Today, I had to go to our Bedfont Lakes office to collect a new laptop. The M3 was at a virtual standstill from junction 3 onwards so I diverted via the A30. Unfortunately the outside lane of the A30 had been coned off all the way from the Crooked Billet onwards so it was just as bad as the M3.
At the next set of lights (Town Lane?) I am about fourth or fifth in the queue waiting for a green. The lights eventually change and we all set off. As we are crossing the junction a black Passat overtakes the line of traffic and swerves infront of me to avoid the temporary keep-left sign. He'd driven down the coned-off lane and run out of road. I'm very lucky to avoid both him and the kerb and give him a blast of the horn.
His immediate reaction is to brake sharply whilst simultaneously waving his arms around and talking in sign language. At the Clockhouse roundabout he stops, gets out of his car and lets loose with a stream of Anglo Saxon.
"Hang on!" says I, "You've just driven down a coned-off lane, nearly pushed me off the road and then go mental because I object?"
When he replied with:
"Why should _I_ have to queue"? followed by more Anglo Saxon, arm waiving and an offer to fight me in the central reservation, I decide that patience and commonsense are not his strong suit. I cross my arms, look at him with my best 'I'm getting bored' expression and wait for him to walk back to his car.
Kevin...
PS. Mods. Feel free to change the subject header if you see connections from .gov.uk
|
|
Did you by any chance get his reg number?
|
>Did you by any chance get his reg number?
Oh, I got more than that -- Mr Nasty was wearing his company Id-card around his neck.
Kevin...
|
>Did you by any chance get his reg number? Oh, I got more than that -- Mr Nasty was wearing his company Id-card around his neck. Kevin...
So you could report him to his company - I guess he's 'representing' the company if he goes around with his ID badge on - technically probably a disiplinary offence in its own right. Tell them how disappointed you are that a company of their reputation should have employees that act in such a way and bring disgrace upon the company's name.
If you did get the reg number then report it to the Police - if you're really wound up about then, apart from his driving, make a formal complaint of threatening / abusive behaviour.
|
BP,
It's not enough grief for me to bother getting my shreddies in a twist over really. I'm convinced that he genuinely believed his behaviour was acceptable. Even if his boss took a complaint seriously and gave him a slap on the wrist it wouldn't change him, which is why the subject header suggests he may need chemical assistance.
In a perverse sort of way I have some sympathy with him. There was no visible reason for the lane to be coned off. It appeared to be yet another unnecessary obstruction to traffic.
Kevin...
|
In a similar vein:
Reichstag, Berlin, a few weekends ago.
Long, long, queue for tourist admission.
To cap it all, it started tiddling down.
Twenty-something German matey casually joins the head of the queue.
"Err excuse me, but can't you see the queue" says the Swede in front of me.
The curt reply was "Yes", eyes fixed on the security door, willing it to open at that instant.
"Well we've all queued, shouldn't you?", then says the Swede.
"No", eyes still ahead.
At this point, I joined in and together the Swede and I "worked" on him whilst he tried resolutely to ignore us.
Eventually he glowered at us and said in clipped tones "You don't understand. I do not queue. Queues are for stupid people".
Our gander really up now, we reduced his embarrassed mother ( guess) - stood in the sidelines waiting to join her son but not agreeing with his behaviour - to saying "Sorry" with her facial expression, and sloping off.
Her son, now absolutely livid, then followed suit.
|
Its to do with values and appreciating the difference between acceptable and unacceptable behaviour,which I am afraid over the last generation have been eroded. There is little discipline within the family unit. In many cases both self respect and respect for others is not taught by parents and schools (and thats not the teachers fault).
Roll models are overpaid footballers and pop artists whos behaviour and arrogance is similarly disgraceful. If I appear to be stereotyping then I apologise to those who do have acceptable behaviour and values.
Fullchat
|
|
|
|
Nice one. I'd have loved to be a fly on the wall. His attitude reminds me of someone in the past. In a 'what if' daydream... Who knows, perhaps a similar scene was played out somewhere in Vienna around 1923. That young man went on to be a thoroughly unpleasant character later.
|
|
|
|
Back in the nineties I used to work with a thoroughly unpleasant character who was always wasted and regularly drove while on cannabis. I often wondered if he was smuggling or dealing the stuff because he used to sprinkle tons of pepper all around the cabin of his 306 which I can only guess was to fool sniffer dogs or something. I once drove him home when he was in a particularly bad way and all that pepper obviously made me sneeze, forcing me to take evasive action about twenty times between Hammersmith and Chiswick.
I?m no goodie two shoes but I don?t think it?s a good idea to advocate chemical assistance while driving in a thread. Save it till you get home.
|
|
|
|
![2015 Ford Ka 1.2 Zetec 3dr [Start Stop]](http://images.honestjohn.co.uk/imagecache/url/crop/90x60/https/cdn.uk.prod.group-mobility-trader.com/images/cas/1963099db8c63678cfb6b33c4b71f22d/8e4cb919f46690d6f4ab8398cc4345ec.jpg)
