[OSM-talk] Never again :-)

[Robert Lister]

On Sun, Dec 09, 2007 at 03:47:25PM +0000, David Earl wrote:
> On 09/12/2007 15:21, Tom Higgy wrote:
> > Nick Whitelegg wrote:
> >> Tom - agree that if that was a public highway, the guy had absolutely no 
> >> right to stop you proceeding along it.
> > 
> > Given his objections and the small size of the cul-de-sac there didn't 
> > seem to be any point trying to argue with him. I know I only went about 
> > half way up it so know to add twice the length I have a trace for.
> 
> At least he didn't threaten to set dogs on you like a guy did to me last 
> week! That was the first time I've encountered any hostility while mapping.

When out on my bicycle I usually wear a hi-vis jacket. I have found that 
this comes in handy on and off the bike. Very rarely does anybody want to 
challenge me walking about in a hi-vis jacket, carrying various 
instruments/tools/camera (and sometimes a clipboard).

Maybe this is partly looking 'official' and partly if I was up to no good, 
I wouldn't dress in day-glow yellow/orange and look very conspicuous.
(Wearing a hoody does the opposite!)

Once I had a puncture and no time to fix it, so had to abandon the bicycle 
and continue my journey on the tube. I was carrying my rucksack and a cycle 
helmet, yet still I got asked for assistance six times on my way to the 
office. It was only when I got to the office and took off the hi-vis vest 
that I realised why. (But I was secretly impressed that I knew the answers 
to all sorts of random "how do I get to...." questions :)

I have once been mistaken for a parking attendant when standing next to 
somebody's car, taking digital photos on a corner, tapping things into a 
PDA.

I quite often survey cycle lanes which involves taking photos in odd places 
like halfway down a road by a bus stop, or at a junction etc. 

One time, one of us was taking a photograph of cars parked in a cycle lane, 
to demonstrate to the council the crap cycle facility and the lack of 
parking enforcement, and this guy pulled up, parked in the cycle lane and 
got out of his car and saw a photo being taken which included his car, and 
man-in-hi vis jacket, and thought he was going to get a parking ticket! 

We explained that no, we were just doing a survey of cycle lanes, but that 
he probably shouldn't park there as it was putting cyclists into the path of 
oncoming traffic. (In a contraflow cycle lane in a narrow one-way street.)

I handed him one of our flyers and he just walked off (And was still parked 
there two hours later!)

I find it helps if you have a piece of paper or a card on you, that you can 
give out which explains the project and what you are doing, as they are more 
likely to believe your story rather than out looking to steal cars or some 
other trouble!

Some people have asked what I'm doing out of curiosity rather than 
challenging me, they come up and ask "So, what's this about then..?" 
so I just smile and chat to them about it in a friendly way for a bit.