I've sent this letter regarding road gritting
Discussion
Dear Sirs,
I am writing to you regarding your road maintenance policy.
Basically, it seems that you have decided to grit almost very road in my area for no particular reason. Oddly enough, though, there are many roads in the area which are in a terrible state which have not been subject to any maintenance. I assume there are reasons for this and that wiser people than me have deemed this to be appropriate.
Outside my house, for example, the road was perfectly okay but your department decided that it needed thousands of tonnes of grit laid on top of it. Possibly 10% actually stays on the road, with the remaining 90% being collected by the tyres of my car and redistributed in every possible direction. As such, it seems to me that you felt that I should be an “unofficial sub-contractor” in order to get the grit embedded into the road using the weight and wheels of my cars. However, we did not agree a price for my services. Accordingly, I have done some simple sums which I feel are reasonable:
Steamroll services: Calculated at 2 weeks of driving up and down the road 10 times per day at £5 per roll. This equates to £700.
Depreciation of my plant and equipment: The paintwork on my BMW, TVR and the wife’s Toyota MPV have been significantly chipped during the duration of the steamroller services. Obviously it’s hard to calculate the exact figure, but it’s my estimate that the resale for the cars has been reduced by the following:
BMW: £800
TVR: £1200
Toyota: £300
The total of the above comes to £3000 pounds, but excludes the fact that I’m a business (an unofficial council sub-contractor), which means that I need to have a contribution towards my overheads, as well as make a profit. As such, I need to make at least 30% GP, which will take the total invoice to £3900 + VAT = £4582.50.
The purpose of this letter is to ask where I should send the invoice to. Perhaps you could let me know as soon as possible.
Kind regards
Steve Roberts – Director, CDCSS Ltd (Chipped & Depreciated Cars, Steamroller Services Limited)
I am writing to you regarding your road maintenance policy.
Basically, it seems that you have decided to grit almost very road in my area for no particular reason. Oddly enough, though, there are many roads in the area which are in a terrible state which have not been subject to any maintenance. I assume there are reasons for this and that wiser people than me have deemed this to be appropriate.
Outside my house, for example, the road was perfectly okay but your department decided that it needed thousands of tonnes of grit laid on top of it. Possibly 10% actually stays on the road, with the remaining 90% being collected by the tyres of my car and redistributed in every possible direction. As such, it seems to me that you felt that I should be an “unofficial sub-contractor” in order to get the grit embedded into the road using the weight and wheels of my cars. However, we did not agree a price for my services. Accordingly, I have done some simple sums which I feel are reasonable:
Steamroll services: Calculated at 2 weeks of driving up and down the road 10 times per day at £5 per roll. This equates to £700.
Depreciation of my plant and equipment: The paintwork on my BMW, TVR and the wife’s Toyota MPV have been significantly chipped during the duration of the steamroller services. Obviously it’s hard to calculate the exact figure, but it’s my estimate that the resale for the cars has been reduced by the following:
BMW: £800
TVR: £1200
Toyota: £300
The total of the above comes to £3000 pounds, but excludes the fact that I’m a business (an unofficial council sub-contractor), which means that I need to have a contribution towards my overheads, as well as make a profit. As such, I need to make at least 30% GP, which will take the total invoice to £3900 + VAT = £4582.50.
The purpose of this letter is to ask where I should send the invoice to. Perhaps you could let me know as soon as possible.
Kind regards
Steve Roberts – Director, CDCSS Ltd (Chipped & Depreciated Cars, Steamroller Services Limited)
There's a programme on BBC1 tonight about the fact that barely any road tax is spent on the roads, and how everything's done on the cheap or not done at all, and the roads are actually falling into disrepair and becoming more dangerous, yet the government spends that money on scameras, speed humps, bus lanes and so on. Should be interesting. I think it's on after the 6 o' clock news in Yorkshire at least.
>>Edited to add: It's on at 7, BBC1, full story here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/real_story/4104180.stm
>> Edited by Twincam16 on Monday 20th June 11:43
>>Edited to add: It's on at 7, BBC1, full story here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/real_story/4104180.stm
>> Edited by Twincam16 on Monday 20th June 11:43
Twincam16 said:
There's a programme on BBC1 tonight about the fact that barely any road tax is spent on the roads, and how everything's done on the cheap or not done at all, and the roads are actually falling into disrepair and becoming more dangerous, yet the government spends that money on scameras, speed humps, bus lanes and so on. Should be interesting. I think it's on after the 6 o' clock news in Yorkshire at least.
>>Edited to add: It's on at 7, BBC1, full story here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/real_story/4104180.stm
>> Edited by Twincam16 on Monday 20th June 11:43
Yeah I think I saw that advertised. My problem is, knowing the Civil Service they'll probably say "we need more money to spend on roads, therefore Tax should be increased". The problem is the Civil Service is run by a bunch of wasteful beaurocrats who only concerned about protecting, and increasing, their individual departments' budgets. The money is spent on pointless tat, while the real needs are being totally overlooked.
Even worse is what happened to me a couple of years back on a blazing hot June day!
Picture this...
Lovely hot day, roof off on the 300ZX, windows down, empty country road, FREEDOM, BLISS.
Forget it! I'm just working my way through a lovely set of S bends and what comes past in the opposite direction? A bloody gritter, chucking SALT, in June!!!!! A faceful of grit and salt dust later, my eyes amd nose are streaming, my throat has closed up, luckily I was close to home and got there to rinse my eyes and gargle a bit off water, it reduced the burning...slightly.
Phoned up the council, and the answer? Some bloody rubbish about tar melting! Tw@ts the lot of 'em!
