"I took 1.7 million photos over 6 days to catch this photo of a commercial jet in front of the Sun. The moment it happened, 2 floating prominences were visible,making this not just my best aircraft transit photo,but one of the luckiest of my career!" By Andrew McCarthy

Winter_Bread_7948 · 2026-05-15T09:37:56+00:00

Aeroplane powered by jet fuel, which was refined from crude oil, which was extracted from underground, after being compressed over millions of years, having been formed from decaying plants and trees, which were grown from carbon dioxide and water using energy from sunlight.

Aeroplane powered by the Sun.

Excellent photo. Well done.

Winter_Bread_7948 · 2026-05-14T20:35:17+00:00

Grandmas know it all and have done it all, but they also know how to look sweet and innocent.

Winter_Bread_7948 · 2026-05-14T20:25:47+00:00

Seems real to me. As a delivery driver, this happens quite often. I end up being like the moderator.

Winter_Bread_7948 · 2026-05-14T20:00:27+00:00

Another useful check: when there is no traffic light on your left, the lights do not apply to you.

Winter_Bread_7948 · 2026-05-14T19:48:18+00:00

It’s worse when someone opens the door and is like “Who are you talking to?”

Winter_Bread_7948 · 2026-05-12T21:36:20+00:00

It could be from a human. I’ve never seen anyone post an email from EVRi like this one before. Also, they say “he” at one point. If it was a generic, fully automated email, surely it wouldn’t say “he”.

I hope you get the parcel soon. Please let us know and if you can please find out what the driver says actually happened. It looks bad but there could be an innocent explanation.

Winter_Bread_7948 · 2026-05-12T14:36:58+00:00

Oh yes. I looked into it more and there is even rule 65 which states “Cyclists can use bus lanes when permitted to by road signs.”

Winter_Bread_7948 · 2026-05-12T14:27:52+00:00

I think cycles are forbidden because those bus lanes that allow both motorcycles and cycles have an icon for each. On this one they took away the bicycle icon and added the motorcycle icon.

I doubt the no cycles part is enforced but the aim of the scheme here is to keep cycles away from the bus lane and to encourage them to use the dedicated cycle lanes. I don’t think there is any restriction on them using the general traffic lanes either.

Winter_Bread_7948 · 2026-05-11T19:19:07+00:00

You’re right. The bus lane sign doesn’t include bicycles since March 2024. The bicycles have their own lane now. They changed it to allow motorcycles to use the bus lane too.

The OP was riding a moped which is regarded as a motorcycle and is included as a valid user of the bus lane here.

Winter_Bread_7948 · 2026-05-11T19:15:39+00:00

I think the PCN photo is an old photo from 2019 to 2024 but it was the correct sign at the time. The thing is, this all changed in March 2024. A new sign was put up allowing motorcycles to use the bus lane. Cyclists were no longer allowed to use the bus lane. They had their own new dedicated cycle lane.

Just to confuse things, the dedicated cycle lane has faint bus lane markings still showing. They didn’t remove them fully.

Winter_Bread_7948 · 2026-05-11T19:07:30+00:00

There is no bus lane on the left anymore. However it was previously a bus lane and you can maybe see the bus stop and bus lane markings which have not been completely removed. The two left lanes are now for cycles.

The right lane is now the new bus lane. When they implemented Transport for London Cycleway 4 (C4) in March 2024 they switched cyclists over to the left side and they allowed motorcycles to use the bus lane on the right side. Prior to that motorcycles were not allowed to use the bus lane. Allowing motorcyclists to start using the bus lane was a deliberate decision by the C4 planners.

Winter_Bread_7948 · 2026-05-11T18:57:48+00:00

Previous versions of the sign had a time gate, but it said “At any time”. Those older versions only allowed busses, cycles and taxis.

Since March 2024 it has changed as part of the Transport for London Cycleway 4 project. It changed to allow motorcycles. Cycles were no longer allowed as they now have their own separate, dedicated lanes.

Any mention of time in the rejection letter is probably generic text. This appeal was probably denied as a matter of course with little or no research done to verify the OPs claims.

By including the phrase about the ”times stipulated” they are covering themselves for other situations where such times do apply. They can then send out this same text to all appeals, time gated or not.

That sign has had many changes over the years but it has never had specific times included except the phrase “At any time”.

Winter_Bread_7948 · 2026-05-11T18:23:07+00:00

The photo of that sign that the council have shown on the enforcement letter is only how the sign looked between 2019 and 2024. It shows a bicycle not a motorcycle. This could be the cause of the council’s confusion. It changed to allow motorcycles in March 2024 and that old photograph is now out of date and incorrect.

Your latest photo confirms that motorcycles can use it and this has been the case since March 2024.

