16 October 2006

Window Washer's redux

| johnboy
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Back on 28-SEP-06 we covered John Hargreaves’ unguarded comments to NowUC about window washers. The ABC was rather keen at the time to let John Hargreaves tear into Andrew Bucklow’s reporting.

In a story on Friday that same ABC was reporting Deputy coroner Phil Thompson’s curious finding that a window washer was in some way contributory to a fatal accident in which “brake failure caused a truck to slam into a car in Red Hill”.

As interesting the ABC now appears to accept that the coroners “comments correspond with calls from the Territory and Municipal Services Minister John Hargreaves to ban window washers.

With so many other unenforced bans on harmless activity why not have one more just to round out the set?

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She may not have been killed, but the occupants of the car behind her probably would’ve been.

Thanks for the link Mrs Silvertail.

Mrs Silvertail11:57 am 31 Oct 06

el, here is the link to the CT article mentioned by Cranky http://canberra.yourguide.com.au/detail.asp?story_id=518712 and for those interested here is a link to another CT article about the window washer Dave Edwards who ran as a Senate candidate at the last election – http://canberra.yourguide.com.au/detail.asp?story_id=515364

yeah when i read the story its clear that even if the window washer wasnt there, she probably would have been killed.

the truck driver did not even sound his horn.

I’m guessing it’s not online then, or their search function is stuffed (along with the rest of their site layout). Can’t figure out how to retrieve yesterday’s news on the site. I’m guessing you just can’t.

Not clever enough to link it up. Sat 21 Oct CT, page 4.

Is there an online link to that particular story cranky?

I have no real interest in the fate of the window washers, but find it curious that the Dep Coroner did not have a lot more to say about a tip truck without brakes travelling down Hindmarsh.

What sort of society are we members of when a window washer chatting to a motorist is of greater importance than the mechanical integrity of the braking system of the truck, failure of which could, and did, result in a fatality.

The CT report indicates that the driver was not charged, and the curious inuendo that the brakes worked, but not on this particular occassion.

Just what agenda are we party to here?

“at least the window washers have the timing of the traffic lights down”

You clearly havent seen too many of them. Old beardie is constantly in the traffic once the lights have changed.

How would I know….I see him every day at least twice

I nor my fiancee have ever had a problem with the beardie washer (who frequents the barry drive/northboune intersection). He’s given me a couple of free washes when I’ve said no, and I’ve paid him a few times when I’ve wanted them. Same with my fiancee (who at 5’1 is not particularly intimidating at first glance). I’ve never seen or heard beardie demand money when he’s washed of his own volition.

The only negative comment I’ve heard of him was from a friend of mine who when given a free wash (and didn’t want to) informed him of this, he said “I just want something to do”, when she said she still didn’t want it he then became verbally abusive.

I think window washers get painted with a negative brush no matter what they do because of a few bad apples. You can go ‘don’t pay taxes’ (something I applaud them for honestly, or ‘drug addicts’ but at the end of the day they are just looking at making some money and if they don’t commit a violent crime towards you then get over yourself. If they do then that is a completely different matter and that individual should be dealt with. I don’t think this necessitates banning and I have not heard of a high incidence of physical assault anyway.

As a driver and rider of a motorbike, I think normal pedestrians who dart across the road are much more dangerous than window washers any day. There are many more of them and at least the window washers have the timing of the traffic lights down.

Absent Diane4:43 pm 18 Oct 06

got it tucked away neatly down my throat.

If it’s about 7 inches long and grey then it’s a back hair!

Absent Diane4:35 pm 18 Oct 06

Yeah saving it for ron.

You’ve got a hair caught in your teeth, AD.

Absent Diane3:59 pm 18 Oct 06

thats one of the nicer things I have been called 🙂

Absent Diane3:45 pm 18 Oct 06

seen it!! I know it intimately!!

If you think that sounds good, then you should see the hair on her back!

Absent Diane3:36 pm 18 Oct 06

and what a beautiful beard it is. the most feminine beard I have seen in a long time.

“Scruffy? Bearded? A few teeth short?”

