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forum
Drivers and their problems
A new catch-all Tea Shop thread for those miscellaneous new stories that don't quite fit with parking, crashing into buildings or trapped/prisoners in their homes.
If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.
Latest Forum Topics
Latest Comments
- jaymack 4 min 2 sec ago
But there are always problems and complaints when one has a new pony or there's a changing of the guards it's probably because true love tends to...
- brooksby 11 min 53 sec ago
I withdraw my question (and intend to re-read articles before posting in future…) <sound of wrist being slapped>
- Rendel Harris 20 min 48 sec ago
I guess everyone's experience is different, I'm currently using a cheap pair of Rockbros photochromics for commuting that are completely clear in...
- Destroyer666 7 min 36 sec ago
No, clearly the article cannot be reduced to that - as it clearly states in the title it claims for the need for western bike wheel companies to ...
- chrisonabike 24 min 26 sec ago
A good answer, but that doesn't stop the question - how did it come to be so? (Yes - "it got that way because that's what happened"...)....
- hawkinspeter 50 min 30 sec ago
I had a pair of Fulcrum wheels that came with my Genesis bike, but shortly after buying it, a rear wheel spoke broke. Turned out that they used...
- mark1a 55 min 42 sec ago
No doubt harder. A work colleague of mine does the Dorset Coast 200 every month, and has just completed 10 years of consecutive RRTY. The only...
- mark1a 1 hour 52 sec ago
No and it's quite likely it's the parents driving, but every other post here from mitsky is critical of other content describing "cars" doing this...
- chrisonabike 1 hour 5 min ago
Looks like a lot of folks who might favour Reform in the comments......
- Keesvant 1 hour 27 min ago
You are axactly right.. I can buy 1 new tyre for my ford focus , If i buy 2 bicycle tyres.. We are being scammed allday, every day..!
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4167 comments
He told the Mail: "I'd happily let the people either side of me use my parking area, but the bollards now mean none of us can reach it. Do the Council want us to park on the road because that's will happen.
I've still got 18 months of the payments left on my car, and in this cost of living crisis there's no way I can afford their price for a driveway across the grass verge.
(me making-up nonsense again)
They've amended the wording in s170 from (old) "motor vehicle" to (new) "mechanically propelled vehicle" which must be broader in scope, but I don't know definitely if that includes pedal cycles - it's being discussed in the "cyclists stopped for "speeding" thread.
(1)Section 170 of that Act (duty of driver to stop, report accident and give information or documents) shall be amended as follows.
(2)In subsections (1) to (3) for the words “motor vehicle” in each place where they occur there shall be substituted the words “ mechanically propelled vehicle ”.
It seems likely not to include non-electric bicycles.
Less official source.
"The term "mechanically propelled vehicle" is not defined in the Road Traffic Acts. It is ultimately a matter of fact and degree for the court to decide. At its most basic level, it is a vehicle which can be propelled by mechanical means. It can include both electrically and steam powered vehicles."
(The police discussion goes into whether a bike ridden by a robot counts - I thought we were bad today!!)
leading to
Failing to Stop/Report an Accident
Section 170(2) RTA 1988 provides that the driver of the motor vehicle must stop following an accident and, if required to do so by any person having reasonable grounds for so requiring, give his name and address, the name and address of the owner of the vehicle and the identification marks of the vehicle. The duty to stop means to stop sufficiently long enough to exchange the particulars above: (Lee v Knapp [1966] 3 All ER 961).
Section 170(3) RTA 1988 places an obligation on the driver, if they do not give their name and address under subsection (2) above, to report the accident to a police constable or police station as soon as reasonably practicable and in any case within 24 hours. The duty to report means 'as soon as reasonably practicable': (Bulman v Bennett [1974] RTR 1). It does not mean the driver has 24 hours within which to report the collision.
My emphasis. So sounds like mostly "this will change parking - and even if I have a drive what if several people want to park? And if not I'll have to walk an extra 5 metres to my house!"