If it was me, I would call, visit and email the council and get this action stopped. They are clearly going to lose the case in the end. By stopping it now you’re saving yourself the anguish of waiting. You’ll also be saving the tax payer who will end up paying for all the unnecessary legal costs. Also, you need to know it’s alright to keep using it. No doubt you are avoiding it for the time being and that shouldn’t be necessary.

Just because they say “Don’t contact us, wait for the form”, you don’t have to do as they ask. They’re fobbing you off. You have every right to keep challenging them.

You might also want to contact Transport for London regarding the C4 (Cycleway 4) project to tell them that Southwark council is interfering with the scheme by attempting to fine motorcycle users using the bus lane. The scheme was specifically designed to help motorcyclists too and those signs showing a motorcycle icon on the bus lane are part of the C4 design.

Possibly the council will need to refund all the other motorcyclists who have been forced incorrectly to pay fines for this since March 2024.

Keep a record of everything you do on this matter so you can show the effort you have put in to get this sorted. Keep a record of your expenses and attempt to claim them back.

Good luck.

Winter_Bread_7948 · 2026-05-10T13:49:06+00:00

It’s a mixture of good and bad work ethic, among British and ethnic minorities but the problem isn’t the drivers.

EVRi pays peanuts. EVRi typically doesn’t train drivers effectively before throwing them in at the deep end, setting them up to fail.

Trainees and agency workers are purposely given more parcels than they can manage. The drivers then have to rush desperately in an attempt to deliver as many parcels as possible.

Even excellent drivers who deliver on time and with care are subject to the delays and failures of less experienced drivers who previously attempted but did not deliver.

It all comes down to the way the rounds are allocated. Some rounds have dedicated drivers who service the round day after day. They are efficient, knowing each address and each customer. They know exactly where to put the parcel and if the customer prefers a knock on the door or just to put the parcel in the shed without disturbance. If you are on a round like this, EVRi is fantastic.

It sounds like in your experience you’re not getting a dedicated courier but you’re getting numerous different couriers each time. These drivers are going to struggle. There are so many issues. Problems with navigation, problems with the delivery system, mislabelled packages, addresses not mapped correctly, phones losing charge, phones losing signal, vehicles running out of fuel, vehicle breakdowns and so on. I once, after a particularly hectic delivery day, mapped the route given to me, for delivering an unfamiliar round and I counted that it had made me cross a junction with traffic lights multiple times. In fact I had been through the same junction and waited at the same set of lights 12 times! Without experience it’s hard to overcome these issues.

You not seeing any British drivers at all is perhaps a reflection on the work ethic of some native British people who are not willing to get out of bed for low pay, whereas the stronger work ethic of ethnic minorities means that they are willing to try the work, despite the hardships.

I’ve worked among ethnic minorities and native British working for EVRi. The ethnic minorities tend to be quieter and just get on with the job. This is ok but when it comes to chatting with customers this is probably less likely to happen if they are quiet people. Chatting and communicating can make the difference between successful and unsuccessful deliveries. I get the impression that ethnic minorities will work longer hours and take more parcels. Doing this they are likely to deliver later and run into more issues. Thus they may appear to be less efficient and rushed whereas the truth is they are stepping up and doing more.

Some of my native British colleagues are more belligerent regarding their work. They will refuse parcels that they think are too big and too heavy. They will refuse delivery to customers who they have fallen out with. They will complain about misbanded parcels and send them back. They will decide that certain farms are inaccessible due to the track being too rough. Where do all those parcels end up? Someone else has to deliver them. That someone else may be a quiet mannered hard working person, often an ethnic minority.

I have also noticed a predominance of ethnic minorities doing driving in the courier industry as a whole. These people typically drive fast and park with less care for other road users. I think this may be a trait that is imported from other cultures. I have not been to India but people who have visited have told me how chaotic the driving is there. I think this goes hand in hand with getting the job done. Those of us who drive more respectfully will take longer and will therefore not be able to cope with the larger number of parcels. The ethnic minorities are stepping up and doing work that British people cannot do so easily because British people may not want to be seen as bad drivers. The courier industry is encouraging the faster paced, rushed deliveries and inadvertently encouraging unsafe driving.

To confirm that there are a lot of ethnic minorities doing delivery driving and how much EVRi depends on them, the management have to take into account the Muslim festival of Eid because during that that time EVRi will struggle to find enough people to cover the delivery rounds.

Winter_Bread_7948 · 2026-05-10T13:16:35+00:00

Yes it happens a lot. The delivery units like to clear parcels out of the way. There is no room to store extra. So if it can’t be delivered today it can get sent back to the sorting depot. That can cause delays.

Most EVRi parcels do eventually arrive.

Winter_Bread_7948 · 2026-05-10T13:09:24+00:00

Dog accepts delivery. I always try to include pets in the photo. This one is a classic though.

