Obscure laws

[snopes]

Comment: On the BBC show "Top Gear" recently the celebrity Simon Pegg
alleged that a due to an obscure law a pregnant woman in dire need can
legally request that a policeman offer her his helmet to urinate in, is
this true?

[Floater]

I once read in a guide book to public toilets in London, The Good Loo Guide, that there had at least been a law - the author had no idea if it still existed, but hoped it did - stating that a woman in need could ask a policeman to hide her with his coat while she did what she had to do in the gutter. A man in a similar situation was allowed to urinate on the outer hind wheel of a parked vehicle.

[Tarquin Farquart]

Originally Posted by Floater

I once read in a guide book to public toilets in London, The Good Loo Guide, that there had at least been a law - the author had no idea if it still existed, but hoped it did - stating that a woman in need could ask a policeman to hide her with his coat while she did what she had to do in the gutter. A man in a similar situation was allowed to urinate on the outer hind wheel of a parked vehicle.

A pregnant woman is supposed to be allowed to ask a policeman to use his helmet if she get caught short.

[Graham2001]

Rodney Dale, mentions this one on page 29 of "The Tumor in the Whale". However in his version (written around 1977/78) the person has to use the rear nearside wheel to 'do their trick'.

He also mentions that versions of the story existed with this being either proved in court or with the unfortunate individual being busted for using the wrong wheel...

[Floater]

Originally Posted by Graham2001

Rodney Dale, mentions this one on page 29 of "The Tumor in the Whale". However in his version (written around 1977/78) the person has to use the rear nearside wheel to 'do their trick'.

Whatever. It was at least 25 years since I read the book, so my memories about the details are somewhat vague. I do remember, though, a very late walk through Chelsea and Kensington when I suddenly felt an urge to test the law (without even having read about it yet). It all went well and the year after I tried to retrace my steps and discovered that it had happened in a side street behind the police station in Kensington.

[snopes]

Comment: I heard recently from someone who works in the Nevada Dept. of
Corrections of two ridiculous laws. The first, impeding the path of a
pigeon, I was unable to find anything online claiming it was true or
false. The second, however, did have some hits: Defacing a Hamburger. The
rumor is that removing the onions and pickles from a hamburger and
throwing them on the ground violates this law. The original source who
told me of this law was unclear as to whether it was state (Nevada), city
(Las Vegas), or county (Clark). I have searched the code for all three of
these bodies and have found nothing. Online the only source I could find
was a quote from a homeless man claiming the law to be on the books.

[TrekkerScout]

Originally Posted by snopes

The first, impeding the path of a pigeon, I was unable to find anything online claiming it was true or false.

Someone could contact Nevada Pigeon Control to find out.

Originally Posted by snopes

The second, however, did have some hits: Defacing a Hamburger. The rumor is that removing the onions and pickles from a hamburger and throwing them on the ground violates this law.

I don't think that "Defacing a Hamburger" would be the offense committed. Certainly, throwing waste on the ground is considered littering.

[Stoneage Dinosaur]

A decree banning women from wearing trousers in Paris is still technically in force, it emerged on Monday, making the laissez-faire French capital theoretically stricter than hardline Sudan in the fashion stakes.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/f...-in-Paris.html

[Eddylizard]

I thought we've talked about this several times. I can't remember the outcome though.

Right - easy. All I need is a pregnant woman and two train tickets to London. When get there we will request the helmet of the nearest bobby. I don't know if the law relates to City of London Police or the London Metropolitan Police so we'll need a couple of oyster cards too for the tube.

Then I'll take her to Paris her wearing a pair of trousers, and flaunt her in front of as many gendarmes as I can find - and see what happens.

The only flaw is finding a pregnant woman (in fact any woman) who wants to go out with me. You might have to wait, but watch this space.

Would anyone like to contribute to my research foundation, either financially or ideally by supplying the use of a pregnant woman for a day or three?