National Traffic TOP 100 threads of 2007
| 100 | NW prosecution | skinner says "A motorist has become the first driver on the region's motorways to be prosecuted after a complaint by Highways Agency Traffic Officers. The man appeared at Tameside Magistrates' Court in March and admitted driving under intermittent red crosses signifying a lane closure ahead." |
| 101 | Major incident Handover | PavementPizza says "Do you think that you should be relieved from a major incident if it overuns your shift time? I personaly think that major incidents involving fatalities/road closures etc... should not be handed over to other teams." |
| 102 | DEBRIS what have you found on the carriageway | red or dead says "I have found metal doors,20 metres of rubber tubing,and a skip." |
| 103 | Traffic Radio | Branston announces that Traffic Radio, the HA's very own rolling travel news radio station has launched its full service |
| 104 | Rear Flashing lights | Race track says "With the continual debate about rear lights, what would you prefer? Bearing in mind that we do need something to differentiate Live Lane Vs Hard Shoulder?" |
| 105 | wellfare facilites [confined portacabins] | does any one know if we are going to proper brick built outstations? Or are we staying in those confined portacabins tripping over each other on a shift change? |
| 106 | Staffing | was told that there were loads of vacancies in the NW, The HR Dept have said that i will need to wait until someone resigns or wait until there is a recruitment trawl?????????????. |
| 107 | working alongside police ? | Do Traffic Officers really work alongside police ? This is what all the hype would have us believe but reading this site gives me the impression that Traffic Officers are actually on their own with police a long long way off, says Brian |
| 108 | Life on the line? [vehicle is traveling against the flow of] | Police receive a report that a vehicle is travelling against the flow of traffic between junctions x and y. Nearest HATO unit is dispatched to do a RRB from the next junction and head towards with traffic managed????? |
| 109 | HATO Acronyms | COWS - Cut Out Won't Start POB - Persons on borde - or - Peroxide Blonde and tons more |
| 110 | Stopping Speeders | How exactly can 2 TO's be driving along in a vehicle who's speedo probably isnt correct, stop a lorry and tell him that????????? Are these not the guys who we dont want in the HA or am I in a minority?? says Chocolate Boy |
| 111 | DARTFORD RIVER CROSSING TRAFFIC OFFICERS | hello any drc to`s on this site, wish to make any comments on the new contract coming up from the highways agency, to see if le crossing will still keep the contract asks 102 |
| 112 | THE NEW GRANDIS | these are not allowed to be used as a patrol vehicles, as they have no vms and cannot tow. so not only a very big why but they also boost your vehicle pool, says red or dead |
| 113 | animals on the motorway, what's the answer? | Am always amused by the motorist who jump out of their vehicles with a half eaten pork pie to try and capture a dog on the network when the traffic is at a halt and their car is in lane 3 .... and more |
| 114 | Are there enough women hatos? | bootneck asks "at our out staion we only have 5 women hatos, what do poeple think ? do you think we should have more or less women hatos?" |
| 115 | RRB & stopping traffic | V_max says "Some TOs don't mind stopping traffic with a RRB (say for debris). Others try their hardest not to stop traffic, by waiting on the H/S and calling up another patrol/Police to do the block. What's the regional thought on this?" |
| 116 | AIRWAVE - Point to point? | Flash asks, "Do you use the Point to Point facility on your Airwave sets? It's a fantastic facilty that the HA seem to frown upon if we use it! Whats it like in your Region, are the RCC happy for you to use the facility or is it a bit of a no no?" |
| 117 | Portable flashing lights | Blackrat asks, "guys, does your portable flashing amber lights for doing lane closures sit on the cones or road?" |
| 118 | Advising RCC of using REDS on h/s | In our region we are being asked to tell RCC when we use reds on hardshoulder, to enable DfT to have strong case for us to use reds full time on h/s We also have to record DRA in pocketbook and use of reds goes on log, says motormouth |
| 119 | Most original reason for being on the hardshoulder.... | Stopped behind a landrover the other afternoon and when asked why he was parked there the driver responded " Just taking an emergency phone call from the wife, our pig's gone into labour and I need to get home as soon as possible". Well, you couldn't make it up, could you? Any one heard a better one? asks Wrist assessment |
| 120 | APTR [rumours about trunk roads?] | From what I heard we werent going to to be doing them for years. However an outside source has told me that we could be rolling out as early as April this year? Apparantly they are recruiting from the exisitng waiting lists and are waiting for the new finacial year in order to get the funding for more vehicles, stations etc etc. |
