Quote:
Originally Posted by Whenurhappyhttp://images.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/sr...s/viewpost.gif
Should the CoC also consider offering this kit to private vehicles, thus exercising a broader duty of care?
No he should not. To do so would represent a gross intrusion into an individual's private life. :ugh:

Well, I was being tongue-in-cheek but it does beg the question where liability rests when an employer is assisiting with commuting costs and is introducing policies that specifically remove housing 'entitlement', requiring considerably longer commtes - and almost always by car or bike. Apart from RAF Northolt, I can't think of any RAF unit that has good public trasnport links...

Back to the subject of MT safety. Firstly, the car I was given to drive recently up to Lincolnshire and back was virtually asthmatic. 0-60mph probably took about 17 seconds. It actually felt dangerous at times driving along the A1, particularly heading south where High Dike joins the A1 just north of Colsterworth. With my foot to the floor, I must have made it to about 40mph by the end of the accelerating lane. Quite scary with the very fast moving traffic trying to get around me.

Secondly, my colleague had a red light come on during a very long drive to Lossiemouth with most of the journey in darkness. With the box mounted just above the dashboard, it was extremely distracting to have a huge bright light reflecting off the windscreen as it came on and off intermittently.

You did report this to MT Control when you got back to your unit didn't you?

Was that not a sign that he should modify his driving in order to keep the light off?

The car was brand new! Economy model plus very small engine capacity to save money = crap performance and dangerous in my book.

No. It was a sign that the box had an intermittent fault that resulted in a startling bright light coming on and off at will. Similar faults have been reported on several occasions where I work.

No, he should have covered the lights with some bodge tape and put the car U/S on arrival!:E

Not in fact Mr C. Even if one is perfect, the light is bright green and not off, and unlike all other cockpit lights does not appear to dim when external lights are selected.

Moreover (good staff word!) a momentary excursion - swerving to avoid bird/dog/idiot for example - which exceeds the lateral g limit ensures that the red light illuminates for (I think) 5 further minutes.

Fortunately (as I noted in an earlier post) my new staff car has the device hidden in the bowels of the vehicle (or - in a cunning double bluff - is not there at all!), so I'm forced to rely on my own judgement to decide whether I'm safe/legal/sensible or not.

Sorry to spoil your point with facts .......... ;)

Party Animal, whatever was this feeble vehicle?

The High Dike slip road is only about 400 ft long, so assuming you were doing about 15 mph on entry, if the wheeze-box had only cracked 40 mph when you joined the A1, that would have given you an average acceleration of only about 3.75ft/s² - meaning if it kept up that stunning rate of acceleration it would take nearly 24 seconds to reach 60 mph. Almost 100E Anglia performance - if that isn't an oxymoron....:(

Quite right Teeters. It makes you wonder if the designers (and supporters) of such systems have ever driven along an unlit road at night - let alone been anywhere near a cockpit!

BEagle - Ford Fiesta with the smallest diesel engine available. Engine felt like it was seriously straining at 75 mph. Overtaking HGV's cruising at 56 mph took forever and it didn't take long for a line of faster cars (with irate drivers) to build up behind me during such manouvres. Of course, the safety minded may suggest that I should have stayed with the HGV's at 56 mph but in the real world....:*

Poor you. Your employer deems it suitable. Adapt your driving technique or take public transport.

You may have noticed the question mark at the end of my question that denoted it being a question. I was asking a question because I did not know the answer. If this was such a problem for the driver, a small kerchief or other item could have perhaps shaded the light.

As I've said before - a good idea poorly executed.

Well, every day's a schoolday! ;)

And you Sir may have noticed the ;) at the end of my dotted lines (or ellipsis if you will) which denoted irony... ;)

But I do agree with you - a good idea poorly executed.

BEags but the piece de resistance of the 100E and similar was surely the wipers working (sic) on manifold vacuum, thereby ensuring they wheezed to a halt when you put your foot down to accelerate - even at 1072 Flathead Ford rates.

My employer is MOD and I'm not aware of such models being procured for use by Stn execs or higher levels of command.