Sadly this chap has inadvertently scored "house" but perhaps this is worth noting as "what the man in the street (road?) thinks" - as he lists them:
Not necessary - there's been no accidents from cars (like the UK's "our roads are safe" we're missing "...because we've discouraged use by everyone but drivers")
It's going to lower the house prices
It's more dangerous because er... young toddlers ... have to beware of every single driveway (how is this different from before?) whereas before the footway "was just a straight road" (my emphasis). Presumably people with young toddlers might now be tempted to let their kids play or cycle - so that's the problem as we can't expect drivers to watch out for them?
The council may then decide to put in double yellows (to ... er ... allow motor vehicles to keep moving efficiently on the road?)
Whatabout delivery drivers, disabled people, the elderly?
So it's a waste of money.
Collier Row to Havering-atte-Bower is less than a kilometre; the two nearest hospitals are 2 km and 4 km away respectively. An 8mph electric mobility scooter can be had for around £1200 new or less than half of that good condition secondhand, a lot less than the scrappage price for her motor. Bank online, keep shopping locally and get the "big shop" delivered free, stop paying for petrol, MOT, servicing and insurance and get around for bobbins in terms of electricity required. It would also mean she could get into the hospital and GP surgery under power without having to walk from a parking space. You're welcome Ms A!
One more lane didn't get built and didn't therefore fix it...
Seven missed opportunities to transform Hull's gridlocked roads
They would have changed the face of the city had they gone ahead
https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/news/history/seven-ambitious-hull-road-s...
Wow. The ULEZ introduction is going to flush out a lot these instances of really inappropriate car use.
You're offering advice on transport options - it seems to me a lot of this has only a passing relationship with transport.
Meanwhile, grifters, conspiracy theorists and devotees of old bangers and rust heaps gather:
https://www.kentlive.news/news/kent-news/outrage-ulez-building-protester...
On the "but delivery drivers":
a) how about we put some pressure on delivery companies to stop their drivers PLAC already? (Because commercial pressures will be in the opposite direction!) Picture below from today but you'll encounter this kind of thing around Edinburgh every trip. (Note also the driver on the near right, also parked on double yellows right in a junction - I watched someone in a
largestandard vehicle dithering for a bit as to whether they could even get through here).Few of these "unsympathetic parking" incidents are the end of the world (nor indeed illegal or would certainly be defensible because "loading") but this seems to be "normal" and every one is an additional barriers to walking and cycling for the benefit of commerce / driving - in this case in a rare "there's actually a decent footway AND separate cycle path" location...
b) The genie is truly out of the bottle now but the massive increase in deliveries is recent-ish. So what to do? Better "local facilities" (like you might find in NL) or more deliveries in smaller vehicles ("last mile" from hubs) do provide a partial answer to this one (it's rare that Amazon are delivering sofas). But yeah, that's a generational-time change. Plus fighting against local capitalism, people's wants / expectations etc.
The standard Transit seems so unsuited to this type of work. The continual stop-start alone must cause disproportionate wear and tear. I think the old electric milk floats had a lot right - a much more open-bodied design for use in urban areas.
It seems like such nonsense that up to five different parcel delivery firms can appear in my little road on a weekday.
But, I retain a soft spot for the delivery men because:
(I) it usually is only for a minute
(ii) I'm very much part of the problem of using them
(iii) a lot of individual shopping trips replaced (but have these in their turn been replaced by others?)
(iv) bike tinkering and the ability to get parts delivered helped keep me sane in 2020
But they wouldn't completely block a "traffic" lane for a few minutes, would they?
Well... maybe a few of the most bolshy / biggest bulls in the paddock might.