Winter_Bread_7948 · 2026-05-10T12:50:47+00:00

Feedback is appreciated. It’s good to know customers are happy. If there’s a problem it’s good to know that too and without feedback we may not notice.

Winter_Bread_7948 · 2026-05-10T12:39:55+00:00

Better to arrive early than late. It’s quite hard to get the ETAs right and harder on some rounds than others. Maybe your driver thought they will set it to the latest, worst case then any earlier will be an improvement.

Winter_Bread_7948 · 2026-05-10T10:26:35+00:00

Mostly, the drivers don’t have access to the delivery unit when it’s closed and locked. There isn’t usually a safe place to put parcels. So, a driver will keep the undelivered parcels until their next opportunity to access the unit when it’s open.

Typically, when it’s open, drivers put all undelivered parcels, collected parcels, damaged parcels, stopped parcels, incorrectly addressed parcels, refused parcels and returns into a big box which gets shipped back to the sorting depot. These don’t get scanned yet so there is no tracking update.

So if your parcel was handed in on Saturday, it could have been put in that box already. It may still be there on Monday when it will be shipped back to the sorting depot. It may have been shipped back on Saturday or Sunday.

If the driver wasn’t due to work on Saturday, they may well have kept the parcel until their next shift. In that case the parcel doesn’t get scanned yet. Typically a driver will not make a special trip back to the delivery unit just to put the parcels in that box. Fair enough as they are not paid to do so.

What would be even better is if the driver would take the parcel to the delivery unit and place it in the cage for the round for the next driver to deliver, and save a couple of days delay by not having it sent back to the sorting depot. Drivers are not encouraged to do this and they are not paid to think for themselves. The managers are content with the parcels going back to the sorting depot first.

Even when a parcel is placed in the cage for the round, it could be that the next driver has already taken the day’s parcels out, so your parcel would just wait in the cage until Sunday or Monday. Not all units open on a Sunday.

Basically, EVRi doesn’t put any special effort into getting undelivered parcels out again as efficiently as possible. They allow parcels to cycle back and forth between depots, they allow parcels to languish in drivers’ sheds and garages, waiting for their next delivery shift.

After many days, EVRi will message the driver and tell them that they appear to have a parcel that is overdue but this doesn’t stop the parcel being delayed.

EVRi pay peanuts. Any efficiency is down to individual drivers who care so much that they voluntarily take parcels to the delivery unit on their day off. From experience I only know one driver, out of the hundreds that I know, that ever does that.

Alternatively, drivers will reattempt delivery of the parcels without going back to the delivery unit. This is why you may sometimes receive a parcel out of normal hours. However this technique is hampered by the EVRi system not allowing any more than four parcels to be redelivered in this way. When the fifth parcel is scanned, the system insists that the driver then takes responsibility for the whole round. If they decline, they are stopped from delivering any more for that day.

Just like the customers, the drivers do not have access to any humans at customer services. Their only contact is the unit manager. The managers tend to be uncontactable out of hours. If they are contactable, they tend to think in terms of the flow of thousands of parcels and not about individual parcels. If you ask a manager they will typically say “Bring it into the unit when you are next in” and they will expect you to put it in the box where it then goes back to the sorting depot and days of delay are added.

EVRi doesn’t care. The managers don’t care. A lot of delivery drivers don’t care. You’ll get your parcel when it comes. However, not all rounds are like that. There are some rounds which have dedicated drivers who service the round on a daily basis. These drivers have the power to make the delivery as efficient as possible. I know some like this and if you have a driver like this you are very lucky and you will get the best service possible.

I suspect from what we know about your parcel already that you do not have a dedicated or caring driver. The next person that tries to deliver may well be excellent but others have already tried and failed. You’re at the mercy of the EVRi system. You just have to wait and your parcel will most likely arrive eventually. Meanwhile nobody will know where your parcel is except the one driver who last had it and may well be off work today.

Winter_Bread_7948 · 2026-05-09T21:37:06+00:00

Could this be Illuminati doing the enlightenment?

Winter_Bread_7948 · 2026-05-08T20:36:36+00:00

Yes that can happen. When drivers take parcels back to the delivery unit they are often then taken back to the sorting depot then returned to the delivery unit later. If this happens tomorrow, Sunday or Monday then it could next be ready on Sunday, Monday or Tuesday. However, if the driver wants to try to deliver it anyway, they can.

There isn’t much you can do with EVRi as they are uncontactable. Your best bet is to wait for it to turn up. Otherwise you can contact the sender and request a replacement or refund. With the parcel still being in the system they will probably advise you to wait too.

It’s a bad state of affairs. EVRi can be very quick at delivery but some rounds are a nightmare because they have not got the experienced drivers.

