What an Utter Waste of Time....
What an Utter Waste of Time....
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GregE240

Original Poster:

10,857 posts

287 months

Monday 14th July 2003
quotequote all
Had to go out to Rugby yesterday.

Coming into town, noticed a hastily erected sign "Speed Camera Van - Please Mind your Speed" and lo and behold, a Talivan parked in a bus stop (v considerate) watching the section of road in front.

Now, what a waste of a decent Sunday afternoon for the protagonists in the van. Its baking bloody hot, the signs have discouraged everyone and we're all doing 30 anyway because its a built up area with a crossing nearby.

What on earth are they trying to achieve? I wouldn't exactly class this section of road as a hazard, nobody speeds there because its right near Rugby School so theres a good chance of pavement dashers.

The only way I could see that they were going to bag anyone is that they were parked at the bottom of a rather steep hill, so everyone's on the brakes, keeping an eye on the van, thus any peripheral vision is **NOT** looking out for children who can't be arsed to press the button on the crossing. This cannot be right.

Utter madness. And we're funding this nonsense.

Pah.

Podie

46,646 posts

295 months

Monday 14th July 2003
quotequote all
Similar thing with the Mid-Essex convoy... 20-odd TVR's rumbled past at 20mph... some giving a sarcastic wave, whilst others (Deepdive!) were not so polite...

granville

18,764 posts

281 months

Monday 14th July 2003
quotequote all
Pure, unadulterated communism, don't you know?

However, not to worry: flog the old Thomas Towers, rid yourself of all that ephemeral designer frippery that you IT yuppie types surround yo-self with and head to the land of the orc, wherein, as I'm sure you are aware - the kipper roams with undiluted freedom and more significantly, our constabulary no longer execute any form of speed enforcement.

To which end, a little bit of Leicestershire has maigically appeared just a little further oop the road...

Himmel ein hammer mein schnellenkraut.

GregE240

Original Poster:

10,857 posts

287 months

Monday 14th July 2003
quotequote all
Not one of your easier posts to dissect DeR, but as I see it, I assume you refer to the front page of the Daily Mail, friend of the immigrant and motorist, whose front page on Saturday joyously declared that the chief of Greater Manchester Pole-eece has said that they'd better go softly softly on the dear old motorist or else we'll all be hating them if they carry on?

Well, thats as maybe. But I thought the camera vans were actually manned ("personned"?) by a certain J. Public and not BiB? I may be wrong.

I did feel a mite sorry for the poor buggers, TBH. They probably nicked 2 people of they were lucky, and whilse the rest of us went home to enjoy one of the hottest days of the year thus far, they were sweating like Lord Archer on a perjury charge*. Serves 'em bloody right, mindless do-gooders. I hope they got sunstroke.

*Politically-Correct-O-Graph Version. Amended with no permission.

>> Edited by GregE240 on Monday 14th July 11:08

madcop

6,649 posts

283 months

Monday 14th July 2003
quotequote all
GregE240 said:


I did feel a mite sorry for the poor buggers, TBH. They probably nicked 2 people of they were lucky, and whilse the rest of us went home to enjoy one of the hottest days of the year thus far, they were sweating like Lord Archer on a perjury charge*. Serves 'em bloody right, mindless do-gooders. I hope they got sunstroke.

*Politically-Correct-O-Graph Version. Amended with no permission.




Vans are fitted with air-con. Parked under a tree for shade they are reasonably comfortable. Only people getting hot under the collar are PHrs travelling past them

Podie

46,646 posts

295 months

Monday 14th July 2003
quotequote all
madcop said:
Only people getting hot under the collar are PHrs travelling past them


Madcop 1 - PH moaners 0.

deltaf

6,806 posts

273 months

Monday 14th July 2003
quotequote all
Irritated a talivan operator last night...Madcop 1 Pher's 1.

gshughes

1,319 posts

275 months

Monday 14th July 2003
quotequote all
madcop said:

Vans are fitted with air-con. Parked under a tree for shade they are reasonably comfortable. Only people getting hot under the collar are PHrs travelling past them


engine has to be running to provide power for air con, nicht war ? so not very good for the environment, which gets me all hot under the collar.

chrisgr31

14,176 posts

275 months

Monday 14th July 2003
quotequote all
madcop said:

GregE240 said:


I did feel a mite sorry for the poor buggers, TBH. They probably nicked 2 people of they were lucky, and whilse the rest of us went home to enjoy one of the hottest days of the year thus far, they were sweating like Lord Archer on a perjury charge*. Serves 'em bloody right, mindless do-gooders. I hope they got sunstroke.

