Road Workers with Stop Signs

skerry · 09-09-2011 10:38am #1

Hi, Just a quick question regarding an incident I had this morning. Basically I came around a busy junction when the lights went green. Up ahead were some roadworks and a guy with a stop sign which I only realised he was actively trying to stop traffic a few feet after I passed him. The reason I didn't notice he was in operation sooner was that he was standing well up on the footpath with the stop sign and not looking towards oncoming traffic. Not saying he was in the wrong, I could have been a bit more alert perhaps and read the situation a bit better. I'm just wondering should the road worker with the stop sign not be on the road where people can see him on approach and not perched on the footpath. Googled about and couldn't find much info

MugMugs · 09-09-2011 10:45am

Aren't you obliged to follow the instructions of a road worker? That's a general query, not a dig.

In saying that, Stop signs are usually well up on foot paths too. Was he further back than one generally is?

skerry · 09-09-2011 10:53am

MugMugs wrote: »

Aren't you obliged to follow the instructions of a road worker? That's a general query, not a dig.

In saying that, Stop signs are usually well up on foot paths too. Was he further back than one generally is?

You are obligated to follow the instructions or a road worker, I'm just wondering should they not be on the road instead of the footpath or is there a general rule or what? I know stop signs are up on the footpath but this was in a place where you wouldn't expect to see a stop sign. Like I said I probably could have read the situation a bit better, just a query really.

Chippy01 · 09-09-2011 1:23pm

skerry wrote: »

I only realised he was actively trying to stop traffic a few feet after I passed him.

I could have been a bit more alert perhaps and read the situation a bit better.

I'm just wondering should the road worker with the stop sign not be on the road where people can see him on approach and not perched on the footpath.

but this was in a place where you wouldn't expect to see a stop sign

Observation, observation, observation.

If the poor guy had been standing in the road, you would have probably hit him. He was probably up the footpath because someone else had given him a close call already.

Always expect the unexpected!!!

skerry · 09-09-2011 1:30pm

Chippy01 wrote: »

Observation, observation, observation.

If the poor guy had been standing in the road, you would have probably hit him. He was probably up the footpath because someone else had given him a close call already.

Always expect the unexpected!!!

I crawled around the corner going no faster than I should have. There is absolutely no way I would have hit him if he was in the middle of road. If you read my post instead of concentrating on dissecting it you would have gleaned that I noticed him on approach but "only realised he was actively trying to stop traffic a few feet after I passed him". I'm not saying I'm in the right or in the wrong I'm only asking if they're generally on the road on the footpath and is there a general rule. Thanks for the lecture all the same

Thatnastyboy · 09-09-2011 1:44pm

There is no general rule,

Its fairly grey regarding positioning of road workers, as mentioned though, I would say he probably moved to the footpath from a scare,

I worked as a flagman before, and people would drive through you and not even notice.

Whether the drivers are texting, on the phone, doing their make-up, lighting a cigar, reading the morning newspaper or just generally have their head up their hole, near misses happen - a lot - its scary sh!t and noone wants to be standing on the side of the road risking their life for 10 bob an hour.

When approaching roadworks people should always be on maximum alert, construction workers are often quite overlooked by motorists.

I wouldnt say either is in the wrong, just try be more alert to your surroundings, and hopefully the flagman positions himself better in future.

Chippy01 · 09-09-2011 3:05pm

skerry wrote: »

"only realised he was actively trying to stop traffic a few feet after I passed him".

Obviously you weren't paying full attention to your driving, and your surroundings.
If you were, you would have seen that he was actively trying to stop the traffic and stopped!

skerry · 09-09-2011 4:07pm

Chippy01 wrote: »

Obviously you weren't paying full attention to your driving, and your surroundings.
If you were, you would have seen that he was actively trying to stop the traffic and stopped!

