behind some early spring flowers who still seem to be wondering what hit them... 

This afternoon we're actually up to temperatures around +14'C (57'F) - but even if both my own kitchen window thermometer and my usually trustworthy phone app agree about that, it still does not feel like it to me! (Rather chilly winds blowing...)

Friday was Delivery Day for me, as in receiving and unpacking and putting away my fortnightly home delivery of groceries around noon. That usually tends to add up to rather enough activity for one day - usually finished off with a walk to the recycling station in the afternoon. (The downside of regular home deliveries is that one ends up with more large paper carrier bags than any normal single person is likely to be able to find other use for...)

Yesterday was one of those days filled with bits of Everything and Nothing, as in keeping me busy enough, but still leaving me with very little to report when looking back. Snow-free again outside, but still rather dull. I decided to devote part of my afternoon walk that day to inspect the consequences of a major road work project nearby - repairs of bridge crossing the railway, which involves that bridge now being closed for traffic over the next three months. During which times cars and buses and cyclists and even pedestrians are being redirected to use other streets and cycle lanes and walkways. 

Peeking through the fence

 

Luckily, there is a separate footbridge for cyclists and pedestrians nearby - a bit to the left from this view, and for me personally that is "on the right side", as in closer to where I live. And as I'm usually on foot, no need for my own sake to be all that concerned about the main road being closed for three months - except for the few occasions when I might feel like taking the bus for a change. Because those will obviously not be passing by here for a while now.

 I went to check on the sign at the nearest bus stop. It told me to "choose a stop nearby" and "search your destination". (They do not even include the word "online" but just assume everyone to be able to handle such searches from their phone nowadays.) 

I walked on a bit further to see if they had perhaps added some extra temporary bus stop on the way towards the city centre, before the next permanent one (which is by the railway station). They had not. That means that over the next three months, my two "most nearby" bus stops are each 15 min walk away from home - and whichever one I choose, I'm then already as close to the city centre as the bus will take me anyway... (Which is why I rarely bother about taking the bus at all, unless I'm going further than that.) 

I'm not too worried for my own sake (as I'm used to walking that distance, and thanks to the  regular home deliveres rarely have to carry much now) - but I'm still wondering what on earth The Authorities behind the planning are thinking. What about people in need of walkers or crutches, or with heavy bags of groceries to carry? Or parents with small children? Most of the people living around here are either pensioners or young families.