I couldn’t believe my eyes and ears this morning. Walking towards Northampton train station from across Spring Borough, the early morning silence was broken by what sounded like a diesel lawnmower. As I came nearer, I saw a man with a machine, one of those used to blow away leaves, blowing away tiny gravel stones at the stations GRAVEL car park.
Northampton train stations main car park is a mixture of tarmac and gravel. The parallel lanes are tarmac but the parking bays are filled with gravel and stones. As cars come and go the odd car tyre displace tiny amounts of gravel stones on to the tarmac. This man spent the best part of an hour trying to remove these stones from the tarmac area. He did this at a very leisurely pace with little urgency but plenty of annoyance.
Why he was bothering to do this was beyond me. Who was making him do this? Surely the station can find better use of their money?
This has to be one of those jobs that combine the waste of time, money and sense all in one go.
Do you know of a useless and pointless job? Why not share it with others.
Friday, 22 August 2008
What is the point of this job?
Wednesday, 2 July 2008
Breakdown Britain: Yobs reach yet another new low
There seems to be no let in the yobbish behaviour that is plaguing breakdown Britain. However, this time I wasn’t reading about youngsters sinking to yet lower levels of bad behaviour but rather being in the thick end of their mindless acts of violence, intimidation and criminal damage.
As if my daily train journey from Northampton to Birmingham and back again isn’t eventful enough with frequent delays and disruptions, today’s return journey home took four hours and a momentary near death experience.
As we set of on the 18:48 from New Street, all was well as could be. As we approached Stechford, a small station 5 minutes from Birmingham International, the train, travelling at no less than 80 miles an hour, shuddered and screeched then staggered for over a mile as the breaks tried furiously to engage. The train, carrying no less than 300 people, tried in vein to maintain itself on the track. The passengers young and old, including a heavily pregnant women in my carriage held their breath. No one knew what was happening. It happened so quickly. The train was seconds from derailing or so it seemed. The pungent smells from the breaks were overpowering but we all sat in silence. It came to a complete standstill a mile or so from the impact with what we later learnt were shopping trolleys left on the track my mindless morons. The shopping trolleys got tangled under the train, causing the “air pipes to disengage”. That was the explanation of the driver.
Most of us were resigned to sitting out a couple of hours as mechanics were being despatched. People took out their mobiles, busy texting and calling their loved ones and rearranging lifts. People made small talk, doing as we do, when faced with such situations. Some cursed the perpetrators whilst others cursed their own luck.
What happened next was totally unexpected and frightening. Nothing could have prepared the passengers for the bricks and stones that reined in from across the fence on the banks. A group of no less than a dozen black teenagers threw stones and bricks at the train whilst shouting abuse. It was surreal. They just appeared from nowhere. There was nothing anyone could do but sit back and hope that the bricks did not come through the windows. One window shattered completely but did not break, forcing the train driver to march everyone to another carriage in the already congested train.
When police arrived 15 minutes later, they found no one. The mindless B*****d’s had fled. Two hours later, the mechanics had managed to remove the tangled trolleys and fix the fault to enable the train to just about reach Birmingham International. British Transport Police had given the train a thorough check as well as taking statements from passengers but the damage was done. While consequences of the disruption were felt by all, most people were just grateful that we did not end up derailing and involved in a crash and fatality.
Throughout the two hours, the driver and his crew did a sterling job keeping us calm and well informed. They did their best but there was no denying that as yobbish behaviour had sunk to yet another low tonight. Can things get any worse?
Tuesday, 1 April 2008
Sex and CCTV tapes
A new £50,000 camera has been installed in the Castle Ward of Northampton to catch kerb crawlers from using prostitutes plying their trade in a ‘designated’ area of the town.
The camera in Quorn way industrial estate is the latest initiative by the Community Safety team who want to send out a ‘strong’ message that anyone using the area will be will be caught.
The camera, paid for by the Casper and Neighbourhood Renewal Board, is there to put an end to street sex working in Northamptonshire Police.
Herein lies the contradiction given that the area was part of a groundbreaking pilot which designated it as a ‘safe’ area for prostitutes to ply their trade in the town. Internet sites encouraged people from as far as Birmingham to use the area. Those responsible for the pilot acknowledged that whilst it was attracting people from afar, it provided the police and those services which wished to support the prostitutes with a better chance of keeping tabs on the girls. However, when you designate an area for the sex trade, and unless I am mistaken, you expect punters.
This policy of turning a blind eye and then turning tough is all very confusing and if the authorities cannot get their act together as to how they wish to tackle this problem, these half baked and all too often expensive measures will cause more confusion that convictions.
Saturday, 16 February 2008
The needle did prick our conscience
So the needle is no more. The brain child of the increasingly ineffective WNDC has been confined to depths that contain the doomed roof on the market, the arch over the M1 and flats on the lift tower.
What the needle debate did highlight was the desperate need for this town to have something to create a sense of identity, instantly recognisable gateways which tells you are entering or in Northampton and brings about a feel good factor that the town lacks.
The needle had its detractors from day one and whilst I didn’t agree with the complete condemnation of the idea, I do understand why many felt it inappropriate given that so much needs to be done to improve the infrastructure and public services of the town.
I have to say I quite liked the idea, not necessarily of the needle itself but something that would remind young and old about Northampton’s proud shoe past. Apart from the statue in Abington Street, there is nothing to celebrate the contribution the town has made to the shoe industry.
Northampton needs gateways, a strong brand identity with blatant links to its shoe past for all to see and appreciate. A new generation of children have no idea what made this town famous and how they can share in its past as they look to the future. Yes the shoe museum is great but for the contribution this town made to the leather and show industry, the museum just doesn’t do it justice.
Although it has been condemned and consigned to the history, I hope the needle does make a comeback in the future when we have addressed some of the more pressing issues like the Grosvenor Centre, bus station, trains station etc. and find a place for it on a smaller scale and strategically positioned in one of the many gateways to this town.
The primary reason for knocking the needle in my view was not necessarily that it was a bad idea, but it was bad timing. If people didn’t feel as bad as they about the town, they would have seen the merits of the structure and grow to like it.
Sunday, 16 December 2007
'Thank you Northamptonshire' - People of Bangladesh
Members who travelled to Bangladesh did so at their own cost The primary reason for taking the taking the money in person was to see for ourselves just how our money is spent. We also wanted to bring evidence back for the mainstream media and the wider population. For too long, people have doubted whether relief gets to those who need it and they had good reason to do so. For the first time in Bangladeshi’s history, they Army looked to do things differently and we wanted to see how. During the 6-day visit, we met with the Army Chief of Staff, General Moin U Ahmed at the Cantonment to personally handover the draft. This was gratefully received and he thanked everyone for their efforts (See video).