What's the political climate like in the UK right now?

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Interesting* side note - I am part of a team that are working clowely with TFL to help them get rid of oyster cards completely. They have become a huge problem for TFL (mainly because of unspent money being held) and they want shot of them. It's going to take years though.

Anyway, that's for another thread. This is all about the excitement of the upcoming week in parliament?!

Taking control of the order paper? Bringing legislation to the HoC? Passing that legislation on to the HoL? Will there be filibustering?! Stay tuned to find out!

Thats's close enough for me - you bastard - I had to pay £26 congestion charges yesterday ( first time I've driven in London with the charges in effect ).

When you use a contactless payment card instead of an Oyster card, it's impossible to get refunded on those charges for not tapping in and out (when you have). There is nowhere on the TFL website to go to, and going to the desks inside stations does not work either. It majorly sucks and I lost so much money doing it, to the point I buy either returns or travelcards now.

Those fines are totally stupid. Maybe I have a dodgy card, but the one bleep each time on the readers is always the same.

What were you doing in London?

I went to Greenwich University for a research study on super recognisers ( nightmare day of travel - M4 was closed so had to detour through Reading , Crash in the Blackwall Tunnel so had to detour , then a Bus crashed into brand new Mercedes - I left at 11:30 got to Greenwich at 18:00 , didn't get home till 02:00 )

The project I am working on, under instruction from TFL, is where the replacement for Oyster cards will be one one where you cannot get your money back.

SaveFerris: That sucks that it took so long to travel. Where did you travel from? You don't have to tell me.

I just looked that up that study, it looks interesting. Do they pay travel expenses?

What else are they introducing/taking away with the replacements? That new rule isn't good.

I didn't know that. The NYC metro just started piloting contactless entry. Contactless cards are becoming a norm in the US but I wouldn't say they dominate. One of my cc companies is piloting contactless cc cards in three cities, one of them here. But I stick with a metro card- and prob will stay with Oyster card- because I like to keep track of what I'm spending. Contactless cards make it too easy to spend money, which is what cc companies are counting on. Luckily my prefered method to get around London is walking as it's good exercise and saves a few pounds. As for the cab to Bwater, that's not too bad a fare. I pack very light tho (backpack with required items) so the train to Paddington will work for me.

I'm in South Wales. They gave me £20 ( Cost: £60 Diesel , £26 congestion , possible speeding tickets and parking fine , I think I'm down )

It was fascinating and really fun , I could of talked to the researcher for hours. I'd like to get a job in that field but working for the police puts me off

Dont really know at the moment tbh. Their main issue they brought to us was that they want rid of Oyster cards as there have been unforeseen complications with them. The main one is that when you load your card up it can stay there for years and years doing nothing. When you add up all the people who leave money on a card that will not be used i.e holiday makers, people who have moved away, people who have died etc TFL have ended up with a bank account with billions of pounds in that they are not allowed to touch as it is not technically theirs to spend. It has meant that they are essentially operating as a bank and as such have had all manor of rules and regulations imposed on them and have had to create new departments just to manage it and employ loads of people for it. None of which they want to do.

Ah, so amount you got paid worked out pretty well in the end.

Yeh, that kind of thing fascinates me too. I got 9/14 on the basic first test though. I think I'm better with facial expressions than facial recognition. With facial recognition it seems to be something about the eyes you pick up on.

The thing is, when you are looking through security camera footage and you are researching a subject as part of being in the police, (I'm assuming) you have more time than a few seconds to study the face beforehand. Or maybe not if you are about to go out and arrest someone. I don't know.

I always fancied the role of a detective, and I remember when I did work experience in a Forensic Accounting department I really liked looking through the (anonymous) papers I was given to see for myself who was lying and the telltale signs.

Interesting. I wonder how much money they would lose if they refunded everyone those overcharges. I know, didn't see that suggestion coming from me did you? That's an awful lot of money though. What are they going to do with it?

You can definitely get refunded on it, you just have to register the card to a TfL account. It's exactly the same procedure as getting an Oyster refund. You can only make three applications a month but I've only had to make one in ~8 months.

^ I don't know how you guys cope up in London , it was a sensory nightmare for me.

Next time I go there I'm gonna be asking them for advice