Your obviously one of those people who trawls forums looking for excuses to irk people. As I said in my original post, I seen the guy up the road when I came around the corner. To say I would have mowed him down if he had been in the middle of the road is a bit much. He wasn't looking towards the road and was pretty much just leaning on the sign and I gestured as I approached to see if I could pass, he waved to say no and I stopped a couple of feet past him as soon as he did. I never mentioned I was in the right or wrong, that wasn't the point of my post, I was asking if anyone could clarify whether the guy should be positioned on the road or on the footpath which 'Thatnastyboy' above has. Never the less I aspire to someday be a paragon of driving as you yourself obviously are, but until that day mere mortals such as myself will have to accept the fact that we are only human.

youtheman · 09-09-2011 4:15pm

It always amazes me that you can go down to your local tool hire company, hire a set of lights, erect them, and off you go directing traffic.

The worst I say was down here in Cork when they were building the Ballincollig bypass. The was a temporary works road crossing the main road, complete with traffic lights worked by a guy with and off/switch. A truck would head for the junction at full speed and at the last second the guy would switch the light to give the truck the green light (immediate red light on the main road). No warning, no looking down the main road to see what was coming. So if you were unlucky you had to sow the car to the road just as a juggernaut crossed your path.

red menace · 09-09-2011 4:21pm

Was he faced the other way so he could coordinate his sign with a guy stopping traffic coming the other direction?

youtheman · 09-09-2011 4:26pm

red menace wrote: »

Was he faced the other way so he could coordinate his sign with a guy stopping traffic coming the other direction?

No he wasn't, and that was the problem. There was just one guy at the junction. And his sole function was to turn the light red for the main road (and green for the truck on the works road) just as the truck approached the crossing - regardless of what was coming down the tracks on the main road. Common sense would dictate that if there was a car or two on the main road you would let them pass, possibly holding up the truck for a second. But his 'modus operandi' was to never halt the truck - what a f**kwit !!!

Chippy01 · 09-09-2011 4:28pm

skerry wrote: »

Your obviously one of those people who trawls forums looking for excuses to irk peopleQUOTE]

Nah. I piss people off wherever I am.
It's one of the benefits I have of being older now than when I was younger.

johnos1984 · 09-09-2011 4:52pm

Chippy01 wrote: »

Observation, observation, observation.

If the poor guy had been standing in the road, you would have probably hit him. He was probably up the footpath because someone else had given him a close call already.

Always expect the unexpected!!!

Observation, observation, observation.

He was probably on the foot path as there was a low wall which he could lean against or sit on allowing him to expend his energy smoking and occasionally turning the sign.

OP from moving cattle on the main roads AFAIK you are obliged to observe signs and warning being given by those who are directing the traffic.

PCPhoto · 09-09-2011 4:55pm

skerry wrote: »

Hi, Just a quick question regarding an incident I had this morning. Basically I came around a busy junction when the lights went green. Up ahead were some roadworks and a guy with a stop sign which I only realised he was actively trying to stop traffic a few feet after I passed him. The reason I didn't notice he was in operation sooner was that he was standing well up on the footpath with the stop sign and not looking towards oncoming traffic. Not saying he was in the wrong, I could have been a bit more alert perhaps and read the situation a bit better. I'm just wondering should the road worker with the stop sign not be on the road where people can see him on approach and not perched on the footpath. Googled about and couldn't find much info

I really really dont want to be one of those pedantic f*ckers but ...official rules of the road state:

Stop and Go traffic control at roadworks
When road works are being carried out you must stop when you see the Stop
sign below. You may only proceed through or past the road works when the Go
sign (Téigh) is displayed. It is an offence not to obey these signs.
Where plant or machinery is crossing the roadway and no matter what direction
you approach from, you must stop when you see the Stop sign below. You must
obey these road signs. The signs can be operated by mechanical or manual
means.
There are more signs displayed in Section 23.
Either form of Go or Téigh can be used
Stop
Manual traffic control sign at roadworks

linky

so essentially if you seen the guy up ahead with the stop sign - you should have stopped.

in an ideal world the guys "operating" the stop signs would have some basic cop on and ensure they are clearly visible and in the path of the traffic...on this occasion you did see the guy but he was off to the side so you dismissed him until he gestured you shouldn't pass.

as for the other person with the comment €10+ an hour .... *more like €40+ ....if you were only getting minimum wage you were either a student on work experience, on a training course or being taken advantage of.

