Security booms

[FlandersZA]

Ok, here goes a rant!

 

During the winter months I have been looking to maintain the fitness levels and so have been doing laps of a short circuit in the ‘burbs on the MTB during the week. Reason for this is that it gets dark so early and the route I do is quite well lit, has some decent climbing, plus I don’t have any lights on my bike. There is also minimal traffic. If my timing is off or I see that I’m becoming a danger to myself or others on the road because of insufficient light I can call it quits and head for home within 3.5km.

 

On this route I encounter two sets of security booms. At one of the booms, if the guy isn’t there or he’s busy I can easily enough ride around it and it’s no problem. The other upside is that the guys manning this boom are friendly. The other boom, operated by a different company, is what has been causing me grief. I have had two run-ins with the guards there and this is what happened:

 

I had been courteous up ‘til this stage and made a point of giving a word of appreciation every time the boom was lifted for me. During one ride I encountered a pair of security guards who, after a few laps, refused to open the boom for me, stating that it’s not their job to open the boom for bicycles – only cars. I understand that it could become tedious to open repeatedly for a cyclist and I certainly did not expect them to be stood at attention every time I appeared on the scene but I had words with them about it because it isn’t really possible to ride around the boom without unclipping and lifting the bike over a high curb. We quickly reached an impasse and basically I was told to bugger off and go ride somewhere else (Diepsloot, to be precise). I said to them that if they are too useless to do the one job they’re tasked with then I would do their job for them and lift the boom myself. I left and they muttered words at me which I did not understand.

 

A week or so later I was doing the same route and I recognised the one guy from before. Every time I approached the boom he pretended to be pre-occupied with something else; like inspecting the screws in his wendy house for rust, yakking at top volume to passing pedestrians, or studying either the insides of his eye lids or the contents of his upside-down guest book. No surprise. Like I had said, I’ll gladly lift the boom myself if it’s too much trouble for him – which I did. It’s one of those light-weight plastic booms so each time I would just slow to a crawl and gently flick it up over my head before going on my way. He flat out ignored me so I did the same.

 

After a couple of laps he saw me approaching and this time he came out into the street and blocked me. He informed me that he would not open the boom but that now it was a problem for me to open it because I was letting it fall and should it become damaged, I would be held liable. This is where I lost the plot. I told him in no uncertain terms that the boom his purely HIS responsibility and if he is too ******* lazy, stupid or patently useless to do the one thing in his job description then that is his problem. Once again he told me to go ride somewhere else as this is obviously an inconvenience for him and I’m making his job twice as hard. I told him where to go shove his request and went off on my way. That’s where my ride ended for the day and I have not been back as I’ve been away for the past two weeks.

In the meantime I have been quietly stewing over this – enough to write this longwinded rant about it anyway. I have not been back there yet but I refuse to be bullied off my own street by some lazy twat of a security guard. Does anyone know what the deal is with access to these boomed areas? Should I simply go higher up and try to speak to someone with half a brain in their head or am I really being unreasonable here?

[Pulse]

No simple answer.

Is the boomed area private property (including the roads, as in some estates)?

What is the gated area's policy on access?

[FlandersZA]

The boomed area is all public property in a regular suburb - public road.

[Pulse]

Well, that should be your answer then.

Public roads = public access

 

But managing the guard will take a bit more of a PC approach

[Stretch]

Take it up with the homeowners association and security company and tell them that MUST let you use a public road and if the guard is not willing to open for you or not allowing you to open for yourself then you will start a process of petitioning to have the boom removed (as despite what they say is illegal). It does not matter how long it takes you will make their lives hell

Edited July 16, 2014 by Stretch

[Pulse]

What Stretch said...

[pacific gtr]

Burn down the gaurd house

[gummibear]

During one ride I encountered a pair of security guards who, after a few laps, refused to open the boom for me, stating that it’s not their job to open the boom for bicycles – only cars. I understand that it could become tedious to open repeatedly for a cyclist and I certainly did not expect them to be stood at attention every time I appeared on the scene but I had words with them about it because it isn’t really possible to ride around the boom without unclipping and lifting the bike over a high curb.

 

Nothing that a KFC meal and 2L Coke won't sort out

[fanievb]

Burn down the gaurd house

And that will solve which problem exactly?

[KevinHow]

you can go up as high as you like on the management ladder, but you still won't find a brain....

[pacific gtr]

 

And that will solve which problem exactly?

 

 

No guard house , no guard no problem

[madmarc]

Is this area Dowerglen by any chance ?

[LOOK695]

I reckon gummi has found the solution

[fanievb]

 

 

No guard house , no guard no problem

You a numsa member?

[Danger Dassie]

Only cars eh? .... Get in your car early one morning and keep doing errands for an hour!

[pacific gtr]

 

You a numsa member?

 

Crawl back in your hole , or are you trying to insight a person