Motorway closures. Why ?

[AAGR]

Two days ago I was marooned in Banbury town centre for about 20 minutes by a traffic gridlock. Seems that the nearby M40 motorway had been closed for hours and all traffic had been diverted.
The local news media later told us that there had been one accident, on one carriageway, and that both carriageways had been closed for hours.
Why, for heaven's sake ? Years ago, the mess would have been cleared away just as soon as possible. Nowadays, it seems, the 'Pretend Police' (I also call them 'Trumpton', by the way) seem to take joy in clearing a space just for themselves ....

[MK_Bob]

It's purely to annoy you, of course. I highly doubt there's a genuine reason for which they would close a motorway, I mean people are seriously injured and killed every day, why should that have any effect on you?

Sorry for being a little sarcastic, but a motorway won't be closed for no reason. Do you even know the details of the accident? If it wasn't closed due to injury or death, perhaps there was a spillage, a vehicle fire, hazardous substance....

When I hear about an accident on the radio I think about the poor sod/s involved who are suddenly having a very bad day before I worry that my day has been affected. Yes it can be annoying and spoil your plans, and people do crash for reasons that are not good enough, but being annoyed at the guys who are sorting the mess out doesn't make any sense.

[Chris_w666]

AAGR said:

I was marooned in Banbury town centre for about 20 minutes.

I suggest you tell the Daily Mail they may print an article that will inspire someone to set up an international appeal fund to help people like you that are stuck for under 30 minutes in a town centre in the developed world.

[AAGR]

MK_Bob said:

It's purely to annoy you, of course. I highly doubt there's a genuine reason for which they would close a motorway, I mean people are seriously injured and killed every day, why should that have any effect on you?

Sorry for being a little sarcastic, but a motorway won't be closed for no reason. Do you even know the details of the accident? If it wasn't closed due to injury or death, perhaps there was a spillage, a vehicle fire, hazardous substance....

When I hear about an accident on the radio I think about the poor sod/s involved who are suddenly having a very bad day before I worry that my day has been affected. Yes it can be annoying and spoil your plans, and people do crash for reasons that are not good enough, but being annoyed at the guys who are sorting the mess out doesn't make any sense.

You are being very rude to me without actually spelling it out. My point was (concentrate, please) that it didn't used to be like this. Nor, for that matter , is it like this in other countries which I have sampled.

Please believe that I am not whinging from self-interest. I'm merely trying to learn something

[CraigyMc]

AAGR said:

Two days ago I was marooned in Banbury town centre for about 20 minutes by a traffic gridlock. Seems that the nearby M40 motorway had been closed for hours and all traffic had been diverted.
The local news media later told us that there had been one accident, on one carriageway, and that both carriageways had been closed for hours.
Why, for heaven's sake ? Years ago, the mess would have been cleared away just as soon as possible. Nowadays, it seems, the 'Pretend Police' (I also call them 'Trumpton', by the way) seem to take joy in clearing a space just for themselves ....

It's closed for the safety of the emergency services while they do their jobs.

If there's a strong possibility of a fatal, they have to measure everything.

Example of why: http://www.hampshire.police.uk/Internet/Specialist...

C

[Chris_w666]

OP, have you ever tried to clear debris from 3 lanes of motorway with the risk of some nugget watching what you are doing and smashing through a crash barrier at 70? Or tried to land an air ambulance on a motorway? Or perhaps tried to keep the public safe from a huge fuel spillage?

There are numerous reasons a motorway may be closed, I'm almost certain none of them are to do with a consipracy to fk up your day or to make you late home for tea.

[motco]

Was it not the idea of that famous motoring enthusiast Richard Brunstrom, latter day Chief Constable of North Wales, to treat all RTA locations (sorry it's RTC now according to the Thought Police) as crime scenes?

[Petrolhead_Rich]

AAGR said:

MK_Bob said:

It's purely to annoy you, of course. I highly doubt there's a genuine reason for which they would close a motorway, I mean people are seriously injured and killed every day, why should that have any effect on you?

