"Traffic Marshal" - WTH

[streaky]

Spotted on M25 Reigate Hill anti-clockwise this evening (where someone in a "half-ton pick-up truck" had a large caravan on its side in the outside lane) a car, white with orange stripe marked "Traffic Marshal" with police vehicles attending accident. It didn't seem to be doing much to clear the many miles of stationary traffic behind the accident. Any ideas what it was, who operates it? - Streaky

[Sgt Bilko]

Sounds like it could be a private enterprise for private events (rallying, large-scale events requiring lots of parking marshals / traffic control). Otherwise it could be a Traffic Safety Control Officer for roadworks.

I bet they fell across it and did the old, lights on, protect the scene until someone else arrives.

[mel]

Assuming it was one of the "Traffic Safety Officers" that you get in toad works now days do they have any legal clout at all or is it just another excuse for someone to dress up like a plod and scare motorists into slowing down? There's a battenburged mondeo estate that prowls up and down the road works on the A2 near Cobham with "Traffic Safety Officer" written down the saide but more alarmingly is the fact that the car has "Video Equipped" written above it, errr why? is it admisable? and if so for what offences? The road works are already covered by a SPECS network so speed is not generally an issue there well apart from the old bangers that aren't registered to anyone and the nissan micras driven by the old and/or female who don't understand what a sign saying "average speed cameras" means

[TonyHetherington]

Mel - I know the EXACT car you're talking about up near Cobham. Reason being that some numpty might have forgotten to torque up one of his wheels before driving to the Isle of Man a few weeks ago (oops). Anyway, stopped at side of road and he came to help. That exact car - the battenburg mondeo with video equipped written on it.

Anyway, so I was asking him exactly what they are etc. They are a private company employed purely to patrol the roadworks. They are based in the carvans near the services further up the motorway (where the breakdown trucks are too). The guy was just a employee of the company, not an official of Her Majesty or anything like that.

As for the video equipped, I remember asking him about it but can't remember what he did with them. It's old VHS tapes, I know that, and I know it's not for speeding as I asked that too (you're right, it's patrolled by SPECS anyway).

[Sgt Bilko]

mel said:

Assuming it was one of the "Traffic Safety Officers" that you get in toad works now days do they have any legal clout at all or is it just another excuse for someone to dress up like a plod and scare motorists into slowing down? There's a battenburged mondeo estate that prowls up and down the road works on the A2 near Cobham with "Traffic Safety Officer" written down the saide but more alarmingly is the fact that the car has "Video Equipped" written above it, errr why? is it admisable? and if so for what offences? The road works are already covered by a SPECS network so speed is not generally an issue there well apart from the old bangers that aren't registered to anyone and the nissan micras driven by the old and/or female who don't understand what a sign saying "average speed cameras" means

No legal authority, except for possibly providing evidence to the BiB should someone bash through the cones and hit a roadworker. The camera is mainly there for catching out dodgy coning crews. Bit like CCTV in a shop. Purely reactive, rather than proactive. They don't have powers to stop and direct.

[mel]

TonyHetherington said:

They are based in the carvans near the services further up the motorway

That answers that then He's a Pikey