My OperaLaws of Modern Life
Monday, January 21, 2008 2:42:39 PM
Law No.1 - “The progress of road works is inversely proportionate to the noise created.”
Yet again our road is being dug up. The contractors start work as early as is legally possible (and earlier if you let them get away with it). Drills hammer into action making sure that nobody remains asleep. If this happens to be on a Saturday then hard luck! The din continues for a hour or so until some one turns the volume control down.
Those with a keen ear would still detect the rhythmic thump of pick and the scrape of shovel. Others simply go about their bleary-eyed business grumbling. Of course at around ten thirty all is silent. Only those close enough to the site could detect that hive of activity known as 'brewing up'.
Experienced observers of this phenomena could tell you how they have noticed the changes wrought over the decades. Since the introduction of 'competitive tendering' and 'contracting out' the 'work' patterns of this sub-culture have changed markedly. Nostalgically they would relate stories of labouring gangs running the job from start to finish – gangers in charge.
Alas that is no longer the case. It is now common to see one group come along to drill and remove the tarmac (they might even dig a hole as well). Next the engineer (water, electricity, gas, etc) does his work. Now (invariably) there is a lull when only part of the work has been done but the contractors for the final stage (filling in) are elsewhere.
Law No.2 - “the length of time that road works are left idle is directly related to their potential for chaos”.
In other words the more trouble it can cause the longer it will be there. (Motorway repairs might be an exception but I have come across many an idle set of cones seemingly left their without rational purpose!)
Of course the clannish nature of this sub-culture is well known. How else can we account for the same piece of road being repeatedly dug up by successive gangs? It was thought that, maybe, they didn't all speak the same language but careful observation has shown that the same contractors can, and do, return to the same spots time and time again. Perhaps this is a nesting instinct?
At 13:00 I note the absence of sound. A short walk shows the site gaily cordoned off with brightly painted barriers and streamers – very festive. But where are the Santas? Gone off to another job no doubt leaving a gaping hole. Methinks that might be a bit of a metaphor for modern planning!
(P.S. I'm told there's a grammatical error in here somewhere – can anybody spot it?)
Yet again our road is being dug up. The contractors start work as early as is legally possible (and earlier if you let them get away with it). Drills hammer into action making sure that nobody remains asleep. If this happens to be on a Saturday then hard luck! The din continues for a hour or so until some one turns the volume control down.
Those with a keen ear would still detect the rhythmic thump of pick and the scrape of shovel. Others simply go about their bleary-eyed business grumbling. Of course at around ten thirty all is silent. Only those close enough to the site could detect that hive of activity known as 'brewing up'.
Experienced observers of this phenomena could tell you how they have noticed the changes wrought over the decades. Since the introduction of 'competitive tendering' and 'contracting out' the 'work' patterns of this sub-culture have changed markedly. Nostalgically they would relate stories of labouring gangs running the job from start to finish – gangers in charge.
Alas that is no longer the case. It is now common to see one group come along to drill and remove the tarmac (they might even dig a hole as well). Next the engineer (water, electricity, gas, etc) does his work. Now (invariably) there is a lull when only part of the work has been done but the contractors for the final stage (filling in) are elsewhere.
Law No.2 - “the length of time that road works are left idle is directly related to their potential for chaos”.
In other words the more trouble it can cause the longer it will be there. (Motorway repairs might be an exception but I have come across many an idle set of cones seemingly left their without rational purpose!)
Of course the clannish nature of this sub-culture is well known. How else can we account for the same piece of road being repeatedly dug up by successive gangs? It was thought that, maybe, they didn't all speak the same language but careful observation has shown that the same contractors can, and do, return to the same spots time and time again. Perhaps this is a nesting instinct?
At 13:00 I note the absence of sound. A short walk shows the site gaily cordoned off with brightly painted barriers and streamers – very festive. But where are the Santas? Gone off to another job no doubt leaving a gaping hole. Methinks that might be a bit of a metaphor for modern planning!
(P.S. I'm told there's a grammatical error in here somewhere – can anybody spot it?)
