Turning red vans green?

Bit of a ranty blip today ...

I went out at lunchtime because I wanted to photograph a fascinating aspect of Brighton's London Road area - the unloved, run-down and much-maligned part of town where I work. I wanted to show the grand decaying old buildings now turned into fast-food outlets and charity shops; and, right in front of where I wanted to stand, was this.

A parcelforce van, parket on the pavement on a double-yellow line, engine running, hazard lights flashing. Parked exactly where I wanted to stand to get my shot. I waited for several minutes, loitering to see whether the driver would reappear and move the van. But to no avail. I reflected that I was no more than a few metres from the notorious pollution blackspot of Preston Circus; and was drawn to the slogan on the side of the van - Turning red vans green.

Brighton, like so many other cities, has a colossal traffic problem, sustained by a strange belief that gridlock is somehow a symptom of prosperity. The irony of that slogan seemed all too apposite.