Carl Usher:
I don’t know what the answer is but the sheer amount of [zb]wittery I see on the motorways at night is beyond bonkers - motorway lane closures in particular. Despite all the physical carriageway signs and matrix board info a full mile (or more) before the closure I would say that a good 90%+ of cars/vans and ~50% of truckers take absolutely no notice and simply continue blundering along in the closed lane until they have to take evasive action to avoid driving through the cones. These aren’t just occasional events, it happens at EVERY lane closure and given that you’re only seeing a 20-30 second snapshot before you’re through them, that’s an insanely high amount of [zb]wittery than can so easily result in utter carnage.
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An argument I’d have against that is:
99%'of my driving is at night, and more often than not I’ll come across a matrix sign or yellow signs warning of lane closures so everyone moves over to lane 3 or 4, only to find 800 yards later that there’s no closure, then you get this clusterfvck of cars and trucks all trying to get back to the left and overtake/undertake each other.
More often than not, I’ll come across a matrix sign with workforce in road, accident, obstruction, queue ahead (at 3am, highly unlikely), pedestrians in road etc etc, so we all slow down to 50 or 40 or whatever because the new cameras switch to that speed limit. Only to find a mile or two later that there’s nothing.
To sum up, I don’t think people trust the signs. I can only speak of my experience, but more often than not they appear to be wrong or irrelevant and leave you sceptical every time.
MrFlibble:
Just to be “devil’s advocate” for a moment…
In the context of the above, what are people’s opinions of the programme on ITV last night (“Annoyed Britain” or something like that) where a guy was complaining about the cost of “H&S gone mad” because there were three large warning sign vehicles (some of them with drivers sitting in them) stopped on a dual carriageway to close off a lane to protect one guy in the central reservation picking up litter?
(apart, of course, from the fact that the guy was illegally using a hand-held camera (probably a smartphone) whilst driving to film it).
If people didn’t fling rubbish out their windows there would be no need for 3 trucks, 3 drivers and a litter picker. If folk didn’t keep killing roadworkers there would be no need for 3 trucks to protect one guy.
What was his complaint, that the lane was closed for the litter picking to take place, or the number of vehicles to protect and warn of the closure?
Either complaint is pretty stupid, as the crews have to be able to do their job without traffic nearly hitting them, and some drivers pay so little attention that they need that many signs and IPVs to warn them of the mobile works.
The guy should be complaining about the people who throw rubbish from their vehicles, which creates the need for such work to be done in the first place and the expense incurred and the disruption it causes.
Glen A9:
What was his complaint, that the lane was closed for the litter picking to take place, or the number of vehicles to protect and warn of the closure?
Oxfordshire CC like to do similar, not for litter picking but for bloody ragwort picking. Considering ragwort is a hazard for farming, why are state resources funding weed picking when it could be better spent filling in potholes?
BossHogg:
Cheers for your comments guys, Adam was a colleague and a good friend, the station is still stunned at his loss, he was one of the best, one of life’s characters who never failed to lift the mood whenever he was in the room. Gone - but will never be forgotten, it was an honour to have patrolled with you, RIP and god bless mate.
Hi BossHogg, I worked with Adam when he was at Ullswater Road… I too, am deeply saddened by his death… Let’s all hope the other guy makes a good recovery…
Glen A9:
What was his complaint, that the lane was closed for the litter picking to take place, or the number of vehicles to protect and warn of the closure?
From what I could work out, it was the number of vehicles (and possibly the fact that almost, maybe all, of them had drivers in).
My guess is that they were coming to the end of the section that they were working on, so were getting ready to move, which is why there was only one guy actually out working and the others were sat in the vans. Of course, it could have just been a bunch of bone idle workers stringing the job out by only having one person working at a time…
I think he made the comment “Why didn’t they just completely close the road for an hour and have all of them out and picking up?”
Glen A9:
The guy should be complaining about the people who throw rubbish from their vehicles, which creates the need for such work to be done in the first place and the expense incurred and the disruption it causes.
True, although I fear that HGV drivers are as bad for this as most people
That’s how a mobile lane closure works, all the vehicles move at the same pace.
The IPV with the keep left or right arrow follows immediately behind the work being carried out, which could be litter picking, grass cutting, gully emptying etc. Then the vans displaying the lane closure warnings follow behind on the verge or hard should are set distances. They will be displaying 600, 400 and 200 yds warnings, so they have to keep moving slowly to maintain that distance.
