Motoring Discussion > Have U picked up any hitchhikers in past year? Miscellaneous
Thread Author: subaculture Replies: 23
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 Thu 31 Mar 11 18:17 
 Have U picked up any hitchhikers in past year? - subaculture
Hi everyone,

I have been inspired to write an academic article, provisionally entitled 'Hitchhiking:
There Is No Movement Without Automobile Rhythm' which seeks to investigate the interaction between drivers/ their cars and the hitchhikers (all of whom share the road).

I am looking to talk to drivers who have picked up any hitchhiker(s) over the past 12 months about their experience (or maybe they know a friend, colleague or family member who picks up hitchhikers and can pass this request on).

If you have 10-15 minutes to spare over the coming week or two (any day/ any time), I would love to speak to you. I can Skype your computer, land line or mobile at your convenience.

Your help would be greatly appreciated and any subsequent paper/results would be shared
Please email me at: mjp.o.regan@gmail.com if you can help.

Best Wishes,

Michael

University of Brighton
www.brighton.ac.uk/ssm/contact/details.php?uid=mjo2
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 Fri 1 Apr 11 11:17 
 Have U picked up any hitchhikers in past year? - Bellboy
piece about this on radio 2 the other week
i stopped picking hitchhikers up when i realised most of them were either nutters with a corned beef tin for a bomb or they smelt of stale sweat
travels cheap let them eat cake
next.......
ps dont get me started on trade plate carriers
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 Fri 1 Apr 11 11:29 
 Have U picked up any hitchhikers in past year? - Robin O'Reliant
I'm just waiting for BBD's post...
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 Fri 1 Apr 11 12:23 
 Have U picked up any hitchhikers in past year? - Clk Sec
>> trade plate carriers

From what I knew of them in the distant past, their earnings could be quite poor if they regularly used public transport instead of hitching a lift. More often than not they were offered lifts by lorry drivers, and would quite often open their wallet.

Am I right, Pat?
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 Fri 1 Apr 11 12:40 
 Have U picked up any hitchhikers in past year? - Pat
Yes, that did used to be the case. We could always tell a fellow lorry driver by the tacho disc he held and likewise with trade platers.

However more recently so many firms have banned any passengers 'due to insurance purposes' that it's far less common now.

It's very rare to find a lorry driver picking up a hitchhiker these days I'm afraid.

The last one I picked up was in Norwich at least 15 years ago.
By the time we'd got to Dereham he's got his feet up on my dashboard and had told me more than once that women shouldn't be lorry drivers.

I stopped and told him to get out and find a male lorry driver to take him to Kings Lynn.

Pat

Last edited by: pda on Fri 1 Apr 11 at 12:41
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 Fri 1 Apr 11 12:54 
 Have U picked up any hitchhikers in past year? - Clk Sec
>>Yes, that did used to be the case.

Thanks.
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 Mon 4 Apr 11 11:25 
 Have U picked up any hitchhikers in past year? - subaculture

Cant believe that so few drivers have picked up hitchhikers! Maybe its England or maybe those on 'car forums' are so into their cars, they have too much love for the object to risk it? Its too personal an object to share with those who don't care about the object?

I increasingly find hitchhikers don't do it simply for economic reasons, but political, social and environmental reasons.


SC

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 Mon 4 Apr 11 11:35 
 Have U picked up any hitchhikers in past year? - CGNorwich
"I increasingly find hitchhikers don't do it simply for economic reasons, but political, social and environmental reasons."

You mean that they want to feel virtuous at my expense. Get a bus
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 Mon 4 Apr 11 11:52 
 Have U picked up any hitchhikers in past year? - Zero
If you pick up a girl hitchhiker, you could get accused with a false assault charge, if you pick up a guy hitchhiker you could get assaulted.

No thanks.
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 Mon 4 Apr 11 12:09 
 Have U picked up any hitchhikers in past year? - Redviper
Agree with Zero on that point.
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 Mon 4 Apr 11 11:39 
 Have U picked up any hitchhikers in past year? - Old Navy
I am with you on that one CGN.

I choose to use my car over expensive crowded public transport. It defeats the object to ferry around joe public. Friends and family are not a problem, I will always help out, strangers no chance.
Last edited by: Old Navy on Mon 4 Apr 11 at 11:42
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 Mon 4 Apr 11 12:04 
 Have U picked up any hitchhikers in past year? - Fenlander
The first hitchhiker I picked up in the 70s was a guy who told me he was a roadie for Curved Air and on his way to a gig. I did wonder why he was happy with the 8 mile lift I gave hime from a local village to a local town... realised why when by chance I gave him a lift on the return journey with his shopping! He was a little less assertive about life on the road with Curved Air on the way back.

Next hiker late 70s was a pretty twentysomething girl in tight jeans when I had Mrs F to be in the front seat. When we dropped the girl off F to be nearly killed me for chatting her up... polite conversation I called it.

Again in the 70s we felt sorry for an old gent out in the rain and gave him a lift 6 miles into town. Not too pleased to realise he was soaked through and smelling of pee.... on the cream leather seats of my cherished P6 V8.

And that's about it... can't remember picking up anyone else in the 30+yrs since.
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 Mon 4 Apr 11 12:15 
 Have U picked up any hitchhikers in past year? - Runfer D'Hills
Arguably, if the local Detective Inspector isn't called Barnaby or Lewis the chances of being assaulted, falsely accused or murdered are actually quite slim...

