Incompetence

A story, if you will. Evidence? Hopefully not.

A new development site has just begun construction in my village. Not wanted, but there you go, won on appeal. The s278 works started yesterday. s278 is that part of the Highways Act 1980 that deals with the interface of new construction onto the public highway, and cites agreements between local authorities and developers on how the work should progress.

The Parish Council and the Ward Councillor, mindful of previous developments and the mess and carnage they caused on the main Wotton Road, sought Conditions to prevent traffic snarl-ups at peak times, seeking to remove the road works and associated traffic lights when work was not taking place, to allow the commuter traffic to flow, then be restored for the necessary work to go ahead. This did not happen. Not unusual that the local advice is overlooked by the busy official...

So, out of hours yesterday, day one, west-bound traffic was backed up over the county boundary into Gloucestershire and east bound back up past Charfield Hill to the Tortworth roundabout. Allegedly none of these clever construction folk could find the traffic light off-switch. 

Congestion and pollution and bad tempers and late workers and pupils and choking fumes outside the primary school gates. Emails were sent, phone calls were made, satisfactory assurances were received that the traffic lights would be terminated at four pm.

The off-switch still eluding them, the contractors this afternoon turned the traffic lights 180º and put black bin bags over them. Now, you and I, we're made of brains... we know bin bags, black as night though they may seem, are pretty thin and not particularly opaque. As I left this evening's Parish Council meeting this was the scene on the narrow, blind corner'd hump backed railway bridge.

The light which was turned 180º now shines clearly into the face of the oncoming traffic, who at the last minute stop - seeing a viable red traffic light. The other direction traffic sees no lights, no reason to stop, and hurtles over the bridge at the customary 'more than' 30mph. And finds a traffic light, taking up valuable road space. Nowhere to go...

The finding of stopped vehicles and obstructions in the middle of the bridge is... disconcerting. But not as disconcerted as feels the driver in the stopped car, glancing into his rear view mirror. He's taken the initiative, dumped the clutch and jumped the apparent red light to avoid the collision.

There hasn't been an incident here, yet. But I ask you... highway engineers anyone? Risk Assessors? I don't need the work but I'll go in at £5000 per day if they need a safety engineer... personally though what I think they really need is a thwack with the stupid stick. how about you?