Better Late Than Never
‘DO you know that it takes us 10 minutes and 17 seconds to decide that we are late?
| ”Sorry I’m late, as the tart said to the vicar” |
Its true. The Telegraph has seen a website survey that says it is. The so-called lateness threshold, the moment when people feel its necessary to call ahead and say they are gong to be late, has been measured.
Of course, there is an easier test for hosts to decide if their guests are to be late: ask them if theyre coming by public transport.
If they are taking the bus, add half an hour onto the agreed meeting time. If they say the dreaded train word, leave it a couple of days.
But dont worry, because the ten-year integrated transport policy so vaunted by the Government in 1997 is right on track.
South West Trains, movers of the depressed and suicidal in and out of Waterloo, says that its sure the new fleet of trains is not as good as the old ones.
Yesterday, the company said so long to the last of its slam-door carriages. They averaged 60,000 mile between breakdowns and travelled over 100,000 without developing a single fault.
Not bad. But surely in this modern day and age, we can do better. And we can. Or at least the Germans who built SWTs new fleet of Desiro trains can.
The Times says that these people carriers average 13,000 miles between failures and are unlikely to achieve 50,000 miles without developing some kind of malfunction.
So, you see things are improving. And it minds us of the motto of the railways Better late than never.’
Posted: 27th, May 2005 | In: Uncategorized Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
