Stranger than fiction

[Papyrus]

We have noticed in recent years that, from New Year to early spring, roadworks spring up all over the place in our part of the world. Some while ago, I speculated that somewhere there is probably a Mid-Sussex Academy of Hole-Digging, and this is the time when they go out and do their practical. They start with Putting Out Cones and Signs, progress to Use of Stop-Go Board, and when they have passed those they move on to Setting Up Temporary Traffic Lights and Use of Pneumatic Drill.

Turns out I wasn't so far from the truth! The end of our road seems to be a favourite spot where they come out in a pick-up, set up a temporary 'road works' with lights, then after a while they take it away again. A couple of days ago, they did it again, and one of my neighbours who happened to be passing asked them why they did it and, yes, they were practising! Apparently they like to do it around here because everyone is so friendly, and they come from miles away. I just wish they would take the optional module of Pothole Repair and Resurfacing...

Cheers,

Chris

[Bealman]

Presumably taught by Rod Stewart 

[5213 65J]

We have noticed in recent years that, from New Year to early spring, roadworks spring up all over the place in our part of the world. Some while ago, I speculated that somewhere there is probably a Mid-Sussex Academy of Hole-Digging, and this is the time when they go out and do their practical. They start with Putting Out Cones and Signs, progress to Use of Stop-Go Board, and when they have passed those they move on to Setting Up Temporary Traffic Lights and Use of Pneumatic Drill.

Turns out I wasn't so far from the truth! The end of our road seems to be a favourite spot where they come out in a pick-up, set up a temporary 'road works' with lights, then after a while they take it away again. A couple of days ago, they did it again, and one of my neighbours who happened to be passing asked them why they did it and, yes, they were practising! Apparently they like to do it around here because everyone is so friendly, and they come from miles away. I just wish they would take the optional module of Pothole Repair and Resurfacing...

Cheers,

Chris

Ho ho. That's a good one. Getting paid for doing nothing which could not have been done without disrupting anyone else. The big gain when I was employed was to get a haircut while you were working i.e. paid for getting your hair cut.

[guest10040]

many years ago, ok back in the '70s, I did a year working for a certain county council on a road gang as an HGV driver...
and when it rained, and we couldn't work, we not only got paid to sit in the van playing cards, but also got a 'wet weather bonus' for doing so 

it also taught me that I was  at cards 

[The Q]

They've dug a hole in the north end of our road right at where it joins the next road. So the road is closed..
Alternative exits to the area?
The other end of the road which is legally a green lane, very narrow even for a single track which the whole road is. I'll admit it is roughly tarmacked, but that is often overlaid with sand. The other exit is a sand and mud potholed track..

For added fun they are having a marathon run on may 15th... They advise people to use alternative routes?!!
The marathon run closes all 3 exits from this area, and much of the north Norfolk coast....

[Bealman]

Oh dear! 

[honestjudge]

It probably has more to do with contracts, budgets etc, starting works before the end of the financial year and otherwise missing out on the cash.

[dannyboy]

Confirming the post from @honestjudge , as I understand the situation, councils are allocated £x for the year for say, road repairs. If the council do not use the said £x in that financial year, it is deemed that they do not need the whole £x, so the following year, they get a smaller allocation. So councils, if they have a bit left over towards the end of the financial year, find a bit of road that needs some work - that way they can turn round and say that they do need all the allocation.

[Malc]

When I was working in Oslo, there were lots of roadworks where they were installing steam mains for household heating. They seemed to take ages over it. One taxi driver said his mother knew why it took so long. She believed the men went on a course to learn how to dig holes and lay the pipes, but they hadn't been on the course to learn how to fill in the holes.

[Newportnobby]

Confirming the post from @honestjudge , as I understand the situation, councils are allocated £x for the year for say, road repairs. If the council do not use the said £x in that financial year, it is deemed that they do not need the whole £x, so the following year, they get a smaller allocation. So councils, if they have a bit left over towards the end of the financial year, find a bit of road that needs some work - that way they can turn round and say that they do need all the allocation.

I completely agree with David. When I lived in Northamptonshire the council would replace perfectly good central heating systems in council houses just to show they'd spent the yearly allocation of funds. Can't blame the council - the system is just rubbish and open to exploitation.

[PLD]

Confirming the post from @honestjudge, as I understand the situation, councils are allocated £x for the year for say, road repairs. If the council do not use the said £x in that financial year, it is deemed that they do not need the whole £x, so the following year, they get a smaller allocation. So councils, if they have a bit left over towards the end of the financial year, find a bit of road that needs some work - that way they can turn round and say that they do need all the allocation.

A somewhat out of date myth, I'm afraid...
It was at least in part true of the funding formula for Local Councils contributions from Central Government in the 1960s & 70s - the starting point for next year's allocation was how much they spent last year, so if you overspent by 10% in year 1, you would get a 15-20% increase in year 3. However, that was effectively reversed by the 1982 Local Government Finance Act, and from that point if you overspend in one year, you would face a cut in future as well as having to repay the overspend...

[njee20]

Definitely still true in some parts of the South East; or at least still a mentality of "use it or lose it" among some staff, even if it doesn't actually impact the outcome. Whilst other pots of money it's seen as a badge of honour not to use. Utterly bizarre. How anyone works in local Government I don't know!

[Newportnobby]

Just as well I don't apply that to my modelling spend!

[Papyrus]

The Mid-Sussex Academy of Hole-Digging was back today:

Use of Stop-Go board...


They're going to fail the Looking Busy part of the course.

Cheers,

Chris

[woodbury22uk]

At one stage there were so many sets of roadworks locally that they ran out of signs in English. So we had roadworks protected by signs in Welsh which probably confused a few of the more observant locals here in Worcestershire.