The MT contractor where I work deems it the cheapest solution versus the maximisation of profits. Two very different things.

As an advanced driver, just what technique do you recommend exactly for accelerating onto a motorway/dual carriageway? Are you suggesting stopping at the intersection until there is a gap in the traffic?

As for public transport - what budgetholder would approve a mixture of rail travel and taxis at huge expense when MT is duly available?

My employer is MOD and I'm not aware of such models being procured for use by Stn execs or higher levels of command.

So what? This has no bearing upon your car or it's suitability. The glib answer would be 'RHIP - get promoted then' and Wg Cdrs got Corsa level cars last time I saw them.

The MT contractor where I work deems it the cheapest solution versus the maximisation of profits. Two very different things.

That has nothing to do with the car you used - which is approved for use on UK roads and meets all required standards.

As an advanced driver, just what technique do you recommend exactly for accelerating onto a motorway/dual carriageway? Are you suggesting stopping at the intersection until there is a gap in the traffic?

Whatever magic technique the other people driving similar cars or other slower vehicles use. It seems to work. I've seen them on the roads.

As for public transport - what budgetholder would approve a mixture of rail travel and taxis at huge expense when MT is duly available?

There members of the Armed Forces who can't / won't drive. They use public transport. If yo want to read the regs it is still probably the default mode of transport and what you'd be offered if a car were not available.

Your wants and needs are not the same thing, and that has forever been something MT suffers from. Special customers want a gold-plated turbo-charged air-conditioned answer, when what they need is a metal box with not much more than a wheel at each corner and a steering wheel. If it were the Army bitching about the crappy transport fleet you'd shrug and say 'that's what we've got, sorry. We want better.', yet some poor bugger in MT is at fault for dealing the cards played?

As I mentioned above, public transport (and I mean buses and trains) are hardly an economical option (both in fiscal and time-management terms)when travelling to and from most RAF and Joint Units (try to get to Shrivenham using public transport - the taxi fare from Swindon to Shriv is more expensive than an off-peak Paddington-Swindon ticket). Accordingly MT is required - principally self-drive. But having outsourced much of the white fleet, the Services are behoven to the contractor and through the Army lead. Having said that, friends working in other government departments don't seem to be under the same degree of pressure. The FCO have a fleet of rather smart hybrids - and a fleet of bicycles! Furthermore, FCO officers still travel by first class for rail journies greater than an hour, and mid-tour leave from overseas posts is still via Business Class for the whole family (dropped in June this year for seconded MOD personnel). Ditto Home Office officials.

The 66 bus runs to / from Watchfield and is a 7 min walk from Swindon Station. Anything from 28 to 40 min total journey time and it is pretty regular.

Always happy to help you, whenurhappy! :ok:

Does the 66 run on a Sunday?








Almost every military course I've ever been on starts first thing on a Monday morning. Trying to get to St Mawgan for a course starting at 0900 on Monday, in an era where air travel wasn't being authorized, meant leaving the north of Scotland on Saturday because of the train times. It was also only a 3 day course, so why couldn't it be held from Tuesday to Thursday (and yes, I did put that in the course critique, but needless to say nothing changed!!)

Yes it does. :ok:

Just for those who occasionally use public transport is a superb website that tends to give the best answers is www.transportdirect.info

Postcode to postcode, links trains, buses etc.

I'll have to remember that website......


...after, it's not that long until I get my free bus pass! :(

PA,

I feel your pain but although I was there earlier today, I certainly didn't share your sense of continental drift acceleration. My other half will crown me if she reads this - I was in her car. Maybe if you had continued a couple of miles and then turned left down that discrete lane, you could have part ex'd your Ford for something slightly less wheezy and rheumatic..?

Armoured Vehicles, MOD Sales, Military Vehicles & Used Ex MOD Land Rovers for Sale

Al,

Have you actually checked the title of your link? :ok::ok:

I know, someone at Witham has too much time on their hands I think. Definitely more appetising than CH's (far worthier) link a few minutes before mind.. ;)