warning. big brother police state tactics in effect at herne hill crossroads

[Keef]

eater81, I'd like to congratulate you on some top trolling today.

Exactly, why are people still posting responses to this?

[giggirl]

louisiana Wrote:

> I reckon eater81 should get on his bike. Then he

> wouldn't have any cameras taking pix of his

> registration, and he might stop moaning about Big

> Brother when he's really complaining about his

> alleged right to mow people down.

>

NO NO NO. Sounds like s/he would be another cyclist from hell to whom the rules don't apply.

[Moos]

been looking forward to an opportunity to wave my troll police badge

[cdonline]

Keef Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

>

>

> Exactly, why are people still posting responses to

> this?

Boredom at work, lack of motivation, whiling away the next 2 hours and 5 minutes til home time.

[Keef]

Okay, now I can relate, why didn't you just say so!

[Ant]

Moos, that is mighty fine.

[Moos]

Credit to Mockney Piers - good, innit.

Watch out trolls, we is armed!

[SeanMacGabhann]

Careful - I used to get in trouble for saying "we" as in "we on the forum - all of us!".

[Keef]

Yeah well look what happened to the last bloke that tried to get people to be in his gang his gang his gang.

[Moos]

*haughtily*

We were referring to ourselves.

[????]

Yada yada yada........I'm not saying that its right to transgress 'road rules' but law abiding motorists - ie those with proper documentation, insurance, road tax, get slapped with these fines whereas the million or so cars in the UK completley illegal run, non-registered,non-certified, uninsured get ignored as its too hard work for the police and courts to deal with these and their drivers and generally law abiding citizens are far more likely to pay up be easier targets etc,

BTW Sean - road deaths are on a long term decline I'm pretty sure, inspite of increase in cars, traffic and miles driven so a bit of an emotional 'fact' once again

[????]

there's a fact for all of "you"

[????]

I'd quite like CCTV outside pubs and bars to identify those bars that ran past the legal opening hours and fined them and the people leaving them past the legal drinking hours, at least it might put the saturday noise and disruption within a more manageable time slot...it's the law after all....innit?

[Moos]

Decline in road deaths doesn't mean a decline in accidents - I think the decline is due to better safety features in cars, isn't it?

And you make a good point about unregistered cars - it does rankle that people get away with driving unregistered and unsafe cars. However, law-abiding motorists who break the law aren't at that time, um, abiding.

[SeanMacGabhann]

By God things were bad around 8pm last night - 3 posts in a row quids?

What Moos said basically. But I never understand why some people give it the "us law-abiding decent people v those dodgy criminals" spiel - the whole point about genuine dodgy criminals is ... duh... they are playing outside the rules. To say they are "ignored" is absolute rubbish -based on what? Yeah they are obvious to spot on a day to day basis but do you really think they get away with it for ever....

And if you purport to be one of the Good Guys then you should make an effort to live up to it. It's why Tony Blair bugged me so much!

[indiepanda]

Well, if you are driving a stolen car, any tickets for that car won't go to your home address.... If criminals didn't sometimes get away with it they wouldn't do it in the first place.

I have some sympathy for what ???? is saying. When I was driving over here on moving in day I got to a junction where I needed to go left and there was a bus lane on the left. I thought it was one of those ones where only the left hand lane goes left and the bus lane ends just before the end so others can turn, which I did. No bus in sight that I was getting in the way of as it was well outside rush hour and I can't be said to have been endangering anyone because if a bus could have gone through there, no car is going to do more damage to someone than a bus. It was literally just a few yards where only a bus should have been.

Third time I went through the intersection I realized cars were meant to go left on the middle lane which I did thereafter. So I got two fines for ?60 and my dad got one for following me the second time. We paid up like good law abiding citizens - I knew I couldn't argue I wasn't in the wrong, but it was a genuine mistake.