| 121 | News from the "Top" | Since more and more MPs are becoming aware of the service, there are a lot of "MP's questions" being asked of Dr Ladyman (being the Minster of State for Transport). I thought it might be a good idea to put these in one thread, says Race Track |
| 122 | Callsigns! | I don't understand the reason for changing the vehicle Callsigns three times per day Frankly it's confusing and a waste of time! Every other job I have been in, the vehicle ALWAYS keeps its call-sign no matter which crew are in, whether it the Early, Lates or Nights, says Flash |
| 123 | Airwave/Phone | Using your radio as a phone.......... Does anyone know if Airwave's/HA have a record of the calls you make from your personal radio ? Say if I rang my mum and it lasted 20 mins ? Would they know ? While I'm on the subject, what about a text message ? asks SC225 |
| 124 | New Epaulettes | Did anyone know the OM's and NOM's were getting new epaulettes? Saw them for the first time today. As we know supers, OMs and the NOM all have red epauletes. So at the scene of a major incident you cant tell whose who and what rank. |
| 125 | What have you lost when working? | The latest lost property item was my flask. Stopped at services for a cup of coffee and got talking to a coach driver. After a while we made our excuses and left. About 2 hours later I realised my flask was missing and remember placing it on the back bumper of our car when stopped in the services, says State5. |
| 126 | 999 calls [to HA?] | Do you think that as we become more recognised by the mops and they become aware of what we do and they type if incidents we attend that someone has called 999 and asked for the Highways Agency? |
| 127 | Cancelled VMP Legends... | Whilst doing the powder checks the other day I noticed that a number of legends have been removed from the VMP board. Arrows - STOP - Accident - SLOW Ok, I'm aware of the current campaign regarding the scrolling arrows and was likewise informed of their removal. But to remove SLOW and STOP!! objects Nighthawk. |
| 128 | Has any outstation had new vehicles for old ones yet? | just wondered if anyone has had new vehicles yet? says RED X |
| 129 | Towing | How often do you guys tow a car and how far? Also have you been issued any guide lines for towing? asks aa man |
| 130 | Changing tyres | To's. Can you change motp tyres? asks Blackrat |
| 131 | HATOs and the Special Constabulary | anyone know of anyone who is a HATO and a Special? asks TheWanderer |
| 132 | How do you cope after Nights? | OK guys and girls, how do you cope with the quick change from nights to earlies What tips have you got to re-arrange the body clock in 72 hours flat? Do you walk around like a zombie or do you just get nissed as a part ? asks Tricky |
| 133 | HATO Car Sticker | Would you like to advertise in form of a car sticker you are a TO/Highways person ? Anybody got any suggestions for a car sticker ? What would you like to see on a car sticker if you did ? says kipper |
| 134 | Drive / observe ...do you have a preference? | Dave says "Must admit I don't mind which... but I like to do approx 50/50 over a shift pattern. With some there is a small discussion what do you fancy doing today? / what did you do yesterday?...and a joint decision is made. One or two prefer to do obs. It's quite clear that some mainly prefer to drive...and grab the keys before you know it a decision is made . Which bugs me!" |
| 135 | The press at RTC scenes | How do you deal with the press at RTC scenes?? asks florence .... he started ranting at me "do you know who i am,you`re stopping me from doing my job, I`ve been to worse things than this, like train crashes" |
| 136 | HATO's get a positive review from truckers | one of the truckers has managed to secure a ride out with a supervisor. Read about his shift and truckers responses to it says Charl_Hunter |
| 137 | Tacho Breaks | Do we tell them it is not safe and leave them there for as long as they want or do we tell them to shove off the hardshoulder and drive the half mile to the services using their guide on place of safety for exceeding hours ?? asks mops1 |
| 138 | The scrapping of AA night patrols | After more than 80 years the AA is to abandon night patrols as part of a cost-cutting exercise by its venture capitalist owners. The 15 million members of the motoring organisation will now have to make do with AA staff called out on a voluntary "pay per job" basis or local contractors. |
| 139 | HA Post [this is what one of yours is posting on another] | The training for the role initially was totally inadequate to put it one way. To clarify one thing, Junction 17 now assess the in-house assessors. I don't know if they still do the initial driver training. But considering most of our daily workload is driving, the couple of hours each where were told to reverse along the hard shoulder is shocking. |
