"Matt Ashby" wrote in message
m...

Surely when investigating a crime, the police should be given all the
time that they need.

So why then when a road accident occurs they clear things up much quicker?


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On Sat, 7 Feb 2004 11:38:19 -0000, "DJO" djdublo att liamtoh dott
moc wrote:


"Matt Ashby" wrote in message
om...

Surely when investigating a crime, the police should be given all the
time that they need.

So why then when a road accident occurs they clear things up much quicker?

Because in a road accident the perpetrator is normally one of the
drivers involved and generally still present at the scene, with tyre
marks on the road/dents in the car/other witnesses present, all of
which make working out what happened quite easy.

Suspect that in a one-under or similar rail accident it's quite a bit
harder to work out what happened and no easy-collectible evidence (no
dented cars or tyre marks to photograph).

I'd have thought you could show a little more compassion for the
victim, it's not like this happens every day. Reserve your vitriol for
real incompetences like cracked rails.

it's not like this happens every day.

pedant
Actually, on average (according to BTP statistics), it does
/pedant
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Hardly vitriol! Look at the news today, sadly some poeple died in a road
accident near Liverpool, which is a tragic thing to happen, but the only
picture availble on the TV news was that of skid marks on a road even though
the time between the accident happening and the TV crews arriving would in
all probablility been shorter than the length of time the police took to
investigate at Balham.

On the roads it seems whn a tragedy happens it is cleared up a.s.a.p, on the
railways there is no similar hurry. Maybe my perceptions of these things is
wrong, and if so I shall stand corrected, but don't accuse me of vitriol,
thanks.

It is often all to easy to tell exactly what happened in a suicide by train,
the driver is often in these cases the only poor soul to witness the person
throwing themselves in front of his train.

Even in situations where a road is closed due some tragic situation, the
police can divert cars round side roads etc. You cannot easily do that in
trains, perhap they should bear that in mind? Or am I being unreasonable?

Djo
"Pat Duffy" wrote in message
news
So why then when a road accident occurs they clear things up much
quicker?

Because in a road accident the perpetrator is normally one of the
drivers involved and generally still present at the scene, with tyre
marks on the road/dents in the car/other witnesses present, all of
which make working out what happened quite easy.

Suspect that in a one-under or similar rail accident it's quite a bit
harder to work out what happened and no easy-collectible evidence (no
dented cars or tyre marks to photograph).

I'd have thought you could show a little more compassion for the
victim, it's not like this happens every day. Reserve your vitriol for
real incompetences like cracked rails.


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"DJO" djdublo att liamtoh dott moc wrote in message
...

"Matt Ashby" wrote in message
m...

Surely when investigating a crime, the police should be given all the
time that they need.

So why then when a road accident occurs they clear things up much quicker?



They aren't. Up here in the Midlands its quite common for roads (I'm talking
major commuter routes, not country lanes) to be closed through the morning
rush hour following fatal RTA's in the early hours.

Jeff.

"Jeff McGhie" wrote in message
...
So why then when a road accident occurs they clear things up much
quicker?

They aren't. Up here in the Midlands its quite common for roads (I'm
talking
major commuter routes, not country lanes) to be closed through the morning
rush hour following fatal RTA's in the early hours.

Only car-on-car. Remember train crashes often see the line closed for days.

Pedestrian killings are regularly mopped up and ignored within an hour or
two.

Richard

On Sat, 7 Feb 2004 21:57:19 -0000 someone who may be "Richard"
wrote this:-

Only car-on-car. Remember train crashes often see the line closed for days.

It now seems to be weeks.

Pedestrian killings are regularly mopped up and ignored within an hour or
two.

That's easy. The police blame the pedestrian and don't want to
inconvenience the really important motorists.


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David Hansen wrote in message . ..
On Sat, 7 Feb 2004 21:57:19 -0000 someone who may be "Richard"
wrote this:-

Only car-on-car. Remember train crashes often see the line closed for days.

It now seems to be weeks.

Care to give an example? And don't try Great Heck, because a friend of
mine was duty Railtrack officer there, and I know what they were
looking for, where they had to look, and what they found. It's not
pretty.

Bear in mind as well that roads are hard to damage and can quickly be
patched up if they are damaged. Neither is true of railway lines,
particularly where pointwork or overhead are concerened.

Ian

On 9 Feb 2004 01:54:48 -0800 someone who may be
(Ian Johnston) wrote this:-

Only car-on-car. Remember train crashes often see the line closed for days.

It now seems to be weeks.

Care to give an example?

Ladbroke Grove, Hatfield. Potters Bar I'm not sure of (the Railway
Inspectorate used to be sufficiently proud to mention the time taken
to clear sites in their reports, the so-called health and safety mob
are rather less keen).

And don't try Great Heck,

Ah, someone else who thinks that they can read my mind. In that case
I might be persuaded that the long closure was worth it.

However, compare all these cases, including Great Heck, with the way
services were restored after Harrow & Wealdstone, Lewisham St Johns
and Clapham Junction. I don't think the world is better off because
of the long periods lines are closed for and neither does it help
discover the causes any better.

Bear in mind as well that roads are hard to damage and can quickly be
patched up if they are damaged. Neither is true of railway lines,

Debatable.

particularly where pointwork

Hence the substitution of plain line. However, if components are
available, such as suitable switches, then it does not take that
long to install switch and crossing work.

or overhead are concerened.

Overhead is quick and easy to install, even if masts have been
destroyed. One may need a speed restriction for a few days until a
proper repair is made, but that is a process that is easy enough to
manage.


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David Hansen, Edinburgh | PGP email preferred-key number F566DA0E
I will always explain revoked keys, unless the UK government
prevents me using the RIP Act 2000.

In message
David Hansen wrote:

On 9 Feb 2004 01:54:48 -0800 someone who may be
(Ian Johnston) wrote this:-

[snip]
Bear in mind as well that roads are hard to damage and can quickly be
patched up if they are damaged. Neither is true of railway lines,

Debatable.

Debatable?


particularly where pointwork

Hence the substitution of plain line. However, if components are
available, such as suitable switches, then it does not take that
long to install switch and crossing work.


That's a bloody big if. I've not noticed spare turnouts lying about the
network just in case.


or overhead are concerened.

Overhead is quick and easy to install, even if masts have been
destroyed. One may need a speed restriction for a few days until a
proper repair is made, but that is a process that is easy enough to
manage.



So you admit the delays of days are not that unreasonable?

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