But I had a car deliberately run into the side of me on the motorway once doing a lot of damage, obviously didn't stop and give me their details and I was too shaken to get the whole plate, just year and model. Lost my no claims discount which cost me hundreds over a few years, and the police couldn't even muster a bit of sympathy when I saw them, certainly weren't interested in checking the camera on the junction where I first saw the car to see if they could get their details. (and I'm sure there would have been cameras on a major motorway intersection) Their main concern was to find out where it happened to see if they could fob me off on a different police force to send me a letter saying they weren't going to do anything about it.

So do I get a sense they aren't so bothered about catching the real car criminals... yes, a little!

[????]

There are a million plus illegal cars on our roads - uninsured, many driven by people without licences, many unroadworthy, a real danger to other people - their numbers have grown. The police do very little about this as these drivers are often far too difficult to deal with both legally, in terms of reinforcement (and often from a confrontational point of view) punishment is minimal and often (fines etc) ignored......decent, licensed, taxed, drivers made a mistake KERCHIING, thanyou very much

FYI Sean I've never been done for a road offence as described here or any other (I have got off two parking tickets which were illegal and wrong - though this was a stressfull and time consuming process and inolved no compensation or apology) and paid one where I had overstayed my time...by an outrageous 3 minutes...so I think I do live up to it...you ever stayed late in a bar beyond the legal hours it is licensed for "mr good guy"?

[SeanMacGabhann]

What do you think, quids?

Of course I have - and have been warned after a raid as well(I know I know - ooooohhh!) But let's say they started fining people for doing just that - lingering after hours in bars. I might vote against it, I might disagree mightily with the concept. But I promise you I wouldn't continue to linger in the bar after hours and if I did do that and got fined I wouldn't start banging on about what a victim I was. It's not a holier than thou thing.... some of the best progress in history have been through civil disobedience. But it depends on the cause doesn't it?

Look - if people want to dicuss the merits or otherwise of cameras/fines/litter/whatever, what's the problem. But that's not what's happening. What's happening is that people are behaving like children - waiting to be caught at something and then bleating how unfair it all is. ie - it's not about the principle of the thing - it's the childish "mwaaaaaaaahhhhh" that eminates after a parental smack. Calling it an easy cash-cow is equally childish.

I have sympathy with indie's situation above and I've agreed before that wardens are now overly aggressive. But there are sound reasons for their existence, ditto fines and lane management.

I would love if it was agreed to do away with the lot of them and then watch the ensuing chaos.

[*Bob*]

SeanMacGabhann Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

.... some of the best progress in history

> have been through civil disobedience.

That's the finest justification for a lock-in I've heard to date.

[Huguenot]

Top post from the SMG

[JohnL]

If you don't know the area London is Hell to drive in.

Right and left lanes are signposted long after it becomes impossible to change lanes due to heavy traffic, signposting is not consistent, other drivers beep and abuse those following road rules, tailgating is mandatory.

I actually dread driving here if I don't know the road.

[Brendan]

I'll second that. If you don't know the roads this city is fucking hell to drive in.

[indiepanda]

I agree. I keep my car for the odd local trip or for driving out of town, use public transport as much as possible in town, much less stressful.

I can con myself I am trying to be environmentally friendly by keeping my carbon footprint down, but it's just nicer being able to relax with a book while travelling than having to brave the traffic and confusion!

And sat navs aren't much help - mine has tried to send me the wrong way down one way streets.

[HonaloochieB]

Brendan Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I'll second that. If you don't know the roads this

> city is @#$%& hell to drive in.

But if you know the roads and their kinks and curves then it's like making love to a beautiful woman.

Provided she agrees to the ride, and is prepared to go up a one-way street once in a while.

According to Swiss Toni.

[Tony.London Suburbs]

HonaloochieB Wrote:

But if you know the roads and their kinks and

curves then it's like making love to a beautiful

woman.

Don't wish to be personal and please don't mind me asking but have you ever made love to a Beautiful Woman?