Last post...

This is the 679th post on this blog, and the last from me.

Hope you all have a good summer.

Keep an eye out on your travels for examples of sustainable transport solutions - take pics with your mobiles, pick up timetables etc.

Best wishes to KHCTC staff and students too.

Mrs. Clarke will now take over...

Best of luck with Year 11 - I will be checking in from time to time to see what you're up to...

Mister P

Big Huge Magazine Cover

Big Huge Labs is one of my top 10 sites.

We used the MAGAZINE COVER MAKER today to start to think about the cover for our coursework portfolio.

Here's my starter effort....

You might also want to read this post on the BBC NEWS website.

KES Car Parking Policy

I'll put this up here now so that you can have access to it when you need to...

This is the first piece of work that you will probably do next year, but I am putting it here now so that you can think about it over the summer, and also to save Mrs. Clarke a job.

Before you move on to this, you need to have done the research on the various forms of transport that we mentioned, and also consider the factors that put people off using the bus (and other forms of public transport) and how they can be overcome (think of the CARROT and STICK idea that we have discussed before)

These are some problems with the car parking provision at school. Are there any others ? Is this a realistic assessment ? Is it too pessimistic ?

There are some follow up activities to complete now:

A powerpoint will be available on the school network (and SLIDESHARE)

Velib problems ? and a Svalbard story...

We have been looking at the VELIB scheme in Paris.

Take a look at this useful SCRIBD document too, which contains a useful FAQ on the scheme. You need to consider whether this scheme could work in King's Lynn. If so, how could it be planned to work ? Where would you place the cycle stations ? What potential problems could there be ? How sustainable is the scheme ?

Read this article from the TIMES, which goes through some of the issues that the scheme is now facing.
Does this item focus on the good aspects or bad aspects of the scheme ?

What are the impacts of Velib on encouraging cycling ? Cycling deaths are apparently well down, and there have been a total of 27 million Velib trips.

Also thanks to SLN member Plene for pointing out THIS ARTICLE which has some useful information on SVALBARD: a good focus for an EXTREME ENVIRONMENT.
It starts:

It is forbidden to die in the Arctic town of Longyearbyen.

Should you have the misfortune to fall gravely ill, you can expect to be despatched by aeroplane or ship to another part of Norway to end your days.

And if you are terminally unlucky and succumb to misfortune or disease, no-one will bury you here.

Why do you think that might be ?

Deserts

May be the extreme environment of choice in some schools...

| View | Upload your own

Thanks to Alan Doherty for presentation via Slideshare

Car Sharing

While having a mooch in Sheffield yesterday, I saw this car. It was parked near the University, and the old Jessop's hospital (and the Henderson's Relish place).

It was in a bay marked CAR CLUB.

There was a website address called WHIZZGO on the side of the car.

If you follow the website link you will find lots of information about this particular online car club, and see that Sheffield is one of several cities where they have cars which can be borrowed by the hour (or for longer periods)

This is a nice idea for those people who don't want the running costs of owning a car.

GeoSquishing

Keep an eye out for the summer competition that we are running at KES this summer.

It's called GEOSQUISHING.

Take a picture which looks as if you're squishing a landmark, building, landscape feature or geographical feature between either your fingers or two hands.

There is an e-mail address to send your digital images to.

The winner will have their image made into a mug or mouse mat.

Thanks to Emma J for the prize idea.

We look forward to your entries !

Bus Design Competition: A New Bus for London

Image from HERE.

London was famous for the Routemaster Bus.
It's the classic bus with the platform at the back with a spiral staircase to the upper deck, and the pole to hang onto as you jumped on and off, patrolled by a conductor who would spiral out a ticket with his (or her) machine. I remember on many occasions getting the night bus from Trafalgar Square back to Brixton and other boroughs...

Image by Flickr user metropilot, and made available under Creative Commons License

And then the Routemaster was removed from the routes - why ??
Apparently there were some issues with the design of the old bus... Do some RESEARCH on this.


Image by Flickr user Annie Mole, and made available under Creative Commons License

Now Boris Johnson, the new Mayor of London is keen to bring back the bus. He wants to phase out the 'bendy bus', and is keen to

This GUARDIAN article outlines the details.

The mayor said the Routemaster had been "fabulous" and its successor should seat at least 72 people and be "green" in terms of carbon dioxide emissions and red in colour.
More details in this BBC item too.

So head over to the COMPETITION WEBSITE, which is nicely designed: A NEW BUS FOR LONDON.
All the details and entry forms are available...

2 lessons to go...

OK. There are 2 lessons before the end of the year.
They are both in the computer room. You need to do the research for the first part of the magazine...

Next Friday you have an Army day...
Here's a movie on rising bollards...

Car Parking in London

Car Parking charges.

Hourly rate of parking:

Manchester £4.50
Liverpool £2.00
Central London: 20p an hour...

Why is parking in London so cheap, and how does this relate to the Congestion charge ?

Cycling Proficiency....

An excellent "Big Question" feature in 'The Independent', which looks at whether we are turning into a nation of cyclists.
There is a very useful graphic which shows the growth of cycling in London, but also points out the considerable gap that still exists between the average distance travelled by car compared to the bicycle.

Introduces an interesting idea of "liveability".

Also, starting this weekend is the world's greatest sporting event.