Pointless Jobs
I just sat at the traffic lights just now and watched as council street cleaners were picking up tiny bits of paper from the gutter with their pickup tools. That has to be one of the most stupid and soul destroying jobs on this planet. The gutter looked just as bad when he’d done his bit as it did before he started.
What the heck was wrong with the old fashioned street sweeper? Surly to goodness a brush and cart can’t represent a health and safety issue, it can’t not be environmentally friendly?
The mind boggles!
Can anyone suggest a more pointless job?
Bill
John Regular Poster
Posts: 150
(19/5/06 12:41 pm) Reply
Re: Pointless Jobs
I remember regularly seeing council vehicles that were designed to brush the gutters and collect debri as they drove along. I think they could also clean out the drains as well with a suction tube. However I don't recall seeing them for a while but perhaps they just don't run them as often as they used to. Still, a guy with a brush is at least usefully employed and could cover other areas (i.e. verges and pavements) than just the gutters.
I remember the ones. I think they were ok when the roads wernt full of parked cars but these days there's few streets that would allow them to work properly. The council actually still run some because I see them filling up with water at a hydrant near to the office.
I'm sure I remember something like the icecream cart, sort of a bike with a rubish box on with brushes and a shovel. I may be imagining things I'm not even sure myself now!
Bill
John Regular Poster
Posts: 151
(21/5/06 10:37 pm) Reply
Re: Pointless Jobs
Hi Bill,
Quote:I'm sure I remember something like the icecream cart, sort of a bike with a rubish box on with brushes and a shovel. I may be imagining things I'm not even sure myself now!
That may have been a bit before my time Bill, do you mean when they had horses instead of cars ???
John Regular Poster
Posts: 152
(22/5/06 12:16 pm) Reply
Re: Pointless Jobs
Actually Bill I saw one of the gutter cleaning vehicles along Manchester Road this morning. The council in their wisdom apparently decided the best time for a large vehicle driving down a main road at 3 mph is in the middle of the rush hour!
Re: Pointless Jobs
Oddly enough I saw it also, attempting to clean the gutters opposite the Dog and Partridge but the parked cars made it virually impossible.
Irene was with me at the time and sugested they should have a timetable for street cleaning and cars shouldn't be allowed to park during the cleaning period. Good idea but it would never work. In any case even if something like that could be done, we would only end up with clean gutters and dirty pavements.
Bill
John Regular Poster
Posts: 153
(23/5/06 12:07 pm) Reply
Re: Pointless Jobs
This morning, in Fearnhead lane, I saw a smaller version of the one I saw yesterday (also in peak traffic time).
Perhaps the Council have read this post and have acted upon it !!! (or maybe I've only noticed them since the topics been raised)
Re: Pointless Jobs
Hi gang,
the industrial estate I work on gets cleaned in the early hours, when there are no cars parked along the roads.
I am not sure how often the road I live in gets cleaned but they do come round, dodging the parked cars.
Pehaps that's why they use litter pickers, so they can pick litter out of the gutter from under parked cars.
At times I am not sure if they are council workers or people doing community service for their missdeeds. I think it may be the latter as they do a better job with their task masters looking over them.
Re: Pointless Jobs
While I was in the states last year, on several occasions I saw convicts picking up litter from the motorway verges watched over by the sheriff with a bloody big gun! Made me wonder if the people picking up the litter were jailed themselves for littering??? No messing about there; get caught littering and a big heavy fine and if you refuse to pay you go to jail. Simple and very effective.
Pointless Jobs
Made me wonder if the people picking up the litter were jailed themselves for littering??? No messing about there; get caught littering and a big heavy fine and if you refuse to pay you go to jail. Simple and very effective.
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