Attacks on Road workers

albertina

I always slow down if I see workers on the roads. I sometimes feel, seeing the risks these workers sometimes take, that their bosses must pay little attention to their safety. In this day and age, their health and safety should be key.

Their bosses do have regard for their safety, hence all the warning signs, cones, speed limits and restrictions when road works are being carried out.

However, it is impatient drivers who have no regard for their safety, complain about cones and restricted speeds.

As 4allweknow said People seem to have no patience nowadays. Everything is to happen instantly or else there is aggravation towards whoever they think is responsible.

Public services have deteriorated - mainly under the Tories - and people feel angry and frustrated. Take it out on the Tories at the ballot box.

It was the fines and the year- long driving ban that drove the 'Don't Drink and Drive'message home, before that it was regarded as a bit of a joke.
Punitive punishment is needed against these thugs who cannot control their temper.

Yes it was RustyBear.You must be local too. I feel sorry for the local businesses especially the garage. We still patronise it but it is a nightmare to get in and out. The workmen are very helpful and I feel sorry for the abuse they were getting.

We had roadworks suspended for a while here in Bedfordshire because workers were being abused and people were driving through barriers. Even then, there were people making sarcastic remarks about it on Facebook.

People seem to have no patience nowadays. Everything is to happen instantly or else there is aggravation towards whoever they think is responsible. It's always someone elses fault. Anyone found guilty of ignoring directions at roadworks, threatening behaviour towards roadworks especially using vehicles to do so should be jailed, vehicle scrapped, and lose their licence for a year after serving sentence. There should be more jail sentencing for threatening behaviour to emergency workers. There is an element in society who think I want therefore I will have.

I always slow down if I see workers on the roads. I sometimes feel, seeing the risks these workers sometimes take, that their bosses must pay little attention to their safety. In this day and age, their health and safety should be key.

I simply dont understand why people in this country are so angry. I had a wonderful holiday in southern India earlier this year and didnt witness a single person get angry despite dire traffic, long waits in restaurants, huge crowds in museums etc. People waited, smiled or just shrugged their shoulders. Landed at Heathrow and before I had got through the airport I encountered angry people ranting at the queues, the slow baggage reclaim, slow service in the cafes and so on. It was quite a shock to realise the extent to which some Brits are in a simmering state of discontent and anger a lot of the time.

Greenfinch

We have a very complex set of roadworks locally lasting into the Autumn. They are at a crossroads and extremely inconvenient. The workers have been abused both physically and mentally to such an extent that they now wear body cams.One even had a car drive directly into him.

@Greenfinch - was that at CC in W? (I kind of hope so, I’d hate to think it had happened somewhere else as well😞)

Our town has been surrounded by roadworks of one sort or another - water company, road repairs, alterations for a new housing development - and drivers have been held up by traffic lights or jams. This has gone on for months, and the single common factor has been that with few exceptions, whatever time of day you try to navigate the hold ups, there is nobody working - only the temporary traffic lights. I can understand people getting frustrated but that is no excuse for attacking road workers. I do feel strongly about this - anyone showing off in A and E or a GP surgery should be told they won't be treated, and I agree with grandtanteJE65

I imagine anyone who actually drives towards a road worker with intent to hit him, can and will be charged with attempting to cause grievious bodily harm - that is, if anyone has noted the car's number plate!

Ambulance workers, fire brigade and police are likewise being attacked.

How do we stop it?

A massive campaign along the same lines as the 1960s posters everywhere saying "DO NOT DRINK AND DRIVE! these did actually change attitudes and cause hosts to confiscate guests' car keys or phone the police if anyone was obviously over the legal limit.

Now we need posters ramming home the message that emergency services are saving lives and road workers working for everyone's benefit.

Anyone proved guilty of these offences should be jailed - no probation or fines. If there is insufficient room in prisons - let the convicts do the unskilled labour required to build more accomodation.

Katie59

It’s easy to understand drivers and residents frustration, a roundabout in town here should have taken 3 months actually took over a year to complete residents were up in arms about the chaos and mess. Not to mention weeks on end when nothing was happening, HS2 is also close to here management is tragic, it’s like watching paint dry.

While in charge of building a road in a Gulf State country, a friend of ours had the local police drive by, decide the job was taking too long, and carted him off to the local nick! He was inside for a couple of days.

Luckily dh, who was also occupied with building sundry roads there, managed to escape that particular fate.

Katie59

It’s easy to understand drivers and residents frustration, a roundabout in town here should have taken 3 months actually took over a year to complete residents were up in arms about the chaos and mess. Not to mention weeks on end when nothing was happening, HS2 is also close to here management is tragic, it’s like watching paint dry.

The local authority here are installing cycle lanes absolutely everywhere, to the extent that if a bus picks up passengers at a bus stop nothing can get past it as there are no longer bus lanes or laybys for buses.
Many pedestrian road crossing islands have been removed during the process and not put back, meaning that it's much more difficult to cross main roads after you get off the bus.
So far it has taken well over a year and everyone except the cyclists (who rarely use their lanes) is really unhappy.
I'm not saying that people should attack road workers but when a journey that normally takes five minutes by car is taking three quarters of an hour (due to four sets of temporary traffic lights) I can understand why drivers are very frustrated, particularly if they are on the road all day.

Yes, it is easy to see people’s frustration, but that is absolutely no excuse for some people to decide to potentially seriously harm others because of the inconvenience. Do these idiots believe that the roads miraculously maintain themselves, that new roads build themselves without any inconvenience to the general public? Shame on them, and, once caught deserve serious repercussions for their actions and should have their vehicle crushed - they shouldn’t be loose on the roads at all in my view.

As usual these angry people take their frustration out on the wrong people.

They blame those poor souls who do the work when it should be the decision makers higher up the scale.

I asked a labourer why the works on on the road near my house were taking so long . He replied that the materials hadn't turned up when they were expected so they just sat in the van waiting. 😳

It’s easy to understand drivers and residents frustration, a roundabout in town here should have taken 3 months actually took over a year to complete residents were up in arms about the chaos and mess. Not to mention weeks on end when nothing was happening, HS2 is also close to here management is tragic, it’s like watching paint dry.

Saw this on BBC breakfast this morning and was shocked at how some people behave.

I saw the news report last night and was appalled; these were unprovoked abusive, aggressive physical attacks and frightening to see. I gather it is quite easy to arrest them as their cars can easily be followed on CCTV, and the perpetrators are arrested and charged. I would Suggest immediate confiscation of the car and a ban on driving for six months; unless this intimidation is dealt with severely it will only escalate.

I'm shocked and saddened to read the comments here.

We have a very complex set of roadworks locally lasting into the Autumn. They are at a crossroads and extremely inconvenient. The workers have been abused both physically and mentally to such an extent that they now wear body cams.One even had a car drive directly into him.

Even the GP surgery has notices plastered all over not to harass or assault staff.

Yes, I fond that quite disgusting. Also, attacks on emergency workers and shop workers. What is happening to society?