Short Rant: Bloody useless police...

[Regulator]

I pull up at the ASL at the Mall/Trafalgar Square junction.  A Porsche (AS08AAA) is parked in the ASL with a police van parked behind. 

I notice the female driver of the Porsche is busy texting away on her Blackberry.  I inform the police officers in the van behind.  Their response: "What do you expect us to do about it?"

For feck sake - you're police officers!  You should know that it's an offence, you lazy sods.

Number of police van taken - a complaint will be winging its way to the Professional Standards Directorate.   

[Wowbagger]

Number of police van taken - a complaint will be whining its way to the Professional Standards Directorate.   

Just corrected your typo, Reg.

[Notsototalnewbie]

There was all this bloody fanfare when the fine was introduced, but a quick cycle (around London at least) confirms that it is not enforced at all. 

[Wendy]

That's outrageous, Regulator!  Thanks for reporting them.

[Gattopardo]

Was the vehicle moving?  Or stopped in traffic?

[clarion]

Thank you.  I wish the Police would actually deal with offences.

[spindrift]

That would make me furious, WTF kind of response was that?

[tiermat]

Was the vehicle moving?  Or stopped in traffic?

that is irrelevant, the law relating to mobile phone usage by the driver of a vehicle covers if the car is moving or stationary.  IIRC the definition is that if the keys are in the ignition then it is illegal to use the phone (even if the engine is switched off).

[spindrift]

My email this morning:

S Walsh Haulage Company:

Dear Sir

I note your website claims your "strength is increased by the employment of skilled labour".

An example that detracts from this boast is your driver, exiting the OP and travelling east on eastway this morning at 9am, negotiating the turn after the lights with a mobile phone clamped to his ear.

This was a thirty-ish man with a shaved head and a blue windcheater, I didn't get the reg, sorry.

This is a horrible junction at the best of times, lanes merge and it's tricky to negotiate, but this driver couldn't care less that people could see what he was doing so it may be worth reminding your employees of the danger to other road users and to your company's reputation when such recklesssly stupid acts are carried out?

Best regards

[Gattopardo]

Was the vehicle moving?  Or stopped in traffic?

that is irrelevant, the law relating to mobile phone usage by the driver of a vehicle covers if the car is moving or stationary.  IIRC the definition is that if the keys are in the ignition then it is illegal to use the phone (even if the engine is switched off).

Believe its engine running, isn't it .

When is it legal to use a hand held electronic device in a motor car?

[Gattopardo]

Maybe they weren't traffic so won't do anything.

[tiermat]

The Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) (Amendment) (No. 4) Regulations 2003

Try that, it should answer your questions.

[LEE]

If they were blocking traffic (what's an ASL?) then they should have been cautioned/fined by the Police, whatever is appropriate.

BUT

If they were parked up, off the beaten-track so to speak, and had parked up in order to use their phone then good for them.  I couldn't care if the engine was running or not, it's nice to hear that someone is using a phone whilst their car is parked.

[blackpuddinonnabike]

If they were blocking traffic (what's an ASL?) then they should have been cautioned/fined by the Police, whatever is appropriate.

BUT

If they were parked up, off the beaten-track so to speak, and had parked up in order to use their phone then good for them.  I couldn't care if the engine was running or not, it's nice to hear that someone is using a phone whilst their car is parked.

Advanced Stop Line. To be pedantic the car was stopped in the Cycle Reservoir behind/in front of the ASL (depending on which line you define as the 'advanced' one.

EDIT: so at the head of a line of traffic waiting at a traffic light

[LEE]

In which case, the cops were wankers

[tiermat]

You don't happen to think they(the police) were on their way to their break do you, and thus didn't want the paperwork stopping them having a cuppa and a bacon butty?

[Gattopardo]

The Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) (Amendment) (No. 4) Regulations 2003

Try that, it should answer your questions.

Genuine emergency?

[spindrift]

Given the cops attitude towards "soft targets" their response should be reported.

RLJing cyclists have killed nobody in the last 5 years (the risk is mostly borne by the cyclist) whilst drivers on mobiles have killed eleven people.

[Gattopardo]

Probably in the asl as they were moving and stopped for the red light.

[Gattopardo]

Given the cops attitude towards "soft targets" their response should be reported.

RLJing cyclists have killed nobody in the last 5 years (the risk is mostly borne by the cyclist) whilst drivers on mobiles have killed eleven people.

But they have been involved/caused a few accidents.

[clarion]

Che, i agree, but I think you mean

...it is illegal to cross a stop line on amber unless it would be dangerous not to do so

[clarion]

Anth, you're right, but it has to be said that most of the motor vehicles in the cycle reservoir have entered it illegally (and that includes the vast numbers of PTWs blocking and intimidating cyclists)

[Che]

Che, i agree, but I think you mean ...

Quite right. Thank you. Fixed it.

Yep you're right. It is possible to get stuck in them by accident. It is not, however, as Lynx suggests, the probable explanation.

[Gattopardo]

Anth, you're right, but it has to be said that most of the motor vehicles in the cycle reservoir have entered it illegally (and that includes the vast numbers of PTWs blocking and intimidating cyclists)

So thats your point of view and opinion.

 

[Che]

So thats your point of view and opinion.

No, it's an observation. To draw from that observation the conclusion that the car had probably not been forced to stop in the ASL because of traffic conditions would be an opinion, though perhaps a reasonable one (in my opinion). Your statement, by contrast, that the car probably had been forced to stop in the ASL due to traffic conditions, is an opinion. I hope that the observations that have been made demostrate that it is not one that can reasonably be sustained.