*= assuming work was being done on behalf of the city/county council workers operating the stop sign would be getting the same as their colleagues.

skerry · 09-09-2011 5:02pm

johnos1984 wrote: »

Observation, observation, observation.

He was probably on the foot path as there was a low wall which he could lean against or sit on allowing him to expend his energy smoking and occasionally turning the sign.

OP from moving cattle on the main roads AFAIK you are obliged to observe signs and warning being given by those who are directing the traffic.

Very true

I know your supposed to yield to pointsmen, road workers with signs, and folks herding animals just wasn't sure if in the situation of the road worker should they be on the road or not or was there any set rule.

skerry · 09-09-2011 5:09pm

PCPhoto wrote: »

I really really dont want to be one of those pedantic f*ckers but ...official rules of the road state:

linky

so essentially if you seen the guy up ahead with the stop sign - you should have stopped.

in an ideal world the guys "operating" the stop signs would have some basic cop on and ensure they are clearly visible and in the path of the traffic...on this occasion you did see the guy but he was off to the side so you dismissed him until he gestured you shouldn't pass.

as for the other person with the comment €10+ an hour .... *more like €40+ ....if you were only getting minimum wage you were either a student on work experience, on a training course or being taken advantage of.

*= assuming work was being done on behalf of the city/county council workers operating the stop sign would be getting the same as their colleagues.

Cheers for that, had a quick google on it this morning and couldn't find anything, least not without trawling through a 200+ page document

Thatnastyboy · 09-09-2011 5:33pm

PCPhoto wrote: »

ld have stopped.

as for the other person with the comment €10+ an hour .... *more like €40+ ....if you were only getting minimum wage you were either a student on work experience, on a training course or being taken advantage of.

40e an hour, where do you get that from? :eek:

Ok, my exact hourly pay for a flagman job was (in 2006-2007) was 11.68e p.h.

I was not a student, I was not on a training course

, I was not being taken advantage of, I was working for an International consortium of construction companies who were paying CIF rates - and getting 1e extra per hour over the g.o's who did not have to work outside of traffic safety barriers.

LLU · 09-09-2011 5:49pm

Chippy01 wrote: »

Obviously you weren't paying full attention to your driving, and your surroundings.
If you were, you would have seen that he was actively trying to stop the traffic and stopped!

ah sure it wouldn't be a motors thread if we didn't have the swot who drives perfectly, never breaks a rule and is holier than everyone else.

AugustusMinimus · 09-09-2011 6:20pm

Chippy01 wrote: »

Observation, observation, observation.

If the poor guy had been standing in the road, you would have probably hit him.

Do you believe that the OP is blind ?

Were you there to be able to tell just how visible the worker was considering he was standing on the footpath (IMO, if it's his job to stop traffic, he should do his job correctly and be out on the road.)

MugMugs · 09-09-2011 7:04pm

I just knew this would all kick off with the perfect driver logging on and stirring it all up a bit.

-Corkie- · 09-09-2011 7:30pm

MugMugs wrote: »

I just knew this would all kick off with the perfect driver logging on and stirring it all up a bit.

IBTL. Should make an entertaining friday nite...:D

dr.fuzzenstein · 09-09-2011 8:24pm

Year ago when the Ennis bypass was being built, there was roadworks with a flagman.
He raised his flag and a woman kept driving on. He raised his flag and both arms waving at her, whilst she, staring straight at him, proceeded to drive on.
He had to jump out of the way, whilst she continued without a care in the world.
Funniest thing I've ever seen, had he not jumped, she would have mowed him down.

Road Workers with Stop Signs

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