Great Western Coffee Shop

The Greek island of Santorini has banned “overweight” tourists from riding donkeys on the island due to the stress it’s putting on the animals’ bodies, CNN reports. Activists had been complaining about the spinal injuries the donkeys experienced as a result of carrying around heavy travelers and transporting them up some of the island’s slopes and staircases, and it seems their pleas finally prompted real change.

1. NO TOURISTS OVER 220 POUNDS ARE ALLOWED TO RIDE.
The new rules in Santorini means that tourists must weigh less than 220 pounds (100 kg) in order to be able to ride one of the island’s donkeys, which translates to 20% of the donkey’s body weight. According to the Greek Ministry of Rural Development and Food, the donkeys “should not be loaded with a weight excessive in size, age or physical condition.”

From Bodle (https://www.bolde.com/greece-bans-overweight-tourists-riding-donkeys/) (may be an old story)


There are alternative means of transport available - there's a cable car, and shank's pony too.

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I've also heard of limits on passengers of extreme size requiring multiple seats on aircraft. a friend of ours (RIP Rmac) had issues with this, and I have been weighed before flying.   Is there a case for charging based on weight on other public transport?

220lbs to the 100kg.  I take it those are American Customary units not Imperial

Also, I'm surprised a donkey weighs as much as 500kg.

The weight of a donkey will vary depending on their age and breed, but an adult donkey could weigh anything between 100-500 kg. Our own herd contains various shapes and sizes, for instance, a standard size donkey could weigh 165 kg compared with a miniature donkey that could weigh 144 kg.

And the donkeys on Santorini were certainly in the upper end of size.   I suspect, though, that they are not up to that 500 Kg figure.

I do not profess to be an equine expert but, on a second look, those "donkeys" look more like mules....................or perhaps their riders are just very small people.

220lbs to the 100kg.  I take it those are American Customary units not Imperial

That reminds me - the government's consultation (https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/choice-on-units-of-measurement-markings-and-sales) on "Choice on units of measurement: markings and sales" closes tomorrow. It's so short it can easily still be completed now, as a simple form to e-mail  (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/consultation_response_form_data/file/958/choice-on-units-of-measurement-markings-and-sales-response-form.odt)(or complete on-line).

Done! I look forward to the introduction of the "sturdy donkey" as a unit of weight.

How many of those to an “Olympic swimming pool”  "jumbo jet" ?

Are we still talking about 220 lb weight? Surely that is a windle - the traders' measure of corn in Preston only 100 years ago (see Lord Clinton in the House of Lords (https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/lords/1921/jun/30/corn-sales-bill) introducing the second reading of the Corn Sales Bill in 1921).

There's a municipality in Romania that lets you ride the bus for free if you do 20 squats first. You do your squats  in front of a specially adapted ticket machine. It counts them before issuing your bus ticket.

Tangentially linked to public transport passengers' weight.

There's a municipality in Romania that lets you ride the bus for free if you do 20 squats first. You do your squats  in front of a specially adapted ticket machine. It counts them before issuing your bus ticket.

https://www.themayor.eu/en/a/view/squat-20-times-and-get-a-free-bus-ride-in-cluj-napoca-5994

Excellent idea. Although my knee would probably give out before I got into double figures.

Perhaps Bristol could introduce such a scheme for short journeys. A 'Three Stop Squat' ticket perhaps? :P