The king is Dead! Long live the King!

nothing to see here except this kitten, please move along

Hats off to everyone involved in Brighton-lite thus far…. But there are some new lunatics in charge of the asylum and you’ll be hearing from us soon… meanwhile here is a picture of a kitten…

‘Kitten’ appears courtesy of  http://www.freeanimalswallpapers.com/

News: Boris Johnson goes green as he brings bouncy space hoppers for hire to Brighton and Hove

By Claire Smyth

They’re great for the environment, made of rubber and available in a range of different colours. And they’re coming to Brighton.

Customised space hoppers for hire nicknamed ‘Boris Bouncers’ will soon be a familiar sight around the city when they are introduced in the summer.

It’s all part of Brighton & Hove City Council’s ‘Green Travel’ initiative designed to encourage people to leave the car at home and help reduce the city’s growing carbon footprint.

The alternative travel system is being piloted across Brighton and Hove and will operate in a similar way to the cycle hire scheme in London.

Residents and tourists alike will be able to hire the bouncy balls from depots around the city for as little as £1 for two hours.

The scheme has the support of London Mayor Boris Johnson, and Brighton MP Caroline Lucas, who launched the initiative yesterday at Brighton town hall.

Comment: Are Boris’s Bouncy Balls Safe?

By Claire French

Yesterday he was snapped frolicking around London on a bicycle with Terminator star Arnold Schwarzenegger. Today, London Mayor Boris Johnson has become the face of the ‘Big Bouncy Society’.

As part of the ‘Green Travel’ drive in Brighton and Hove, Johnson and Brighton Pavilion MP Caroline Lucas have unveiled the new carbon neutral transport service outside the Town Hall.

But how safe are these so-called ‘Boris Bouncers’? With Conservative councillors having already attempted to remove a cycle lane in the city (at a cost of £1.1million), it could be said that Brighton is not quite ready for what critics call ‘a menace to drivers’.

During a pilot scheme held in Wilson Avenue last year, space hoppers were shown to be three times more dangerous to cyclists than cars for their slow reaction times and heavy impact.

While conventional modes of transport in the city face cutbacks, ‘Boris Bouncers’ and the forthcoming bike hire scheme are likely to have new funding allocated to them. For those with mobility problems, the news may not come as a welcome surprise. Nor will it be well received by local Labour or Conservative groups who much prefer sitting on buses.