Today's Clash With Petty Authority...

Oh, sweet irony...

It was deliberate ffs! :-)

There you go.

The signs are miniscule, and the policy is obviously not consistently enforced.

@jonlubi - I thought it might be an insurance issue, hence alerting them to my 3rd party cover; but I realise having an 'insured cyclists only' rule would be hard to police, though I could flash the relevant ID/paperwork at the barrier.

I'll post updates. I'm interested to hear what's said about the cycling policy, but more concerned about this bloke's suitability for the role, and the welfare of my customers.

WAC!! How about organising the next CMWC there and just not tell him :) See how he likes it then... seriosly though a mass cycle through is a whopper plan BMMF at the front to keep the pace below 5mph :D

@cliveo - I've got no qualms about the term 'jobsworth'. It's a way of succinctly expressing that you think worker is voluntarily having his own will/intellect subjugated by lowest common denominator regulations. (I think that makes sense, and if it does, it's too much of a mouthful when you want to point it out)

On a brighter note, I'm grateful to the man for stimulating my adrenal gland, as I had an immensely committed and productive session on the turbo trainer when I got home :)

Three points to make.

"Jobsworth" was, if not devised by esther Ranzen, at least popularised by her. It is a term, accordingly to avoid.

Mr****** was probably known as "six-star" by his mates which is not a bad term of endearment.

As a graduate of UCL I am tempted to return my degree certificate in protest at this absurb behaviour. Sadly my wife binned it years ago with just about everything I owned pre-marriage.

You didn't 'grauate' in English then I take it, Clive?
Last edited by andyp; 7 Minutes Ago at 17:34.. Reason: to keep Sano happy - shame cliveo was a cad and a bounder and sneakily edited his original post

Look more closely--the cad and bounder amusingly missed 'absurb'. He'll edit that one too in a minute, no doubt. ;)

The signs are miniscule, and the policy is obviously not consistently enforced.

@jonlubi - I thought it might be an insurance issue, hence alerting them to my 3rd party cover; but I realise having an 'insured cyclists only' rule would be hard to police, though I could flash the relevant ID/paperwork at the barrier.

I'll post updates. I'm interested to hear what's said about the cycling policy, but more concerned about this bloke's suitability for the role, and the welfare of my customers.

Is there really such a policy? Where is it written down--regulations for staff and students or some such thing? Sometimes, signs like this are accidentally left from when there was such a policy.

If there is a policy, challenge it on inclusive access grounds--as some people with mobility difficulties require their cycles as a mobility aid, it is potentially discriminatory to ask them to dismount and in this case by far the easiest course of action to allow access to all. Try finding out who negotiates insurance terms and when insurance is renewed (if soon, hopefully) and furnish them with these arguments.

There you go.

yep...

worse things happen at sea...

thing is the same thing happened to me in cardiff, i just pushed said security guard into a deep puddle.
He was unknowingly a retired Police Inspector (apparently) and phoned up the bill with his retired status and called a riot van !! Thats what you call abuse of power..

Anyway after a good handcuffing and having my face pushed into the tarmac, i was let free.

and nothing came of it since he started the whole affair by behaving in a threatening way to me. All on camera of course. What a cunt.

You should never call anyone a "jobsworth prick", is unbelievably offensive. I've had many a run in with cuntish security guards but i've never said that. I've also had a row with one of the staff members in the DMS watson and I didn't say that!

Also, traffic through Mallet Place is controlled, it's not like anyone can drive through there, so you cant really compare it to a 'normal road'. It's only about 100m from the DMS Watson to the road... just walk it!

Just a case of pride I suppose.

I remember the lady security guard being close to tears in Trafalgar Square, because we didn't "walk" our bikes in the square, on the Bridges Ride.

Poor love. The futility of her situation was lost on her.

Even when I tried to be nice to her, she lost her rag. I don't think she ever found that rag again.

Or just get on one of your pedals after dismounting and do the bobbing cycling technique right down to where ever your going.

You should never call anyone a "jobsworth prick", is unbelievably offensive. I've had many a run in with cuntish security guards but i've never said that. I've also had a row with one of the staff members in the DMS watson and I didn't say that!

Wtf? It should be mandatory to call everyone who displays jobsworth type behaviour, a jobsworth prick.

If the cap fits...

Even when I tried to be nice to her, she lost her rag. I don't think she ever found that rag again.

I bet one of the hipsters on the ride picked it up to put it into his back pocket with a bit hanging out.

You think it might have been a SPECIALIZED RACE RAG?

Sponsored, of course.

You think it might have been a SPECIALIZED RACE RAG?

Sponsored, of course.

Probably the LFGSS SPECIALIZED SPECIAL SPONSORED EDITION RACE RAG!

Damn I missed out on getting one of those...

Damn I missed out on getting one of those...

We could always start a list in case they are reproduced.

stein
cliveo
Mr ******

I think we all know who flounced off with their LSSSERRag.

:) :D

Terrible things happen every day. On Tuesday I discovered a note attached to my bike. Once I had managed to decipher the handwriting ( a LOT of Capital letters, and, odd: punctuation) I realised that the person who had left it had called me a cunt. Not only that but they suggested I use the "fucking A-Z". Is that any way to address a respected member of the couriering community and an old man to boot?
I have a pretty good idea who the note-leaver is; there's a guy always hanging around the park next to our office asking people if they can guess his VO2 max and talking about how a bloke called 'Dewey' screwed up his life. He's more to be pitied than despised. Or so I thought until the obscene note incident. Now I'd like to throttle him with my bare hands or, for added 'irony', a Rapha cravat.

PS I am a graute of UCL so I think my views count for something.

good letter-hope you get the response/result you deserve.

+1.

'jobsworth' = 'its more than my job is worth to bend the rules or turn a blind eye to a non adherence of the rules that I am poorly paid to enforce as I face the possibility of redundancy and future financial hardship' .

( no excuse for this pricks aggression though )

The security have a tendency to be a bit flaky at UCL - I work there too. I walked under a barrier onto Gordon Square and the guy in the security hut went crazy - started shouting and swearing as if I had just thrown a brick at a small child. Totally over the top! Again, I wasn't supposed to walk under the barrier.

Always jump a barrier, it looks better.

Always jump a barrier, it looks better.
Only if you make it over the top - otherwise it is much much worse!

Never failed yet.