It's great to see our local constabulary taking advantage of the annual chance to get their vizog on the gogglebox during the Xmas anti-drink-driving campaign.
This year's Grampian Police poster boy is PC John McOuat, who can be seen here addressing the STV cameras at the police's blow-in-the-bag-please-sir PR demo on Aberdeen's Great Southern Road on Wednesday.
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| Click for a big copy of the pic. Print it out and it'd be suitable for the mess wall at Lodge Walk |
Can you see what he's done there? Yes, it's great to see power being devolved to the most local possible level; PC John, in defiance of the eco-warrior's charter which is the Scottish Government's Cycling Walking and Safer Streets strategy for sustainable transport, has parked his impressive 4x4 Land Rover Discovery reg SV59 BNU in its Hi-Vis Transport Police Livery right on the pavement of Great Southern Road.
This way, PC John manages to transmit both the once-a-year anti-drink-driving message as well as the year-round anti-pedestrian message. Never mind what the Highway Code says
SECTION 244
You MUST NOT park partially or wholly on the pavement in London, and should not do so elsewhere unless signs permit it. Parking on the pavement can obstruct and seriously inconvenience pedestrians, people in wheelchairs or with visual impairments and people with prams or pushchairs.Yeah, whatever.
You see, it's all very well for the politicians in their ivory tower at Holyrood and boffins at the Department of Transport setting these pie-in-the sky policies, but when it gets down to 'street level' the local police know best. Walking is simply unacceptable in Aberdeen. Thank heavens we have local agencies prepared to reinforce that message. Loud and Clear.
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| Vergeparking, too. |
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I find the best way of enforcing footway parking is... av very, very, sticky sticker, nice and large, on the windscreen, with a message (maybe a copy of the Highway Code rule) about footway parking. Oxfordshire County Council (bless 'em) actually produced such a thing when they had a progressive transport planner in post. The glue must be really sticky and strong, and for added effect, cut slits all round the sticker so that it takes a very, very long time to remove it. Job done. They won't park on that particular pavement again. Just be careful to ensure you're not in the driver's field of vision while you do it...
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