Drivers reacted with disbelief yesterday after they were pulled over by police to take part in a highways department census.
Massive tailbacks developed because of the Highways Agency survey taking place on the A27 in Lancing, and on the A283 near Dacre Gardens, Upper Beeding, and the A24 north of Offington Roundabout, Worthing.
But last night, despite admitting they had caused motorists misery and apologising, warned “there’s more to come” .Sounds depressingly familiar…
The Highways Agency said it was gathering data ahead of the government’s pledge to transform the A27 with a £350 million investment to the Worthing/Sompting/Lancing stretch of the road, with the option of a full dual carriageway the favoured solution.
A spokesman added they did not publicise the survey to avoid skewing the data.In other words, if they’d announced it, people would have avoided the area!
Well, maybe the data is vital. What are they asking?
Motorists were asked for their addresses, where they were travelling to, where from, why they were making the journey and with whom.Why is any of that necessary? This is 2015 – isn’t there a digital solution to monitor traffic flow volumes?
14 comments:
I ask more questions than they do and I make sure they are aware of my displeasure and I don't answer the questions either. they may get some made up ones if the questions allow it but total waste of time for everyone involved, council, plod but more importantly the unpaid and unwilling drivers.
Everyone should refuse to answer the questions, they have no power to make you say anything. If everyone refused to answer these surveys whenever then ran them they'd have to stop, simple as that.
Look attentively serious and provide nonsense. The cretins on these surveys are so incredibly dim that the real challenge is keeping a straight face.
What happens if you say "None of your business"?
I suppose you get arrested for impeding a jobsworth in the execution of their duty, or something.
Jim is correct. If instructed by a uniformed Police officer to pull in, the motorist has to do so, but does not have to answer any questions put to them by council officials. If you're not in a hurry, you could always wind them up by asking them questions - "What is your job title?"; "How much do you get paid?"; "Do you get paid extra for being out of the office?"; "Do you have to pay for your own lunch?". The list of silly questions can go on and on in your survey to determine if council officials enjoy having their time wasted as much as they enjoy wasting other people's time.
Penseivat
I was rather under the impression that you could do such a survey with a set of temporary ANPR cameras and a little judicious data mining. No-one would have to be stopped and questioned as all the data would be plain to see. The only stopping required would be for unlicensed, uninsured or nicked vehicles.
But that would require intelligence, tech savvy, and a little common sense.
Melvin is an expert in providing nonsense.
Jaded
Drivers can get fined for causing an obstruction of the highway. Seems that the law doesn't apply to everyone. Funny that.
Lynne, I presume they are not stopping them on the fast lane of the M fucking 6. Ever heard of lay-byes?
Bill Sticker; "But that would require intelligence, tech savvy, and a little common sense."
It would also mean they do not get names, addresses, whereabouts at whenabouts, etc.
You can bet your bottom dollar that every piece of this info goes STRAIGHT to the police collators office.
"Ever heard of lay-byes?" Novice slumber.
"I ask more questions than they do ..."
I've only been stopped the once, and simply refused to answer. So no, Weekend Yachtsman, there's no arrestable offence.
"I was rather under the impression that you could do such a survey with a set of temporary ANPR cameras and a little judicious data mining."
Quite! It wouldn't capture the reason for travel, but why would they need that anyway?
FT I suggest you visit any town or city during party conferences where there is no M fucking 6 or lay-byes. The cops cone off parts of an entire lane in order to pull over vehicles, question and search. The tailback during the school run/rush hour or Illuminations (Blackpool was an annual venue) is horrendous.
"Why is any of that necessary? This is 2015 – isn’t there a digital solution to monitor traffic flow volumes?"
Google have gigabytes/petabytes of journey data and I'm sure if the government asked/paid them a fairly moderate sum, they would gladly sell them anonymized data of say, where people left from (to within half a mile) and where they were going (within half a mile).
Or you could give people in a town an app - if they sign up, they go into a prize draw and it monitors their traffic movements. Trivial, would cost a few grand to do and provide far richer data about how roads are used.
I like the app idea - why is no-one in the DoT thinking like this?
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