Why are there so many roadworks going on with no work taking place ?

[Justin Smith]

We all get annoyed stuck in traffic due to roadworks, but what is especially annoying is when they aren't even doing any work on the site (as is usually the case....).
After being regularly stuck in big traffic jams at a site where I never saw any work being done (when I drove past at fourish) I phoned the Council to ask what are the costs and conditions of road closure permits.
I was shocked by the reply.
Apparently road closure permit is not that more expensive according to how long the road will be closed !
I could not believe it, surely it should be the opposite ? The permit should be by the day, or even better buy the hour, and very expensive at that. Maybe that would motivate the contractors to get the job done as soon as possible and lessen the disruption to thousands of people....

Quote from the council :

The charge for a Street works permit differs slightly depending on duration and type of road but speaking generally its around £300 per application. The price difference between a long duration and short duration isn’t significant................. however the majority of works in the areas you have referred to have been done under temporary traffic signals for which we do not charge this in line with most other local authorities.

Ah, that explains the ghost sites....

 

[Andyr55]

Focus related because?

[iantt]

11 minutes ago, Andyr55 said:

Focus related because?

Maybe he was driving a focus ? 🤣🤣

[billybob66]

They have been doing this all around Manchester over the last six months.
Traffic lights have been altered so you all sit longer at red lights. Dual carriageways filtered in to one lane.
The list is endless all around the whole of Manchester, all 493 sq miles of it.

The reason? Are they by any chance trying to enforce a clean air zone where these changes are? Or nearby?
If not now, it will be on its way.

They help you pollute the air, then charge you to drive, telling you your £10 a day will clean it up again.

just google RETHINK GM,
all you need to know is on there.

If you're not getting a CAZ, then not got a clue.

[Jimpster]

So ADMIN or MODS delete non general chat posts, but leave general chat in the motors section ?????

In response to the OP -- who cares lol

[mjt]

1 hour ago, Jimpster said:

In response to the OP -- who cares lol

Those of us who get stuck in completely unnecessary congestion.

[iantt]

Ive got 10 sets of traffic lights to contend with Monday morning on a private industrial estate. Resurfacing work apparently. Probably only a mile at the most. 

[Justin Smith]

4 hours ago, Jimpster said:

In response to the OP -- who cares lol

Are you saying you do not mind being delayed, sometimes severely, for roadworks which are not even occurring because the contractors have no particular motivation for getting the job done ASAP ?

I cannot think that is the case so you must have misunderstood my point.

[Justin Smith]

18 hours ago, Andyr55 said:

Focus related because?

Is there a general motoring forum on here ? If so where, I will shut this and reopen it on that, or the mods could move it ?

[Justin Smith]

11 minutes ago, iantt said:

Ive got 10 sets of traffic lights to contend with Monday morning on a private industrial estate. Resurfacing work apparently. Probably only a mile at the most. 

That was why I was so shocked to discover that, apparently, most councils do not charge for a road closure permit if it's "just" traffic lights....

On the subject of temporary traffic lights, they really are a plague. Quite often they have them for road works which take up no more room than a (legally) parked car or two.
Why ?

It's overkill madness.

[Jimpster]

You pay your road tax for just this type of repair, if the roads had 6 foot potholes you'd compain.

I dont mind delays and roadworks, bigger things on my mind.

[TomsFocus]

Tbf, vehicle excise duty goes into the same pot as all the other taxes.  It's not exclusively used for road repairs.

Lucky really, as I'm not sure my £30 a year would even fill one pothole.

 

Must admit, I've always hated roadworks as an agoraphobe & IBS sufferer...being trapped in stationary, unnecessary, traffic has wrecked my day more than once.  But it is what it is, roadworkers need the work, the rest of us rely on thier work for useable roads (as well as gas/electric/water/sewage services buried beneath roads) so I can't see it ever changing.  

 

[Jimpster]

Was the same with anxiety, panic attacks. Could go anywhere but if something threw a spanner in the works i could react badly. I regularly used to go over Brighouse way without issue, then one day i panicked and had to turn round. At that point i sought help, medication, counselling and touch wood been fine since tho on occasions i can get a little nervy on a first visit.

 

[Jimpster]

10 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

Tbf, vehicle excise duty goes into the same pot as all the other taxes.  It's not exclusively used for road repairs.

Lucky really, as I'm not sure my £30 a year would even fill one pothole.

 

Must admit, I've always hated roadworks as an agoraphobe & IBS sufferer...being trapped in stationary, unnecessary, traffic has wrecked my day more than once.  But it is what it is, roadworkers need the work, the rest of us rely on thier work for useable roads (as well as gas/electric/water/sewage services buried beneath roads) so I can't see it ever changing.  

 

Those of us getting stung for £300+ a year are subsidising you LOL. its time road tax was NOT based on emmisions, as when we all go electric nobody will pay anything, unless we'll be matter transporting by then. Maybe a flat fee for all road users, even cyclists and horses.