RIP to that guy, and to all others who put their lives on the line, breakdown trucks etc…there should be more overhead gantry signs and close the nearside lane if there is a vehicle parked on it ( accidents are different as they can also be in lane 1 or 2 ) but many accidents have been caused by people running up the arse end of a parked vehicle on the hard shoulder. When abroad, the majority automatically move over the the middle lane when a vehicle is on the hard shoulder and i think it should be compulsory across europe at least…if it saves just one fatality, then thats great by me.
truckyboy:
RIP to that guy, and to all others who put their lives on the line, breakdown trucks etc…there should be more overhead gantry signs and close the nearside lane if there is a vehicle parked on it ( accidents are different as they can also be in lane 1 or 2 ) but many accidents have been caused by people running up the arse end of a parked vehicle on the hard shoulder. When abroad, the majority automatically move over the the middle lane when a vehicle is on the hard shoulder and i think it should be compulsory across europe at least…if it saves just one fatality, then thats great by me.
i do that when i can and the case that this post is about is precisely why. i dont know who is doing what around a vehicle parked on the hard shoulder but i have had doors opened into lane 1 and even people wandering around on a live lane. on the less amateurish perspective, i have seen emergency workers, tyre fitters and mechanics working right on the solid white line and i have no wish to hurt of even scare any of them. the stupid car drivers are different, they get a blast of the horn if they are putting their own lives in danger by wandering around
BossHogg:
Cheers for your comments guys, Adam was a colleague and a good friend, the station is still stunned at his loss, he was one of the best, one of life’s characters who never failed to lift the mood whenever he was in the room. Gone - but will never be forgotten, it was an honour to have patrolled with you, RIP and god bless mate.
Hi BossHogg, I worked with Adam when he was at Ullswater Road… I too, am deeply saddened by his death… Let’s all hope the other guy makes a good recovery…
He’s getting there but he has a long road ahead of him.
Is there a fund we can donate too with regards too this tragic episode.
Yes people call them but too lose your life doing your everyday job protecting others.
Well it says it all really.
rocketsquadron:
Is there a fund we can donate too with regards too this tragic episode.
Yes people call them but too lose your life doing your everyday job protecting others.
Well it says it all really.
There is another way - Boss Hogg is after sponsorship for a taking part in the great north run with the money going to the Red Cross. Sometimes its first aiders who get to accident scenes before emergency services, many of them trained by The Red Cross. Not directly beneficial to his colleague as a fund but still a worthwhile cause and a way to show support.
rocketsquadron:
Is there a fund we can donate too with regards too this tragic episode.
Yes people call them but too lose your life doing your everyday job protecting others.
Well it says it all really.
Thanks for the sentiment, the company is in the process of setting up a just giving page with the money raised being split between Adam’s 2 favourite charities - The Great North Air Ambulance and Penrith Mountain Rescue. One the page is finalised, I’ll post the link in this topic.
rocketsquadron:
Is there a fund we can donate too with regards too this tragic episode.
Yes people call them but too lose your life doing your everyday job protecting others.
Well it says it all really.
Thanks for the sentiment, the company is in the process of setting up a just giving page with the money raised being split between Adam’s 2 favourite charities - The Great North Air Ambulance and Penrith Mountain Rescue. One the page is finalised, I’ll post the link in this topic.
Yes if you could keep me informed etc that would be good.
rocketsquadron:
Is there a fund we can donate too with regards too this tragic episode.
Yes people call them but too lose your life doing your everyday job protecting others.
Well it says it all really.
Adam supported two great charities, the Great North Air Ambulance, the just giving page is in my previous post. He also supported the Penrith Mountain Rescue through his love of mountain climbing and fell running. A separate just giving page has now been set up so you can decide which one to support, the link can be found below.
Carl Usher:
I don’t know what the answer is but the sheer amount of [zb]wittery I see on the motorways at night is beyond bonkers - motorway lane closures in particular. Despite all the physical carriageway signs and matrix board info a full mile (or more) before the closure I would say that a good 90%+ of cars/vans and ~50% of truckers take absolutely no notice and simply continue blundering along in the closed lane until they have to take evasive action to avoid driving through the cones. These aren’t just occasional events, it happens at EVERY lane closure and given that you’re only seeing a 20-30 second snapshot before you’re through them, that’s an insanely high amount of [zb]wittery than can so easily result in utter carnage.
.
An argument I’d have against that is:
99%'of my driving is at night, and more often than not I’ll come across a matrix sign or yellow signs warning of lane closures so everyone moves over to lane 3 or 4, only to find 800 yards later that there’s no closure, then you get this clusterfvck of cars and trucks all trying to get back to the left and overtake/undertake each other.
More often than not, I’ll come across a matrix sign with workforce in road, accident, obstruction, queue ahead (at 3am, highly unlikely), pedestrians in road etc etc, so we all slow down to 50 or 40 or whatever because the new cameras switch to that speed limit. Only to find a mile or two later that there’s nothing.
To sum up, I don’t think people trust the signs. I can only speak of my experience, but more often than not they appear to be wrong or irrelevant and leave you sceptical every time.
My 26 mile trip to work was all “50 mph” once. After a bit a bunch of people got really bored of the absolute lack of roadworks and sped off. The national speed limit signs were where I turned off for the M42.
