Motorway closed for 24hrs due to man on bridge. Who makes these decisions?

[DavidinSouthampton]

I spent almost an entire eight hour shift a couple of days ago with a man who was threatening to commit suicide.

He told me over the course of the night that his father had died this year, he'd had to sell his house due to the inheritance tax bill. His wife had had an affair with a mate and left him, and then came after what little proceeds of the house he had left. He couldn't see his kids, and his job- which he said he was (perhaps inevitably) struggling with- was on the line due to the circumstances in which he came to my attention. He told me through his tears that he couldn't take any more and had absolutely nothing left to live for. I completely believed he meant it.

I don't know, perhaps I should just have let him go and chuck himself off the nearest bridge though. I mean, it was the middle of the night, so, once I'd cleared the broken bits of him off the carriageway, hopefully I could have had the road reopened by rush hour, thus minimising the inconvenience to some of you lot.

Well posted. If I were ever to get to that state (God Forbid), I would hope to have someone like you on duty dealing with it.

 

[goldstone]

Absolute, total and utter bullshit.

You really have no idea what you're talking about.

Sorry, but I don't believe it is bullshit.

Every time you listen to a traffic report there are roads closed by the police all over the place. It is a comparatively recent phenomenon. Never happened with such regularity until a few years back. I guess the police then were much more attuned to the needs of the majority and cleared the vehicles off the carriageway in record quick time without needing to close every lane. Must be an effing Elf and Safety thing ... again!

 

[goldstone]

Well posted. If I were ever to get to that state (God Forbid), I would hope to have someone like you on duty dealing with it.

If you do get to that state please go off to some place out of the way instead of trying to get your five minutes of fame by finding the most publice spot in the area.

 

[RupertsFlan]

God help some of the callous souls on here if you ever have to identify a family member who has literally been scrapped off the motorway having ended it all.

Yes it is appalling for the poor innocents who are involved but I pray to God that you never watch one of your loved ones mentally unravel to such a degree that they give up on life and those that love them.

You obnoxious, thoughtless, self-centred little pr**k.

 

[edna krabappel]

Sorry, but I don't believe it is bullshit.

Every time you listen to a traffic report there are roads closed by the police all over the place. It is a comparatively recent phenomenon. Never happened with such regularity until a few years back. I guess the police then were much more attuned to the needs of the majority and cleared the vehicles off the carriageway in record quick time without needing to close every lane. Must be an effing Elf and Safety thing ... again!

It's not a health & safety thing at all. If someone dies- or there is a chance they may die- as a result of an incident on the roads, then it has to be investigated. If you lost a loved one in a crash, I absolutely guarantee you would be on to the police wanting to know what happened- if it was their fault, another driver's fault, something wrong with the car, the road, whatever. It's a potential criminal investigation which may lead to someone going to court and/or prison, so it's not a case of just turning up, saying "Oh well, looks like he lost it there, never mind".

We are actually under huge pressure to get roads open as soon as possible, and technology is indeed making real improvements in that field, as a full survey of the scene of a serious collision is now far quicker than it was even two years ago.

Closing roads is no more common than it ever was, it's simply that communication channels these days mean you're far more likely to hear about it. If you actually bothered to think about everything that needs to be done at a crash which will result in an inquest and possibly a criminal trial, then you'd realise it's not just a case of turning up, dragging everyone away and then clearing up.

I don't mind listening to you moaning, but when you don't actually know what you're talking about and are simply complaining because something inconveniences you somewhat, it's a bit tiresome.

 

[Gwylan]

It never ceases to amaze me when these threads come around, how little compassion people can show for another human being, who is clearly so troubled. This is someone's child, it could be someone's parent. That they reach a mental state where they are preparing to overcome every instinct of self-preservation and end it all, is a very sad state of affairs. Only made sadder by people deciding their petty journey from a to b is more important than a fellow human being's LIFE. Whether a 24 hours road closure is an appropriate response is a different matter, but "let them jump" is frankly a sick response.

Quite. And all this a couple of months after the Albion community lost one of our own in similar circumstances. How quickly we forget

 

[goldstone]

Closing roads is no more common than it ever was

Well, you could have fooled me.

 

[BN9 BHA]

If you do get to that state please go off to some place out of the way instead of trying to get your five minutes of fame by finding the most publice spot in the area.

You really are a heartless old grumble and grunt.
Are you really that bloody minded, bitter and twisted, why didn't you hold your hands up and apologise yesterday after offending a few people, I see you have really pushed the boat out now.

 

[RupertsFlan]

Well, you could have fooled me.

Good God. Are you trying to be provocative? Are you trying to be obtuse? I am struggling to believe you can be quite the imbecile that you come across as on this thread.

Do you realise that people can get into such a pit of despair that they genuinely want to end it all. Does that mean anything to you? Any empathy or sympathy?

If not that would appear verging on some sort of frightening condition you have!

 

[BLOCK F]

Good God. Are you trying to be provocative? Are you trying to be obtuse? I am struggling to believe you can be quite the imbecile that you come across as on this thread.

Do you realise that people can get into such a pit of despair that they genuinely want to end it all. Does that mean anything to you? Any empathy or sympathy?

If not that would appear verging on some sort of frightening condition you have!

Rupert,in this particular post I believe Goldstone was only doubting that closing roads is 'no more common than it ever was'.

 

[goldstone]

Good God. Are you trying to be provocative? Are you trying to be obtuse? I am struggling to believe you can be quite the imbecile that you come across as on this thread.

Do you realise that people can get into such a pit of despair that they genuinely want to end it all. Does that mean anything to you? Any empathy or sympathy?

If not that would appear verging on some sort of frightening condition you have!

That's the whole problem in this country, people accept authority far too readily and don't question anything done by people "in authority".

The police plan to close the road for 24hrs because a nutcase is standing on a bridge. Oh, goody, goody, why don't they make it 48 hrs.

It's only because of people like me complaining that the police are now (apparently, if you believe Edna) under such enormous pressure to reopen roads as soon as possible after accidents. The majority of the British public are too timid to question anything.