Child critical, where were the cameras?
Discussion
An 11 year old is critical in hospital today having been hit by a van outside the school not 200 yards from my house: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/wi
The school is at the bottom of a hill. The area is a major scamera van hotspot. Their favourite times to park up and zap people are Saturdays, Sundays, around 8pm on weekdays and basically ANY OTHER TIME WHEN THERE ARE NO CHILDREN ABOUT
What a cocking mess. The one location where I think any of us would support speed enforcement, and they only do it when the schools are closed. Frikkin morons.
The school is at the bottom of a hill. The area is a major scamera van hotspot. Their favourite times to park up and zap people are Saturdays, Sundays, around 8pm on weekdays and basically ANY OTHER TIME WHEN THERE ARE NO CHILDREN ABOUT
What a cocking mess. The one location where I think any of us would support speed enforcement, and they only do it when the schools are closed. Frikkin morons.
Agreed the article doesn't mention speeding, and I totally agree that it could very well have been down to poor road sense on the child's part. Just pisses me right off that it's this kind of incident that is used by the SCPs to justify camera activity but in this case they are quite blatantly policing the stretch of road at totally inappropriate times.
miniman said:
Agreed the article doesn't mention speeding, and I totally agree that it could very well have been down to poor road sense on the child's part. Just pisses me right off that it's this kind of incident that is used by the SCPs to justify camera activity but in this case they are quite blatantly policing the stretch of road at totally inappropriate times.
But then you have to ask what good it would have done for the child if the van driver got a nip through the post 2 weeks after hitting him.
miniman said:
I totally agree that it could very well have been down to poor road sense on the child's part.
100% childs fault - if people took more time educating their own children about the dangers of roads then they wouldn't be getting flattened, and there wouldn't be a need for a SCP.
And is it just possible that a camera van next to a school in school hours distract drivers rom the road ahead anyway?
I speak from personal experience having had a pedestrian run out in front of me - cost me a week off work from shock, raised my insurance premium thanks to our obsession with claiming damages off everyone (he hasn't yet), all because the stupid twunt thought getting to the other side of the road was more important than not having his legs broken.
BliarOut said:
I DO NOT want speed cameras anywhere near the route my kids walk to school. I'd rather drivers were looking out the window than at the speedo.
Indeed, when did a Speed Camera ever save anyone? They have contributed both directly and indirectly to the deterioration of driving standards, which can only make things worse.
miniman said:
An 11 year old is critical in hospital today having been hit by a van outside the school not 200 yards from my house
Really? I am just near the fire station and regularly go up and down Hardenhuish Avenue. Mind you, I steer well clear at school time though - the idiot people dropping off and picking up make it a sodding nightmare. Had some stupid bint in a Zafira the other day just swing out in front of me and traffic coming the other way only then to pull onto someone's drive and to turn around..... nice.... I bet the people that live opposite are really chuffed!
What turns perfectly normal people into arrogant morons when they are on the school run?
saw that as well, thoughts with family
just tried to get down my culdesac, the local school is in the same road, cars parked along one side and the 4x4 drivers and other cars all blocking the lane i want to get back into. Thing is i live in a village and walking the kids back to their house on the outskirts of the vilage would take no more than 30 mins, most live a lot closer
had a kid runing out in the road whilst trying to get past a badly parked car, used the horn and little shit gave me the finger, maybe should have clipped him ?
just tried to get down my culdesac, the local school is in the same road, cars parked along one side and the 4x4 drivers and other cars all blocking the lane i want to get back into. Thing is i live in a village and walking the kids back to their house on the outskirts of the vilage would take no more than 30 mins, most live a lot closer
had a kid runing out in the road whilst trying to get past a badly parked car, used the horn and little shit gave me the finger, maybe should have clipped him ?
A few years ago there was a bad accident during the school run near me. A girl decided that it wasn't worth the trouble of stopping on the pavement because the 8 wheel tarmac wagon would stop. The wagon nearly missed her but his fuel tank caught her and shattered her hip into a thousand pieces. The local hand-wringers were doing double time and managed to get a traffic light crossing installed. Needless to say, the local kids still cross in big groups anywhere but the crossing
My condolences to the family of this poor boy, I hope the driver wasn't at fault. It must be hard enough to come to terms with this when you are blameless, but when you know there was something you could have done to stop it, it must be unbearable.
My condolences to the family of this poor boy, I hope the driver wasn't at fault. It must be hard enough to come to terms with this when you are blameless, but when you know there was something you could have done to stop it, it must be unbearable.
oogieboogie said:
The ex had to get council in to paint a stripe outside her drive because so many impatient mums would park there and block her in. I mean, c'mon, just a little bit of common??
Annoying because if she ever gets any visitors in future who could otherwise have parked there (and moved when necessary), this will now be illegal. Still, I doubt even cones would have put off the militant mums.
Update here:
www.gazetteandherald.co.uk/news/chippenhamheadlines/display.var.1221978.0.accident_boy_dies_in_hospital.php
From the reports one poster concluded "This is a very wide clear road - so for the pathetic driver that couldn't see the child crossing was obviously intoxicated and careless and without a doubt speeding."
Saves the trouble of a proper investigation anyhow. This crossing is at the end of the path that runs by my house. It does not seem sensible that with two secondary schools next to each other there are no pedestrian priority crossing on two of the three major roads that surround them.
www.gazetteandherald.co.uk/news/chippenhamheadlines/display.var.1221978.0.accident_boy_dies_in_hospital.php
From the reports one poster concluded "This is a very wide clear road - so for the pathetic driver that couldn't see the child crossing was obviously intoxicated and careless and without a doubt speeding."
