By the time me and Coco got there Tom Tom had saved 5 motorists from getting tickets in 10 minutes. We parked in Medway Street (the one in the middle of the two bus gates) and went about our business. I went to the top end, where the roundabout and car park are located and was quickly into action. I couldn't help thinking how much the set up there reminded me of the roundabout end at Hemel Hempstead bus gate. So when I was fortunate enough to stop someone committing a contravention, I asked them the same question I used to ask at HH.
Didn't you see the signs?", to which I invariably got the same, or a similar reply, "What signs?".
Deja vu.
Every now and then I would pop back to the cafe for a P and a T and on these occasions I saw Piggy, NEALR and a young whippersnapper wearing an unmarked hi vis who seemed to have taken to $chunting like a duck to water. It turned out to be Judasp (aka Dave) who lives locally and he had taken the opportunity to pop his $chunting cherry. Woohoo! :dancing: :dancing:
Then another, older gentleman appeared, wearing yet another unmarked hi vis. Like JP he also seemed to take great delight in making motorists aware of the $cameras. It turned out this bloke works at the bus station and had been watching us $chunting all morning with some amusement.
So when it came to break time he decided to spend his time with us, and to join in the fun. I get the feeling he might be doing it while we are not there as well. Another Denis in the making perhaps? :dancing:
The support we got from the public was great. In fact one young lady came up to me and was positively gushing about how fantastic we all are, and thanked us repeatedly for the hard work we do. I have to admit I actually started to blush with embarrassment when she was doing this, but it was very nice of her to do so. It's moments like those that make it specially worthwhile.
When I handed over to NEALR to do the final hour at the top end, I joined the others back in Medway Street where I saw another couple chatting with $chunters and watching us with great interest. I had a chat with them and then wandered round taking some photos (see below) and as we were packing up a few more motorists came wandering down Medway Street only to be intercepted by the couple we had been chatting to. Two more potential $chunters perhaps? It wasn't until JP got into their car that it suddenly dawned on me that it was his mum and dad. Doh!
A good day was had by all and we saved 169 souls from receiving the dreaded letter on their (not so) welcome mats next week. At sixty quid a pop that totals £10,140 we saved motorists in a 7.5 hour period, or to put it another way, £1,352 an hour.
I can safely state for the record that on what we witnessed on Saturday, there is something wrong with the signs and lines at this bus station. A letter will be sent to Medway council shortly on behalf of the NTM, in which we will detail the perceived deficiencies and invite them to meet us at the bus gate to witness driver's confusion for themselves. You may recall that we offered the same thing to Herts CC, but they declined, only to end up having to pay back all of their ill gotten gains at great expense to the unfortunate Herts taxpayers.
Incidentally, just in case there are any Medway council people watching, it might interest you to know that we will shortly be meeting officials from Herts CC at the HH bus gate to discuss our experiences and to suggest ways in which they might erect properly enforceable signs and lines. Will you listen to us Medway, or like Herts CC, will you need to be dragged kicking and screaming to the negotiating table?
Anyway, here is a starter for ten. This game is not open to anyone who was there on Saturday to play, because I have already told them the answer.
Below are pictures of the signs that someone at Medway council approved when it was discovered that some people were, according to the council, blindly following their sat navs. It was assumed, of course, that this was the only reason they had committed the offence of going through the bus gate, and the fact that poor signs and lines may have been a contributing factor was paid little, if any regard by the council.
The question is this:
What is it that is so intrinsically wrong with these signs, it makes their message potentially dangerous?