I've noticed from listening to traffic reports over the last few weeks on Radio 2 there seem to be a lot of hold-ups caused by lorries losing their loads or similar.
On the railway, the company who causes a delay is fined and compensation is paid to other companies affected. Would something similar work on the road network?
For example, a poorly maintained lorry breaks down causing havoc on the M6 - the owners are fined and anyone who can prove hardship resulting from the delay get compensation. The lorry owner will get the message they need to maintain their fleet better. Similarly, a load shift on a truck - the driver will be leaned on to make sure the load is properly secured before leaving rather than saving a few minutes but costing others lots more.
Ideas?
The only problem I can see is that you'd effectively have to have extra insurance to cover this risk as it's unlikely any one person would be able to afford a realistic fine for delays caused. It does, however, strike me as a way to make people take things like vehicle maintainance more seriously.
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I cannot see how this could ever possibly work if individuals who were delayed are entitled to seek compensation. Besides, the "compensation culture" is quite bad enough as it is.
Sympathise with your main point though. As I have sat in a jam behind an upturned lorry or car and caravan that have come adrift, I have often thought to myself "just how much is all of this costing?"
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True enough about sharing the money out. How about it goes towards reducing road tax / fuel duty instead? The fines / charges do need to be high enough to make those who cause these days realise they need to do as much as possible to avoid them.
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your last post sounds resonable enough! but for example: if all the fines for motoring offences went into a fund, which at the end of the financial year totalled say,£3.000.000,would the chancellor think hmm £3.000.000, i can reduce road tax/fuel duty by x% this year? i doubt it! in reality one of his guru's would inform him that there are 20.000 more illegal imigrants to fund this year,that weren't originally budgeted for,so divert the £3.000000 to them, we'll never know anyway!!
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this idea is already in operation, to some degree! the police charge the driver,and presumably share the fine with the courts/goverment,nice idea! but they've beaten you to it. also could you imagine the paperwork involved if it caused a fifteen mile tailback? :-)
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Steve how did you finally end up in the situation with the accident @ work?
BTW the idea of compo will never work, how do you prove you were there and were affected.
ie party 1 I lost time
party 2 but you never passed the accident site, we've examined the cameras, say.
pary 1 yes but i diverted around it and the traffic was horrendous due to the accident.
party 2 its always bad round there....
no one would insure you for an affordable fee anyway.
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Steve how did you finally end up in the situation with the accident @ work?
I think it's on another thread somewhere. Was mis-advised as to the potential consequences of fighting it in court and neither her or her insurer would even entertain discussions as to the expenses - they wanted the full amount or nothing so I paid up to avoid a court case.
BTW the idea of compo will never work, how do you prove you were there and were affected.
True. It's easy on the rail network as it's all monitored - has to be for safety. You could trace those trapped in any hold-up and unable to divert, but as you point out, those who divert to avoid it can't prove it. Still, I think it needs something, some major hint that if you cause an avoidable delay you can be hit with a big fine - not just billed by the police but a charge for the delay itself so you'd better take more care...
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