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Ouch. It looks as
though I wasn't driving in a 20mph zone after all. So what in heaven's
name is the 30/20 sign doing on the other side of the post? It appears
that the road authorities removed the start sign for a now defunct 20
zone, but omitted to remove the corresponding sign on the other side of
the post. Hardly seems possible, does it? Both sides of the post are in
the same borough. It's hard to escape the conclusion that the 'error'
was deliberate.
You may find this
slight and inconsequential, but it is unnerving for drivers, and
underlines the contempt that authorities have for drivers and road
safety whilst bleating that it's at the top of their agenda.
Talking about
contempt, there was the story recently of a newly qualified young lady
driver who had the misfortune to break down on a main road in Hampton.
She managed to get her car partly off the road, out of the way of
traffic so as not to cause an obstruction. She put a note to that effect
on the car and went to get help. Of course she got a parking ticket.
There were no parking restriction in the road, but she was done for
having two wheels on the pavement.
Of course, her
reasonable appeal against the parking ticket was rejected.
Moral: Don't try to
do the right thing; it'll cost you.
Conclusion: councils do NOT care
about traffic management except insofar as it can harass the motorist
and generate income.
Here's a good notice:
This is a sign
warning of a road closure; it's on a busy stretch of road in Twickenham
centre. It contains a lot a information to take in while you're driving
and would certainly distract a driver. Only at the end does it give the
dates of operation, and you then see that the closures finish on the 9th
of September 2007.
This picture was
taken on the 10th of October 2007.
So it had been
needlessly distracting motorists for a month.
IF YOU PUT SIGNS UP,
IT'S A CRIME NOT TO TAKE THEM DOWN AT THE END OF THEIR USEFULNESS.
Here's a lovely
council wheeze. Take a look at this picture of another road leading into the
centre of Twickenham:
The cars at the left
in the picture are parked in legitimate parking bays, for which you pay,
of course. Beside them is a bus lane which is always in operation. Other
traffic uses the right-hand lane. It seems reasonable that if you wish
to park your car in one of the parking bays you have to enter the bus
lane, even drive in it for a few yards, even stop in it for a moment.
There is no other way to access the parking bays.
Of course, motorists
have been given tickets for doing just this. Their crime—driving in a
bus lane during its operation. Many have been caught out. Heaven knows
how many have paid up rather than appeal. It is scandalous that a
council can even contemplate behaving like this. The Highway Code is
remarkably silent on the subject. Can you or can you not drive in a bus
lane in order to access parking bays? If you cannot, then why does the
council put the bays there?
It looks like heads
they win, tails you lose.
Now, here's another
example of traffic managers failing. It concerns traffic lights at a
crossroads. Here's the scene as you approach on one of the roads with
the lights in your favour:
How come, you may
ask, that the car on the right of the picture is turning right in front
of the white van approaching in the opposite direction? Surely the car
should wait until there is a suitable gap in the oncoming traffic. Well,
the reality is that the approaching traffic is actually held on a red
light during all the time that the light in the picture is showing
green. But there is nothing to indicate that it is safe to turn
right on green irrespective of oncoming traffic. Of course this causes
confusion as traffic turning right here has no way of knowing that
approaching traffic will stop. All it needs is an additional green light
with a right arrow on it.
WHY ISN'T IT THERE?
Does it matter? Of
course it does.
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