They're wasting our money again
Discussion
Just drove past some roadworks. Traffic lights controlling traffic as they do. Anyway, I sees this well dressed, but not in uniform guy standing at the light I was about to pass and think, hmm he looks like a council/gov't chappie. Anyway, I make sure I don't pass the light on red (as sometimes happens IYKWIM) just in case (paranoid? me?). At the other end of the roadworks, a few hundred yards along PC Copper is standing there booking people for running a red. Yes, the guy down the road was his 'buddy' and was using a walkie talkie to tell him which car(s) to pull over.
What a waste of time! If there was a problem with the light phasing (maybe they had complaints) then why not have a word with the roadworks guys and ask them to reduce the time for the lights being green in the offending direction, then go on their merry way and catch some burglars???
This sort of thing really annoys me!
T/.
P.S. Top of Amersham Hill in High Wycombe just before the Grammar School lights for all the locals.
What a waste of time! If there was a problem with the light phasing (maybe they had complaints) then why not have a word with the roadworks guys and ask them to reduce the time for the lights being green in the offending direction, then go on their merry way and catch some burglars???
This sort of thing really annoys me!
T/.
P.S. Top of Amersham Hill in High Wycombe just before the Grammar School lights for all the locals.
Jason F: Permanent traffic signals at a junction and temporary lights on roadworks are totally different things in this respect...
Whether or not it's so, many people tend to regard temporary lights as advisory when there's no traffic around. And I think that's fair enough, personally, whereas I don't condone running red lights at permanent signal installations (juntions) at all..
Whether or not it's so, many people tend to regard temporary lights as advisory when there's no traffic around. And I think that's fair enough, personally, whereas I don't condone running red lights at permanent signal installations (juntions) at all..
quote:
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I sees this well dressed, but not in uniform guy standing at the light I was about to pass and think, hmm he looks like a council/gov't chappie.
Interesting. Was he a plod do you reckon? If not, is he allowed to provide the 'evidence' of the offence?
I couldn't tell, but he had a smart blue 'anorak' done all the way up to his neck. It was warmish and sunny and normally he'd not even have it done up so maybe he had a police shirt on underneath. Looked a likely character though, that's why I noticed him standing there, looking too smart to be a roadworks inspector type and not appearing to be looking at much (cars/roadworks).
T/.
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I don't mind people getting nicked for running a red light. Dangerous.
Nearly got killed once when a Range Rover towing a large trailer decided Red Lights don't apply to him and nearly took the front off my car.
I'm not endorsing running a red here of course! It's more the cost to Joe Public for something which was 100% unnecessary. There's no point in running this roadwork light since there are traffic lights not long afterwards anyway.
The thing is if plod sticks you with a ticket 99% of the population would swallow it.
Bit like the girlfriend (see old thread www.pistonheads.net/gassing/topic.asp?t=2948&f=10&h=0&hw=orange).
We (she) went to court last month - took until the end of the day before they saw her (all sorts of GBH type cases took longer than expected where the accused walked out of court laughing - justice eh?). Anyway, they stiffed her with the 3 points and a small fine (£100 and something). The 2 cops had spent all day sitting around in the back rooms and it was their word against hers. They didn't even say they saw her light turn red on her, just their light went orange/green as her car crossed the end of the junction (big junction). They said they went back and timed the lights and it showed a 2 sec delay after her's went red before 'their' light went green. Yeah right, I'm sure they did.
As a result she, a normally law abiding citizen has lost all respect for the traffic police to the point that she curses them and cuts them up at every opportunity ('cept when they're on an emergency call of course). Was it worth it for them??? My opinions of them were neutral vefore this (stopped many times, but never nicked in the UK). I'm swaying against them these days ...
Another complete waste of time for something which she says she didn't do and they had no real proof she did. Still, it cost HM Gov't lots of money and wasted their time too.
T/.
Bit like the girlfriend (see old thread www.pistonheads.net/gassing/topic.asp?t=2948&f=10&h=0&hw=orange).
We (she) went to court last month - took until the end of the day before they saw her (all sorts of GBH type cases took longer than expected where the accused walked out of court laughing - justice eh?). Anyway, they stiffed her with the 3 points and a small fine (£100 and something). The 2 cops had spent all day sitting around in the back rooms and it was their word against hers. They didn't even say they saw her light turn red on her, just their light went orange/green as her car crossed the end of the junction (big junction). They said they went back and timed the lights and it showed a 2 sec delay after her's went red before 'their' light went green. Yeah right, I'm sure they did.
As a result she, a normally law abiding citizen has lost all respect for the traffic police to the point that she curses them and cuts them up at every opportunity ('cept when they're on an emergency call of course). Was it worth it for them??? My opinions of them were neutral vefore this (stopped many times, but never nicked in the UK). I'm swaying against them these days ...
Another complete waste of time for something which she says she didn't do and they had no real proof she did. Still, it cost HM Gov't lots of money and wasted their time too.
T/.
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