On Wed, 10 Nov 2010 12:04:21 -0000
"Ret." wrote:
Perhaps because there weren't any available? Most people have a grossly
inflated view of just how many police officers are on duty at any one time.

Well the Met managed to find 5 officers to stand around and look at a
lorry stuck on a barrier when I crawled past it. And those were just the
plods I could see.

B2003

On Wed, 10 Nov 2010 12:08:09 -0000
"Ret." wrote:
Oh for gods why?? Why this anally retentive forensic measuring of
everything? As long as no one is drunk or dead just clear up the mess
and let the insurance sort it out. Why do the police feel they always
need to charge someone with something? Haven't they got any real
criminals to chase?

This will only be done where there is a fatality or the possibility of a
fatality. If a driver caused an accident in which one of your loved ones was
killed, I presume you would want him bringing to justice?

In that case when theres a truck stuck on a barrier with very little damage and
no other vehicle involved can you explain to me why they closed off 4 lanes
out of 5 on a major road for 3 hours?

And sometimes kev and accident is just that. But for some reason the police
always need to find someone to blame. Job creation perhaps?

Its actually usually by people who've driven extensively in europe
and know how quickly they manage to clear even serious accidents over
there and generally don't even close the road while they're doing it.

Probably because in much of continental Europe the standard of driving is so
bad that there are considerably more accidents and dealing carefully with
each one would take up too much time?

Its not that bad. Alternatively perhaps the traffic police in europe realise
they're traffic police, not extras in CSI.

I repeat, however, that it is the intention of traffic police always
to get normal traffic moving again as quickly as possible. To
suggest that they block off major routes for no good reason is a
nonsense.

No it isn't.

And you qualifications for claiming this are?

25 years driving here and abroad. The police DO NOT get the traffic moving
as quickly as possible. Everyone who's driven for any length of time has
seen this time and again. As I said in a post a while a go - i was in spain
earlier this year and 2 trucks had a head on. The 3 spanish police there were
waving traffic past on the opposite side - ie doing their job. Here the
police would have turned up in force - mimimum 7 or 8 probably - closed the
road for 2 days, wasted thousands on a report that no one cares about and
probably flipped a coin to decide which driver to charge and waste more money
in the legal process. Meanwhile a few dozen burglaries get a crime number and
a visit 3 days later to lie to the homeowner about "doing all they can".

B2003

wrote in message
...

In that case when theres a truck stuck on a barrier with very little
damage
and no other vehicle involved

Do you *know* there was no other party involved in this incident? You may
well have arrived after another vehicle and/or person had already been
removed from the scene.

--
DAS

In message , Ret.
writes

David F wrote:
On Nov 10, 9:04 am, "Ret." wrote:

I'm sorry but it's nonsense. It is always the aim of traffic
officers to get normal traffic moving again just as soon as possible.

You're right in that *should* be the case, but in many instances it is
not.

Well, speaking as an ex traffic officer and trained accident
investigator I think I have more knowledge of these issues than you...

Are you sure it's not a case of "When I were a lad ... "? These days,
things may be different.

For example, literally almost every day, there are traffic reports that
the M25 is closed somewhere - often for hours on end. OK, there are a
lot of roadworks going on, which doesn't help, and the standard of
driving may have deteriorated, but, a few years ago, I don't recall
there being these almost daily closures. It's almost as if the accident
investigators are finding a job to go to every day.
--
Ian

d wrote:
On Wed, 10 Nov 2010 12:08:09 -0000
"Ret." wrote:
Oh for gods why?? Why this anally retentive forensic measuring of
everything? As long as no one is drunk or dead just clear up the
mess and let the insurance sort it out. Why do the police feel they
always need to charge someone with something? Haven't they got any
real criminals to chase?

This will only be done where there is a fatality or the possibility
of a fatality. If a driver caused an accident in which one of your
loved ones was killed, I presume you would want him bringing to
justice?

In that case when theres a truck stuck on a barrier with very little
damage and no other vehicle involved can you explain to me why they
closed off 4 lanes out of 5 on a major road for 3 hours?

