Question for RastusCat, and any other Popo who care to chip in.

[tbs]

So the other morning I had to head out to the airport to pick someone up. It's about 7am, and I'm in my car with the sproglets in back, and for no apparent reason the motorway southbound is backed up while the theoretically busier northbound lanes are flowing freely. I'm cursing fate making me late, thinking there must be an incident further along the motorway.... but NO!

It's a damn cop car sitting on the side of the motorway. Surely you must know by now that any time you guys park a car on the side of a busy road with moderate traffic flow, everyone's guilt complex kicks in as soon as they see you and they drop a couple of clicks, no matter how slow they may already be going. As soon as the traffic gets past you things get going again, but just one cop car can be the sole cause of the miles long traffic jam. What the hell man?

Another case in point... A few years ago I spent about two hours sitting in bumper to bumper traffic trying to get back from Warkworth on a holiday weekend. When we got to Red Beach, there was a cop car sitting on the top of the road. As soon as we got past him, the traffic took off and it was a perfect 100k/h run all the way into Auckland. The ONLY thing this guy achieved was to cause a MASSIVE traffic jam that went for 50km or so.

So my question is: WHY WHY WHY DO YOU GUYS DO THIS?
It makes me hate you just a bit, when I would otherwise, as a general model citizen, be bang onside with the need for you to do your job.


Sorry about the lack of bike related content.

[jrandom]

... everyone's guilt complex kicks in as soon as they see you and they drop a couple of clicks, no matter how slow they may already be going... It makes me hate you just a bit

Have you maybe considered redirecting your negative emotion toward the numpties who slow down without reason?

[tbs]

Have you maybe considered redirecting your negative emotion toward the numpties who slow down without reason?

Nope. I ain't blaming the sheep. I'm blaming the shepherd.

[jrandom]

Nope. I ain't blaming the sheep. I'm blaming the shepherd.

I think you're being unreasonable. You can't expect traffic police to magically become invisible and pop into view only when something goes wrong.

Of course, when they do manage that, I expect you whinge about them being sneaky.

[bogan]

Nope. I ain't blaming the sheep. I'm blaming the shepherd.

If there were less sheep on the road we wouldn't need so many shepards, then they could get back to finding my laptop...

[rastuscat]

Sorry about the lack of bike related content.

No worries.

The only thing missing from your complaint is context.

Last week there was a crash on the Christchurch northern motorway. It was on the Waimak bridge, held traffic up very successfully. I was on my own bike, and was parked up with all the rest of society while the tow trucks cleared the scene. Thing is, the scene was at least 3 km ahead of where we were all stationary. Just mentioning all this for context.

Anyways, we all sat and waited, having heard on the radio stations about the crash. A few people u-turned, a few reversed up on ramps, the usual stuff. I sat and waited, as it was a beautiful day, and the meeting I was heading to wasn't that important.

When traffic finally started moving, ever so slowly, we all filtered past the scene, and all we saw was a Popo car, sitting there with a vehicle which appeared to have been involved, but wasn't damaged. Now, yesterday, a friend was around here, chatting about the problems of the world. Amongst the things we mentioned was the cop car that my friend thought had stopped a car just over the Waimak bridge, and blocked all the traffic.

Your view of what happened is subjective, and rightly so. But you aren't aware of the circumstances by which the Popo car was where it was. I obviously have no idea why it was there, unless there was a Dunkin Donuts nearby.

I can't guess at a lot of stuff that happens, but don't forget that neither can you. What appears to you might be right, or might not be. For all I know the Popo car was waiting for a stolen car to drive past driven by a rapist, having had it 10-1'd earlier.

Now, all that aside, it is incumbent on Popos to consider the effect their actions have on the motoring public. Given that most Popos are busy being real policemen, and are thus not really into traffic flows, potentially they hadn't considered the effect of their actions on the flow. But even that is a guess.

One of my troops is an avid bunch rider, rides his Viffer with a group of hard case guys he's ridden with for years. Most days he gets the piss taken by text. They text him with "A police car just went past my house with the lights and siren going. What's happening?". Like, as if everyone knows what is happening all the time.

Context, dude, remember that it's not always obvious.

[Tigadee]

I think you're being unreasonable. You can't expect traffic police to magically become invisible and pop into view only when something goes wrong. Of course, when they do manage that, I expect you whinge about them being sneaky.

Better them sneaky than being actual cause of a jam though... Sneaky means they would catch actual speedsters, for example, who think no police are around and so speed as they like.

The better deterent is the thought that they could be hiding behind every bush or every corner, rather than actually seeing them, isn't it?

Could they be deliberately slowing down traffic so it's easier for them to spot non-compliant vehicles?

[oneofsix]

popo sitting on side of road, perhaps there had been an incident and what you saw was the last popo to clear the site and you were still caught in the delay effect that follows such events.
That said I know some popo aren't aware of their affect on traffic or assume it is right or normal.
Personally had an out of fuel event, pulled up on the side of the motorway well clear of traffic waiting for the gravity feed to take affect, no hold up to traffic. Popo pulls up to tell us off, traffic backs up like its nobodies means and popo blames us. Hope the nice blond popo in the car appreciate the show of power

[Jantar]

Yesterday on my way to work I saw 2 cars in the 100 kmh area. (Traffic is starting to get hectic down here.) The first car was only doing 80 and I passed that one with ease. the second car a minute later was only doing 71 and I couldn't pass for a km or so until we got onto a straight section. The thing is there were no Popo around to slow them down. What gives?

[tbs]

Good answer, thanks Rastus.

I must admit I left a wee bit out. The first car was tucked in behind an overibridge. A good place to catch speeders, but the traffic was a bit heavy for that to be particularly effective I thought. Then there was another car about 3-4kms down the motorway also sitting on the side of the road, but more in plain sight.
I was thinking sneaky entrapment... Hold up traffic a bit and then catch the speeders who put the boot down a bit after traffic clears.

Hmm, maybe I've bee reading too many of Akle's posts. Conspiracy theories starting to take hold.

[Banditbandit]

So the other morning I had to head out to the airport to pick someone up. It's about 7am, and I'm in my car with the sproglets in back,

Sorry .. might have been a cool story bro .. I switched off here ... "in my car ..."

[Tigadee]

I was thinking sneaky entrapment... Hold up traffic a bit and then catch the speeders who put the boot down a bit after traffic clears.

Doesn't seem very efficient or effective resource utilisation to me... You'd think their duty controllers would set the schedules/areas better, wouldn't you?

[tbs]

Doesn't seem very efficient or effective resource utilisation to me... You'd think their duty controllers would set the schedules/areas better, wouldn't you?

Yep.

I thought the law of diminishing returns was well in effect.

[awa355]

I thought the first week at Police training school was spent on how to be around when NOT wanted, and the second week on how to never be found when needed. .

It's Murphy's law that you get overtaken on double yellow lines, THEN, Popo comes into sight,

[duckonin]

Good answer, thanks Rastus.

I must admit I left a wee bit out. The first car was tucked in behind an overibridge. A good place to catch speeders, but the traffic was a bit heavy for that to be particularly effective I thought. Then there was another car about 3-4kms down the motorway also sitting on the side of the road, but more in plain sight.
I was thinking sneaky entrapment... Hold up traffic a bit and then catch the speeders who put the boot down a bit after traffic clears.

Hmm, maybe I've bee reading too many of Akle's posts. Conspiracy theories starting to take hold.

tbs, your post was in context with what you were wanting to get across. Yes you are right.

Rastus has just gone off on another tangent to try and make himself important once more.

Cops are very well trained in this concept. probably has never been on the Auck's motoway.