Fog…
Posted: February 25, 2011 Filed under: Highway Code Leave a commentTodays complaint is another Highway Code related matter. It’s those drivers who drive around in fog and other times of reduced visibility with out any sort of lights showing. Or just sidelights, which is just as bad.
Todays trip to work over the foggy South Downs revealed a number of cars materialising, a few yards away, out of the grey fog in a grey car, without a care in the world and not a light to be seen.
Something of a matter dear to my heart this one. A number of years ago I was done for this very offence on the Race Hill in Brighton. I had had my lights on, I’d stopped on the top of the hill for something and turned off the engine and lights. A few minutes later, started off again and lo and behold a hundred yards down the road there was a copper. So he pulled me over.
Of course that was the olden days when you saw policemen on the road – not like these days when the only time you see them is when they are screaming around in their cars with the blues and twos going. You don’t even see them – just hear them. Whatever happened to good old fashioned police patrols? That sounds like the subject of another Rant…
Remember the days of Dixon of Dock Green. A copper in need of assistance would blow on his whistle and a dozen of his mates would appear. These days you wouldn’t find another one within earshot. Actually I don’t think they even carry whistles these days. British bobbies without whistles. Whatever next. Sigh…
Traffic Lights…
Posted: February 20, 2011 Filed under: Highway Code Leave a commentIs it just me, or has the Highway Code been revised to say red traffic lights are now ‘Stop if you feel like it’? When I learnt to drive, if a light turned yellow (or amber as the more pedantic readers would correct me) as you were approaching it, you stopped. [I’ll get the current Highway Code out one of these days to find the exact wording. Ed]
There’s always been the tosser in a Beemer or Hot Hatch screaming towards a set of lights as they were amberising, and gone through just after they have turned red. But over the last few years, it’s become almost compulsary to accelerate to make sure you get through, even if it means you go through after it has turned red.
First it was just the aforementioned Beemers etc I would see doing it, then it was more sedate drivers, taxi drivers [swap those last two around, I think. Ed], even buses, and bloody police cars. If they don’t uphold the letter of the law, who will. (I can almost hear the cries of ‘you naive thing’ after that one!)
The two local sets of lights I can recommend are first – Preston Circus, both northbound, and the southbound right turn filter lane into New England Road, and second – Ditchling Road/Upper Lewes Road junction, mainly southbound, but a northbound driver nearly hit me after I came out of Upper Lewes Road after my light had turned green, having gone through his light long, after it had turned red. It was a company car – I should have let him hit me. Let’s see who is in the wrong there, sunshine.
An extract from the Highway Code.
And don’t get me started on bloody cyclists. I’ll save that for another day.
tonesrant 