Leave my mother out of this: she’s worked really hard on getting that beard just right!

sure you weren’t in QBN at the time ?

Scruffy? Bearded? A few teeth short? Well gosh, that narrows it down!

The guy I’m referring to *was* at the Jolimont, maybe he’s the one down at dickson now. Scruffy, bearded, a few teeth short?
Often he will offer you a free wash anyway.
I’m not exactly big and beefy, never had any problems with washers tho.

I have heard countless stories such as the one above……and the wife has had it happen more than once.

But lets pity the poor guy making all those tax free dollars to put non-prescription items up his arm….god bless him

One of my female friends went through the intersection near the Jolimont Centre, (this guy by the way, has been heard to say he took up his post there particularly for the summer, so he can perve at all the chicks who come past in their bikinis after having a swim) he asked if she wanted her window washed, she said no. He washed it anyway and then had the hide to demanded money. Again, she said no. He then started screaming abuse at her before the lights turned green and she was able to drive away from him.

Its not a very comforting thought for us women who have no other choice but to drive through that particular intersection.

“Cobber”, on the other hand, who is down at the Dickson lights, i have never had a problem with and i think he does a damn good job, and if its needed, im only too happy to hand over some change for a clean windscreen. I will never, however, hand money over to the guy at the Jolimont.

I guess there are pros and cons to this issue.

When they begin washing against your wishes, turn the steering wheel all the way to the left (assuming they are standing by the drivers door) then put the car in reverse. Then when they lean over to do the squeegee bit, nail the throttle.

They won’t be washing too many windscreens after that!

VG is right, we shouldn’t have to put up with this.

when i had an old bomb they would do it for free every time. in my new car it is much less often. if you said no then just say thanks but don’t pay.

Beeping the horn, turning on the wipers and yelling FUCK OFF loudly has always worked for me.

Yeah I’ll pay if I say yes, but not if they do it when i’ve said no.. and don’t feel too bad about it, because I figure they’re making a fairly decent hourly rate (at worst, say one change of lights every 2 minutes and a dollar on average, gives about $30/hour – not too bad at all).

I don’t mind them at all – as someone said, sometimes the windscreen really _is_ dirty.

I’m most definitely not a beefy bloke, and I’ve never had a problem with them washing my windows when I say no. And on the very rare occasion it does happen, I just don’t pay and I’ve never had any problems. Maybe your car is just particularly dirty.

The guy in the City is renowned for this type of behaviour, particularly towards women.

I’d suggest you try my approach. One day I was asked if I wanted my window cleaned. I politely shook my head and said no. When he began to clean my window regardless I advised him that if he continued to do so, against my wishes, he would have difficulty sitting down for the rest of the day with his window wiper positioned in his posterior. He stopped

People shouldn’t have to put up with these people

Jesus dude, i hate to say this but stop being such a little girl.

You’re in a car, the dude’s always there. Just say no, if he washes the window after you say no just drive off without paying.

Lock the doors and if they damage your car report it to the police.

My wife and I really dislike being hassled by window washers. We politey say no thanks, often many times, and they still insist on wiping the windscreen. On many occassions the wiper has become abusive as we have expressed our displeasure at his ignoring of our wishes. I now feel quite intimidated and travel the long route everyday to avoid the intersection in question. When my wife is driving with our young children, based on past aggressive reactions, if they insist on wiping she just relents to avoid any hassles. As an observation, if a beefy bloke says no thanks, then this is respected but for women and smaller men their request is ignored. We should not have to put up with this intimidation.

Might mean that the Police will have less time to concentrate on catching Arogant Inebriates.

Most of the Windoes i’ve dealt with are pretty good, reasonably polite and actually get your windows clean. That bloke (bearded dude) that was near the Jolimont was pretty good IMHO.
I’m *sure* the police/government are going to dedicate time, personnel and money to cracking down on people who wash windows (and probably couldn’t pay a fine anyway) rather than speeding tickets and parking tickets, which raise no revenue whatsoever and are merely there to protect us from ourselves.

James-T-Kirk10:38 am 16 Oct 06

Damm – Now who will we buy drugs from when driving past the ABC studios?

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