Push the button to get feedback - #w3g and the AGI follow up 3

The first idea to follow up from the #w3g (un)conference that I attended just over a week ago in Stratford upon Avon.

Chris Osborne, who is a digital adviser to the Mayor of London,in his presentation, mentioned a story which was picked up by the national media a while back.
It described a pensioner who was fed up with the volume of traffic passing his house in the village of Chideock in Dorset. The issue was geography-related as the lorries were often routed past his house by Sat-Navs as being the most efficient route, the roads through the village are narrow, and properties were being damaged by the constant traffic.
He decided to take action, but got no reply through official channels. So he started pressing the button on the pedestrian crossing just up the road from his house as traditional feedback hadn't resulted in anything. He did this time and time again, and traffic started to build up.

The result was that people started to take notice, particularly the people driving vehicles that ended up being stuck in the congestion that resulted from that constant pressing of the crossing button to bring the traffic to a halt.
Opinion is divided over whether his actions were illegal. This BBC Magazine article has more on the story.

In terms of teaching - make sure that feedback to students is appropriate and provided within a reasonable time... Don't make them have to press the protest button...

Comments