Out of Proportion, M4 shut for too long Options

[gel]

Though outside our district, I am sure TVP would have applied same timescale on our stretch.

If it was fatality, perhaps understandable, but it wasn't and thousands must have been effected.

Serious injury collision – M4
Monday 19 March 2012, 11:27am

Thames Valley Police is appealing for witnesses to a serious injury collision on the M4 motorway on Saturday (17/3).

The incident happened on the eastbound carriageway between junctions 10 and 8/9 at around 4pm.

The motorway was closed for around four and a half hours while police investigated the incident.

[Guest_xjay1337_*]

Easy fix - 50mph speed limit

Haven't seen any details of the accident in question so it's a bit hard to ascertain the problem
If it's just a broken wing mirror and some glass that's a stupid amount of time.

If it's a few wrecked cars then very well done..perhaps Scott Donelly has more info?

[Darren]

Key words are

serious injury collision

In other words.

Not yet fatal

In any RTC where there is a likelihood that there is or will be a fatality it is investigated as a crime scene. Not only that, if persons trapped, they need to be stabilised by the on-scene paramedics/doctor, extricated from the vehicle by the Fire & Rescue, treated and stabilised some more before being removed to hospital, potentially by an Air Ambulance. Throughout, the motorway must remain closed (often both carriageways) to ensure the safety of the first responders.

Not exactly a 5 minute job.

I'm sure the injured parties and their families are more than glad such time and care would be taken, as would yours.

[Penelope]

Key words are



In other words.

In any RTC where there is a likelihood that there is or will be a fatality it is investigated as a crime scene. Not only that, if persons trapped, they need to be stabilised by the on-scene paramedics/doctor, extricated from the vehicle by the Fire & Rescue, treated and stabilised some more before being removed to hospital, potentially by an Air Ambulance. Throughout, the motorway must remain closed (often both carriageways) to ensure the safety of the first responders.

Not exactly a 5 minute job.

I'm sure the injured parties and their families are more than glad such time and care would be taken, as would yours.

Quite right.

[Strafin]

It is tricky because sometimes they do seem overly keen to close the motorways. Also sometimes it seems obvious to us what the problem/cause is or was but we never know the full facts. I think like the last two posts, I would rather they erred on the side of caution.

[Guest_xjay1337_*]

It is tricky because sometimes they do seem overly keen to close the motorways. Also sometimes it seems obvious to us what the problem/cause is or was but we never know the full facts. I think like the last two posts, I would rather they erred on the side of caution.

The last 3 posts I'll have you know. I was too agreeing we need more information.
Although people must admit sometimes they do faff around cleaning up accidents. I suppose they have to have the Health and Safety briefings at the roadside before clearing can begin.
Sort of like this

[user23]

Though outside our district, I am sure TVP would have applied same timescale on our stretch.

If it was fatality, perhaps understandable, but it wasn't and thousands must have been effected.

Perhaps it wasn't a fatality because they were able to treat the injured at the scene for as long as they needed?

Just a thought.

[spartacus]

Over 4 hours is a long closure for a motorway, but I suspect the police may have cause to think it will turn fatal and (assuming a surviving driver is potentially at fault) there may be criminal action to consider once they've recovered sufficiently to face charges.

No good dragging someone in front of the judge, with a 'Death By Dangerous' charge over their heads, if all the evidence has just been quickly swept into a bucket in ten minutes just so that a few hundred sales reps can get to their next appointments on time... A defence lawyer wouldn't have to work too hard to get the charge dropped.

'Death By Dangerous' is treated like a murder scene so the police will gather as much evidence as they can to ensure prosecution (and avoid getting egg on their faces and no conviction just because they were being told to 'hurry up')


That's one scenario.

The other is that the accident damaged the carriageway (large fuel spill) or the central barrier needed replacement. That sort of work takes time. No bodge jobs on the motorways.

[JeffG]

I thought they were trialling a new camera system which takes 3D images of an incident which can be analyzed later, thereby speeding up the re-opening.

