Folks may be interested in the weblog of a very literate and entertaining Parking Enforcement Officer, to see the other side of all this. He has a specific entry where he mentions the "little Hitler" insult...
tinyurl.com/7ox54
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Mods? This started as a very unpleasant direct pop at TfL on an as yet legally undetermined set of very specific circumstances, and has not yet been deleted/closed.
Had it been a go at a manufacturer or dealer it would have been shut down by now. Why the double standards?
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Because TfL makes more out of fines income for failing to pay congestion charges than it does out of congestion charging itself. I doubt the same is true of fines for fares avoidance than from fares themselves, but the little hitlers do have their jobs to pay for. A completely barmy story in The Sunday Times yesterday suggests that during the Olympics in 2012, drivers using special VIP lanes reserved for athletes and officials will be fined up to £5,000 and face criminal conviction. Barmy story, or barmy fact?
HJ
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This thread reads like a parody of a poor quality edition of The Sun. Those nasty public sector people all out to get poor old you just going about your business and harming nobody. If only evereything was all privatised life would be perfect wouldn't it? lol
Except of course that the bus companies are privatised, so are the utility companies, as are the ICT and other major companies who are slavering over the contracts for road charging, speed cameras etc. etc.
The comanies who provide the parking wardens, the gps machinbes, the digital cameras etc. are all private UK companies coming up with new schemes of enforcement and selling them in to Government so they can keep employing your Dad, your brother, you or your sister. Don't hear these types of moans about the companies but without them there would be nothing of this.
And if the Sunday Times is right (a very big if) then it will be a private company taking the pictures and ensuring that the public sector can levy the fine. Strange that you will always blank out and ignore their massive role in creating the world you appear to inhabit.
Weird world we live in!
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I will learn to spell, honest!
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This thread reads like a parody of a poor quality edition of The Sun. Those nasty public sector people all out to get poor old you just going about your business and harming nobody. If only evereything was all privatised life would be perfect wouldn't it? lol
I don't mind the ones that aren't. ;-)
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I don't mind the ones that aren't. ;-)
thank you ;-)
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thank you ;-)
As ever, the 99% give the 1% a bad name... ;-)
(only joking!)
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A completely barmy story in The Sunday Times yesterday suggests that during the Olympics in 2012, drivers using special VIP lanes reserved for athletes and officials will be fined up to £5,000 and face criminal conviction. Barmy story, or barmy fact? HJ
I reckon this is not a barmy story, and will certainly be fact come the Olympics, as it's been tested before.
The organisers in the Athens Olypmpic had dedicated lanes for official vehicles in place a couple of weeks before the games started. Woe betide any motorist straying into these carriageways as the fines were significant, as was the quantity of police drafted in to enforce this provision.
One problem was that they failed to issue enough windscreen passes to match the amount of official vehicles. The American contingent found that colour photocopiers produced an instant solution to this issue......
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>Mods? This started as a very unpleasant direct pop at TfL on an >as yet legally undetermined set of very specific circumstances, >and has not yet been deleted/closed.
Yes it did start in that way, mainly because I witness the unpleasant attitude of these people on a regular basis. Ever see them at the main line station or tube with their aggressive manner when the police are there to back them up? How aggressive would they be if the police weren't there?
I use the main line, the tube and the bus every day and am often asked for my ticket by very polite people going about their business in a decent and, often, charming, manner. They know who the bad people are, they have heard all the excuses anyone has ever uttered. I have no problem with people who do their job with politeness, firmness of purpose and with a sense of fair play.
My issue was with the pinch faced Hitlers who have ether for blood and a stone for a heart who treat EVERYONE as bad regardless and get a cheap thrill out of upsetting just about everyone in their path.
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OK, as this thread has been judged not to be offensive to the 'visually challenged' employees of TfL; I still find that and the 'little Hitler' tag way OTT for this forum. That aside,it may be worthy asking why a minority of these employees can be direct at times.
I'll bet my bottom dollar that this is borne out of years of dealing with abusive, sullen and often physically aggresive members of the travelling public for whom a request for a ticket is tantamount to a gross infingement of their human rights (mainly because they haven't bought the right ticket or a ticket at all). I read a while back that a physical check on those adults stopped using child tickets through barriers revealed that a sizeable proportion were carrying drugs, knives or otherwise wanted for criminal offences.
These guys aren't paid a great deal, so the highest standards of human awareness/diplomacy may be beyond the reach of some. The fact that the majority manage to put up with what they do to a good standard is a result.
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So what you are saying then Rhino is that they are justified to treat people the way they do - everyone is guilty until proven innocent!!!!!!!!!!
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Not at all; I'm just saying that the pig ignorant staff are in a minority, the majority are ok.
I use public transport in London as well as driving there. The widespread fraud by passengers using the new multi door bendy buses was staggering; people routinely abused the trust extended (Oyster card swipes, and ticket machines at all stops) and this resulted in the need make people pay for their trips. It was amazing the effect that routine inspections had on these people, most of whom I am sure would not in other circumstances dream of dishonesty or theft.
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So why do people see fare dodging as acceptable behaviour!! Is the cost of public transport too high? or is there another reason?
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Depends who views it as acceptable behaviour, in much the same way as some people view speeding, illegal parking, disabled badge misuse, etc as acceptable whilst others are prepared to stay within the law.
Everyone who fare dodges knows that what they are doing is wrong, but still go ahead and do it. THese are the same people who claim they have beem victimed by 'little hitlers' when they are caught out.
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And it could soon be £50, how much keener will the inspectors become then?
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4373458.stm
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But is it actually illegal? Would it not be a civil matter? I currently have someone who owes me money for work done, now the police won't get involved in that as it is a civil matter, yet when it comes to fare dodging then they get involved and it is crime of the century, but from what I can see it should be a civil matter, people get annoyed because of the double standards and so they stop paying or pay a different fare. Personally I hate Public Transport as it is full of the general public and I prefer to choose the company I keep but I can understand why people fare dodge and get fed up of the "Little Hitlers"
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If you intended to, and actually did, sneak out of the back of a taxi stopped at lights near your house, would that be a civil matter? I don't think so. I really can't see the difference, save that a bus or tube is not in private ownership.
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When you are dealing with members of the public in the service industry you should always start off with respect and politeness even if you display a sense of purpose. Then, there is room for manouvre if someone acts up and you need to be firmer still. If you start off as arrogant, hectoring and bullying with an aggressive tone where do you go from there? You can't go backwards and try to be respectful. You can only escalate the volatility of the situation.
I agree that there are many of them who go about their business in sensible fashion. But, there are all too many who fit the "hitler" bill perfectly, i.e. hectoring, bullying, aggressive but only with the vulnerable & decent ones because they know they won't turn around and punch their lights out.
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The best recourse with seemingly inadequate people like this is to get a) witnesses and b) request they get a supervisor to attend the scene immediately. There's no point in getting in stew with these people without doing something about it.
And 'punching their lights out' is not an option, so don't be silly.
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Apologies and retract my last para.; I misread your post.
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