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Three "road" grumps!!

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Three "road" grumps!! Empty Three "road" grumps!!

Post by Dutto Mon Sep 10, 2012 9:04 pm

Hi there,

It's not that far from Skegness to Norwich but it is far enough to get me grinding my teeth over three new elements on the road!

1. "Tram-Lines"

In view of the fact that the Romans managed to build roads that are surviving after 2,000 years why am I having to drive on roads with two large "dents" in them where lorries have sunk into the tarmac to make "tram-lines".

On two occasions my MH and boat-trailer swerved alarmingly when I hit a "tram-line" on an otherwise smooth road.

What I want to know is who took the back-hander and signed the contract that allowed the contractor to get away with such inadequate work!

2. "Crash Barrier Ends"

Why do we suddenly need to replace the very simple ends of crash barriers (they were bent over and buried in a concrete block) with very complicated (and therefore expensive) spring loaded and wired systems that require maintenance (another cost).

The new "ends" are designed to collapse if a vehicle hits it head-on. It will not work if it is side-swiped. The As Low As Reasonably Practicable (ALARP) Principle of Risk Assessment allows the use of a "Cost v. Benefit" analysis to be made and, as far as I can see, the expense is enormous and ongoing for an insignificant improvement in safety.

Again, I want to know who is getting the back-hander for signing the contract to install these gadgets by the thousand all over Britain?

3. "Expensive and Complicated Posts for Signs"

Since I was a lad all road-signs were hung on one, two, three or four hollow galvanised and painted steel poles bedded in concrete. They were simple to erect, lasted many, many years and almost never failed.

Now, everywhere I go, there are very complicated square or triangular constructions made from stainless steel tubing being used to hold up road-signs.

They must be difficult to erect because they require a concreted base plate aligned in all three dimensions that is correctly aligned to the plate on the base of the contraption.

So, from a simple tube sawn to length and stuck into a lump of wet concrete we move to a complicated construction that is difficult to install.

Again, who is getting the back-hander for signing the contract to manufacture and install all of these "improvements" that are costing us all a fortune?

Best regards,
drinksallround

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Post by modelman Tue Sep 11, 2012 7:50 am



everywhere I go, there are very complicated square or triangular constructions made from stainless steel tubing being used to hold up road-signs.



I agree, mostly, but I saw a documentry about a year ago about the tremendous damage done to cars that run into the old-type supports, they showed

cars hitting them, & instead of snapping off or being thrown down, they ALWAYS whipped back down & over the roof at very high speed & crushed the

roof, these new, lattice work types seem to fold flat & the car runs over them, so it must be a safety issue, bet they're expensive though.

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Post by RML Tue Sep 11, 2012 10:05 am

I think these new road sign supports make it easier to attach additional items...... such as cameras when road pricing is introduced in the future.
Rich.. oh_blast!
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Post by Dutto Tue Sep 11, 2012 7:46 pm

modelman wrote:
............, these new, lattice work types seem to fold flat & the car runs over them, so it must be a safety issue, bet they're expensive though.

I'll bet that was the original selling point; but it will cost billions and billions of good old £££££££'s to change EVERY pole in the UK and, if they don't change every single one of them, then Sod's Law says that the one they miss will be the one someone hits!!

We all know that they won't change all of the poles so I refer everyone to my previous question of "Who is trousering MY money?" confused3 confused3

Best regards,
drinksallround


Last edited by Dutto on Tue Sep 11, 2012 7:47 pm; edited 1 time in total (Reason for editing : Change "the" to "MY"!!)

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Post by andydiamond Thu Sep 13, 2012 8:28 pm

Hi Dutto,

Don't know if you read this in the weekends papers - - - Masham N.Yorks was "wiped off the map" by the Environment Agency when they finished the A1m recently.

Closed the old exit road, and failed to sign the new ones (two miles before and 11 miles after) the closed off exit.

Local businesses complained long and loud because all the trade vanished overnight from the town.

The parish council asked the E.A to sign the town from the A.1m - - - and were asked for £190,000 pounds to do the work !$%^£$

A request for a cost breakdown resulted in a new quote for "only" £36,000 but with the proviso that they would have to meet any unspecified additional costs if need be.

The parish council, being small, and not awash with cash, naturally replied sensored1 and to date this situation remains unresolved.

The cheeky B - - sensored1 at the E.A. insist they carried out an extensive cost/risk assesment for the original quote - - -you couldn't make it up could you? topmarks

Andy. peace
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Post by Dutto Fri Sep 14, 2012 12:26 am

Andy,

Typical of the UK I'm afraid.

Here in Skegness the county council have been digging up one of the main roads (Roman Bank) for nearly three months to repair a sewage pipe! up!

The people in charge don't seem to care that the town is a "holiday resort". The diversions required have disrupted the whole of the town's traffic flow, caused many traffic-jams and probably ruined a number of the businesses on Roman Bank. tap_fingers

What makes the situation even more pathetic is that the county council apparently knew that there was a major fault with the sewage system way back in November 2011 and had all of the winter and spring to carry out the repair! Whistle1

Best regards,
drinksallround
Ian

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Post by andydiamond Sun Sep 16, 2012 4:20 pm

Hi Ian,

The next village to us, Barrowford, has contractors digging up the road to lay a new gas main. Temp traffic lights, no-one going anywhere at rush hour, etc.

A lot of the shops are now stuck behind the 'elf'n'safety barriers ( which take up more room than the hole dug!)

My brother lives on a dead-end street off the road, the trench goes across his street without fear or favour, leaving some cars stuck in, and the ones who were out at the time of digging, err, - - -out!

And the best bit, which of course us Grumps know already, the entire road was re-surfaced at great expense and inconvenience about 9 months ago - - - topmarks

All this on a feeder road to the M.65 about 1/2 a mile down the road - - sensored1

Roll on Christmas !! - - - ( can't be far off, cards, trees, tinsel already in the shops and stores !! )

Andy.

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Post by Dutto Sun Sep 16, 2012 4:40 pm

Andy,

Don'tcha just love 'em; so one for the good guys that your brother may consider!

When I lived in Aboyne a local hero decided that he didn't want vehicles going past his door even though it was on a public lane where everyone had a right of way. He was so determined to stop the vehicles that he installed two hefty posts and placed a nice long length of chain across the road complete with padlocks at either end.

A few people complained but he expressed no concern or remorse; right up to the time when he wanted to go to work and discovered that the shiny new padlocks had been Araldited so that he couldn't get the key in and leave his own premises!

Best regards,
drinksallround


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Post by andydiamond Sun Sep 16, 2012 4:51 pm

Nice one Ian,

Might get our kid to glue up the locks on the diggers - - - on second thoughts that would only delay the work, and it's taking forever now - - - timer

"By Their Deeds Shall Ye Know Them"

The politicians/civil servants/administrators should all remember the old American indian proverb - -

"What you do speaks so loudly that I can't hear what you say" - - - - Would save a lot of un-necessary hot air and wear and tear on their mouths!

Andy.
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Post by modelman Sun Sep 16, 2012 7:18 pm



A couple of years ago, the council finally decided to remove the old badly worn-out tarmac on a local, main rd into & out of the town, then resurface

with a nice billiard-table flat stretch of new tarmac. BRILLIANT, it only took about 4 years for them to get round to doing it, BUT GET THIS, this nice

new road was still steaming from being layed, when the GAS company came along & with their posh disc-cutters, gouged-out a 1/2 metre wide slot

right across both lanes to lay new pipework!!

This HAS to be some sort of record as the road was under 24hrs old!!


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