Drivers and their problems

David9694 wrote:

Toni Schiavone said "I understand, but I refuse to pay."

Sounds like Mr Schiavone (famous ancient Welsh clan, the Schiavones) understands English perfectly well, and should have had no trouble deciphering the parking ticket.

stonojnr wrote:

Its that time of year again, the annual Network Rail most hit railway bridge by HGVs list, a mere 1532 this past year, so only 1 every 6 hours. And it's Stutney Road bridge near Ely that takes the top prize 18 hits, so roughly 1 every 3 weeks. https://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/news/britains-most-struck-bridg...

Looks like they've got hi-viz, so maybe some kind of bridge helmet is needed?

David9694 wrote:

But you've still managed to scrape together a bunch of money in 2024/25 to have yet another go at Clevedon sea front because a few drivers didn't like it. 

I read somewhere (may have been on this very site?) that the parking charges will raise just enough money to pay for the changes that drivers want made to the seafront.  Unintended consequences and all that…

hawkinspeter wrote:

stonojnr wrote:

Its that time of year again, the annual Network Rail most hit railway bridge by HGVs list, a mere 1532 this past year, so only 1 every 6 hours. And it's Stutney Road bridge near Ely that takes the top prize 18 hits, so roughly 1 every 3 weeks. https://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/news/britains-most-struck-bridg...

Looks like they've got hi-viz, so maybe some kind of bridge helmet is needed?

And a couple of small plastic bollards will stop the lorries going anywhere near the bridge. 

Alternatively, we're looking at this the wrong way, roads are for cars and lorries. Bridges have no right to be anywhere near roads, they don't pay road tax after all, and so if a bridge gets hit, it only has itself to blame

What about the tortoise though?

To be fair, they never said it was a good example...

David9694 wrote:

"low income drivers" 

Genuine question, possibly something road.cc could look into: how do the costs of using public transport (buses, tube, hire bikes) compare with the costs of owning and driving a car in That There London?  I mean, London has arguably the best public transport system in all of England - as an occasional tourist, I honestly can't imagine why someone would own a car when they lived there.

A dangerous, reckless and aggressive BMW driver. Who saw that coming?!

David9694 wrote:

Fury over Devon seafront fines for cars 'overhanging' markings

One visitor said she had counted eight parked cars with tickets

https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/fury-over-devon-seafront-fines...

Isn't this just a natural obvious consequence of cars being manufactured bigger and bigger?

(edited - thanks, mdavidford!)

"the mum said there needed to be better signs to warn drivers of some of the potential hazards"

Errrr.... High hedges, narrow road, bends. And that's just fron that one photo. Why would any competent driver need a sign to tell them that they need to moderate their speed and use the horn ?

mdavidford wrote:

What about the tortoise though?

"Would passengers taking the 17.35 to Newcastle please bring it back."

brooksby wrote:

Genuine question, possibly something road.cc could look into: how do the costs of using public transport (buses, tube, hire bikes) compare with the costs of owning and driving a car in That There London?  I mean, London has arguably the best public transport system in all of England - as an occasional tourist, I honestly can't imagine why someone would own a car when they lived there.

Seconded - not a Londoner and never lived there so have no idea. But ... I used to visit and ... it's quite big. In fact, more like a series of towns / cities stuck together. And apparently public transport on the edges / just outside can be sketchy (made even worse by contrast with the centre I imagine).

brooksby wrote:

Isn't this just a natural consequence of cars being manufactured bigger and bigger?

I don't think there's anything natural about it.

If you've bought a car that's too big for the environment, I see no problem with fining you for parking it there - leave it somewhere where there is space. Or buy a different car. Or don't drive.

chrisonabike wrote:

 "Would passengers taking the 17.35 to Newcastle please bring it back."

Peter Cook's Scotland Yard detective on the Great Train Robbery: "I think I should make one thing clear from the outset, when you speak of train robbery, this involved no loss of train. It was merely the contents of the train which were pilfered, we haven't lost an actual train since 1943, I think it was, the year of the great snows, when we mislaid a small one."

David9694 wrote:

You may be interested in this follow-up story 

https://www.devonlive.com/news/news-opinion/devon-seafront-fines-branded...

Devon Live wrote:

They argue that the blame lies with the outdated markings, which are too small for contemporary vehicles.

Seems simple to me: make the parking spaces bigger (thus meaning there will be fewer parking spaces, since they'll also have to be wider) and reduce the width of the carriageway.

David9694 wrote:

brooksby wrote:

David9694 wrote:

You may be interested in this follow-up story 

https://www.devonlive.com/news/news-opinion/devon-seafront-fines-branded...

Devon Live wrote:

They argue that the blame lies with the outdated markings, which are too small for contemporary vehicles.

Seems simple to me: make the parking spaces bigger (thus meaning there will be fewer parking spaces, since they'll also have to be wider) and reduce the width of the carriageway.

Seems simple to me - stop using The Esplanade as a road / car park.

Yup, that would work too;-)

David9694 wrote:

How to catch the bus. There's also one about getting off it. If I was going to France or Gernany I guess there'd be no shame in reading up on how to use the RER and the U-Bahn. I guess this is a great way of removing obstacles to public transport use - one of the better things the internet has done -  but isn't using buses a life skill like brushing your teeth or tying your shoe laces??

https://youtu.be/5-yvQBZEhx8?si=foIco7ss8ljVBA8h

I've never found a bus system that didn't have a learning curve. I've ridden buses in at least:

• London (probably the easiest)
• Glasgow
• Chicago
• Washington, DC
• Seattle, WA
• Portland, OR
• Peoria, IL
• Denver, CO

I gave up in Dublin and walked everywhere, but I did find the train there easy to figure out.

It's (usually) easy to find a schedule and routes, but with an unfamiliar system it's often not obvious to figure out:

• Do I need to buy a ticket in advance? Day pass?
• Where do I buy it?
• Can I buy it as I board?
• Can I pay cash on board? How much do I need?
• Do I have to pay again if I transfer?

And yes, my expectation used to be that if I was waiting at a bus stop, the bus would stop. That doesn't always work.

HoarseMann wrote:

Heavy traffic "forces" driver to break the law...

https://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/24631810.colchester-woman-forced-bre...

Her journey of 0.5 miles is a 10 min walk, 3 min cycle or 4 min drive! (Colchester Institute to Rawstorn Rd).

Her home wasn't "inaccessible", AFAICS, it just meant she might have had to wait while traffic (of which she was a part!) cleared.  God forbid she have to wait like everyone else…

David9694 wrote:

“Some drivers will inevitably end up being very surprised when a notice of intended prosecution letter arrives on their doormat when they felt they had managed to slow down enough after spotting a police car in the distance.”

"But officer, I slowed down when I was passing your car…"

David9694 wrote:

...but isn't using buses a life skill like brushing your teeth or tying your shoe laces??

Exactly like it, in that you have to be taught; if "everyone" uses electric toothbrushes or slip-on shoes you probably won't!

Presumably "I have to drive the kids everywhere" at least in part because that's simply what everyone else does (and your kids will be the butt of jokes / abuse / social isolation if you don't.  Assuming they still spend some time not online?

I saw that. Comments closed and wiped out !
She made up the bit about roadworks.
And she also would have to have used the bus lane to access the pedestrian area.