Is anyone else increasingly vexed by this practice?
Lanes at home in Northants are closed, sometimes for weeks at a time. Making of the relevant closure orders seems to be a formality largely delegated to the Council’s maintenance contractor. Usually notices are posted but the diversionary routes can be lengthy and dangerous for cyclists or horse riders.
This week it’s in central London. Arrive on Monday to find road closure notices and a large trench across Chancery Lane just north of the junction with Carey St. Chancery Lane is a northbound one way street and the only access north of Carey St is via a narrow side road often obstructed by construction work and deliveries. No notice given and no obvious means of access for deliveries. Neither is it clear how a disabled user could access the many offices along the road. No rubbish collection on Tuesday (though it’s gone today). I’m sure the emergency services would cope in case of fire etc but there’s a slight feeling of vulnerability.
Absolutely no sign of any work being done on the excavation which is for water main work. Still waiting for the promised call back from Thames Water about prospects for getting it sorted.
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...just north of the junction with Carey St...
Carey Street is one place you don't want to find yourself in.
Last edited by: Iffy on Wed 18 May 11 at 11:43
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Now there's an almost forgotten expression. Is it worse than being in chokey?
Road closures and diversions in France are applied with the usual steamroller approach of the state, even though they are usually down to local authorities. Diversion signs are usually aimed at lorries, and if you don't know the local shortcuts you can easily find yourself going 20km out of your way.
Mais, c'est la vie...
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...Now there's an almost forgotten expression...
Even worse, you could wind up in the clink, in Clink Street, London SE1.
It's now a museum:
www.clink.co.uk/
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Near where I live there is a road that is a typical urban road, 30 limit and is probably wide enough for 3 buses side by side.
During the winter there was always a largeish puddle near a drainer, approx 2 feet from the kerb on the road. This did not harm or affect traffic as this extra water made no difference.
Into March time, they suddenly put cones all around it with traffic light control up. Even with the lights up, vehicles could still have passed side by side.
After a month of inactivity I queried with the council to be told that it was BT problem, there was water getting into their ducting, no idea where from, it could be anything up to a mile away at an unrelated point but it was flooding out of this access point onto the road.
He then quoted me all sorts of rules and regulations as to why it must be traffic controlled.
Then maybe about 4 weeks ago, the lights were there but switched off, still no activity. Then about 2 weeks ago, the lights and cones are no longer there. The water is still seeping out the road but lights and cones have all been removed. Maybe they were stolen who knows?
So far I have refrained from emailing back to the Council with a "told you so" in case they insist that the lights go back up!
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Road Closed for Roadworks - Iffy
