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Level crossing stupidity...


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On 17/05/2021 at 22:09, Michael Hodgson said:

I thought I had to declare that I could still read one when I had to apply for a new licence when I hit 70?

Yes, and so did I. But it doesn't mean that you can.

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1 minute ago, Michael Hodgson said:

Well I suppose it shows I can read the form!

Except you might have read it through a pair of reading glasses, and you might need different glasses when driving, etc.

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Just now, Budgie said:

Except you might have read it through a pair of reading glasses, and you might need different glasses when driving, etc.

No, they're varifocals.  Nearly failed the eyesight test when I took my driving test in 1968 though.  Examiner asked to read the number of "that white car".  So I did - but the one he meant was a good 100 yards nearer!

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32 minutes ago, Michael Hodgson said:

No, they're varifocals.  Nearly failed the eyesight test when I took my driving test in 1968 though.  Examiner asked to read the number of "that white car".  So I did - but the one he meant was a good 100 yards nearer!

I know someone who was asked to read a number plate on his test. The examiner pointed out a car that was the examinees own car. The examiner was none to pleased when he asked the learner to take him to his car. You would think that the examiner would not pick a car parked near a test centre with L plates attached.

Edited by PhilJ W
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1 hour ago, Michael Hodgson said:

No, they're varifocals.  Nearly failed the eyesight test when I took my driving test in 1968 though.  Examiner asked to read the number of "that white car".  So I did - but the one he meant was a good 100 yards nearer!

 

Same with my test. He asked me to read a numberplate that was at least 100 yds away. I could do it then (1974) and could still do it now.

Reading the newspaper is another matter. I have been on reading glasses for indoors for about 10 years now.

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3 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

I know someone who was asked to read a number plate on his test. The examiner pointed out a car that was the examinees own car. The examiner was none to pleased when he asked the learner to take him to his car. You would think that the examiner would not pick a car parked near a test centre with L plates attached.

 

The test centre I took my test at got around that by having a set of plates mounted on a wall, and a line at the right distance, so it was "third from the right, second down" (or whatever).

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 17/05/2021 at 19:59, RJS1977 said:

there seem to be a significant number of drivers around who can't read the words 'BUS LANE' written in 3' high letters

 

Conversely, at least around here, the vast majority seem to be unable to read the large blue signs showing the hours of operation of the bus lanes.  So you get long lines of traffic in the right-hand lane while there's an empty lane to their left that they could use perfectly legally*.

 

Ironically, one of the few local bus lanes which does operate 24x7 seems to be habitually abused by a good proportion of drivers.  In the past this made some kind of sense, because the buses had an uncontrolled left-turn filter lane at a junction where everyone else had to obey the traffic lights.  Lately, however, additional traffic lights have been installed on the bus lane, though on a different phase to the main lights**, so while in the past you could usually nip through without much chance of getting caught, now you're just as likely to get stopped at the bus-only traffic light, meaning that you get held up worse then the folks who keep their non-public-service-vehicles out of the bus lane and you run a greater risk of getting caught while waiting for the light to change.  Still doesn't seem to stop some morons, though.

 

* Though of course everyone knows that if, all else being equal, there are two lanes you could use, driving in the left-hand one makes your, er, manhood shrink and fall off.

** They may even be actuated by the buses, in which case the bus lane invaders likely have to wait for a bus to come along before the light will change - and the buses have CCTV...

Edited by ejstubbs
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Interesting experience this afternoon.

 

I was driving south on the A46 from Caistor to Market Rasen and arrived at the crossing at Holton le Moor. The red wig-wag lights were flashing and the barriers were down. There were quite a few cars, probably a dozen, waiting. A tank train, I guess from Immingham, went through heading to Lincoln. That cleared the crossing but the lights continued to flash and the barriers stayed down. After about 30 seconds a local single unit passenger train (a 153? I'm not good with these units) went through in the opposite direction. A few seconds more and the barriers lifted  - but the lights continued to flash and did not turn off. For a few moments no one moved but then traffic in both directions started to cross in spite of the lights continuing to flash. 

 

I must confess that, at first, I was thinking "Well, there can't be another train coming yet and the barriers are up - so should I go over the crossing or not?". Thinking back to what I read on this thread I decided that I would not cross (it's illegal anyway) but I could see that might possibly lead to arguments with some of the traffic queued behind. There was a small bus two vehicles in front of me and he stopped and would not cross - traffic still coming over from the opposite direction. Then a truck coming the opposite way stopped as well. So now no traffic was crossing. After about 30 seconds the barriers came down again, a further 30 seconds and they went up again and this time the lights went out. Traffic returned to normal.

 

It was then obvious that the signalman, in Holton Box or further away (is Holton le Moor box still manned?) needed to lower and raise the barriers to reset the wig-wag light control mechanism but couldn't initially do that while the traffic was moving over the crossing. An awkward situation that was not helped by the initial rush of traffic in both directions.

 

It does make me think that many drivers still don't understand what those lights mean.

 

 

Edited by highpeakman
poor phrasing.
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23 hours ago, ejstubbs said:

* Though of course everyone knows that if, all else being equal, there are two lanes you could use, driving in the left-hand one makes your, er, manhood shrink and fall off.

 

Ahem.

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1 hour ago, Budgie said:

 

Ahem.

 

I drove up and down the M40 today, keeping as far to the left as practicable, given the large numbers of HGVs. All I can say is, there are some virile chaps out there.

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3 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

The car was stolen and the driver done a runner.

 https://www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk/news/driver-of-stolen-car-that-smashed-into-train-in-doncaster-hunted-after-fleeing-scene-3272588

Nine out of ten media reports state 'train hits car'.

Should be easy to find him, just follow the smelly brown trail.:jester:

 

John

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6 minutes ago, Talltim said:

Some Gallic crossing stupidity. Low loader with boat on grounds on a crossing near Rumigny in the Ardennes. Hit by tank train, some cars carrying phosphoric acid leaked. Train driver has minor injuries.

 

Glad that the injuries are only minor. 

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