| 140 | New Mobile Phone regs | Penalty points for using mobiles but a pointless law if it's not enforced. We all know most motorways are NOT routinely patrolled, so how's it going to be enforced?? |
| 141 | Grand Theft HATO | M6 redneck says "Imagine you worked for a software company, your a top exec and bored of the usual drivel your underlings provide regarding the next genre breaking computer game. Imagine this? Grand theft HATO !!!" |
| 142 | What have the HA done well? | Anything spring to mind? Peli light - unasked for and fantastic Electronic OT claims - less bean counters between me and my money = pure win Thats what comes from the top of my head. Any other ideas? asks M6 redneck |
| 143 | Family friendly hours? | It's been suggested in other topics that the TO service hours of work are not family friendly. I have 3 kids - 2, 5 and 7 - and I actually find the hours to be very friendly. How does everyone else feel about it? asks Yogi |
| 144 | Abandonded Vehicles | How do you deal with abandoned vehicles in your region? I had a bit of a barney with an RCC op at the weekend over the way things were being handled - to cut a long story short, they wouldn't arrange nearest available unless we were there to sit with the car, despite it having been reported 4 1/2 hours earlier, says Yogi |
| 145 | Britain needs a new network of motorways and A roads | Britain needs a new network of motorways and A roads to cope with 12 million extra cars and a 43 per cent increase in traffic over the next 30 years, according to a new study. |
| 146 | Tribute to British Troops in Iraq | dont envy the boys and girls out there or in fact any part of the World where fighting is taking place. Thank goodness there are such people out there who are happy to fight for their country and stand up for what we believe is right. Thanks to all of them!! |
| 147 | 2008 CALENDAR!! PRINT IT OUT NOW!!!! | Another outstanding effort by John. Extremely funny. Am printing off a couple of copies at least (not saying where they will appear though!!) says Tricky |
| 148 | DATE A PCSO WHY DON'T YOU? | Looks like a good site. I'll have to ty it out next time the wife's got her back turned! - well I'd be lucky! God help any women on there with some of our male members! says TW |
| 149 | duty of care? | my mate says we are not an emergency service so we do not have a Duty of Care to MOPs, I disagree totally with him and say we do have a Duty of Care, says Keokeo |
| 150 | How many Hato vehicles have been hit? | I have got to say I can't believe that in the last month, two Hato vehicles have been written off just in our area. I'm curious to find out how mant nationally have been written off? On both occassions the Hato officers were out of the vehicles, So no one was injured. Just goes to show how dangerous the motorway is, says Blackrat |
| 151 | Box coning on the hardshoulder | Why according to HATO proceedures can a vehicle stop in half the distance on the h/s than in a running lane? We are told in the procedures that the box cone should extend to 50m behind the HATO vehicle while on the hardshoulder? asks Scooter |
| 152 | made it | I am a serving TO based in the Midlands and have been in since early 2004. Looking forward to seeing whos about and swapping banter with all, says flameinoursouls |
| 153 | Ties on!! | When I finally get my new summer shirt I'm going to wear it anyway in defiance, even when I'm working Christmas Day - no tie for me that day!!! |
| 154 | Are there any TO's who have done the CTM course? | Been hearing from a huge cross section of peeps about the CTM course. Have any TO's apart from Supervisors who have done this course? To my knowledge we haven't got any at our outstation yet, well not heard of any.. Would be interesting how they pick who goes and who doesn't.. says Nighthawk |
| 155 | HATO Motorcycle Patrols for APTR | As a motorcyclist of some experience, am I the only one who would like to see the HA running Motorcycle patrols? Benefits might include getting an HA radio to the front of RTC induced congestion on APTR. First eyes on scene calling in the correct resources and, with good local knowledge, calling them in from the right direction? says Jock Abroad |
| 156 | GORETEX Kit, Warm Weather Gear & Current Lightweights | I've bought my own already I'm not going to wait till they issue us goretex trousers took long enough to get the wet gear. Now who has given back the winter coats then coz we only been given wet gear after all. |
| 157 | Education [...people on the rules and regulations for mway] | I think that they could take out adverts and place them in service stations explaining things like Hardshoulder use and that it is an offence to ignore our instructions/breach RRB. Your thoughts please.... |