*Politically-Correct-O-Graph Version. Amended with no permission.





Vans are fitted with air-con. Parked under a tree for shade they are reasonably comfortable. Only people getting hot under the collar are PHrs travelling past them


Isn't the air con negated by the need to have the doors open?

madcop

6,649 posts

283 months

Monday 14th July 2003
quotequote all
chrisgr31 said:


Isn't the air con negated by the need to have the doors open?


To some extent yes, but it still works sufficiently to keep them comfortable. Health and safety at work etc. Applies for men in white vans too.

pesty

42,655 posts

276 months

Monday 14th July 2003
quotequote all
yes air con still works with windows and doors open.

However its trying to air condition the whole world thus working very hard using even more fuel costing tax payers even more money

stiffee

26 posts

270 months

Monday 14th July 2003
quotequote all
im an a/c engineer i hope i get asked to FIX! a talivan id put a tiny bit of saliva in the system oops no a/c take the van off the road

Podie

46,646 posts

295 months

Monday 14th July 2003
quotequote all
er... I don't think I like where this thread is going to be honest.

Granted, we may not appreciate the addition of cameras in their various forms, but we seem to be forgetting that the people in these vans are there under orders! They earn a living by being a copper, and as far as I can see it's a bloody hard life, and people are always happy to denounce them, when they work just as hard (if not harder) than the rest of us.

So cut the plod some slack eh?

deltaf

6,806 posts

273 months

Monday 14th July 2003
quotequote all
Whats so hard about sitting in the back of an air conditioned van while the hardware does its stuff?
They get paid for sitting on their asses, basically theyre not even proper cops, they sure dont ACT like em!

Podie

46,646 posts

295 months

Monday 14th July 2003
quotequote all
deltaf said:
Whats so hard about sitting in the back of an air conditioned van while the hardware does its stuff?
They get paid for sitting on their asses, basically theyre not even proper cops, they sure dont ACT like em!


Maybe I didn't get my point across very well. I was trying to explain that these people are there under orders (from their superiors) and it's either do that and pay the mortgage or find another job.

My point being that we may not like what happens, but we shouldn't vent anger at the bloke in the van as he's only following orders.

All IMHO of course...

cazzo

15,585 posts

287 months

Monday 14th July 2003
quotequote all
Podie said:


he's only following orders.



Mmmm, where have we heard that one before....

deltaf

6,806 posts

273 months

Monday 14th July 2003
quotequote all
cazzo said:

Podie said:


he's only following orders.




Mmmm, where have we heard that one before....


1939- 1945 Auschwitz, Belsen, Dachau etc etc etc.......prison guards were only following orders.
That argument wont wash.
I concede the point about them having to pay the mortgage etc, but thats as far as ill go.
Laters hombre.

Podie

46,646 posts

295 months

Monday 14th July 2003
quotequote all
deltaf said:

cazzo said:


Podie said:


he's only following orders.





Mmmm, where have we heard that one before....



1939- 1945 Auschwitz, Belsen, Dachau etc etc etc.......prison guards were only following orders.
That argument wont wash.
I concede the point about them having to pay the mortgage etc, but thats as far as ill go.
Laters hombre.



A little extreme example, that many historians may not agree with (on the grounds that they got shot if they didn't follow orders), but I take your point.

OK, so it's the SYSTEM you have an issue with, not the individual.

hertsbiker

6,443 posts

291 months

Tuesday 15th July 2003
quotequote all
...ok, so it's the *system* that is wrong. Ok, fine. So why don't the little wheels in the big machine start complaining? they don't have to do it enthuisiastically, or illegally.

I'm sure those guards had mortgages/rent/families to support too! doesn't make it right.