The Zohan

'Lollipop' men and women go hi-tech - Yahoo! News UK

I do not agree with jumping or intimidating them in the first place but just how long beofre the traffic cop dissappeared altogether. Their jobs being done by just about everybody else, including crossing wardens!

I want more traffic cops on the raods spotting and stopping the real dangers;
- drunk drivers, not seen a camera who can spot one of those
- Drugged up drivers - ditto
- ****e drivers - ditto
- No Licence - ditto
- No MOT - ditto
- Bald tyres, car in a poor state of repairs
- bad and dangerous driving
- etc, etc.

I am sure some PITA spin merchant will say this frees up traffic cops, ask any and i bet they will agree there is a reduction in numbers/doing other duties as well.

More rubbish, sticking plaster fix-all

PeteBrant

I don;t see anything wrong with this. There has never been traffic police attendance with lollypop corssing - Why should it start now? If it stops lollypop crossing attendants being absused or even killed, then what the problem?

Steve vRS

What he said. ^^^

However, there should be more visible traffic policing.

Steve

Henrik

iTrader: (5)

What is the obsession with filming everything on CCTV!?

The Zohan

It is seen as the answer to all motoring problems these days

PeteBrant

What would you suggest as an alternative to this meaure?

Kieran_Burns

iTrader: (1)

So we're going to have a bunch of old people with hidden cameras around young children....


errr.........

Jamie

Rolf harris!

The Zohan

Oh, now let me think, More traffic cops, less paperwork for cops maybe.

Visible deterrent and one able to do something about a problem when they see it.

Proactive policing not reactive use of cctv cameras

I am no as foolish to think that there is a traffic car ouside each school or on each corner. Moe would reduce the number of bad drivers and incdents -- after a time.

as i mentioned in my initial post cameras do not see a lot of the causes of accidents and problems on the road in the way a trained traffic cop will!

PeteBrant

I dunno Paul, if more money were to be spend on additional police, I would prefer them to be on the beat, than policing lollypop crossings that are already in effect policed by lollyop attendants.

PeteBrant

myblackwrx

iTrader: (1)

What sort of person though would try and have a go at a lollipop person helping kids cross the road?

Kieran_Burns

iTrader: (1)

I can't help but think there'll be a case in the paper at some point....

"Lonely pensioner snaps kids at crossing"

Henrik

iTrader: (5)

How about.... not filming, like it's been done for loads of years.

Thanks to Paul H for providing a good list of reasons why not.

The Zohan

Pete, my point is that say some individual is pi$$ed up or drugged up, bad tempered in a hurry is more likely to be picked up by proactive policing by traffic cops, easily spotted, stopped and in some cases banned, car taken away, etc, etc. This is the crux of it.

As stated i do not expect cops to be sat at crossings (unless required to).

We seem to be reactive, on the back foot with policing, not all but it feels that way.

We come back to respect in this day and age - or lack of it. No number of cameras are going to change that.

CCTV lolipop wardens - is more likely to make them a victim IMHO.

Suresh

Dutch TV news this week showed an article about deaths in hospitals as a result of clinical errors. A shocking number of 1700 annual cases was cited and as a result the medical profession was going to look at ways to better communicate etc. All very nice and cosy really, no major panic.

By way of contrast I Googled the number of fatalities from traffic accidents and got a figure of around 800 per year for Holland.


So why the hell is the establishment focused on dangerous traffic situations and necessary legislation and enforcement measures such as speed cameras and fines then? There is clearly a much more serious problem that needs to be tackled elsewhere.

The UK is not much different it seems - with a quick Google search suggesting 13,000 unnecessary hospital deaths each year and about 3500 traffic fatalities.

I just don't get it.



For info. The Netherlands has a population of around 16Mio compared to 60Mio in the UK.

The Zohan

Interesting comparison Suresh
Call me a cynic, do you think it is keeping the microscope away from the oh so perfect NHS NL have created which has no problems?

speedking

Did these crossing wardens used to note down the registrations of transgressors and report them before the cameras were in place? My guess is that it was all part of the job. They are volunteers after all, and would not be there if it was very dangerous. There has not been an outcry about kids or wardens being injured. Seems to be a solution for a problem that didn't really exist. Now we will have to fund an army of people to review the video evidence and track down the errant drivers.

I suggest as an alternative a very sharp spike on the end of the lollipop which is offered into the road before the warden crosses. Big scratch in the paintwork should be enough to deter all but the most enthusiastic intimidators

Not anti-warden at all, but this seems an expensive non-solution

robby

[QUOTE=speedking;7846239] They are volunteers after all,we will have to fund an army of people to review the video evidence and track down the errant drivers.

QUOTE]

I thought they got paid for the job?

as for video evidence - did you see the cameras on the lollypop? if people are prepared to almost run over wardens (as mentioned in the news) they will probably try to pinch or destroy the camera to get rid of the evidence.

People are prepared to pull down. burn out speed cameras (hooray) that are wired into eleccy supplies and the lolly cams are only going to be powered by a couple of batteries aren't they?

Suresh

You could be right Paul. If the figures I Googled are right, then accidental deaths in UK hospitals are twice the Dutch level i.e. 1 in 4600 of the total population compared to 1 in 9400 in Holland. .

Personally though, I think its just that the lefties want to control everything (big government is the goal) and personal car ownership with the freedom it offers is anathema to them. Red Ken's hatred of the private motor vehicle is just this. Global warming and CO2 emissions are a 'smokescreen'.

PeteBrant

Thank god for that. I was getting worried that a thread about cameras on lollypops wasn't going to have some link to CO2 emmisions and Global warming for a moment.

Leslie

If we are patient, we shall eventually see them inventing robots to police the robots that we have already.

Les

Moley

iTrader: (9)

You'd be suprised.

A friend of my mum recently quit her job as a lollypop lady,as she was fed up of the verbal abuse she got from drivers.

Leslie

One day they won't need any police anymore. Everything we do will be monitored on cameras, even in the home, and we will get automatic on the spot penalties by post which will be automatically removed from our cash deposits. All they will have to to is to monitor the money piling up.

Les