| 158 | Assessment Centre | The centre is competency based and ergo they will assess your abilities across the various stages of the centre. This will include your ability to assess a situation and comeup with a plan, how you deal with people and stressfull situations and how you interact with other people. |
| 159 | Top Gear Magazine | May I draw your attention to December's copy of Top Gear Magazine (issue 172) and the letters page therein. More specifically, may I draw your collective attentions to the letter penned by 'Mr Name and address withheld' entitled 'The filth and the fury,' says Mr Bojangles |
| 160 | HATO SERVICE - DO YOU FEEL IN THE LOOP? | Mr Bojangles does not feel in the loop. Read why! |
| 161 | can supervisors/team managers use printers or computers ??? | does anyone have a supervisor who cant use modern technology.. our super cant use anything electrical without blowing it up... so we have made him stay in the outstation says upside down |
| 162 | New Highway Code!!!! | members' fave excerpts from the latest HIGHWAY CODE |
| 163 | Changing driver during a shift. | In the beginning we were told that we could not change drivers during a shift. Driver and Observer would be allocated and duties were not to change However after many months of campaigning against this madness we were informed this week that we could now change drivers mid-shift if we wanted too says Milk, no sugar |
| 164 | Model HA vehicles. | have you got one? have you ordered one? have you even SEEN one? chime in on here!! |
| 165 | Tailback procedure at incidents | couple of police forces ask out patrols to do "tail back proceedure" at incidents, to see how much traffic is being affected. This practice has been stopped by the ACPO a couple of years ago, so why are we getting asked to do it?? asks Biffo |
| 166 | how can we get more people to join this site? | How about REALLY stirring it up and getting the union to advertise us to new recruits ?? and supervisors can ensure they mention the site at team briefs. I learnt about it by being told not to go and visit the site. |
| 167 | top gear | Who was watching Jeremy Clarkson slate us all on tonight's top gear? When will the HA stand up for itself and defend the service against ignorant, ill informed p*&%£s like him?? says mondeoman |
| 168 | Health and safety | Asap kicks off on an outstation Health and safety theme |
| 169 | M42 Hard Shoulder [running] | It does work and it works well when its switched on early enough, To be honest there isnt that much live lane work, people seem to make it to the era(laybys). We get a lot of jobs in the era's but most have gone by the time we get there and it does not take us long as we are normally only a junction away. |
| 170 | what do you KNOW about bullying? | I have been both a victim(at school) of bullying and as a witness, especially in the Prison Service, who have "unique" perspective on dealing with bullies. I hate bullies and will not tolerate it at all. If I see it in action, I WILL challenge it. It is not needed in civilized society says Tricky |
| 171 | s u p e r v i s o r s | Are they supervisors, who aim to build a team and happy working enviroment or are they just trying to build there own career and sod the rest of us? |
| 172 | Duty Garage or Own Recovery | Hi guys, I was just wondering about how you deal with the aftermath of a RTC and the vehicle is undrivable.. I have been told several things about this, First off I was told that if a vehicle had been involved in a RTC and needed recovery that we were to Duty Garage that vehicle so to get it off the network as quick as poss...... |
National Traffic TOP 100 threads of 2007
| 1 | No faith in Prospect , time to change | Many of us have cancelled our membership with Prospect and many more plan to do the same, says Stonecold |
| 2 | What if the stormtroopers come a knocking... | Imagine if the stormtroopers crashed through your door, firing teargas through your upstairs windows, proposes M6 redneck. A tongue in cheek intro with a whopping serious side |
| 3 | Wannabee copper's | Why do we keep having to read about Hato's and wannabee's. I joined the ha to do traffic management and to help the public, maintains Asap |
| 4 | pedestrians on motorway | who`s job is it to deal with pedestrians on the motorway?? we recently received a comms to say that it was down to police. if thats the case, why do we keep getting sent to them?? asks florence |
| 5 | First Impressions | out gets female supervisor straight on her mobile phone, partner out of vehicle leaning against vehicle smoking, in pulls second TOV out get both driver and partner in to services, they come back one with ice cream one with a burger!!!!! |
| 6 | Waiting with cars | Can To's wait with vehicles to be recovered as a result of an RTC, organised by the police and have the key for the vehicle in their possession whilst the police resume patrol? asks Blackrat |
| 7 | Should TO's be issued with defensive PPE?? | Shoule TO's be trained in self defense, or further, be given spray or some other defensive device? asks PavementPizza |
