Flooding, and the Nanny State, and the costs of running a Nanny state.

It wouldn’t suprise me if some clever dick at the (privately owned) traffic management company managed to get a signature on a contract from a government official granting exclusive use of all employees at all times for roadwork operations. Given that they were being paid anyway and no roadwork was going on then the government might as well have them doing something, even if only remotely useful.

I hope that when they eventually build the new road and bridge they do BOTH lanes at once and don’t have the GDE fiasco

p1 said :

grump said :

I suspect the latter, but also to avoid the SNAFU when rubber neckers, the brain dead and numpties drive down and a traffic jam ensues as all attempt to turn 180 degrees in the narrow area above the crossing closure gate. It does beg the question as to why there is no crossing closure sign closer to William Hovell Drive

But there are. On William Hovell and round the corner.

The thing that I don’t get with the Coppins Crossing signs, is that if you’re driving on William Hovell towards the city, there’s no ‘Road Closed’ sign on direction sign on William Hovell itself – you need to get around the corner, and see the one on Coppins Crossing Road itself. If you’re travelling in the other direction though, there is a sign on William Hovell.

So if nothing else, this would have stopped people turning onto Coppins Crossing Road, seeing the road closed sign, then having to turn around and get back onto William Hovell.

dtc said :

I’ll bet the OP will be the first person posting when he drives down the road and then has to spend 25 minutes while the traffic jam caused by a car slipping off the side of the road sorts itself out, complaining that the stupid government puts the closure signs in the wrong place

No, I would be blaming whatever stupid twat managed to not just get themselves stuck, but do it in a way that apparently has me stuck as well. I certainly don’t rely on the government of *everything* (so long as the cash hand outs and tax breaks keep coming, I’ll be fine).

grump said :

to avoid the SNAFU when rubber neckers, the brain dead and numpties drive down and a traffic jam ensues as all attempt to turn 180 degrees in the narrow area above the crossing closure gate.

This is the reason.

I’ll bet the OP will be the first person posting when he drives down the road and then has to spend 25 minutes while the traffic jam caused by a car slipping off the side of the road sorts itself out, complaining that the stupid government puts the closure signs in the wrong place

p1 said :

grump said :

I suspect the latter, but also to avoid the SNAFU when rubber neckers, the brain dead and numpties drive down and a traffic jam ensues as all attempt to turn 180 degrees in the narrow area above the crossing closure gate. It does beg the question as to why there is no crossing closure sign closer to William Hovell Drive

But there are. On William Hovell and round the corner.

thanks – I stand corrected – I go down there so rarely did not recall them

p1 said :

KB1971 said :

I will give you an example of peoples stupidity p1….

Sadly, I know you are right. But when you consider all the big open storm water drains, creeks, etc that are currently raging torrents through suburban Canberra, and all the school kids and little old ladies that are wandering along beside them right now, it amazes me that the government would spend so much time and effort and money to prevent someone getting just a little bit closer to a gate.

I think it could be that people, who don’t know any better, feel invincible when in their vehicles.

KB1971 said :

I will give you an example of peoples stupidity p1….

Sadly, I know you are right. But when you consider all the big open storm water drains, creeks, etc that are currently raging torrents through suburban Canberra, and all the school kids and little old ladies that are wandering along beside them right now, it amazes me that the government would spend so much time and effort and money to prevent someone getting just a little bit closer to a gate.

grump said :

I suspect the latter, but also to avoid the SNAFU when rubber neckers, the brain dead and numpties drive down and a traffic jam ensues as all attempt to turn 180 degrees in the narrow area above the crossing closure gate. It does beg the question as to why there is no crossing closure sign closer to William Hovell Drive

But there are. On William Hovell and round the corner.

I will give you an example of peoples stupidity p1.

Remember the crash on the Monaro hwy a few years ago when a 4WD crossed into the other lane & hit another 4WD (Henry BG will be having kittens becuase I mentioned 4WD). One of the vehicles suseqently caught fire & two young girls perished. This closed the highway for quite a few hours on a Sunday evening in the middle of the ski season. I dont have to tell you about the volume of traffic at that time of a Sunday at that time of the year.

Anyway, the police were directing traffic around it to Tharwa via Smiths Road & Angle Crossing. The thing is there were no other detour signs & people were left to fend for themselves. You can imagine the shanigans that were going on.

This was also when the bridge was closed for repair & there was a gate at Lanyon Homestead to warn people that the road was closed ( as well as the othere signs back up near the Conder shops).

So, we were in Tharwa heading north & were about to turn left up the hill when we saw the people on the bridge. There were about 5-6 cars parked on the bridge, that was undergoing structural works at the time & they were attempting to pull the coppers logs out of the side of the road so they could get around.

My first comment to them was “Did you not see the road closed signs 5km ago & again at the end of the bridge??” (they had to drive around the barriers that were across the road). They all looked at me blankly & asked where should they go then to which I told them. I also told them they should probably get off the bridge because it was full of termites, which incidentally got them moving quick smart :P.

Anyway, as they left another woman came around the corner, she was in tears & pannicking because “she HAD to get home to Cooma!”. FFS, Cooma is less than 1 hour from Tuggers, go & get a motel if it is stressing you out that much. Nothing is worth crashing over becuase you are having a panic attack.

Put some motorists out of their comfort zone & they go supid.