Sorry for being a little sarcastic, but a motorway won't be closed for no reason. Do you even know the details of the accident? If it wasn't closed due to injury or death, perhaps there was a spillage, a vehicle fire, hazardous substance....

When I hear about an accident on the radio I think about the poor sod/s involved who are suddenly having a very bad day before I worry that my day has been affected. Yes it can be annoying and spoil your plans, and people do crash for reasons that are not good enough, but being annoyed at the guys who are sorting the mess out doesn't make any sense.

You are being very rude to me without actually spelling it out. My point was (concentrate, please) that it didn't used to be like this. Nor, for that matter , is it like this in other countries which I have sampled.

Please believe that I am not whinging from self-interest. I'm merely trying to learn something

Before deaths were investigated with a camera and a quick search, now we have more forensics and bigger investigations into fatal accidents to improve safety.

Also, when a motorway was closed there was less traffic so less impact on other roads.

Now there are more cars, so usually more cars involved, more to investigate/cleanup, more traffic to cause a jam, longer investigations etc.

[MK_Bob]

AAGR said:

MK_Bob said:

It's purely to annoy you, of course. I highly doubt there's a genuine reason for which they would close a motorway, I mean people are seriously injured and killed every day, why should that have any effect on you?

Sorry for being a little sarcastic, but a motorway won't be closed for no reason. Do you even know the details of the accident? If it wasn't closed due to injury or death, perhaps there was a spillage, a vehicle fire, hazardous substance....

When I hear about an accident on the radio I think about the poor sod/s involved who are suddenly having a very bad day before I worry that my day has been affected. Yes it can be annoying and spoil your plans, and people do crash for reasons that are not good enough, but being annoyed at the guys who are sorting the mess out doesn't make any sense.

You are being very rude to me without actually spelling it out. My point was (concentrate, please) that it didn't used to be like this. Nor, for that matter , is it like this in other countries which I have sampled.

Please believe that I am not whinging from self-interest. I'm merely trying to learn something

I was being sarcastic, yes (lowest form of wit I know), but I even apologised for it! I didn't intend to be very rude. I can't speak for what would have happened after an accident decades ago, I suppose it's possible that there would have been less fuss about letting people drive past a serious accident, but I don't know. My point was that the closure in your case was probably for a good reason, and that getting annoyed without knowing the details of the accident is pointless.

As for other countries, whilst pottering around in Rabat I drove past an accident scene where a young girl (pre-teen) was on the side of the road with an obviously broken leg. The police were there and didn't even stop the traffic picking its way around the accident scene. Very unpleasant.

[littleredrooster]

AAGR said:

Two days ago I was marooned in Banbury town centre for about 20 minutes by a traffic gridlock. Seems that the nearby M40 motorway had been closed for hours and all traffic had been diverted.
The local news media later told us that there had been one accident, on one carriageway, and that both carriageways had been closed for hours.
Why, for heaven's sake ? Years ago, the mess would have been cleared away just as soon as possible. Nowadays, it seems, the 'Pretend Police' (I also call them 'Trumpton', by the way) seem to take joy in clearing a space just for themselves ....

So, if a drunk driver careered down the motorway and killed your nearest-and-dearest when he/she was broken down on the hard shoulder, you would be quite happy to:
1. Let several thousand motorists filter past gawping at his/her dead body on the road.
2. Destroy any evidence which may be present by allowing vehicles to run over the scene.
3. Put at risk the further lives of any poor sod who has to attend the scene - ambo, fire, HATO, Police etc. because rubberneckers rarely travel in a straight line.
4. Ignore or foreshorten any kind of meaningful investigation into the loss of life - these things just 'happen'.

I think you will find that roads have always been closed for this. It's a pity that it happens more often these days - I'm very sorry that you were marooned in Banbury; it is, however a quite delightful little town which is worth visiting once your temper has subsided.

[vescaegg]

20 minutes?! Christ!

Im guessing it wasnt your mum/dad/wife/husband/son or daughter who may have been lying dead in the carriageway....