| 8 | Abuse of rear reds on the h/s | In 99.9% when stopping on the h/s there is no reason to be displaying red lights. I am disappointed that most colleagues and whole regions see the need to what I see as an abuse of our powers, complains wisdom |
| 9 | women HATOs | where are all the lady T.Os? this thread is dedicated to YOU!!! |
| 10 | self deploying to incidents | stop it. it drives me mad. one hato car to scene. if back up required we'll ask for it. you know who you are, says two clicks |
| 11 | Making progress | In my region I have been told you must not make progress just wait in the traffic. Can anybody tell me diffrent, your help on this matter would be greatful, asks skinner |
| 12 | Single Crewed? Would you???..... | Would you be prepared to face the world alone and go out single crewed? asks Red X |
| 13 | THE AMOUNT OF TRAFFIC POLICE REDUCING? | THE number of traffic officers patrolling Merseyside's roads has halved in 10 years. What's it like where you are? |
| 14 | Traffic Officer 12 month waiting list | I was successful at an assessment day held in November last year for the position of Traffic Officer North-East region. They said I would be placed on a waiting list for up to 12 months. |
| 15 | prospect on the run | how prospect have done a deal with tgwu not to take members the tgwu wont be recognised by highways even if everyone joins how good a job they've done 4 us usual bull but really annoying, notes the animal |
| 16 | powers? what powers? | what powers do HATOs have? have any members exercised these powers? |
| 17 | When will Traffic Officers realise we are here to jambust? | I ask this question as i have lost count how many TO's believe we should have batons, CS spray, body armour, the power to ticket, caution and arrest! If these people want this then why didn't they apply to the Police? |
| 18 | V O S A | what are their powers and what do they do? Could we merge?? we are both DfT after all. They could deal with traffic enforcement and we could deal with traffic management !!? |
| 19 | Fuel and Muppets [running out of fuel on the motorway] | Is it time to now make it a nice round £100 fine for running out of fuel on the motorway? asks Asap |
| 20 | P D P s | Whats the use of the PDP? What are the different levels for...there are 3 boxes arent there which can get ticked - what are they for? do they have any benefits? asks HAEyeInTheSky |
| 21 | B r e a k s | Are we able to return to our outsation for our 1/2 hour break?? I was just concerned that if I want to bring my own food to work and heat it up that I might not be able to go back to the outstation. says Dave |
| 22 | HATO training | About a year ago there was a Rota kicking around including as training day. This was swiftly "disappeared" when it was realised the HA had neither the vehicles or the budget for this. |
| 23 | new jackets | has any one been issued with the new jackets yet? if so how are they? I`ve had the new boots and after a while of breaking in they`re quite comfortable, notes florence |
| 24 | Just how p**sed off (or not) are we? | Of late, it's become increasingly obvious that there are a fair few people who are really, seriously, genuinely hacked off with the job, or at least post in a manner that suggests they are.. says Yogi |
| 25 | dropping or throwing objects from mway bridges | Throwing stuff from bridges is a constant problem on one of our m/ways, there are a couple of "hot spots" I personally would throw "mummies little darlings" over as well! |
| 26 | First aid | What first aid equipment do you carry and how much first aid training do you get? Do you feel it is sufficient, would you say you feel confident when arriving potentially first at the scene of an accident? asks resident ambo expert Charl_Hunter |
| 27 | New summer shirts | I think someone is taking the proverbial. Got in this morning and on top of all the lockers is a pack of new shirts or to be more precise a pack of new blouses. Not only do we have to work with a white shirt and a very gay tie in probably one of the dirtiest environments but now if you want to go tie-less you have to wear a pristine white blouse protests Popeye |
| 28 | Airwave congestion | Is there a solution to radio congestion during busy periods? asks Dangerous |
| 29 | Should we have major incident training? | do you think we should do major incident training the same as the other emergency services do?? I think we should, says Tricky |
| 30 | Team Spirit at the Outstation | How do the different shifts get on at your outstation, have you got any individuals who try to rule the roost? Do you have a tea club? how much is it? Are you happy with your team most of the time? asks Guinness Man |
| 31 | Internal Supervisor Promotion | It would be nice to see Supervisors promoted with a good understanding of our job aswell as Supervisory experience. Didn't make it to the assessment myself. I have a good idea why before asking for my feedback. I am not surprised but have enjoyed dreaming about a new car, extension on the house etc etc!! |