Saves the trouble of a proper investigation anyhow. This crossing is at the end of the path that runs by my house. It does not seem sensible that with two secondary schools next to each other there are no pedestrian priority crossing on two of the three major roads that surround them.
ok, who posted this 
:
[quote=Tim, Chippenham on 7:45pm Tue 27 Feb 07]To all the advocates of "sleeping policeman" - do remember that Hardenhuish lane is a primary route to West Chippenham for the ambulance service just up the hill on Malmesbury road - so consider the effect on the emergency services as well as whether they would actually make a real difference? Better/real crossings, perhaps a temporary limit during school start and finish times combined with better education for children and drivers alike on the dangers of a mixed people and vehicle environment and the effect of [bold]inappropriate[/bold] speed, as opposed to the fixation we have in this country that a speed moneybox (camera) will cure all - a child was tragically killed, in as yet unknown circumstances, it may have been unavoidable for the driver who now has to live with this. BTW the reference to the pelican crossing above is mistaken - there are traffic islands/refuges on Hardenhuish lane no pedestrian priority crossings. Paul on Cepen Park who states that "No-one sticks to the speed limit even when we are coming out of school." is also assuming this was someone breaking the speed limit - some drivers do abide by the speed limits; but this still may not be the appropriate speed for the circumstances.
To all the advocates of "sleeping policeman" - do remember that Hardenhuish lane is a primary route to West Chippenham for the ambulance service just up the hill on Malmesbury road - so consider the effect on the emergency services as well as whether they would actually make a real difference? Better/real crossings, perhaps a temporary limit during school start and finish times combined with better education for children and drivers alike on the dangers of a mixed people and vehicle environment and the effect of inappropriate speed, as opposed to the fixation we have in this country that a speed moneybox (camera) will cure all - a child was tragically killed, in as yet unknown circumstances, it may have been unavoidable for the driver who now has to live with this.
BTW the reference to the pelican crossing above is mistaken - there are traffic islands/refuges on Hardenhuish lane no pedestrian priority crossings.
Paul on Cepen Park who states that "No-one sticks to the speed limit even when we are coming out of school." is also assuming this was someone breaking the speed limit - some drivers do abide by the speed limits; but this still may not be the appropriate speed for the circumstances.[/quote]
Nice to see concerned parent getting put in her yogurt eating place!
: [quote=Tim, Chippenham on 7:45pm Tue 27 Feb 07]To all the advocates of "sleeping policeman" - do remember that Hardenhuish lane is a primary route to West Chippenham for the ambulance service just up the hill on Malmesbury road - so consider the effect on the emergency services as well as whether they would actually make a real difference? Better/real crossings, perhaps a temporary limit during school start and finish times combined with better education for children and drivers alike on the dangers of a mixed people and vehicle environment and the effect of [bold]inappropriate[/bold] speed, as opposed to the fixation we have in this country that a speed moneybox (camera) will cure all - a child was tragically killed, in as yet unknown circumstances, it may have been unavoidable for the driver who now has to live with this. BTW the reference to the pelican crossing above is mistaken - there are traffic islands/refuges on Hardenhuish lane no pedestrian priority crossings. Paul on Cepen Park who states that "No-one sticks to the speed limit even when we are coming out of school." is also assuming this was someone breaking the speed limit - some drivers do abide by the speed limits; but this still may not be the appropriate speed for the circumstances.
To all the advocates of "sleeping policeman" - do remember that Hardenhuish lane is a primary route to West Chippenham for the ambulance service just up the hill on Malmesbury road - so consider the effect on the emergency services as well as whether they would actually make a real difference? Better/real crossings, perhaps a temporary limit during school start and finish times combined with better education for children and drivers alike on the dangers of a mixed people and vehicle environment and the effect of inappropriate speed, as opposed to the fixation we have in this country that a speed moneybox (camera) will cure all - a child was tragically killed, in as yet unknown circumstances, it may have been unavoidable for the driver who now has to live with this.
BTW the reference to the pelican crossing above is mistaken - there are traffic islands/refuges on Hardenhuish lane no pedestrian priority crossings.
Paul on Cepen Park who states that "No-one sticks to the speed limit even when we are coming out of school." is also assuming this was someone breaking the speed limit - some drivers do abide by the speed limits; but this still may not be the appropriate speed for the circumstances.[/quote]
Nice to see concerned parent getting put in her yogurt eating place!
timc said:
Update here:
www.gazetteandherald.co.uk/news/chippenhamheadlines/display.var.1221978.0.accident_boy_dies_in_hospital.php
From the reports one poster concluded "This is a very wide clear road - so for the pathetic driver that couldn't see the child crossing was obviously intoxicated and careless and without a doubt speeding."
www.gazetteandherald.co.uk/news/chippenhamheadlines/display.var.1221978.0.accident_boy_dies_in_hospital.php
From the reports one poster concluded "This is a very wide clear road - so for the pathetic driver that couldn't see the child crossing was obviously intoxicated and careless and without a doubt speeding."
Idiocy like that makes my teeth itch.
Bing o said:
And is it just possible that a camera van next to a school in school hours distract drivers rom the road ahead anyway?
No, because driving in an urban area near a school there is no excuse for driving over the speed limit. So no reason to worry about the camera van or, indeed, give it any attention.
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