Well, a fairly quiet month I think with nothing much of excitement or interest to report. The doctor's got a parking space all of his own (both of them), and John Balsdon smiled knowingly when I asked if he was getting one too. Rumours that Dr. Betts painted the lines himself proved unfounded.
Strange new white lines also appeared at the bottom of Mill Hill. These imply that traffic going in nearly all directions should give way. But I reckon if you're coming down from Berridon direction you know when you get to the junction that the traffic coming from your right has to give way - so obviously (unless they're already in the middle of the junction) you won't need to. Similarly, if you're coming from direction of Kilkhampton you also know that the traffic coming down from Berridon has to give way - so equally obviously you won't need to either.
Put it another way: a 'Give Way' not only tells a person coming up to a junction that they have to give way - it also tells other road users that they can expect the 'opponent' to give way. And with the white lines almost everywhere it is reasonable to expect the opponent to give way from whatever direction they're coming from - except yours of course! I'm reminded of an old Gerard Hoffnung quote “Ignore all left and right signs, these are merely political slogans”.
This has all been done as “it is a dangerous junction”. So when did the last actual accident occur there?
Thanks to Sally for this month's cover titled “A mouse sheltering behind the phone box on the Square from a passing owl”. The deadline for the March issue is, as usual, the 20th February. Articles, drawings, photos, etc to the editor, Phil Mayhall, (snail-mail: Hillcrest, Lower Village fax-mail: 241167 phone-mail: 241748 e-mail: phil@bradworthy.co.uk). I got a record 6 articles/items via e-mail this issue, so it is clearly catching on a bit!
Disclaimer: If some idiot drives into the side of you at the bottom of Mill Hill it's nothing to do with me.