council says congestion is pedestrians fault!

OK, it's not directly cycling related, and it's slightly old news, but
my local council has recently explained who is at fault for traffic
congestion - apparently it's teh fault of pedestrians - they've been
crossing teh roads singly, when they ought to wait and do it in pairs.

This is the attitude of our traffic engineers ... despair:

(unwrap this url if you want to read the whole article)

http://icsurreyonline.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0200surreyheadlines/page.cfm?
objectid=14520968&method=full&siteid=50101

"Pedestrians told to cross road in pairs to ease gridlock

"PEDESTRIANS crossing the road one at a time have been blamed for
contributing towards traffic gridlock in Dorking last Thursday.

"And as part of an effort to resolve the problem pedestrians were made
to cross in pairs.

"The three-hour snarl-up in High Street, South Street and West Street,
happened at about 8.30am when traffic lights in Westcott Road went out of
sequence and many motorists found their paths blocked by parked vehicles.

"Added to this, an unusually large amount of traffic and pedestrians
crossing at Pump Corner one-by-one were blamed for the chaos that
ensued, according to Surrey Highways."

etc.
Anyway, you'll be glad to know that the highways department swung into
immediate action. The solution for teh congestion? Ban pedestrians,
obviously:

"Mr Archer-Reeves said that Highways worked to get the timing of the
lights resolved and stopped people crossing at Pump Corner for a time.
They were also made to cross in pairs."

Presumably, once this is permanently implemented and Dorking becomes a
pedestrian-free-zone, everyone driving door-to-door, and getting in
their cars to cross teh road, there will be no congestion. A couple
of letters in this week's paper looked forward to this elysian future
state. The council has made no comment, however, so I don't know when
it will come to pass.

regards, Ian Smith
--
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|o o|
|/ \|

"Ian Smith" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

..
"The three-hour snarl-up in High Street, South Street and West Street,
happened at about 8.30am when traffic lights in Westcott Road went out of
sequence and many motorists found their paths blocked by parked vehicles.

I was trying to work this bit out!

I assume people became so fed up with being stuck in stationery traffic they
simply left their vehicles where they stood to go shopping (or whatever) on the
assumption that the traffic queue is unlikely to move whilst they are away, so
they are not causing any harm to motorists stuck behind them.

On Fri, 20 Aug 2004 11:48:41 +0000 (UTC) someone who may be Ian
Smith <[email hidden]> wrote this:-

Quoted message said:

"PEDESTRIANS crossing the road one at a time have been blamed for
contributing towards traffic gridlock in Dorking last Thursday.

From the article it looks like the cause was the Gas Board (whatever
they are called this week).

Quoted message said:

"Mr Archer-Reeves said that Highways worked to get the timing of the
lights resolved and stopped people crossing at Pump Corner for a time.
They were also made to cross in pairs."

How were they made to do any of this? They could be asked, which is
a different matter.

--
David Hansen, Edinburgh | PGP email preferred-key number F566DA0E
I will always explain revoked keys, unless the UK government
prevents me using the RIP Act 2000.

Dorks of Dorking...

--
Helen D. Vecht: [email hidden]
Edgware.

David Hansen said:

On Fri, 20 Aug 2004 11:48:41 +0000 (UTC) someone who may be Ian
Smith <[email hidden]> wrote this:-

Quoted message said:

"PEDESTRIANS crossing the road one at a time have been blamed for
contributing towards traffic gridlock in Dorking last Thursday.

From the article it looks like the cause was the Gas Board (whatever
they are called this week).

Quoted message said:

"Mr Archer-Reeves said that Highways worked to get the timing of the
lights resolved and stopped people crossing at Pump Corner for a time.
They were also made to cross in pairs."

How were they made to do any of this? They could be asked, which is
a different matter.

Every crossing will have a 'Cross In Pairs Enforcement Officer' and
pedestrians will be 'chained' together with shackles to facilitate
this ............

Also slightly off topic, I have just seen Gazza (tells you where I
live) at out local sports arena, training with his new team. BOTH the
team General Manager, and Gazza himself were parked in disabled bays
...........

davep said:

Jack Ouzzi said:

Every crossing will have a 'Cross In Pairs Enforcement Officer' and
pedestrians will be 'chained' together with shackles to facilitate
this ............

Also slightly off topic, I have just seen Gazza (tells you where I
live) at out local sports arena, training with his new team. BOTH the
team General Manager, and Gazza himself were parked in disabled bays
..........

go back and let their tyres down

Blimey Dave, you a mindreader ??? :-)

Hiisssssss ....................

Jack Ouzzi said:

Every crossing will have a 'Cross In Pairs Enforcement Officer' and
pedestrians will be 'chained' together with shackles to facilitate
this ............

Why do you think zebras get replaced with pelicans? Many Pelicans are
tied in with other traffic lights, and on average force the
pedestrians to wait for much longer, so that they cross in bunches to
minimise inconvenience to motorists.

Colin McKenzie

--
The great advantage of not trusting statistics is that
it leaves you free to believe the damned lies instead!