| 32 | Its August.....Where is my payrise? | 1st of August is the settlement date .Once again the Treasury take the pish by not settling by that date. the whole reasons its August is that for years the treasurry failed to settle in April so moved the date. Now they have moved and still no news, notes Melnobone |
| 33 | Multi - tools | Who carries one? Which sort is best? How much use do they get? and finally should the HA consider issuing them? asks cone dropper |
| 34 | Traffic Officer Pay | Does any one understand the pay system. I am led to believe that after a years service we go up a pay band and incur a cost of living/inflationery rise. Is our pay banding affected by our PDP's? ? How many pay bands do we go up and how much? |
| 35 | Body Armour, a good thing? | As our profile is raised we're starting to encounter some of the less savoury members of society. Do you think now is a good time to be requesting "stab proof vests"? asks pongolad |
| 36 | Changing Outstations | I'm just about to put the paper work in to transfer to another outstation. Can someone who has already gone through it give me an idea of time scales. or troubles encountered |
| 37 | Taking Rcc Officers out on the road. | Recently I have been taking Rcc officers out at night and showing them the network. Showing them the cut through’s we use and talking through the problems we sometimes come across. says skinner |
| 38 | The Question of Money... [starting pay rate 17k] | a starting pay rate for traffic officers of about 17k plus 20% shift allowance. There is no mention of this rate increasing after a first or subsequent year. Does anyone fancy letting me know what the situation is regarding pay scales in the role of Traffice Officer? asks Old Bill 67 |
| 39 | Fend Offs | we normally fend off at the rear of vehicles say Fire Brigade, so why were we requested by HA that we park at the front of the lorry fire?? |
| 40 | SHAMEFUL [problems with any police officers] | police officers behaving badly where you are?? |
| 41 | Radio chatter | HATO's. It is terrible radio practice to say your call sign at the start of every transmission. Example "21 on the hard shoulder marker blah blahblah so far" 21 this vehicle is.... 21 since my last transmission have you forgotten my call sign? 21 if so you are brain dead and not fit for the job 21 out |
| 42 | Night's | The question is how do you cope with the boredom of nights? Granted some times the proverbial hits the fan and they are manic. But most of the time they are dead. says Single Malt |
| 43 | £500 bonus/1 year on | Guys Most of us should have done the first year with the HA or coming up to it very soon. Who has had the £500 bonus ? Did you get it on time ? Im still waiting on my Sup says SC225 |
| 44 | hatos above ther station | hatos behaving badly where you are?? |
| 45 | White Caps? | Heard a rumour the other day that somewhere down south there is a trial of HATO white caps! Any truth in this? asks TomTom |
| 46 | The use of scrolling arrows on the rear facing VMP.. | We've just received a memo stating that we are not to use the scrolling arrows on the VMP as they are illegal! What's the view on this in other regions? asks Nighthawk |
| 47 | Cover shifts | Just wanted to know what happens at your station when your on covers but not covering for another shift. We have a real problem when it comes to covers. We have some who work 0600-1400, 1400-2200, 0900-1700, 1000-1400. asks SC225 |
| 48 | ok we all know the powers but ARE THEY ENOUGH?? | fubar says we should have certain restrictions from the traffic laws in that, we should be able to treat stop signs and red lights as give way, and that we should have effective audible warning to provide notice that we are around |
| 49 | Toil - Who , what , when why [time off in lieu] | Lollipop Man says I have recently had a interesting discussion with my TO Supervisor regarding eligibility of job related things that I can claim toil recompense for. Training, union business etc etc are all widely accepted, but I wondered what else contributors think should or should not be eligible |
| 50 | Promotion...[what, if any, the promotion prospects are...?] | just wondered what, if any, the promotion prospects are...? asks Static |
National Traffic TOP 100 threads of 2007
| 51 | Defibrilators | Defibs appeared in shopping centres and supermarkets etc basically because the ambulance service (generally speaking) can't hit it's times. Co-responders, first responders and defibs in public places all came about because of this, says Yogi |
| 52 | Are we paying our way? | are T.Os justifying their existence wonders Jock Abroad |
| 53 | Where do you see us going? | SITH LORD says As the Highways Agency claims that one of its goals is to run the motorways entirely in the next 5 years. Does anybody have an opinion on how exactly will we be running it and what context? |
