Road regs and lack of enforcement!

[kyoto49]

hey everyone,
Can anyone please explain to me why Stafford Council (Borough/Council/whatever) apply huge expense to adding lines, and signs, and ramps etc all round the place and then never enforce any of them?

I live in the North end and at huge expense the Eccleshall Road finally had some traffic calming measures, crossings etc installed a few years ago. These should have made the traffic realise that this was a 30MPH zone, but no, the traffic comes off the motorway and speeds in to town oblivious of the speed limit. Why? Because the daft tw*ts at the council have failed to put up a single speed limit sign! They've painted slow on the road, and put in islands, a a traffic light crossing, but no speed signs! While I'm ranting, why is the Eccleshall Road the only main road in to town without a speed camera?

Secondly, more expense is currently being spent on humps along the Holmcroft Road. Why? They are the perfect width so that even my Ford KA can easily avoid them. Besides, they recently put double yellow lines on the side of the road between the entrance and exit to the parade of shops there (next to Holmcroft pub) . The aim was to make it safe for vehicles to enter and exit the shop car park. Have I ever seen these yellow lines empty? NO. There is always some moron who thinks they are allowed to park there, and cause great danger to all the cars trying to leave the car park who can't see past their car..

Thankyou for your patience, it is much appreciated, but I am beginning to despair that this council or police force will ever actually enforce any traffic regulations in Stafford. And don't even get me started on to the boyracers who parade along Greyfriars unhindered by the Police who just ignore them.

Anyone else noticed this, or am I turning in to a grumpy old woman!

Fed up from the North end.

 

[tek-monkey]

I thought those new speedbumps at Holmcroft were a cock up at fixing the potholes? Cos the potholes were still there after they'd finished making the bumps, and nobody would be dumb enough to send seperate work units out to dump tarmac within a few feet of each other.

 

[Gramaisc]

I thought those new speedbumps at Holmcroft were a cock up at fixing the potholes? Cos the potholes were still there after they'd finished making the bumps, and nobody would be dumb enough to send seperate work units out to dump tarmac within a few feet of each other.

When they did the Corporation Street obstructions there were blokes fixing the pot-holes and different chap making the humps. They could have just left it all alone and saved a few hundred grand..

 

[kyoto49]

for nobody read 'only Stafford Council '(never know whether its the bloody Borough or crap County)

 

[highguyuk]

hey everyone,
Can anyone please explain to me why Stafford Council (Borough/Council/whatever) apply huge expense to adding lines, and signs, and ramps etc all round the place and then never enforce any of them?

I live in the North end and at huge expense the Eccleshall Road finally had some traffic calming measures, crossings etc installed a few years ago. These should have made the traffic realise that this was a 30MPH zone, but no, the traffic comes off the motorway and speeds in to town oblivious of the speed limit. Why? Because the daft tw*ts at the council have failed to put up a single speed limit sign! They've painted slow on the road, and put in islands, a a traffic light crossing, but no speed signs! While I'm ranting, why is the Eccleshall Road the only main road in to town without a speed camera?

What annoys me is when people presume that others have done wrong, when they haven't.

I refer you to the Traffic Signs Manual, Chapter 3. Regulatory Signs. The Traffic Signs Manual is one of the main guidances for road sign designers along with other books such as the Traffic Sign Regulations and General Directions (TSRGD) - I am presuming that you are not aware of these regulations and apologies if you are.

Chapter 3 can be found here:
http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roads/tss/tsmanual/tsmchapter3.pdf

Section 14 details the requirements for speed limits signs. Page 117 specifically details the requirements for speed limit repeater signs. As you can see from the table, a road with a 30mph speed limit with street lighting has no requirement for speed limit repeater signs and therefore the Eccleshall Road is signed correctly as it is.

As for why it doesn't have a speed camera, that is outside of my knowledge.

 

[United57]

The mobile camera van is often at the side of the road.

 

[dylanf]

The retards dont know what they are doing.

 

[highguyuk]

Oh another cuffy for speaking the truth instead of what the majority want to hear.

What a surprise...

