Small victory

[Keith Oates]

Back to WVM, it was a good result but will the lesson stay with him the next time he's in a similar situation!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Hover Fly]

...and aren't there a couple of bodies pulled out of the Thames every week?

According to RoSPA there were 42 drownings in the Thames in 2002 (I haven't got more up to date figures).

Strangely 2 drownings nationally were caused by cycling, exactly the same as caused by canoeing.

 

[73inch]

According to RoSPA there were 42 drownings in the Thames in 2002 (I haven't got more up to date figures).

Strangely 2 drownings nationally were caused by cycling, exactly the same as caused by canoeing.

A guy where I work is volunteer lifeboatman on the Thames, apparently its the busiest lifeboat station in the country. He says its mostly people jumping off bridges either in suicide attempts, or because they're drunk. Most get stuck in the mud, breaking the odd limb in the process.

 

[skwerl]

I was expecting something to happen with him parking on double yellows,that would have been icing on the cake

I was hoping they'd give him a ticket. Unfortunately they leave that to the Corp of London traffic wardens

 

[Arch]

*is 'victim' the right word in the case of a suicide?

Yes. Because to be that unhappy, you've been a victim of some pretty shoot circumstances.

Glad to see Spen thinks suicide is worth a big grin though....


Anyway, it sounds like the WVM was the perfect example of why we need regular retesting of all drivers.

 

[Cab]

Good result. Just a tip, though - don't fall for officialdom wheeling out the sob stories. Not wanting to cast cynicism on the victim* if it's true, but "sorry we've had a suicide in the thames" sounds like a textbook line designed to get you to go away without feeling aggrieved at being asked to do so. Hospitals are exactly the same: "we can't see you today, we've got lots of cancer patients to deal with."
As far as he's concerned, it's the difference between you going home feeling like a bit of a whinging cyclist who should be glad he managed to get a bollocking administered, and a militant cyclist who only managed to get a bollocking administered. Job done.

It does often seem to be the case that the Police and sometimes the NHS will use emotional blackmail to shut you up when you have valid cause for complaint. "Sorry we couldn't divert manpower to that cycling incident, there had been a spate of public disturbances". "Sorry we coulndn't get someone out to that public disturbance in time, there had been an assault". "Sorry we couldn't get to that assault, there had been a murder".

Yeah, there are resource management issues in the public sector, we get that, but don't treat me like an idiot. If you don't think that my complaint is serious tell me, don't make me go through your complaints procedure to find out whether or not it is a resourcing issue.

 

[col]

I was hoping they'd give him a ticket. Unfortunately they leave that to the Corp of London traffic wardens

Strange isnt it?The police walk passed a car parked on double yellows where i live,and the traffic wardens,one whom i happen to know said,they are there only to check the towns car parks,no wonder it gets chocka in the town

 

[Road Fiddler]

The police do have major incidents which stretch man power, typically Portsmouth only has between 6 and 8 officers on duty at each of there 3 stations on an average night, that's 18 to 24 officers for the whole city, even quite small incidences can take officers away from there normal duty. In this case the desk Sargent did say his team was stretched but he did take it seriously else he would not have asked the officer to have a word with the driver. It amasses me that so many people think that when they want the police they should drop everything and come running, they have to manage there workload the same as the rest of use and they are covered by the same employment laws as we are so are entitled to breaks.

The same goes for hospitals, they sometimes have no option but to cancel appointments because there is something more important they need to deal with. I have had 3 appointments cancelled this year but that has not detracted from the great work the doctors have done at other times.

We all parities our lives so why shouldn't the emergency services.

As for WVM i am sure he learnt a valuable lesson today and hopefully he will learn from it and moderate his behavior in future.

 

[gambatte]

Near us, the councils taken over from the police enforcing the yellow lines. So basically all they can enforce is obstruction, parking with 2 wheels on the pavement. Although they only do it if theres not enough room to get a double buggy past.

Authority emasculated yet again......

 

[asterix]

Well done to the OP

After my accident the police said they'd little hope of finding the vehicle or driver due to the number of fatal accidents there'd been round York. Fortunately I am no longer dependent on them in the matter..

...and aren't there a couple of bodies pulled out of the Thames every week?

Folk lore has it that females usually float face up and males float face down. If they float at all..

 

[classic33]

Bonj you sound like the kind of person that I'd let treat prior to me just so that they can get rid of you.
Noone can expect to have everything given to them first.

Oh, by the way, speaking as an ex cancer patient.

 

[PBancroft]

Just to put the ball back in the other court, my partner works for the NHS. She regularly has patients who turn up late, and don't apologise for doing so.

By being late, they make other patients late, because those tend to turn up on time. Of course, when someone turns up late and ends up being seen to even later, they're the first to vocalise it.

The NHS and any other public sector are very similar... people get in their way with their petty lives, jobs and grievances.

My point is this: Sometimes it isn't something more important which delays your valid case being seen to, sometimes it's just life.