Beware of machines

Published: 28 May, 2010

• IT appears that the “green machine” cleaning vehicle continues its harassment of the public (Pavement pounding, May 21).
At 9.25am on Monday, a young woman with a child in a pushchair claims she was almost crushed when she and her child were pinned against the post office wall in Essex Road. 

The brushes of said machine were said to have been within inches of the child. The woman and her child were in a highly distressed state. 
When I spoke to her, she was already telephoning the number on the side of the vehicle. The response she got was to be cut off. I advised her to telephone the police. Their response was “to come and fill out a complaint form”. I find this incredible. 

Compare this with poor Mary Cosh, who was chased by a police car, with blues-and-twos blaring, after clipping a wing mirror, as if she had just robbed a bank.
And yet, a mother and child are apparently almost crushed by a cleaning machine on the pavement, which is contrary to Section 34 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, and she is told to fill out a form.

I decided to give my local Safer Neighbourhoods police team a ring, to get their take on this matter. Their response was “it’s a political issue” and council policy that these machines can be used on public pavements. 
LARRY DORSET
N1