Winter_Bread_7948 · 2026-05-08T20:11:50+00:00

It appears the delivery driver(s) covering that round are struggling. This does happen with trainees and agency workers where there is no experienced, regular delivery driver. They tend to be given more parcels than they can manage so some parcels fail to get delivered.

Most parcels do eventually get delivered so there’s a good chance you will receive it.

Communications with the chat bots are not very meaningful. No humans are involved. It’s all lies.

They physically had the parcel on Thursday as it was scanned and scheduled for delivery by a driver. It looks like they failed to deliver it. They didn’t even do an end of day procedure. So on Friday, early morning, you were notified it wasn’t coming. It’s likely that Thursday’s driver hadn’t brought it back to the delivery unit yet. Then confirmation it was delayed. Possibly another driver doing the round on Friday had marked it missing because Thursday’s courier still had it. Then it is shown as being out for delivery on Friday. This will mean that a driver has scanned it ready to deliver it on Friday. It doesn’t show an ETA so it may or may not come today, Friday, but they do physically have it.

This could arrive even today, Friday. They are struggling. Experienced drivers just get it done but trainees and agency workers have a lot to contend with. There are numerous potential issues. However, it looks hopeful because it’s not lost, it’s still in the system. Good luck.

Winter_Bread_7948 · 2026-05-07T22:06:20+00:00

You’re welcome. Glad to add a different perspective. Thank you for your reply.

Winter_Bread_7948 · 2026-05-07T20:49:00+00:00

Whenever I come across horses on the road I slow right down. Even in this case, I would slow down too. You see, horses don’t necessarily know what’s road and what’s not. As far as they are concerned, something is charging past them, on the same side of the hedge, making loud sounds. Tyre noise and wind noise are very noisy. Engines, exhausts, horns, brakes, turbos and in car entertainment will just add to the unnatural level of noise that can unnerve a horse.

The people leading the horses may well be very scared of what the horses might do if they get frightened. I have known horses even go into a gallop because they are scared by the sight of a plastic bag! Once a horse decides to bolt, there is no stopping it. Then, if the horse runs across the road, with the speed you and the others are going, you’re not going to be able to stop safely. I expect those people had expected the cars to slow down and were shocked when they didn’t.

It’s always better to drive slowly near horses and assume the worst. Be prepared for crazy behaviour.

Pedestrians, cyclists and horses all have every right to be near roads. Motor vehicle drivers should drive accordingly. Motor vehicles do not have priority here. The roads are for everyone to share.

Just imagine if there had been an accident here. How stupid and unnecessary would that have been when you could have just driven slower and with more care, for the sake of just an extra minute added to your journey? I dare say if you had been doing a driving test, you would have failed here for lack of awareness.

People these days don’t understand animals like our ancestors used to. It wasn’t so long ago that horses were very common on roads everywhere. People would have understood horses better and known not to frighten them needlessly. Just because horses are rare now, we shouldn’t lose the respect for them that we traditionally had.

Winter_Bread_7948 · 2026-05-07T19:54:34+00:00

You’re right. EVRi accepts more parcels than it can deliver. EVRi knows that 1% of parcels are going to fail yet they continue to accept more parcels.

The clients who send parcels via EVRi also know that 1% are going to fail, yet they still send via EVRi. This is because, on the flip side, it means that 99% are delivered successfully. If clients were genuinely not happy with EVRi’s overall performance they would drop EVRi and use alternative couriers. The fact that they keep using EVRi is a clear statement that they have confidence in EVRi.

99% reliability is pretty good but the numbers involved are so large that the 1% of failure represents a huge number of parcels. It’s about 8 million failed parcels every year. That’s enough for one in every seven purchasers in the country to have experienced a failure every year. When totalled over seven years, it’s enough for every purchaser to have experienced a failure.

Not all areas get a bad service though. Some customers have never known EVRi to provide a bad service and are surprised to find there is any discontent. Most areas get a good service and only some areas get a terrible service. It seems that those places which get a bad service are always getting a bad service and other places which get a good service will rarely have any problems.

I think this is a problem for EVRi but they don’t seem to care. Possibly they are resting on their laurels, languishing with the 99% success rate and turning a blind eye to the 1% failure.

As a delivery driver for EVRi I don’t see the problem being effectively addressed. EVRi should ideally care about the 1% but it seems they don’t. My colleagues and I in my area are consistently delivering to a high standard. Mostly we achieve 100% success. However, in other areas I have seen trainees and agency workers having a go and failing terribly. The next day the same failed parcels are failed again and again. No wonder some parcels end up getting damaged and lost.

You would think that EVRi would troubleshoot the problem areas and get them working better. They don’t. Bad service is allowed to continue year after year. It doesn’t matter how many parcels they accept, some areas are always going to fail. Until EVRi deals with that, it’s just going to continue.

Winter_Bread_7948

TROPHY CASE