I was heading from West Welsh Wales back towards England yesterday late afternoon/early evening, and there were many police vehicles on the M4 as my trip coincided with the end of the Swansea v Cardiff football match.
At the Port Talbot/Baglan turn, traffic was at a standstill due to a broken down coach (transporting Cardiff fans) on the hard shoulder. The passengers from the coach were all on the hard shoulder as there's no esacpe from it at that point due to the proximity of housing to the carriageway, and there were about two dozen coppers trying to reign the halfwits in from jumping all over the motorway. Wish I'd known about it a bit earlier, I'd've headed up the A465 towards Merthyr and the Head of the Valleys road and got round the mountains that way.
Anyway, I digress slightly. Once I had got past the coach and traffic sped up back to normal, I soon came up behind a Police van (big Transit type) which I imagine had been attending the incident. This was at the point where the motorway once again widens to three lanes.
The van was stuck resolutely at approximately 68.9mph, smack in the middle lane waddling along oblivious to all around him. The left hand lane being empty, this struck me as somewhat poor form from a supposed professional. Then, once I had overtaken him at the obligatory indicated 70mph, I noticed that he didn't have his headlights on at all. And this just after dusk, on unlit sections of motorway.
How on earth are we ever going to teach the CLOGs to drive properly and follow the rules of the motorway if our Police are giving such a rotten example. Do wish I'd taken a note of his number plate.
Tsk tsk tsk, etc.
EDIT: RATS! Put this in the wrong place, haven't I? Dur. ---> kicks to right place
Last edited by: VxFan on Mon 7 Feb 11 at 12:53
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Could have been drunk, and trying to look inconspicuous.
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Should have passed him on the left... ;)
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thats nothing
ive been overtaken at a level crossing with pedestrians on the crossing by a police transit multiple times on different days in manchester
usually for nothing other than to tell some kids off from drinking beer in the park and similar life or death stuff
ive given up analysing how the police justify this to themselves and how they get away with it
at some point sometime there will be a backlash
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There would be if they dawdled along after you phone to say you were being mugged.
How on earth do you know the circumstances of the call out.
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>> at some point sometime there will be a backlash
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It's started. A few months ago I witnessed a group of 3 or 4 tractors towing grass-cutting equipment and trailers deliberately baulk a police car that was trying to get past with its blue lights and siren on. The police car came up behind the rear of the convoy, and tried to get past. The tractor driver moved over to the centre of the road to stop it. The police car got past the first tractor, the driver waving angrily at the farmer.
The same thing happened with the next tractor. Instead of pulling in behind a parked car to let the police get past, the tractor swerved out nearly side-swiping the police car, which had to drive up the opposite kerb to avoid being hit.
The whole episode looked spontaneous - the farmers can have had no idea where the police were going and the severity of whatever incident it was, yet they seemed to take an instant and instinctive dislike of helping the police.
It was hard to believe it was really happening, and that anyone would deliberately use a vehicle as a weapon against the police. They got away with it because the police obviously judged their destination as more important than sorting out a bunch of farmers with a grudge, so could not afford to stop.
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The police will reflect the current society. They will have their proportion of drug addicts, alcoholics, the corrupt, and crap drivers. The majority will be conscientious and try to do a good job in difficult circumstances with one hand nailed down by the PC do-gooders and politicians.
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Whilst working in the wilds of Norfolk, I came across many farmers who held the view that the police were an expensive waste of oxygen. Routinely, farm burglaries weren't investigated and the farmers felt utterly frustrated - hence the Tony Martin case.
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They might be farmers, but more likely contractors. They drive like lunatics around here at all hours in the hay season - and always on the mobile!
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In all honesty, a bit of poor lane discipline is hardly crime of the century.
My sister has just got in from northern India - now if the Police start driving like they do, then would be the time to start worrying.
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>> My sister has just got in from northern India - now if the Police start
>> driving like they do, then would be the time to start worrying.
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I would agree with that, I have been in countries where I was convinced there were no traffic laws. There are even different regional interpretations of our laws.
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>> In all honesty, a bit of poor lane discipline is hardly crime of the century.
No one said it is. This is a motoring forum, and this is a fair subject for discussion.
>> My sister has just got in from northern India - now if the Police start
>> driving like they do, then would be the time to start worrying.
Oh, yes. Sorry. It's OK for the police to disregard the highway code then.
Poor lane discipline is one of the causes of the traffic congestion we all have to put up with, and it's utterly needless. The police should be setting an example.
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>>No one said it is. This is a motoring forum, and this is a fair subject for discussion<<
Never said it wasnt a fair subject. I simply pointed out it is an extremely minor crime, if it can really be called a crime at all.
>>Oh, yes. Sorry. It's OK for the police to disregard the highway code then <<
Yes. They enforce the rules with discretion Im always being told. One imagines they also follow them within the same boundries.
If you want leeway for popping 1 mph over the speed limit without thinking, id suggest you would want to extend the same courtesy to a police officer who gets settled in a lane, that is if it were an officer at all - isnt always despite the stickers.
Old grumpy cop will be along in a minute to complain about police bashing if you dont stop picking on police lane discipline.
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>> that is if it were an officer at all
It was an officer, or an imposter in uniform.
stu, I don't know why you're banging on about crime. I never said it was a crime. I'm just highlighting my opinion that police drivers should be setting an example by following the highway code and not obstructing other drivers by hoging the the middle lane when not overtaking anyone.
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I was referring to the moral criminality rather than legal.
Im all for the Police setting an example, even if they often arent, but even I read that wondering if you had turned into 'Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells', which is faintly amusing to say the least :-)
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Lamentable Police driving - M4 yesterday - FotheringtonTomas
