On my daily commute on the M6, M62 and M602, I regularly come across the new Highways Agency?s Traffic Officers in their new highly visible Shoguns, Discoverys etc etc.
Now, I?m led to believe that the purpose of the Officers is to improve traffic flow by clearing accidents and obstructions quickly. In the few months that they seem to have been operating the effect on traffic seems to be quite the opposite.
Example ? a couple of days this week there have been broken down cars on the hard shoulder. Each time there has been one of these Traffic Officer vehicles parked behind with Blackpool Illuminations switched on. Their nice shiny cones and ?keep right? signs are placed behind, on the hard shoulder.
My question is ? why? The initial effect is everyone slows down to have a rubberneck thinking there must be an accident, when all it is is a broken down car. Knock on effect, especially on the M62 or M6 is a very long tailback.
In the days before this scheme everyone would have ignored the broken down car and traffic would be flowing as normal. I appreciate it is dangerous to be on the hard shoulder, but is the Highways Agency answer to this ?slow down traffic so it?s at a standstill. Nothing will hit the broken down car then??
Rant over?
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The usual happened last night on the M62. One of these 4x4s coming off the slip road at Saddleworth - from a distance they look like a police car, so it is treat like a police car and everyone in the outside lane slammed on, even though the traffic wasn't doing more than about 65 anyway!
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This is how a basically good idea turns into a Dinasaur when a government department gets its hands on it.What a waste of our money.
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I'm all for government bashing, but how can the stupidity of common or garden motorists be blamed on them?
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Becuae this is the type of nanny-state scheme which makes the 'sheep' so stupid. All we need is a man in a tow-truck with a sweeping brush.
"I'm all for government bashing, but how can the stupidity of common or garden motorists be blamed on them?"
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Stupid people will always find ingenious ways of proving their ineptitude, and you can quote me on that.
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They've had masses of money thrown at them (hence the shiny Range Rovers etc). Wish the regular Police had their transport budget.
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I'm all for government bashing, but how can the stupidity of common or garden motorists be blamed on them?
Hear, Hear !
but it's easier to blame the government than to drive well, with good observation so you know what the speed limit is and can tell the difference between HA and Police vehicles. That way, when you get nicked, you can just whine about the injustice of the system rather than try to avoid the responsibility for and consequences of your actions !
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Maybe when you are next involved in a hard-shoulder 'incident' you might welcome their assistance....
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"Maybe when you are next involved in a hard-shoulder 'incident' you might welcome their assistance...."
I was waiting for an comment like that....
I'm sure they have their uses at accidents etc, but I fail to see the requirement for them to attend a broken down vehicle. I'm old enough and ugly enough to sort myself out thanks. I know to get out of the passenger side, call the AA on my mobile and keep well clear of the car. I don't need two or more guys with bright orange coats coming along and causing a massive tailback.
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"I'm old enough and ugly enough to sort myself out thanks"
.... and if you were a mother with two kids and a baby - at night....? Maybe one of your relatives.....
The hard shoulder of a motorway is not a pleasant place to be for anyone.
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".... and if you were a mother with two kids and a baby - at night....? Maybe one of your relatives....."
You shouldn't travel on a motorway if you don't have a) a mobile phone and b) breakdown cover. Anyway - this is going off topic.
I'm still of the opinion that these Traffic Officers are causing more issues than they are solving by attending "non-incidents".
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One thing you shouldn't do is use a mobile when on a hard shoulder, you should use the emergency phones, that's what they are there for. As soon as you call through they know exactly where you are - on a mobile they haven't a clue and you probably only have a vague idea.
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Maybe so, but I would know my location as I do that same journey 5 days a week. I could probably do it with my eyes closed!
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Maybe so, but I would know my location as I do that same journey 5 days a week. I could probably do it with my eyes closed!
So I was right then, You do have the vision of a mole!!!!!!!!!!
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Why do I bother?
No you weren't right and are taking my comments about being able to do the journey with my eyes closed out of context. What I mean is I know exactly what my location is at any one time.
I reckon I've spent an extra hour sat on the motorway this week due to Traffic Officers at breakdowns. Over a working year that's an extra 2 whole days.
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I'm with DieselBoy on this,
They do get an overreaction from other drivers - that could be predicted;
They do attend breakdowns - in days gone by, the AA etc would have done that - and still do/can; not the police then or now and certainly not dressed like Xmas treeswith cones everywhere and more flashing lights than they know what to do with! People steer where they look and rubber-necking is fact!
The driving of these guys is not to police standard and their hi vis presence has pretentions beyond their role.
If they actually got traffic moving that would be great - yet to see that. All I've seen them so far do is man motorway closures and causing bunching of traffic - not helpful and in large part due to their police like look - I now spot them a mile off - normally be 3 lanes doing 60!!!!!
It won't last. ;-)
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Perish the thought that one day you should find yourself on a motorway not in the north west.
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"Perish the thought that one day you should find yourself on a motorway not in the north west."
I pay attention to where I am and take in all information. Other people may not do that and in that instance probably should use the emergency phone.
