Urbanites top 10 city rants

You ended off the first survey of the year by being asked to rant about a particular aspect of living or working in the city that really winds you up. The response was, as ever, excellent with some of you ranting for paragraph after paragraph (which we like!). Certain topics were apparent and the 10 most frequent are highlighted here.

Cities becoming identical

You feel strongly about your own city and want it to retain a certain character. Worry about the number of independent shops closing down to be replaced by chain stores or pound shops was quite prominent.

'All the cities are turning into identi-kit cities! They are losing their appeal by ripping down all the interesting architecture and putting up buildings which look exactly the same - it's difficult to tell if you are in Manchester, Leeds, or Hull these days!!!'

'Boring though it sounds I am fed up with chain restaurants, chain pubs, chain shops etc. etc. etc. Cardiff used to have a large number of unique shops, bars and restaurants and now every time I go into the city I feel like I could be almost anywhere.'

'I am constantly disappointed by the way cities everywhere are turning into clones of each other. It's the same shops, cafes, restaurants, everything. There is nothing that stands out in any city any more, nothing that makes it unique.'

'Cities are being taken over by chains. All cities have multiple Starbucks or Caffe Nero etc, McDonalds and Burger King etc and the range of shops are exactly the same. If you want to find specialist shops or individual privately owned shops or restaurants you need to search the back streets. All city centres are becoming the same, even the Peruvian pan-pipe buskers get everywhere! AAAAARRRRGGGGHHHHH!!!!'

Gangs of children / chavs

Another concern are the gangs of children hanging around in towns. This is not good for the city as people feel threatened by abusive behaviour or these gangs are just being a general nuisance.

'Bratty teenage thugs who push in front of the bus queue, don't pay and then talk loudly to their mates in terrible English so the whole bus can hear, who they robbed/shagged/ran over the night before!'

'Children in the city are all too rude nowadays, to the point that many adults are afraid to tell them off.'

'I am fed up of the gangs of "scallies" or "chavs" hanging around everywhere shouting abuse at people.'

'Charvers, F*ckin' Stripy top, cap wearing, socks tucked into tracksuit pants, loud mouthed, swearing, spitting, soap dodging little scumbags. Hate them! Their annoying Drum and Bass ringtones, the crappy Argos jewellery, the Lambrusco swilling, tab scrounging, spotty little gets!'

Cyclists

You are sick of the way cyclists think they can flout the laws. You end to be law abiding and feel cyclists just seem to be a law unto themselves.

'Cyclist going through the green man and across zebra crossings when you are crossing.'

'Cyclists; the rudeness of jumping traffic lights, riding on the pavement, as if they are 10 years old. Some of them having no consideration for cars and pedestrians around them'

'Cyclists in London are just unbelievable... rude, arrogant, blatantly flouting the law and dangerous - it should be standard practice to fine ALL cyclists who use the pavement or jump red lights.'

However cyclist's themselves also complain…

'As a cyclist I have begun to hate drivers, though I am one myself, as I find they have a bad attitude towards cyclists. I have been beeped at numerous times merely for being on my bike and motorists have insisted on driving too close to me which has frightened me! I strongly believe that to encourage more people to ditch their cars and cycle to work instead they should build cycle paths to make cycling in the city centre safer.'

The litter and dirt

The amount of littler on the streets is enough to make your blood boil. All you want is for people to take it with them or put it in a bin. It is all part of the 'me first' society!

'Dirt and litter - people take no consideration, just throw rubbish down and expect someone else to clear up after them. It makes the streets look awful and unwelcoming.'

'I dislike seeing rubbish strewn all over the place and graffiti needlessly sprayed on people's property. I would like people to have more respect for the areas that they live in and to take pride in how they look.'

'People dropping litter/spitting etc - and generally not caring about making their city a nice place to be.'

'Chewing gum infested streets drive me mad. I like chewing gum but I don't drop it on the street when I'm done. It gets stuck to your shoes and eventually gets so ground in that we now use taxpayer's money to employ guys to power hose it off again!! What a waste of money that is. Use the bin people.'

Drivers

There are many different things drivers do that irritate. Some are a danger to others in the city; using mobile phones, driving too fast or skipping red lights. Others just have no idea how to drive!

'Cars not letting me cross the road to the bus stop because they're busy driving into a traffic jam.'

'Total disregard by motorists for everyone else whether it be pedestrians or other car users. There used to be a saying "amber gambler" regarding traffic lights, these days lights turn to red and you still see two or three cars still come across.'

Cars. Not necessarily the busy streets, but the drivers' total disregard for courtesy to other drivers. I drive to work each day, and constantly witness drivers cutting others up, failure to indicate, talking on mobile phones whilst driving etc etc. There should be more policing of these matters.

'On the way to work a car in the lane next to me was weaving all over the place, when I came up next to it the woman behind the wheel was steering with her knees while texting. Her head was fully down hardly looking at the road. I was so annoyed I was waving at her and telling her to put the phone down, all she did was swear! It's so frustrating the sheer arrogance of some drivers, I wish there was a number you could shop cars with drivers using phones to. That'd show them.'

Roads, parking and congestion charging

Traffic jams, parking fines and the congestion charge; the city is getting more and more difficult for drivers to get around. You feel the country is almost at breaking point with the number of cars on the roads. However attempts to regulate also get on your nerves.