[Eric Bloodaxe]

39 minutes ago, Jimpster said:

its time road tax was NOT based on emmisions, as when we all go electric nobody will pay anything

I'm sure "they" will think of something.😀 A form of road pricing seems likely, possibly a surcharge on EV charging through "smart" wallboxes and public chargers. Perhaps still RFL in its present form for those of us who cling onto our fossil fuel burners and no doubt progressively increasing fuel duty.

As Benjamin Franklin wrote in 1789: " In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes".

[Jimpster]

How about baseing it on weight, vehicle not occupant haha

[Eric Bloodaxe]

I'm with you there. If taxes had been levied with more attention paid to size and weight of vehicles we might be in a better position today.

[unofix]

you need to FOCUS more on this thread 🤣

Posting in General Chat thread.

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×

By Stoney871
12/11/2019

it has been noted that too many Members are posting messages in the General Chat area instead of the correct Forums.

Any messages posted in the General Chat area that are not General Chat will be deleted without warning and offenders may recieve warning points if repeated instances are seen from that Member.

There are plenty of different Club areas that encompass 99% of Ford related posts, please select and use the correct one.

If anyone is not sure of which area to post something then feel free to P/M myself or other Senior Staff for guidance.

The Moderating Staff are having to spend far too much time chasing this problem instead of maintaining the other areas of the forum.

[iantt]

I used to have a FOCUS that was £20 tax for the year so not contributing much. Oh well. It didn't last when I sold it and got a Mondeo diesel . Now I'm paying??? Oh yeah, £20 tax still. Happy days and 75mpg. 🤣🤣🤣

[Justin Smith]

On 5/20/2022 at 2:21 PM, Jimpster said:

You pay your road tax for just this type of repair, if the roads had 6 foot potholes you'd compain.

I dont mind delays and roadworks, bigger things on my mind.

I don't think you understand what I am saying, NOBODY WAS WORKING ON THE ROAD...... 

In fact I know for a fact nothing was done on that site for a week, and I have never seen any workmen on it so even when they are working in it they must finish before 4.00PM, whilst 150 households are having to drive round on a 4 mile round trip diversion on single track roads.......

[Justin Smith]

The wasted time of motorists (and their passengers don't forget) is of minimal concern for the powers that be. When there is an accident on any motorway, once any injured are removed (or just stabilised) reopening it should be top priority. But it is not. I can remember getting in a huge M1 tail back just north of Tinsley viaduct. When we got to the front it was down to one lane, of four don't forget, so that explained it.

BUT ! There was no need for only one lane top be open. A caravan had been smashed up by a truck and its wreckage sprawled over road, I don't see how anyone could even have been injured, but if they had they'd long ago been taken to hospital. The second lane out had a small piece of ex caravan poking into its right hand side by a small amount, in fact it was so small one bloke could have moved it over (only about two feet  ! ) and the capacity of the road doubled. But whether it was excessive Health & Safety zeal or because nobody could be arsed it was inexcusable.

If 3000 vehicles with an average occupancy of 1.5 were delayed by one hour that's 4,500 hours in total, and at the national minimum wage that's £45,000, every hour...

[Jimpster]

37 minutes ago, Justin Smith said:

I don't think you understand what I am saying, NOBODY WAS WORKING ON THE ROAD...... 

In fact I know for a fact nothing was done on that site for a week, and I have never seen any workmen on it so even when they are working in it they must finish before 4.00PM, whilst 150 households are having to drive round on a 4 mile round trip diversion on single track roads.......

I DO GET WHAT YOUR SAYING !!!!!!!!! But i DO not agree or support your argument.

[isetta]

I do agree, when there is traffic delay / diversion by roadworks or accident the priority to get things sorted and back to normal seems very low. Perhaps someone should raise the issue of pollution / climate change, how much extra is caused by long diversions or traffic in queues.  But to be fair  I have noticed in recent years that when stretches of resurfacing is done on dual carriageways and motorways I drive on it seems to be done at night and cleared away by peak time. 

[Justin Smith]

3 hours ago, Jimpster said:

I DO GET WHAT YOUR SAYING !!!!!!!!! But i DO not agree or support your argument.

How can you not agree that people being inconvenienced for roadworks where nothing is happening is unacceptable ?

Just out of interest, in your view, how long would roads being closed (when no work is being done) be acceptable, bearing in mind the diversion is about a 4 mile round trip ? :

1 - 1 day

2 - 3 days

3 - 1 week

4 - 2 weeks

5 - 3 weeks

6 - 1 year ?

[billyboy]

On 5/20/2022 at 12:44 PM, Justin Smith said:

That was why I was so shocked to discover that, apparently, most councils do not charge for a road closure permit if it's "just" traffic lights....

On the subject of temporary traffic lights, they really are a plague. Quite often they have them for road works which take up no more room than a (legally) parked car or two.
Why ?

It's overkill madness.

They even have traffic lights when they are working on the pavement.