[jains15]

MK_Bob said:

As for other countries, whilst pottering around in Rabat I drove past an accident scene where a young girl (pre-teen) was on the side of the road with an obviously broken leg. The police were there and didn't even stop the traffic picking its way around the accident scene. Very unpleasant.

I know what you mean. During a recent trip to Morrocco I saw the aftermath of 2 accidents and was involved in a third within 2 hours of each other. Judging by the driving standards and accident cleanup/care of casulaties I would say really we are very lucky in this country.

The worst of the 3 accidents (the second one that we saw) involved one of those Grande taxis they have which are actually 70's E classes converted to carry 7 + driver. Overturned in a ditch, children involved and everything. The single policeman there was only concerend in directing traffic and not helping the people affected. When the Ambwilans tuned up everyone got out of their cars to gawp at the injuries. then it had to pick it's way through the traffic and fight it's way down the road, nobody pulling over for it etc etc

Much rather have the inconvenient but ultimately people centric approach we have to be honest.

[jamesson]

OP - although you may not have intended it, your post does come across somewhat tttish. Being delayed twenty minutes is hardly a big deal and as others have said, it was undoubtedly justified to close the motorway. It isn't done lightly, you know.

[Highway Star]

http://www.banburycake.co.uk/news/banbury/8740279....

Was it this crash, two days ago? At J10, so I take it traffic was coming off at J11, Banbury, and then being diverted?

Edited by Highway Star on Friday 17th December 10:41

Edited by Highway Star on Friday 17th December 10:43

[s3fella]

Chris_w666 said:

AAGR said:

I was marooned in Banbury town centre for about 20 minutes.

I suggest you tell the Daily Mail they may print an article that will inspire someone to set up an international appeal fund to help people like you that are stuck for under 30 minutes in a town centre in the developed world.

It IS a sthole though. So about 15 minutes longer than I would like to be "marrooned" there.

[Dog Star]

I know where the OP is coming from. It seems to me that lanes are coned off for the slightest thing nowadays, far more so than I recall in the past. OK it does make things safer for those working but I think they might have gone too far over - there has got to be some consideration given to keeping traffic flowing. However we do now live in a safety/litigation obsessed culture.

[Chris_w666]

Dog Star said:

I know where the OP is coming from. It seems to me that lanes are coned off for the slightest thing nowadays, far more so than I recall in the past. OK it does make things safer for those working but I think they might have gone too far over - there has got to be some consideration given to keeping traffic flowing. However we do now live in a safety/litigation obsessed culture.

Slow traffic for an hour v Death for one or two childrens parents.

Honestly which would you rather deal with?

[ralphrj]

motco said:

Was it not the idea of that famous motoring enthusiast Richard Brunstrom, latter day Chief Constable of North Wales, to treat all RTA locations (sorry it's RTC now according to the Thought Police) as crime scenes?

He might been responsible for implementing it but it wasn't neccessarily his idea.

Under article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) the state has an obligation to investigate suspicious deaths. This obligation applies in the UK from 2nd October 2000 (when the Human Rights Act 1998 came into force).

In the example of a road accident the Police must investigate if there is a fatality (or if someone has life-threatening injuries which may result in them dying later).

Since the Human Rights Act was introduced the Police have been succesfully sued by relatives of people who have died for failing to properly investigate the circumstances of their deaths.

[eztiger]

Chris_w666 said:

Dog Star said:

I know where the OP is coming from. It seems to me that lanes are coned off for the slightest thing nowadays, far more so than I recall in the past. OK it does make things safer for those working but I think they might have gone too far over - there has got to be some consideration given to keeping traffic flowing. However we do now live in a safety/litigation obsessed culture.

Slow traffic for an hour v Death for one or two childrens parents.

Honestly which would you rather deal with?

Think of the children!

[bull996]

[/quote]

Before deaths were investigated with a camera and a quick search, now we have more forensics and bigger investigations into fatal accidents to APPORTION BLAME

[/quote]

EFA