Sheffield chainsaw massacre

[rossmalone19]

A was on the contract for 6 months every tree is getting replanted and people who didnt want the tree taken down wanted free wood chips or logs and most of the people wanted them removed as they dammaged roads peoples cars pathments kerbs but the proteters dont think about other public safty if they are wanting the trees saved they should take responsability if someone get injerd becouse of them when a was there the protesters out side our yard followed us to ever job took photos videos walked under the tree when a was up in it and gave us abuse becouse we was doing our job and made facebook pages like save sheffeild trees

[Billhook]

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[David Humphries]

 

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[Gary Prentice]

Can anyone explain to me under what authority, the LA with the assistance of the police, can actually wake you up in the early hours and demand you move your car?

 

My limited experience of this is, for 'essential' works, that notices are normally posted in advance that under the power of this or that act, parking is temporary suspended on such and such road on whatever dates.

 

Not getting into the whole debate of the Sheffield debacle, as I don't know enough about it, but I'm really having difficulty understanding how anyone concerned thought that going about doing the work this way wouldn't end up in tears.

 

I think I'd probably get arrested if a copper/arborist/highways official knocked me up at 5AM demanding I moved my cars.

[kevinjohnsonmbe]

Quite agree Gary. And it's a pity the duty inspector (or above) didn't foresee the screamingly obvious PR fart of arresting and incarcerating pensioners (perhaps age is irrelevant in the eyes of the law, but it's not in the eyes of the public)

 

It's all too easy to look back at how things might been handled better, but when there are highly paid and qualified senior officers in charge, proactive anticipation of operational requirement, appropriate and effective execution of public duties, media handling and prevention of reputational damage are core skills of senior officers which are as important (if not more important) than operational reaction.

 

I hope the PCC is asking serious questions of the Chief officer and his management team who should be seriously navel gazing.

 

Knock on my door at 5AM for an emergency, give me a minute to wake up and gather my thoughts then I'd most likely be supportive and onside.

 

Knock on my door at 5AM for routine works that had intentionally not been notified in advance and it would be a very different story.

[Gary Prentice]

I'm still hoping to get an answer, from someone, as to under what authority these actions can be carried out.

 

I can imagine the reaction (and consequences) turning up on a job and lifting someone's motor because it's in the way. It seems to me that the council have exceeded and abused whatever statutory powers exist to undertake the works and hopefully are bought to task for it.

 

I've been following this a bit, on another forum where, I believe, a former Sheffield TO has been quite supportative of the NEED to do a lot of the works, due to lack of funding in previous years. Actions like this do little to endear public support or sympathy for the programme.

[kevinjohnsonmbe]

I'm still hoping to get an answer, from someone, as to under what authority these actions can be carried out.

 

I can imagine the reaction (and consequences) turning up on a job and lifting someone's motor because it's in the way. It seems to me that the council have exceeded and abused whatever statutory powers exist to undertake the works and hopefully are bought to task for it.

 

I've been following this a bit, on another forum where, I believe, a former Sheffield TO has been quite supportative of the NEED to do a lot of the works, due to lack of funding in previous years. Actions like this do little to endear public support or sympathy for the programme.

 

 

Doesn't seem to conform to Part 4 of the Traffic Management Act. I doubt you will get an answer because it appears not to conform!

[Kveldssanger]

A was on the contract for 6 months every tree is getting replanted and people who didnt want the tree taken down wanted free wood chips or logs and most of the people wanted them removed as they dammaged roads peoples cars pathments kerbs but the proteters dont think about other public safty if they are wanting the trees saved they should take responsability if someone get injerd becouse of them when a was there the protesters out side our yard followed us to ever job took photos videos walked under the tree when a was up in it and gave us abuse becouse we was doing our job and made facebook pages like save sheffeild trees

 

And the protesters have a right to do that. What is going on in Sheffield does not align with fair and democratic processes that this country should pride itself upon. Wanton destruction for whimsical reasons associated with bottom-line savings - and all to suit an elongated contract, where the contractor hasn't a care in the world about trees - is utterly pathetic, and re-planting these trees is not the same as retaining existing ones (by any stretch of the quite nebulous imagination of some). Frankly, you need to plant 100 trees to recoup the value of removing one mature tree, at the very least. And what about aftercare? Oh, that costs money, so I wonder whether they'll actually do that in Sheffield as it should properly be done. I have my doubts.

 

This might be a rather provocative addendum, but "doing your job" isn't an excuse for anything. It's sheer dissonance of an issue, and equates to hamstering away something one has done because it could - if not hamstered away - be met with an adverse mental state by the person(s) who did the action(s).

Edited November 19, 2016 by Kveldssanger

[Gary Prentice]

. Frankly, you need to plant 100 trees to recoup the value of removing one mature tree, at the very least. And what about aftercare? Oh, that costs money, so I wonder whether they'll actually do that in Sheffield as it should properly be done. I have my doubts.

 

 

I may be wrong or associate this with another authority, but I'm pretty sure that the planting issue was in the news some time back.

 

Each replacement tree was somewhere in the region of £2-3k (IIRC), which was attempted to be justified by cost of tree+planting+aftercare and pruning for the contract duration. (30yrs)

 

Ironically, again IIRC, there was some photos, before and after, of mature trees on a road replaced by what looked cherries. The reason for removal being that the existing trees were damaging the highway infrastructure.

[Gary Prentice]

 

This might be a rather provocative addendum, but "doing your job" isn't an excuse for anything. It's sheer dissonance of an issue, and equates to hamstering away something one has done because it could - if not hamstered away - be met with an adverse mental state by the person(s) who did the action(s).

 

Well that will or should spark some discussion.

 

Can I point out Chris, respectfully, that you work in a position very different from the contracting side of the industry. In that side, you do what you're told by the boss or client. It would be nice to turn away jobs that you didn't agree with, but taking the high ground doesn't pay the mortgage nor feed the kids.

 

I can't speak for others, but I've topped hundreds of trees, knowing that it's wrong, when I haven't been either in a position to refuse to do it or been in a position to offer alternative specifications. The same with felling decent trees with long SULEs.

 

You're in the position that you do work you dislike, object to and even hate - but hopefully tomorrow you do something that you see beneficial or of value in some way. If you can't hamster it away, you've three choices; leave the industry, start on your own and pick the jobs you agree with (you'll struggle to make a go of it) or study to try to get in a position where you can get your voice heard.

 

The problem with the last option, is that then you find too many people at the higher levels of authority don't give a damn about trees anyway. You only need to look at some of the comments about 'replacing' semi-ancient woodland by a recent Environmental Minister and what's going on with this high speed train thing.

 

The problems the arbs have been getting at Sheffield, if anything, are poorly directed. But as usual, the contractor bears the brunt of the public emotion.