Do Traffic Officers have too many powers?
Discussion
I know Traffic Officer effectiveness has been discussed before, but I am interested in whether they have too many powers, and should be retrained?
On Thursday 20th July, I was driving up to LHR round the M25 clockwise at about 09:30
On the anti clockwise side there was a car stopped on the hard shoulder, a traffic officer shogun behind it. 100 yards further up the road, another traffic officer had closed the entire anti-clockwise M25. All four lanes.
I simply can see no reason to close an entire motorway for a car on the hard shoulder. Speaking to a friend of mine who was travelling the other way, the car had broken down and stopped on the hard shoulder - he said it hadn’t been in any of the live lanes. Clearly if it was stopped in a live lane I do understand that they need to recover it, but even so, by this time the road was completely clear yet traffic was still blocked.
The ensuing queue went on for miles.
Should this be allowed?
On Thursday 20th July, I was driving up to LHR round the M25 clockwise at about 09:30
On the anti clockwise side there was a car stopped on the hard shoulder, a traffic officer shogun behind it. 100 yards further up the road, another traffic officer had closed the entire anti-clockwise M25. All four lanes.
I simply can see no reason to close an entire motorway for a car on the hard shoulder. Speaking to a friend of mine who was travelling the other way, the car had broken down and stopped on the hard shoulder - he said it hadn’t been in any of the live lanes. Clearly if it was stopped in a live lane I do understand that they need to recover it, but even so, by this time the road was completely clear yet traffic was still blocked.
The ensuing queue went on for miles.
Should this be allowed?
Getragdogleg said:
Traffic officers were pulling a car down the left lane of the M1 yesterday with a long green lifting strop.
I was under the impression that you were not allowed to tow with a rope or strap and had to use a bar.
Guessing there may be an exemption in the case of an emergency and the risk of towing using the strap is less than leaving the vehicle stranded in a live lane?I was under the impression that you were not allowed to tow with a rope or strap and had to use a bar.
After many years Policing the motorway, I'll just offer this. Consider the standard of driving in this country. Now go and stand on a live m/way with cars travelling past at 70-80mph while the drivers gawp at you instead of looking where they're going.
It will very quickly change your mind
It will very quickly change your mind
Southerner said:
The HETOs would have had a discussion with their control room who, presumably, authorise the closure as well as operating the overhead gantry signage etc accordingly.
which then would have various messages along the lines of: report of obstruction, report of debris, report of incident for about three miles beyond the actual incident with various speed limit reductions including the lowest at the speed camera sitejust saying from my daily observations traveling on a smart motorway section
but I take the point about rubber necking and driving standards
Southerner said:
The HETOs would have had a discussion with their control room who, presumably, authorise the closure as well as operating the overhead gantry signage etc accordingly.
HETOs are authorised to stop and direct traffic, they don't need authorisation from control room. They would tell the control what they intended to do and request appropriate signs and signals. Once these are set, traffic would be stopped.Elroy Blue said:
After many years Policing the motorway, I'll just offer this. Consider the standard of driving in this country. Now go and stand on a live m/way with cars travelling past at 70-80mph while the drivers gawp at you instead of looking where they're going.
It will very quickly change your mind
Definitely the case!It will very quickly change your mind
Happened to me on the M4 Port Talbot raised stretch over the town. Hard shoulder with 4’ wall and big drop over it. It’s a 50 mph zone and that was making me uneasy. I walked a few yards down flow where a tree was just over the wall. My potential escape route! Jump into the conifer!
I later worked in our ops room and advice to M’way stranded people was get out, go somewhere safe, up a bank, downstream, away from the vehicle.
livinginasia said:
I know Traffic Officer effectiveness has been discussed before, but I am interested in whether they have too many powers, and should be retrained?
On Thursday 20th July, I was driving up to LHR round the M25 clockwise at about 09:30
On the anti clockwise side there was a car stopped on the hard shoulder, a traffic officer shogun behind it. 100 yards further up the road, another traffic officer had closed the entire anti-clockwise M25. All four lanes.
I simply can see no reason to close an entire motorway for a car on the hard shoulder. Speaking to a friend of mine who was travelling the other way, the car had broken down and stopped on the hard shoulder - he said it hadn’t been in any of the live lanes. Clearly if it was stopped in a live lane I do understand that they need to recover it, but even so, by this time the road was completely clear yet traffic was still blocked.
The ensuing queue went on for miles.
Should this be allowed?
Given the appalling standard of driving nowadays, I can well understand the need to be ultra cautious when dealing with such incidents. Ironically, the M25 probably isn't as bad as some others - but only because it's so heavily loaded and jams up quickly anyway.On Thursday 20th July, I was driving up to LHR round the M25 clockwise at about 09:30
On the anti clockwise side there was a car stopped on the hard shoulder, a traffic officer shogun behind it. 100 yards further up the road, another traffic officer had closed the entire anti-clockwise M25. All four lanes.
I simply can see no reason to close an entire motorway for a car on the hard shoulder. Speaking to a friend of mine who was travelling the other way, the car had broken down and stopped on the hard shoulder - he said it hadn’t been in any of the live lanes. Clearly if it was stopped in a live lane I do understand that they need to recover it, but even so, by this time the road was completely clear yet traffic was still blocked.
The ensuing queue went on for miles.
Should this be allowed?
Most drivers on M25 will be more than used to lengthy delays so aren't likely to get too frustrated.
Maybe not in this case but I come down on the side that they're over cautious and close roads too readily and for too long. I think the balance of public interest in seeing long periods of evidence collection after a collision v.s. public interest in keeping roads open leans more towards keeping roads open.
I dunno whether you would ask the question of the level of power of police officers as they are pretty much able to do whatever they think is necessary in the interests of performing their duties. It's more a case of how should those powers be moderated / are the conditions / use of them correct?
I dunno whether you would ask the question of the level of power of police officers as they are pretty much able to do whatever they think is necessary in the interests of performing their duties. It's more a case of how should those powers be moderated / are the conditions / use of them correct?
Often find after a long tail back on any motorway the wombles are there unnecessarily closing lanes for the AA/RAC to change a tyre or an equal over reaction. I assume it’s due to the extra ass covering everyone has to do these days so when the s
t hits the fan ‘they’ don’t get the blame
t hits the fan ‘they’ don’t get the blame Yellowfez said:
Often find after a long tail back on any motorway the wombles are there unnecessarily closing lanes for the AA/RAC to change a tyre or an equal over reaction. I assume it’s due to the extra ass covering everyone has to do these days so when the st hits the fan ‘they’ don’t get the blame
Yeah thats it. t hits the fan ‘they’ don’t get the blame I bet you'd piss your pants if you had to change a wheel next to a live lane on the M25, assuming you are old enough/can drive.
Edited by Grumps. on Sunday 23 July 13:52
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