My original point was not one of "should you use a mobile on the hard shoulder?"
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You have the vision of a mole.
They are there for the benefit of less observant, quick thinking and perhaps less able bodied souls than yourself. If they drew your attention to a potential hazard they must be doing something right.
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"You have the vision of a mole.
They are there for the benefit of less observant, quick thinking and perhaps less able bodied souls than yourself. If they drew your attention to a potential hazard they must be doing something right. "
I have the vision of a mole??
Nah, still think there's no need to attend a breakdown, unless requested. Only my humble opinion though.
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Ever thought of the actual reason they place themselves behind the broken down vehicle and make themselves so highly visible? Maybe it's because of the serious accidents that have happened to broken down vehicles on the hard shoulder in the past who were waiting for the recovery vehicle to get to them! Having broken down on the motorway many years ago, I had to wait nearly a hour for the AA to come out to me. A police patrol vehicle travelling in the opposite direction, turned around and positioned his vehicle behind mine and slightly protruded but still within the hard shoulder and put on his lights to as he described it" provide a highly visible marker for drivers who were not giving their full attention to the road!".It's not the TO's who cause the problems, but those drivers with such poor driving skills, who either slow down even though they are already bellow the speed limit, or who rubberneck! A possible answer to reduce this problem? Increased driver education for experienced as well as learner drivers!
Dave
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"Ever thought of the actual reason they place themselves behind the broken down vehicle and make themselves so highly visible? Maybe it's because of the serious accidents that have happened to broken down vehicles on the hard shoulder in the past who were waiting for the recovery vehicle to get to them!"
Fair enough on fast flowing motorways where the speed is around 70 mph. But at rush hour, when the average speed is about 30mph I don't see much danger at being on the hard shoulder. These guys are causing the average speed to decrease from 30mph to zero.
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i totally totally disagree with you DieselBoy {P} there is so many vehicles on the motorways these days broken down drivers need all the help they cant get to stop idiots not reading the road and plowing into stationary vehicles,add to that the idiots that dont know to get away from the car and get behind the crash barriers always astounds me as they seem to think they are invincible,ive collected broken down vehiclesc off the m1 before now and its not a job i would wish on anyone,i will finish by saying that i am not in any breakdown service and have to date saved about £3500 in fees which will go a long way to a recovery if i ever need one, are you saying i shouldnt use the motorway then?
--
\"a little man in a big world/\"
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That's fine, there's no rules about having to agree with me.
If you are not fully prepared and able to deal with and protect yourself in the instance of a breakdown then no, you should not use a motorway.
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These guys are causing the average speed to decrease from 30mph to zero.
perhaps, just perhaps, you would be better of berating the slack jawed lamebrains who slow down 'from 30 to zero' for no good reason than they are paying no attention to what is going on ?
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>> These guys are causing the average speed >> to decrease from 30mph to zero. >> perhaps, just perhaps, you would be better of berating the slack jawed lamebrains who slow down 'from 30 to zero' for no good reason than they are paying no attention to what is going on ?
Heaven forbid.
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mss1tw - do we see eye-to-eye on this on then ?
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"perhaps, just perhaps, you would be better of berating the slack jawed lamebrains who slow down 'from 30 to zero' for no good reason than they are paying no attention to what is going on ?"
You're right, I would. But why not also berate the cause of their thought process to slow down?
Maybe after these HATOs have been on the road for a while people will be used to them and not slow down to gawp. As if.
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Saw a les than impressive display from them a few months ago on the M6.
The HATO Range Rover pulled off the hard shoulder, having not really picked up enough speed, almost immediately pulled in to Lane 2, doing barely 50, causing some consternation among vehicles in that lane doing 70, then switched on all the flashing lights and hit the brakes - not a gentle slow down, a fairly hard bit of braking. Cue some serious emergency braking in all three lanes. Crew got out, retrieved some carriageway debris, and went merrily on their way. Phew. Not good.
JS
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I think these HATO's will be a total waste of time, all of the time the Highways Agency has the culture it has got, ie slow, unwieldy, unrealistic, wasteful and bureucratic.
If you removed the HA tomorrow and all of their activities you would probably improve traffic flow by 25% !
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I noticed today that the HA patrols park on the hard shoulder with their wheels pointing forward. The AA and RAC park further back and turn towards the grass.
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The reactions of other motorist will probaly improve in time when people learn that amber and red flashing light is not police.
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Surely they would be better off with tow trucks. They can still perform their rolling roadblocks etc, but on encountering a broken down car, instead of sitting there and endangering their own lifes, why not yank the car on the back, and take it to the next junction to await the AA etc. No panic braking by others, your wife/kids completely off the road, and their own lives in less danger.
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The answer is that range rovers etc can be driven on a car licence tow trucks canot.
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The answer is that range rovers etc can be driven on a car licence tow trucks canot.
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Then get them to take a 'tow truck' licence then.
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This is a goverment agency. Logic does not come into it.
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DieselBoy, saw you started this thread.
See my answer to your thread a while ago about the Duesenberg you sat in. We own it now.
Claire
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