Author Topic: Traffic Management.  (Read 1597 times)

Jocko

  • Approved Member
  • *
  • Posts: 9356
  • Country: scotland
  • Fuel economy:
  • My Honda: Died from rust.
Traffic Management.
« on: January 18, 2018, 06:57:47 AM »
Kirkcaldy always seems to have some traffic management in place for road works, cable repairs, or as is the case at the moment, a large resurfacing scheme. Where ever it is it always seems to impinge on my route back and forward to my wife's work, at the local hospital. Yesterday they closed an area of the town, a main bus route, and they have put in three-way traffic lights (always a headache) at a major junction. However, the real PITA is that on the main road that bypasses the works, they have put up a Diversion direction sign, standing in the road, and effectively blocking one carriageway. At 06:30 the traffic was queuing to get past it. What it will be like come rush hour (08:00 until 18:00 hereabouts) is anyone's guess. Now I understand why they couldn't put it on the pavement, as it would totally block pedestrian access, but the issue is why it is there at all. The sign tells drivers using the diversion to go straight on, when there is no option otherwise!

culzean

  • Approved Member
  • *
  • Posts: 8017
  • Country: england
Re: Traffic Management.
« Reply #1 on: January 18, 2018, 09:33:59 AM »
A few months ago by us BT Openreach decided they needed to do some work right next (within 50 metres) to a busy traffic light controlled junction, although they were working on the pavement and their vans were parked off the road the other side of pavement they coned off the road down to one lane and installed their own traffic lights which were in no way synchronised with the main lights (actually it would have been pretty impossible to synchronise them), nothing was happening in the lane they coned off, I think they refer to it in H&S speak as a 'buffer' zone.  The result was absolute traffic chaos for 12 hours,  where people going across main lights on green were immediately stopped by BT lights so junction was blocked, and people getting a green light from BT were immediately stopped by main traffic lights - blocking up the single lane that was available,  It took us a good 30 to 40 minutes to get across junction and traffic must have been backed up for miles in every direction.   I would be happy for contractors to have 15mph limit past where they are working and portable speed cameras to enforce limit,  but nowadays roads seem to get blocked off regularly even when people are working on pavement. 

I know pedestrians have rights,  but who walks anywhere these days anyway, and it would have been much easier to re-route (very few) pedestrians than logjam the traffic on two main roads.
Some people will only consider you an expert if they agree with your point of view or advice,  when you give them advice they don't like they consider you an idiot

guest1372

  • Guest
Re: Traffic Management.
« Reply #2 on: January 18, 2018, 01:19:58 PM »
On the reverse side, two decorators painting a hotel using a boom lift on a single carriageway 30mph principle road near me, were killed when a lorry drifted into the cycle lane / parking bay, and struck the lift.  HSE jointly apportioned blame, stating they should have taken action to prevent this happening.  It seems they had only put out a couple of cones when a long taper really should have been used.  In the aftermath there were suggestions of parking their van or putting a skip before the lift.
--
TG

culzean

  • Approved Member
  • *
  • Posts: 8017
  • Country: england
Re: Traffic Management.
« Reply #3 on: January 18, 2018, 01:29:11 PM »
On the reverse side, two decorators painting a hotel using a boom lift on a single carriageway 30mph principle road near me, were killed when a lorry drifted into the cycle lane / parking bay, and struck the lift.  HSE jointly apportioned blame, stating they should have taken action to prevent this happening.  It seems they had only put out a couple of cones when a long taper really should have been used.  In the aftermath there were suggestions of parking their van or putting a skip before the lift.
--
TG

I have often seen the more savvy window cleaners, BT or similar workers parking their van upstream of where they are working to shield the ladder or themselves when working on a manhole or connection box and that is just common sense in action. Roads closed (when they could be single laned with temporary lights), diversions and temporary traffic lights spring up like weeds these days, it almost seems like a government plot to frustrate drivers.

I have seen too many lorry drivers messing with phones to trust any of them not to 'drift' around the road or worse, white van and delivery van drivers are also seen wandering over white lines while messing with phones.   They need to make the penalties for using phone while driving so harsh it just ain't worth doing it because some idiots never get the danger of doing it.
« Last Edit: January 18, 2018, 02:22:22 PM by culzean »
Some people will only consider you an expert if they agree with your point of view or advice,  when you give them advice they don't like they consider you an idiot

guest5079

  • Guest
Re: Traffic Management.
« Reply #4 on: January 18, 2018, 03:02:36 PM »
It never ceases to amaze me, when the appears to be absolutely NO planning when it comes to signing of road works etc.  Recently on a single lane road ( one each way 60 mph) I came around a bend only to be confronted with a sign on my side on the apex of a left handed bend. I braked as hard as I dared and had to encroach on the opposing lane. Of course murphy's law ensured a lorry coming the opposite way. Who had placed the signs? Plod at an accident.
Recently, on a particularly narrow part of the A388 in Launceston, traffic lights had been placed for work to be carried out on a leaning wall. Parked in front of the lights were a truck and van. obstructing the 'If red light shows wait here'. I asked a young man getting out of the truck what he thought the sign and cones were for. It's my Bosses truck and he has the right to park outside his house. I am sorry to say an Email went to Cornwall Council. This piece of road is narrow and cars park down most of it's length which makes a lottery if you want to pass through at the best of times. Often jammed up  with large artics trying to get through. When the question of roadworks etc passed from the police to local authority, nobody seems to have thought that it needs careful planning. What about removing the signs when they have finished. Up the road we have Ice alert signs that stay out all year around. Multiply the cost of these signs over the UK and it is not surprising Highways are short of money.

Jocko

  • Topic Starter
  • Approved Member
  • *
  • Posts: 9356
  • Country: scotland
  • Fuel economy:
  • My Honda: Died from rust.
Re: Traffic Management.
« Reply #5 on: January 18, 2018, 03:39:12 PM »
I think companies that put up temporary traffic lights should have to pay a substantial daily fee to do so. In my street, main A910 through Kirkcaldy, they dug a hole, a couple of days before Christmas. They left it (and the associated three way lights) until a week after New Year, with no workmen present (on holiday, obviously). They then came back and filled it in. Maybe they would think twice if they had a daily fee to fork out.
Another thing you see regularly, is temporary speed limit signs at roadworks (mandatory you obey) but with no sign to tell you when the limit reverts back to normal. In theory you could be pulled for speeding three miles down the road! This is a real bugbear of my brother's (ex-polis). If you are lucky you may get an "End" sign, after the work, but this doesn't rescind the speed limit!

culzean

  • Approved Member
  • *
  • Posts: 8017
  • Country: england
Re: Traffic Management.
« Reply #6 on: January 18, 2018, 04:45:04 PM »
Near to us they had 20mph signs up for about 3 miles on a normal 60mph limit road for about 6 months, the limit started about 1 mile before the 'work' and ended about 1 mile after.  They were actually 'removing' a crash barrier on a hill previously erected there between road and pavement to protect pedestrians  - they took the barrier away (eventually) and surprisingly did not replace it with a new one.  They had one lane coned off and temporary lights,   90% of the times we drove through the 'roadworks' there was no one actually working on them but the lights and 20mph limit stayed there the whole 6 months.   As Jocko says,  if the company had been paying a fee for lights the job would have been finished in a fortnight (don't know if it was Carilion who had the contract ).
« Last Edit: January 18, 2018, 06:35:52 PM by culzean »
Some people will only consider you an expert if they agree with your point of view or advice,  when you give them advice they don't like they consider you an idiot

Tags:
 

anything
Back to top