Just got in after a horrendous journey caused by traffic lights not working at the intersection of the A1 and the North Circular Road. Both roads are tremendously busy at this time of day and the result is chaos.
I heard on the radio traffic reports that the HAD been a problem with the lights, but this had been fixed, so I carried on my usual route, rather than avoid the area. The report was false - thanks Auntie Beeb - and when I got there I encountered (almost) gridlock.
My point is this: The situation must have been going on for at least an hour and yet there was not a Policeman to be seen. Now, I am sure that not so long ago the Police would have been speedily on the scene to direct the traffic while the lights were being fixed (Oh - and there was no sign of that being done either). Has there been some change in policy as part of the general "Make the Motorist Suffer" scheme?
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And in the past the MP traffic wardens would also step in to keep junctions moving when these events occurred. Sometimes making things better than with the lights on.
I would guess the excuse from the BIB would be that there aren't enough of them to perform this duty anymore. And many other BRs on here would say they should be out catching criminals anyway!
I do think it is poor when we are left in such situations to sort it out ourselves. Creating more gridlocking and fraying tempers.
Best way, would be to round up sufficient PCSOs and "parachute" into them in to do the same thing and use them wherever gridlocking occurs due to weight of traffic or inconsiderate driving.
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Since when was weight of traffic/gridlocking/failed lights a policing problem? By virtue of what piece of law?
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Since when was weight of traffic/gridlocking/failed lights a policing problem? By virtue of what piece of law?
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I dont know about the law, but dont "Road policing" or "Traffic " or whatever they are called this week have any input into traffic management?
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>> Since when was weight of traffic/gridlocking/failed lights a policing problem? By virtue of what piece of law? >>
What about the old days when a policeman in white coat stood in the middle of the road directing traffic. It was called being on "Point Duty" and was a common feature in all city centres until around the late 1960s
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What about the old days when a policeman in white coat stood in the middle of the road directing traffic. It was called being on "Point Duty" and was a common feature in all city centres until around the late 1960s
a lot of the old police responsibilities have been de-regulated i.e. given to other people e.g. parking tickets to councils
lost property, stray dogs, noisy parties, keyholder details for alarms,...are all going or have gone from the radar of the modern cop
in London for instance, a ringing alarm bell will not be responded to nowadays, unless it's a registered one and automatically contacts a central database and even then it's black listed after a couple of false alarms
it would be most unusual to have police officers regulate traffic now at a junction because of a red light failure....there simply aren't enough of them to go around (and if someone is not inclined to believe me, see for yourself by contacting your local police and arranging a 'ride-along' or whatever they call it locally)
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Since when was weight of traffic/gridlocking/failed lights a policing problem? By virtue of what piece of law? >>
Who should sort it out, then? Desmond Tutu? The judging panel from Strictly Come Dancing?
Lulu?
It's one of those things that it seems only right for the police to get involved in and put right. Who else has the authority to tell people in cars exactly what to do?
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" It was called being on "Point Duty" and was a common feature in all city centres until around the late 1960s "
And then junctions were equipped with traffic lights and Traffic Wardens were introduced who did the arm waving
Those will be the same Traffic Wardens who have been privatised and replaced by 'Parking Attendants' whose sole job is to extort money from the motorist.
Edited by Fullchat on 16/09/2009 at 10:24
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I took up a case where an innocent motorist was involved in a shunt when traffic was being "controlled" by a PCSO near an event. The Force in question eventually settled up on the grounds that the PCSO wasn't trained in traffic control and he shouldn't have been doing it. There was chaos on the first day of the event and total gridlock, by the second day roles had been reversed, cops directing traffic and PCSOs licking babies an kissing ice creams. Traffic moved freely thereafter.
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"Who should sort it out, then? Desmond Tutu?"
Unfortunately, the local Council's contractor.
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PU
Well they should have it as part of their training if they want to play at being a copper.
Edited by spood on 16/09/2009 at 13:10
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The Force in question eventually settled up on the grounds that the PCSO wasn't trained in traffic control
So there's the answer! As usual the lawyers get involved, someone has to blame and be held accountable for it so easier to not do it in the first place!! :)
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You wouldn't be saying that if your pride and joy (new) had been damaged and were being stonewalled. It highlighted a training issue who's to blame for that.
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seems to me like normal UK policy - dont do things correctly due to cost, then spend 10 times the amount in sorting out the mess.
other examples include;
poorly designed junctions that cause RTC's
putting yet another layer of tarmac on top of a road thats breaking up instead of removing the top surface.
not cutting trees etc back when they obstruct visibility / road signs - more causes of RTC's...
Im sure backroomers can think of many more examples were spending a few grand in the short term would save much more in the longer term.
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On a similar thread I have just done over a thousand miles on a trip away using mainly the motorway network M8 M74 M6 M40 MI A1M and in the course of a week only saw one police vehicle on the M74 and this looked as though it was a rural patrol car that had been sent to assist a car/caravan on the hard shoulder. Saw quite a few of those civvy traffic management things though. I believe that as the police are so stretched these days and as little "crime" as such is committed on motorways that the traffic cars stick to the A roads were they can be deployed to all sorts of incidents county wide.
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A couple of years ago I went to a wedding and was seated at the reception on a table with a traffic cop and his family who were friends of the bride.
I found it difficult to believe it when he told me only three dedicated traffic cars were covering the roads in his large south eastern county at the weekends.
No doubt the Highways authority vehicles are taking some of the workload from the Police but even so it seems the police resources are stretched to the limit and beyond...
This particular cop could not wait to get out.
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the police have to chase round the country for illegal fox hunters...and arrest Shadow Cabinet Members for alleged possession of stolen papers...
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