And sometimes kev and accident is just that. But for some reason the
police always need to find someone to blame. Job creation perhaps?

Its actually usually by people who've driven extensively in europe
and know how quickly they manage to clear even serious accidents
over there and generally don't even close the road while they're
doing it.

Probably because in much of continental Europe the standard of
driving is so bad that there are considerably more accidents and
dealing carefully with each one would take up too much time?

Its not that bad. Alternatively perhaps the traffic police in europe
realise they're traffic police, not extras in CSI.

I repeat, however, that it is the intention of traffic police
always to get normal traffic moving again as quickly as possible.
To suggest that they block off major routes for no good reason is a
nonsense.

No it isn't.

And you qualifications for claiming this are?

25 years driving here and abroad.

I beat you by almost double. Not only have I been driving for almost 48
years - but I spent 30 of those years in the police, much of it on traffic.

The police DO NOT get the traffic
moving
as quickly as possible. Everyone who's driven for any length of time
has
seen this time and again. As I said in a post a while a go - i was in
spain earlier this year and 2 trucks had a head on. The 3 spanish
police there were waving traffic past on the opposite side - ie doing
their job. Here the
police would have turned up in force - mimimum 7 or 8 probably -
closed the road for 2 days, wasted thousands on a report that no one
cares about and probably flipped a coin to decide which driver to
charge and waste more money in the legal process. Meanwhile a few
dozen burglaries get a crime number and a visit 3 days later to lie
to the homeowner about "doing all they can".

I'm not responding to that ridiculous rant.

--
Kev

David A Stocks wrote:
wrote in message
...

In that case when theres a truck stuck on a barrier with very little
damage
and no other vehicle involved

Do you *know* there was no other party involved in this incident? You
may well have arrived after another vehicle and/or person had already
been removed from the scene.

Of course he does. Driving past the scene, once the traffic got moving
again, gave him ample opportunity to weigh up the entire incident and decide
that the police had got the whole thing wrong...

--
Kev

On Wed, 10 Nov 2010 13:37:35 -0000
"Ret." wrote:
And you qualifications for claiming this are?

25 years driving here and abroad.

I beat you by almost double. Not only have I been driving for almost 48
years - but I spent 30 of those years in the police, much of it on traffic.

So what. 25 years is quite enough to know how the traffic police go overboard
with every minor incident.

I'm not responding to that ridiculous rant.

No answer then?

B2003

On Wed, 10 Nov 2010 13:38:52 -0000
"Ret." wrote:
David A Stocks wrote:
wrote in message
...

In that case when theres a truck stuck on a barrier with very little
damage
and no other vehicle involved

Do you *know* there was no other party involved in this incident? You
may well have arrived after another vehicle and/or person had already
been removed from the scene.

Of course he does. Driving past the scene, once the traffic got moving
again, gave him ample opportunity to weigh up the entire incident and decide
that the police had got the whole thing wrong...

It had been on the traffic news before I left home - unfortunately I have no
viable alternate route. No mention of any other vehicle. When I got there no
sign of any other vehicle, skid marks or any debris anywhere on the road. And
yes I did have amply opportunity to have a look - it took me 30 ****ing minutes
to go half a mile! When you crawl past at sub walking pace and occasional stop
moving altogether you get plenty of opportunity to check out the scene.

B2003

d wrote:
On Wed, 10 Nov 2010 13:37:35 -0000
"Ret." wrote:
And you qualifications for claiming this are?

25 years driving here and abroad.

I beat you by almost double. Not only have I been driving for almost
48 years - but I spent 30 of those years in the police, much of it
on traffic.

So what. 25 years is quite enough to know how the traffic police go
overboard with every minor incident.

I'm not responding to that ridiculous rant.

No answer then?

I repeat - I am not responding to that ridiculous rant.

--
Kev

On Wed, 10 Nov 2010 14:33:10 -0000
"Ret." wrote:
No answer then?

I repeat - I am not responding to that ridiculous rant.

Yup, no answer.

B2003