Picture this...
Lovely hot day, roof off on the 300ZX, windows down, empty country road, FREEDOM, BLISS.
Forget it! I'm just working my way through a lovely set of S bends and what comes past in the opposite direction? A bloody gritter, chucking SALT, in June!!!!! A faceful of grit and salt dust later, my eyes amd nose are streaming, my throat has closed up, luckily I was close to home and got there to rinse my eyes and gargle a bit off water, it reduced the burning...slightly.
Phoned up the council, and the answer? Some bloody rubbish about tar melting! Tw@ts the lot of 'em!
srebbe64 said:
There's a programme on BBC1 tonight about the fact that barely any road tax is spent on the roads, and how everything's done on the cheap or not done at all, and the roads are actually falling into disrepair and becoming more dangerous, yet the government spends that money on scameras, speed humps, bus lanes and so on. Should be interesting. I think it's on after the 6 o' clock news in Yorkshire at least.
>>Edited to add: It's on at 7, BBC1, full story here: <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/real_story/4104180.stm">http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/real_story/4104180.stm</a>
>> Edited by Twincam16 on Monday 20th June 11:43
Yeah I think I saw that advertised. My problem is, knowing the Civil Service they'll probably say "we need more money to spend on roads, therefore Tax should be increased". The problem is the Civil Service is run by a bunch of wasteful beaurocrats who only concerned about protecting, and increasing, their individual departments' budgets. The money is spent on pointless tat, while the real needs are being totally overlooked.
Well, by the looks of things, what they're doing is resurfacing on the cheap with surfacing materials so flimsy they're actually more likely to cause an accident.
It all tallies with motorists being the lowest priority on all road-related policies. They have all this money they've gleaned from motorists, and they spend it on buses, cyclists and pedestrians before they'll think about making the roads safe, and even then, their idea of a 'safe road' isn't one with a smooth surface, clear markings and compounds that improve grip, but instead, it's one festooned with speed humps, speed cameras and all sorts of colours telling you to slow down or not to drive there.
This needs reversing asap. If motorists contribute the most money, they should be the priority, not public transport (which does a lot to damage the roads, actually). I mean, it's like ploughing Premiership money into the Vauxhall Conference.
Dear Mr srebbe64
Thank you for your letter.
We're sending Dave, our 25 stone traffic warden, round to beat the living pulp out of you.
If you continue to whinge, your house will be subject to a Compulsory Purchase Order, after which we will bulldoze it to dust. For the purposes of the Order, we assess the value of your house to be £4582.50.
Please advise a suitable time as soon as possible. Dave is a very busy man.
Yours sincerely
A R Sole, Director of Public Relations
Thank you for your letter.
We're sending Dave, our 25 stone traffic warden, round to beat the living pulp out of you.
If you continue to whinge, your house will be subject to a Compulsory Purchase Order, after which we will bulldoze it to dust. For the purposes of the Order, we assess the value of your house to be £4582.50.
Please advise a suitable time as soon as possible. Dave is a very busy man.
Yours sincerely
A R Sole, Director of Public Relations
mybrainhurts said:
Dear Mr srebbe64
Thank you for your letter.
We're sending Dave, our 25 stone traffic warden, round to beat the living pulp out of you.
If you continue to whinge, your house will be subject to a Compulsory Purchase Order, after which we will bulldoze it to dust. For the purposes of the Order, we assess the value of your house to be £4582.50.
Please advise a suitable time as soon as possible. Dave is a very busy man.
Yours sincerely
A R Sole, Director of Public Relations
With the thousand tonnes of grit left randomly outside my house, yes it probably is worth about £4500.
At least it's only grit.
Cheshire highways are currently playing at resurfacing some of the major roads around chester.
This process involves a few simple steps
1. send gimp to apply masking tape over grids and manholes
2. station stop/go signs approx 1000meters apart.
3. drive tar laying truck at warp 9 or greater to ensure a maximum of 10 microns of tar hit the road.
4. dump as much road stone on the almost tarred surface
Then the good part starts
Before the newly resurfaced lane is dry, it's time to turn around and do the other lane
This whole process should take no more than 1hr per Km to save money.
So i'll swop your grit for my mini boulder roadstone.
Cheshire highways are currently playing at resurfacing some of the major roads around chester.
This process involves a few simple steps
1. send gimp to apply masking tape over grids and manholes
2. station stop/go signs approx 1000meters apart.
3. drive tar laying truck at warp 9 or greater to ensure a maximum of 10 microns of tar hit the road.
4. dump as much road stone on the almost tarred surface
Then the good part starts
Before the newly resurfaced lane is dry, it's time to turn around and do the other lane
This whole process should take no more than 1hr per Km to save money.
So i'll swop your grit for my mini boulder roadstone.
nighthawk said:
At least it's only grit.
Cheshire highways are currently playing at resurfacing some of the major roads around chester.
This process involves a few simple steps
1. send gimp to apply masking tape over grids and manholes
2. station stop/go signs approx 1000meters apart.
3. drive tar laying truck at warp 9 or greater to ensure a maximum of 10 microns of tar hit the road.
4. dump as much road stone on the almost tarred surface
Then the good part starts
Before the newly resurfaced lane is dry, it's time to turn around and do the other lane
This whole process should take no more than 1hr per Km to save money.
So i'll swop your grit for my mini boulder roadstone.
Honestly, what is it with road building amd maintenance in this country? It's a complete and utter farce! But, apparently, it's not the Government's fault it's because you and I have elected to drive our cars on the road! So it's our fault for being selfish enough to own a car.
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