| 54 | Favourite Vehicle [Range Rover, Landrover Discovery, Mitsubishi Shogun, Toyota] | How many different makes and models are there and which are the favourites and why? Are there plans to have a 'standard' vehicle across the UK? asks Charl_Hunter |
| 55 | first prosecution in south east ? | a driver who faied to stop for a rolling road in the south east region was fined £300 pounds and had his licence endorsed with 3 points announces 102 |
| 56 | RCC staff should get out more | I think all of the control centre staff should have the opportunity to ride out with us on a regular basis. It would help us put faces to voices, help them recognise our routes and help both sides appreciate the limits and difficulties faced when trying to do the job, says Northern Lad |
| 57 | Vehicles off network | just how far 'off network' can T.Os go? 3 miles? 5 miles? 10 miles? |
| 58 | unusual incidents for Traffic officers | We've had all sorts on the motorway roaming loose - some unfortunately hit before we could get to them. Dogs, Sheep, Pigs (out of a trailer involved in RTC), horses, deer, foxes, rabbits and badgers! |
| 59 | SHOULD THE HA PAY [two front teeth smashed out by a sheep] | red or dead says, " T.O. some where in the country had his two front teeth smashed out by a sheep, it was on the network and the T.O. and colleagues were trying to get the sheep over a nearby fence. the T.O has asked the ha to pay for the dental repairs but is still none the wiser" |
| 60 | you tube [CHILLING IN A REST AREA.] | have just been on you tube and typed in highways agency, it brought up a couple of videos to look at dont know what you think? |
| 61 | 'Enhanced' ISU's. ? | sideshow bob says Enhanced ISU's are here. Are they here to help us or challenge us, does anyone know? I asked my OM but he just laughed and shook his head. Doesn't know or won't say. Can anyone help, does anyone know? |
| 62 | Uniforms / Equipment. | What amendments would you like to your uniform? What extras would you like to be issued? What personal bits do you carry in addition to your standard issue kit and does your management have issues with this? asks TheWanderer |
| 63 | Temporary Responsibility Allowance. | Has anybody had any experience of Temporary Responsibility Allowance? At the place I work there is always someone acting up for one sup. or another without any sort of remuneration. |
| 64 | Do we need DRA or a new manual? | OK - so which procedures do you have issues with? A couple of the most contentious were fend in/out/straight and how to cone lane 1. Now you have options galore, so what's to not follow? |
| 65 | So what Age Range do you fit in? | join in with the chat and vote, to show the age range this site is used by most |
| 66 | Roads Policing Support Officers | Surrey police are currently recruiting "Roads Policing Support Officrs" with quite a broad job description who it looks like will be working for the police on some HA roads. anybody interested? |
| 67 | LED lightbars | Blackrat asks can you dim the brightness of your lightbars? We have a few of the same lightbars as to's, but are obviously blue. We have a low power button that reduces the brightness by 50%. We are advised to use this at night. |
| 68 | powder checked and briefed and on road in ten minutes | all supervisors must brief all on road crews and have thier vehicles POWDER checked and be on state 2 within ten minutes of starting a shift, but is this realistic? |
| 69 | APTR Training | non-motorway roads. ie: incidents in road junctions, roundabouts etc and the fact we'll have traffic in both directions and peds, horses, bikes and all the other bits says Wrist Assessment |
| 70 | hard shoulder speed! | We should only be travelling at 20mph on the Hard shoulder really says Chocolate boy so when can T.Os exceed that? |
| 71 | Rear vms on the cars | What should be stored on them. Some cars only have 4 things on them. DON'T PASS / STAY BACK / THANK YOU / END. Some have 20. says skinner |
| 72 | whats the most unusual thing you`ve found on the m`way? | every mile for about 5 miles there has been a shoe and item of clothing on the h`shoulder. none of the shoes matched. |
| 73 | Abnormal Load Escorting! | Should HATOs be carrying out Escort Duties? asks Flash |
| 74 | Assessment Centre | what was your experience at the Assessment Centre? Was it hard? pretty average or pretty easy? |
| 75 | Pulling vechiles over for safety reasons ? | mannic asks "can we pull a vehicle over that is a danger? As our RCC sups are always desperate to stop anyone who suggests they are going to do it!" |
| 76 | Supervisor Recruitment | I'd love to know why they are recruiting more supervisors. We have 6 teams at our outstation and 6 supervisors. With none of them leaving one can only assume they are expanding!!! |