[Guest_xjay1337_*]

I thought they were trialling a new camera system which takes 3D images of an incident which can be analyzed later, thereby speeding up the re-opening.

They were but the budget was cut.

[JeffG]

They were but the budget was cut.

Seems like a false economy to me.

[gel]

And for those stick near Tesco today, we'd say TVP were on form in prolonging road closure by about 60 minutes

http://www.newburytoday.co.uk/2012/breakin...wbury-collision

Hope kids recovering; dangerous spot to ignore proper crossing places.

[Jayjay]

And for those stick near Tesco today, we'd say TVP were on form in prolonging road closure by about 60 minutes

http://www.newburytoday.co.uk/2012/breakin...wbury-collision

Hope kids recovering; dangerous spot to ignore proper crossing places.

According to the report the time from the accident to the road opening was 1hr 20mins. The young boy had back injuies, you cannot just scoop him up and throw him in the back of an ambulance. I really think you are being unreasonable by saying the road should have been opened 60 minutes earlier, giving the paramedics just 20 minutes.

[Darren]

And for those stick near Tesco today, we'd say TVP were on form in prolonging road closure by about 60 minutes

http://www.newburytoday.co.uk/2012/breakin...wbury-collision

Hope kids recovering; dangerous spot to ignore proper crossing places.

And another totally self-centred post by you.

or....

dangerous spot for driver to ignore a pedestrian crossing..

No condemnation without investigation.

[NWNREADER]

And for those stick near Tesco today, we'd say TVP were on form in prolonging road closure by about 60 minutes

http://www.newburytoday.co.uk/2012/breakin...wbury-collision

Hope kids recovering; dangerous spot to ignore proper crossing places.

How do you know the length of time the road was closed was inappropriate?
How do you know the circumstances of the incident?

[gel]

How do you know the length of time the road was closed was inappropriate?
How do you know the circumstances of the incident?

As thread title says it seems totally out of proportion, as per normal for TVP
+ many other forces.

The kid would have been swept away shortly after paramedics did their thing to make
him stable.

TVP seem to delight in dragging out for the maximum time and cause the maximum
disruption to local traffic, + forgetting the "hundreds (maybe)" involved in the gridlock
will have missed appointments/ increased their carbon emissions etc, were sent on long winded
diversions; with their digital cameras, their new laser measuring equipment I expect a more rapid service frankly .

Some others here seem to think any length of delay is acceptable; no it must be in proportion,
especially on M/Ways, A Roads etc
.

[NWNREADER]

As thread title says it seems totally out of proportion, as per normal for TVP
+ many other forces.

The kid would have been swept away shortly after paramedics did their thing to make
him stable.

TVP seem to delight in dragging out for the maximum time and cause the maximum
disruption to local traffic, + forgetting the "hundreds (maybe)" involved in the gridlock
will have missed appointments/ increased their carbon emissions etc, were sent on long winded
diversions; with their digital cameras, their new laser measuring equipment I expect a more rapid service frankly .

Some others here seem to think any length of delay is acceptable; no it must be in proportion,
especially on M/Ways, A Roads etc
.

You'll be signing up as a Special Constable, then? If not the job proper? Change from within and all that management speak.....

[spartacus]

And for those stuck near Tesco today, we'd say TVP were on form in prolonging road closure by about 60 minutes

Presumably you'd prefer the Third World approach to accident investigation and casualty treatment? The sort where they don't bother to close roads at all, even when there have been multiple fatalities at a crash site and the place resembles an explosion at the meat counter at Tescos.... All those sales reps in a hurry to get nowhere....

Damned inconsiderate when someone loses there life or suffers serious injuries in car accidents..... We should be allowed to drive slowly past and take a video on our iphones....

[Strafin]

To be fair this seemed a fairly minor event.

[Guest_jaycakes_*]

Don't they teach the stop-cross code anymore? The hedgehog? Am I alone here?