:-)
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 Mon 4 Apr 11 12:32 
 Have U picked up any hitchhikers in past year? - Zero
I frequently have to drive through midsomer!
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 Mon 4 Apr 11 12:36 
 Have U picked up any hitchhikers in past year? - Old Navy
>> I frequently have to drive through midsomer!
>>

Leaving a trail of bodies in your wake? :-)
Last edited by: Old Navy on Mon 4 Apr 11 at 12:36
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 Mon 4 Apr 11 12:37 
 Have U picked up any hitchhikers in past year? - Zero
They need to fill the potholes with something!
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 Mon 4 Apr 11 12:41 
 Have U picked up any hitchhikers in past year? - DP
The only people I ever tend to see hitchhiking these days are vehicle delivery drivers, complete with trade plates. I remember from my days in the car trade, these people are employed to deliver cars or vans from one dealership to another, and when there is no vehicle to bring back, are paid an allowance for the return trip. Most chose to hitch the return and pocket the allowance. I presume the same system applies today.

I would never risk it, although I do stop for stranded bikers, and have given lifts to these guys before. A complete double standard, I know.
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 Mon 4 Apr 11 16:09 
 Have U picked up any hitchhikers in past year? - Dave_
I always pick up trade-platers if I can. The hoops they have to jump through in order to be entrusted with the plates (whether self-employed and paying for their own licence and insurance, or employed and subject to references and background checks) mean that they're highly unlikely to try anything on. I suppose me being a (relatively) young bloke who looks (relatively) able to look after himself helps.

I stopped for one plater a couple of years ago to discover he was being "shadowed" by a local TV news camera team doing a magazine piece on the job. I took him and the reporter about 5 miles up the A5 and was filmed outlining the points in the first paragraph - it later went out on Central News I think, the film has long since disappeared off the ITV player though.

I wouldn't pick up anyone else any more, twenty years ago I picked up anyone with their thumb out, and met a few weirdos - no-one dangerous though.
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 Mon 4 Apr 11 16:34 
 Have U picked up any hitchhikers in past year? - Bromptonaut
Only the odd stranded hiker or obviously struggling youth hosteller. Interesting one was the Rhenigidale postie;

Until joined to the Marvaig road by four miles of single track c1991 Rhenigidale on Harris was the UK's last roadless community. The village's post was walked in over several miles of rough and in place precipitous track* which left the Tarbert to Kyles Scalpay road by Laxadale Loch. Postie would be dropped off by the van taking Scalpay's mail, walk in and then back out to Marvaig where he'd either get a bus or hitch back to Tarbert. A round trip of about 10 miles to the road.

Last holder of he job was IIRC an American or Canadian. We'd spotted him in uniform in traditional Hebridean rain tracking/thumbing over the pass by the Clisham. Really nice guy by then in has last few weeks of employment as the road meared completion.

[EDIT] The track still exists and is one of the UK's most spectacular walks. Can be linked to an old drove road down Laxadale to make a round but with 4 or 5 miles road walking in the middle.
Last edited by: Bromptonaut on Mon 4 Apr 11 at 16:36
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 Mon 4 Apr 11 16:50 
 Have U picked up any hitchhikers in past year? - henry k
About 15 years ago, on several occasions I picked up BA cabin crew waiting at a bus stop ( served by infrequent buses that went a long way round route) and dropped them at Heathrow. I would probably still do it but I am no longer commuting.
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 Mon 4 Apr 11 17:11 
 Have U picked up any hitchhikers in past year? - Ted

I can;t say I've ever picked up hitchers, but then most of my work took place on the motorways or trunk road. You're often going at a fair speed with other traffic so it's not possible to stop on seeing one...or safe !

Driving a Yank import estate car down to Hammersmith in the wee small hours on trade plates, I pullen in at Sandbach services as the lights were getting dim. That was the end of that.
I locked up and went to the northbound slip, held the plates out and the first artic off stopped for me. It was a Kelloggs truck and I guessed where he was going. With a mile's deviation, he kindly dropped me about 200 yds from home. I fired up the transporter, woke the neighbours and went back and finished the job on time.

Other trade plate jobs I've done, I never bothered to hitch back, having factored the train fare into my prices. I enjoy the trains too much !

Ted
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 Mon 4 Apr 11 17:28 
 Have U picked up any hitchhikers in past year? - Zero
>> About 15 years ago, on several occasions I picked up BA cabin crew waiting at
>> a bus stop

They can damn wait in the cold, till they change unions anyway.
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      1  
 Mon 4 Apr 11 18:14 
 Have U picked up any hitchhikers in past year? - rtj70
As a company car driver I would not be allowed to - part of the agreement to have that car. Probably wouldn't anyway.

Lots of hitch hiking used to take place for charity at Manchester Uni. Some sort of prize for getting the furthest. A friend managed to get a free flight to Israel which was sort of cheating I guess ;-) But someone else that year got to Australia!

I think you had to prove you got somewhere within 24 hours (e.g. parking ticket from a meter). Most got well into Europe in that time.
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 Mon 4 Apr 11 18:33 
 Have U picked up any hitchhikers in past year? - Iffy
Students at Durham University still do the 'get furthest in a day for nothing' charity thing.

I think only part of it involves hitchhiking, the rest is blagging rides on other forms of transport.

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