| 77 | PA [public address systems] | There are current discussions regarding public address systems but at present we don't have them. Bing Bong. "Would the prat in the BMW please move out of lane 3. Thank You". |
| 78 | What personal extra's do you carry on duty?? | I carry Leatherman, Mini Maglite, Resus pocket mask (full face), Large Maglite orange and yellow glow ends, Wire coat hanger, Dog lead, Rope and Water proof overtrousers!! what do you bring along for the ride?? |
| 79 | Are abnormal load escorts up to the job? | Since the police no longer escort the majority of abnormal loads on the roads, how do you guys think the 'civilian' sector is handling it? asks nick |
| 80 | Secondary Employment | how many of us do a bit of part time work to enhance our income,i still do a bit of Vicarin so thought i would go through the formal route and request permission .No probs with SUP or OM just asked to keep a note of hours worked, says our Vicar |
| 81 | r e a r .. r e d s | WHAT DOES H.A guidance say on rear reds??? Something must be laid down somewhere? asks falkor |
| 82 | Reasons for breaking down. | What the best/stupedist reason you've had for a breakdown? asks our snafu |
| 83 | Interesting Public Interactions | While escorting a crippled wagon off into a MSA (Lights a flashin'), white van man flew of the Motorway between me and the customer, narrowly avoiding their trailer then shot of into the Services. Jock Abroad is hunting for similar, do YOU have one?? |
| 84 | Shogun - bad backs ?? | I have just spent 4 days in our shogun and like the other times I've been out in it day after day I seem to suffer with a stiff back which gets worse with each day. mops1 fears Shogun design fault, but what do YOU say?? |
| 85 | The service..will it expand?..will there be new outstations? | Dave says "I am interested to know what is likleyhood that the service will expand in the near future? and will there be a need for new outstations? ie "A" roads...other main routes that are not covered at the moment." |
| 86 | traffic pay | T.O pay versus Police Pay!! how does it stand up?? |
| 87 | Pocket Note Books | Pocket Note Books...... Useful or Useless?? What do you do with yours?..... 1: Write every job and anything else in it 2: Only write important jobs in it like fatals etc |
| 88 | Blue lights.. | how comes us TO's cant have B&T's as we respond to police incidents I.E debris stranded vehicles in live lanes. |
| 89 | Do you have to show your driving licence and insurance cert? | We've been asked to present our driving licences (both parts) and insurance certificates. |
| 90 | Working relationships | How do you get along with the emergency services on your patch, and who do you seem to work with the most? asks Charl_Hunter |
| 91 | What would you do? [breaches your RRB] | the vehicle in lane 3 decides he's had enough of waiting and floors it and breaches your RRB towards your colleague in lane 3, who has now realised the debris is a lot heavier then first anticipated and the 2nd member of that crew has gone to help. |
| 92 | applying to become a traffic cop | darren says how do you apply to become a traffic cop, is it the same as applying to become a reg for the force?? |
| 93 | CLOC's | the Centre Lane Owner's Club otherwise know as Middle Lane Hogs. The AA/RAC say that "managing" the middle lane hogs would reduce congestion by 1/3. Do you think HATO's will eventually "manage" this? asks Race Track! |
| 94 | Official Caps! | Rumour has it that we are to be issued with 'Official Caps' similar to those used by VOSA Officers and Police Traffic Officers! You know the type, white top, black band and a black peak!!!says Flash |
| 95 | what would you do? [MOP on the hard shoulder sparked out] | if you came across a MOP on the hard shoulder who was sparked out and no matter what you did you couldnt raise them, doors are locked and no police avalible. Would you put the window through and what would the HA think? |
| 96 | Single Crews | Static says "As a non-TO, can I ask why you don't patrol on your own...other services like the police and ambulance (rapid response vehicles) do, surely you could double the amount of patrols out there? |
| 97 | Cameras [Do to's carry cameras in their cars?] | Do to's carry cameras in their cars? Just wondered if they took pictures of crash scenes for damage to roadside furniture with the car still in situ? asks our Blackrat |
| 98 | National Hail | I often call up on National Hail to get HATO's deployed to an incident we're attending. Do other forces do this? Or can they go straight onto your channel? says Blackrat |
| 99 | Wearing ties | For on road they are uncomfortable and pointless. I'm sure an alternative could have been found and still look professional. The tie itself is awful. Looks like the product of a cheap gents outfitters. |
I hope you have enjoyed this page which shows our best topics, going back over the last couple of years. If you are interested to go back even further 
