Traffic Officers

A few years ago I started spotting an increasing number of sparkly new 4x4 vehicles in bright, luminous livery cruising around the UK's motorways. Looking at first like police vehicles you of course slow right down when passing one, but then you notice that the colours aren't quite right, and it doesn't say 'POLICE' on the side, but 'TRAFFIC OFFICER' in the Window.

So why am I blogging about Traffic Officers? Quite simply because they're getting on my nerves and they're a complete waste of time. Fulfilling their role as a 'New Labour money wasting scheme', 'Traffic Officers' can regularly be seen slowing down traffic flow on most busy UK motorways. Yessiree - pulling up behind motorists stranded on the hard shoulder and turning on flashing lights so that everyone can have a good stare is a real great idea. Indeed lets kill two birds with one stone, - making everyone think there is an incident, and in doing so, increase the risk that there will be one!

Am I missing the point? - Or is the sheer pointlessness of these people apparent to me alone? I just don't get it. It's like Police 'Community Support' officers, only on the roads, and with less power than even those muppets. Maybe they have some special role which I'm missing, but I only ever see 'Traffic Officers' do one of two things:

1. Cruise up (or down) the motorway network.
2. Pull up behind a car in the hard shoulder and put their lights on (and have a chinwag with the unlucky motorist).

Seeing as cars stranded in the hard shoulder aren't impeding the flow of traffic in any way, I don't quite see what point it serves pulling up behind them. Let's say the poor soul doesn't have a mobile phone on them - even then there are emergency phones connecting directly to the police control room all along the motorway - installed and operated at great expense I might add. Now I'm guessing that after all that driving around the Traffic Officers are that bored, the primary point of the exercise is to have a bit of company, but is this really worth the money?

So the Highways Agency website has the following to say about Traffic Officers:

'The Highways Agency Traffic Officer Service staff are trained to a high standard in everything from safety to dealing with customers, traffic management and the use of technology.'

'We also keep the public informed through our electronic message signs and by supplying information for local travel reports.'

'We patrol the motorways in vehicles marked as traffic officers with high visibility markings.'

Well what can I say.. they are trained how to use a TomTom... they keep us informed with flashing message signs and help update the travel reports.. Thats money well spent folks. I guess we're putting in those multimillion pound CCTV systems, overhead displays and active traffic management systems for fun. The traffic officers have it all in hand.

Can they really not think up anything better to waste our taxes on? Meh..