Life’s a Beach

Riddle me this:

Q: Why is this blog like Rome in August?
A: Because there's no traffic in either.

It is absolutely eerie to wander round the neighbourhood. Most everything is shuttered. There is parking galore. In fact the big boulevard along the river looks like a post-apocalyptic Mad Max set. Only the burnt out wrecks and occupied caravans are left. And they say it used to be even more extreme, with just one short-strawed of each trade staying open in each ’hood. Vicious circle. Why stay in town when everyone else has gone and there’s nothing to do?

But things have changed, and something called the SIB (which the PM’s office helpfully explains is the union of seaside establishments) is up in arms that the beaches have 1 million fewer (pedant's note to PM's office, not less) people on the beaches. And what customers there are seem to be spending as little as possible. Could it be that the economy is to blame?

There is one possible benefit: a drop in the number of accidents and fatalities on the roads during the weekend exodus.

p.s. 2021-08-11 : There were links, but they're lost forever. I know what I saw.