 

[Withnail]

Why won't people accept road regulations apply to them as well other road users and impose a kind of self enforcement?

 

[kyoto49]

Thanks highguyuk for the info. I wasn't presuming the Council were wrong and I was aware of the basic 30mph limit being shown by streetlights, although I must admit to not having read the actual manual myself, sounds an interesting bedtime read

But as this road leads from a motorway where people have gotten used to travelling at 70mph (and more) and it is such a wide straight road, and it has a school on it, would the book not allow some extra speed repeater signs, as a reminder to drivers?

The mobile camera is often around I agree, but I've only ever seen it during working hours. It does nothing to stop the boy racers who bomb along at all hours of the night.

What is cuffy in this context please?

 

[Withnail]

If you look at the bottom of your post you will see 'Grant karma: Skill / Cuffy' ie 'cuffy' ( i don't like what you are saying) is the opposite of 'skill' ( i do etc). The granting of skill will increase Stafford points, granting cuffy will reduce them.

There is a school of thought that advances the notion that cuffy is the new skill but this is a confusing digression.

I for one would be interested in the origins of this word.

 

[basil]

Oh another cuffy for speaking the truth instead of what the majority want to hear.

What a surprise...

Oh contraire, anything that brings traffic down to 20mph is a winner in my book, have a point.........

 

[shoes]

Oh another cuffy for speaking the truth instead of what the majority want to hear.

What a surprise...

welcome to my world lol don't worry, here, points don't make prizes

EDIT: I lost three in the debate about taking ID to the shops - either i'm a tard or everyone else just doesn't get the simple concept of carrying ID to the shops in case you get asked for it..... cost me three points did that common sense! I have subsequently left my driving licence at home because being frustrated about not being able to buy alcohol for the want of carrying one silly little card has got the better of me...now i'm addicted

 

[Gramaisc]

Why won't people accept road regulations apply to them as well other road users and impose a kind of self enforcement?

Isn't that what we pay the coppers for?..

 

[kyoto49]

Thats my original point, the Police IMO do nothing to stop people parking on double yellows, speeding along, jumping red lights, so what is the point of the Council implementing these restrictions if no one enforces them?

 

[shoes]

i disagree, anything you can get points for the police take seriously - the agenda of removing vehicles from the road must continue, and they can make a few quid in the process too. Speeding is taken very seriously, apart from, apparently, where they actually need to control it (e.g. outside Brooklands on the Eccleshall Road). Parking on double yellows is at best a misdemeanor offence and isn't worth the time of the office as speeding stats are far more impressive.

One would hope that if you jumped a red light in front of an officer they would stop you, of course they have to actually see the offence in order to do anything about it. I have no first hand experience of this though, i have seen many police cars and seen many a red light jumped, but never the two together.

 

[highguyuk]

On a road where there are speed cameras, Diagram 880 is used to remind road users of the speed limit and the speed camera. These signs are in use on the road out to Milford for example where there are fixed speed cameras. A picture of this can be found here:

http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roadsafety/speedmanagement/aidememoireonspeedlimitandsa4797?page=4

As there are no cameras along the Eccleshall Road this sign obviously wouldn’t be used.

 

[Gramaisc]

There were speed camera signs on Sandon Road for some years, but never a fixed camera.

 

[db]

highguyuk, you seem to have completely missed the point.. just because the road and its signage conforms to documented standards, doesn't mean it is effective..

the point the OP is making is that motorists are either ignoring the restrictions, or are unaware of them (regardless of how compliant they are).. yes, this is completely the fault of the motorist - that is irrelevant - kyoto is just asking for a more stringent enforcement, presumably because s/he fears for the safety of her/his loved ones!

there are plenty of examples of over-zealous sign usage in stafford (i don't care enough to be able to give examples, but i'm sure there are others who can) so clearly whoever is responsible for the erecting of signs agrees that sometimes one has to go beyond the prescribed minimum to ensure public safety..

 

[Gramaisc]

No matter how many signs you put up some people just never catch on..

Excuse me, Madam. It may be almost Easter, but you really can't wear your bonnet like that!