'Traffic! Absolute nightmare, bumper to bumper, poorly synchronised lights, people in yellow boxes. My journey home tonight was a prime example!!!'

'Congestion Charge for Manchester. Although it is currently under debate, we know that it is going to be introduced no matter what the argument against it. We also know that the money generated will not be going on roads or the environment.'

'2 words - parking charges!'

'The worst thing about living in a city is the 24-7 traffic jams! Due to inconsiderate driving, constant digging and re-digging of roads or just those roads forever congested with the sheer number of cars. It really takes so long to get from A to B either by car or public transport!'

Rudeness & Selfishness

A general lack of consideration for others irks. You care about others and get extremely annoyed when you witness rude and/or selfish behaviour. This was a fairly large category and reflects the growing rage at the perceived lack of common decency in cities.

'What bothers me most is the disrespect people have towards each other in general. Everybody only thinks about themselves and doesn't seem to care whether someone else gets hurt in the process. Whether it is on the road, train, sidewalk it doesn't matter - all you see is grumpy faces and malice. I wish everybody could just lighten up a bit! We're all stuck on the same planet and might as well get along.'

'Everyone is so bloody rude these days - I mean how hard is it to say thanks when someone holds a door open for you.'

'General lack of respect people show for others, thinking that shouting and screaming gets results, constant low level of edgy abuse and everyone out for number one.'

'I dislike the lack of basic manners, and sometimes even the total lack of acknowledgement people have for the neighbours. The "every man for himself" attitude seems to be prevalent in cities, whatever happened to the global village, or self-respect? We're all human, y'know.'

Lack of Spatial awareness

Getting around the city can be tough, especially in rush hour when everybody is trying to get where they need to be. So people stopping suddenly or going painfully slow frustrate and annoy. However, some of you say just slow down, it is just not worth rushing!

'I hate it when during rush hour some people pay no attention to the fact that you are in a hurry. They walk very slowly, stopping you from getting past and then stop in their tracks for no apparent reason.'

'I like to walk a lot as part of my commute, and get really frustrated by most people's lack of spatial awareness. They wander, drift and stop abruptly, getting in everyone's way and causing untold collisions.'

'Well...I'm a very fast paced walker when I'm out an about. So naturally I always get mad when there's a slow person in front of me on the tube or in the street. I don't think there's a single day where I don't get mad because of this.'

''Hmmm, where do I start?! Now being a woman of a larger persuasion I'm sick to death of people barging past me because I'm not doing the 100m dash to get to work or they tut because they can't sit next to me, even though there's plenty more seats on the train. Get a bloody life!!'

Public Transport - Cost / Delays / Overcrowding

Public transport was such a large category that we have had to split it in two. This section deals with everything beyond our control. The rising cost of using public transport, delays to the journey and then when on it, there being massive overcrowding.

'Every year the price of public transport rises, and every year the service just seems to get worse! Nearly everyday my trains are late and over crowded and never get a good explanation why which really winds me up. These guys happily take my money every month and I really can't say I've seen any improvements anywhere. My trains are still late, my local train station is still run down, and staff appear to be having strikes even more now!'

'The public transport is a nightmare, its overcrowded, overpriced, the train carriages belong in a museum, the drivers are ignorant and rude'

'I detest the fact that bus drivers clearly see you running to the bus, and still drive off. It has happened to me loads of times, they do it to mums with prams, elderly people, anyone!'

'Why does public transport not cope with the changes in seasons which we get every year?'

'Commuting is currently doing my head in. The trains are getting busier and the seats fewer. Most people are considerate and calm but you get the occasional pushy, shovy types who panic about getting to work on time.'

Public transport, the Passengers!

The people/passengers on public transport, you know the system is overcrowded but there are some things people can address. Things like hygiene, pushing onto packed trains, not waiting for people to get off before boarding and unruly children playing music through their mobile phones. All these things push your patience to the extreme!

'I absolutely DESPISE travellers whom on public transport [train in my instance] do not look after themselves hygienically. I have had instances of unpleasant journeys due to the latter causes, and believe everyone should address hygiene issues within both the public and private domain.'

'What annoys me most is people who travel on the transport system. They have no manners. I constantly have to push people out of my way to get off trains at my stop, as I say excuse me and they just ignore me.'

'When getting off the tube, people are so eager to get on; they don't wait for you to get off before pushing past you to get on. Why do they think the train will go without them?! Arrgghhh!!!'

'I can't stand the rude teenagers on public transport, with their mobile phones blasting out loud rubbish music that they think everyone else on the bus/tube wants to listen to!. And they NEVER get up for older people.'

A number of other things that also led you to rant were; Local councils, the fast pace of life, high crime levels, poor customer service and also charity muggers.

DESERT ISLAND

What do you miss most about Britain?

Well a number of things kept appearing - A Cup of Tea / The countryside / Fish & Chips / Football / Pubs. All Standard really but some of you would miss the following, Tesco / Marmite / Cows / Mince Pies! And yes the survey was in February not December!

Top 5 Living film/TV celeb to accompany you
1. Johnny Depp
2. Stephen Fry
3. George Clooney
4. Angelina Jolie
5. Daniel Craig

Top 5 artist/band to accompany you
1. The Beatles
2. Queen
3. Take That
4. U2
5. Kylie