In message <[email hidden]>, Colin
McKenzie <[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

Why do you think zebras get replaced with pelicans? Many Pelicans are
tied in with other traffic lights, and on average force the pedestrians
to wait for much longer, so that they cross in bunches to minimise
inconvenience to motorists.

But we get our own back by pushing the button then crossing the road
without waiting for the lights!

Bwahahahahahahahaaaa!
--
Sue ];(🙂

"Colin McKenzie" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

Jack Ouzzi said:

Every crossing will have a 'Cross In Pairs Enforcement Officer' and
pedestrians will be 'chained' together with shackles to facilitate
this ............

Why do you think zebras get replaced with pelicans? Many Pelicans are
tied in with other traffic lights, and on average force the
pedestrians to wait for much longer, so that they cross in bunches to
minimise inconvenience to motorists.

That's why no matter how long since the last change, there is always an
interminable delay after you push the button.

The penny's dropped.

"DavidR" <david.nospam.r_a@t_cwcom.net>typed

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Why do you think zebras get replaced with pelicans? Many Pelicans are
tied in with other traffic lights, and on average force the
pedestrians to wait for much longer, so that they cross in bunches to
minimise inconvenience to motorists.

Quoted message said:

That's why no matter how long since the last change, there is always an
interminable delay after you push the button.

Quoted message said:

The penny's dropped.

I don't think these crossings encourage cyclists to stop, especially
when there are no pedestrians in sight :-(

--
Helen D. Vecht: [email hidden]
Edgware.

Colin McKenzie said:

Why do you think zebras get replaced with pelicans? Many Pelicans are
tied in with other traffic lights, and on average force the pedestrians
to wait for much longer, so that they cross in bunches to minimise
inconvenience to motorists.

I wish, here they've installed linked pelicans with timing to ensure the
30 limit becomes an effective 20 when ever more than one crossing is in
use/has people passing by it on foot (PIR sensing), most of the locals
now either ignore the crossing lights or race over the limit to beat the
next ones, and they've had to lower the table tops as they put in ones
for a 10 mph private site, not a 30 mph public highway....

Sue said:

In message <[email hidden]>, Colin
McKenzie <[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

Why do you think zebras get replaced with pelicans? Many Pelicans are
tied in with other traffic lights, and on average force the pedestrians
to wait for much longer, so that they cross in bunches to minimise
inconvenience to motorists.

But we get our own back by pushing the button then crossing the road
without waiting for the lights!

Bwahahahahahahahaaaa!

I suspect I'm not the only one who is occasionally tempted into
pressing the buttons as I walk past, with no intention of crossing the
road.

"DavidR" <david.nospam.r_a@t_cwcom.net> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

"Colin McKenzie" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

Jack Ouzzi said:

Every crossing will have a 'Cross In Pairs Enforcement Officer' and
pedestrians will be 'chained' together with shackles to facilitate
this ............

Why do you think zebras get replaced with pelicans? Many Pelicans are
tied in with other traffic lights, and on average force the
pedestrians to wait for much longer, so that they cross in bunches to
minimise inconvenience to motorists.

That's why no matter how long since the last change, there is always an
interminable delay after you push the button.

The pelican that I use to cross the A2 on Blackheath used to have a
variable waiting time which depended on how long since the previous
use, so it would trigger almost immediately usually (since it is not
high volume) unless someone had just crossed in which case it would
wait up to thirty seconds. TfL have now changed it to always make
peds wait more than thirty seconds to cross

[censored]
james

"[Not Responding]" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

On Sun, 22 Aug 2004 23:25:52 +0100, Sue <[email hidden]> wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

But we get our own back by pushing the button then crossing the road
without waiting for the lights!

Bwahahahahahahahaaaa!

I suspect I'm not the only one who is occasionally tempted into
pressing the buttons as I walk past, with no intention of crossing the
road.

As any schoolboy knows, a folded piece of paper or a broken lollipop
stick wedged beside the button can keep it permanently pressed. Tut,
tut.

--
Dave...

"njf>badger<" <"njf>badger<"@soton.ac.uk> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Colin McKenzie said:

Why do you think zebras get replaced with pelicans? Many Pelicans are
tied in with other traffic lights, and on average force the pedestrians
to wait for much longer, so that they cross in bunches to minimise
inconvenience to motorists.

I wish, here they've installed linked pelicans with timing to ensure the
30 limit becomes an effective 20 when ever more than one crossing is in
use/has people passing by it on foot (PIR sensing), most of the locals
now either ignore the crossing lights or race over the limit to beat the
next ones, and they've had to lower the table tops as they put in ones
for a 10 mph private site, not a 30 mph public highway....

As the white van driver explained to the headmistress of my daughter's
school a minute or two after he'd knocked down one of her pupils on
the pelican by the main gate: "It's not my fault. I was trying to beat
the light."

--
Dave...

Dave Kahn said:

As any schoolboy knows, a folded piece of paper or a broken lollipop
stick wedged beside the button can keep it permanently pressed. Tut,
tut.

And on the modern units it ignores a stuck button with a simple
resetting logic circuit...