However I suspect those fighting the "war on the motorist" have a pretty good grasp of where the *real* threat is actually from. And it ain't those irritating cyclists. Block the road with your motor and you'd probably soon be wishing you'd been spotted by Cycling Mikey or got hit by the tyre extinguishers instead...
i) yes... but the standard "just a minute" is measured in units of 5 minutes it seems.
iii) This should be a thing but IIRC there was some debate here before. Don't recall detail but probably a point to investigate rather than an axiom.
iv) I'm lucky in that a couple of the LBS will actually receive parts for people. Less convenient than a home delivery... unless you're out, or they deliver to the wrong flat, or they say you signed for it but actually they just stuck it in the main entrance and where is it now...?
What cars do to people
Exeter road rage van driver punches woman in face
The violent incident happened in broad daylight near Aldi supermarket on one of Exeter's busiest roads
https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/exeter-road-rage-van-driver-86...
Chertsey 'road rage' incident sees brick thrown at car window
Police have launched an investigation following the incident
"The suspects’ car is described as light blue and possibly an Audi or BMW."
https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/chertsey-road-rage-incident...
Police to use 'boy racer' deterrent at Malvern Shopping Park
The Link and Dyson safer neighbourhood policing team are trying to secure funding to install new signage around the Malvern Shopping Park.
Last month, Facebook users were complaining about a noisy car meet at the site, which has now prompted intervention from the police.
https://www.malverngazette.co.uk/news/23738268.police-use-boy-racer-dete...
Disabled pensioner hit with £100 fine for parking 'one inch' outside bay
Amal Bafaqih has vowed to fight the matter in court
"The yellow box between me and the other car is clear - there's nothing. Yes, fair enough, I shouldn't go on the yellow line - but it is just an inch. And every driver is not going to carry a tape measure, get out of the car, and measure the distance between you and the yellow line. That's ridiculous."
I checked the photo with my wife, "is that more that an inch?" I asked her, and for once, she agreed that it was.
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/disabled-woman-hit-170-fin...
Cars damaged after transporter overturns on the A20 near Farningham
A video, posted by Ben Slipper, shows what appears to be among others, an Aston Martin, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Alfa Romeo and an Audi in the transporter, as well as another luxury vehicle overturned on the road.
https://www.kentonline.co.uk/dartford/news/luxury-sports-cars-damaged-af...
A tricksey bit of headlining (see picture), a Tory self-own and a Labour contradiction?
Tory leader [of opposition] questions motives behind Medway Council red-route plans
He has revealed the scheme was put forward as part of an annual council “star chamber” meeting where suggestions are made for ideas on reducing spending or increasing revenue.
[The Labour leader] said: “If the previous administration viewed red routes purely as a money-making scheme, that says a lot more about them than it does for Medway’s new Labour administration.
“We are getting on with delivering the things residents have told us they want to see in Medway, less congestion and cleaner air.”
https://www.kentonline.co.uk/medway/news/red-route-plans-are-to-make-mon...
It's mainly Frothers United in the Letters column - just wanted to note that
"Facing a cost-of-driving crisis
Although there is some time to go, from 2025, vehicle drivers from Kent will have to pay to leave the county."
is all about tolls on Thames river crossings.
"travellers crossing the Thames both in and out of Kent will have to pay for the privilege." - yes, yes you will, drivers.
https://www.kentonline.co.uk/news/opinion/motorists-will-have-to-pay-to-...
New Greggs will make Keswick’s traffic problems worse, says trader
The headline and most of the article suggests that Greggs is going to cause problems while the actual problem is that drivers (and cyclists) are going the wrong way down a one way street.
The last sentence does link Greggs to the issue at hand with the "trader" saying that the new Greggs will increase footfall and might force the council to do something about the poor driving (and cycling) but it's a bit late by then.
https://keswickreminder.co.uk/2023/08/23/new-greggs-will-make-keswicks-t...
Car blocks resurfacing
Parked on double yellows for three weeks, stopping the Council from resurfacing the road.
Apparently there is nothing the Council can do to remove the car and they didn't want to bother the police.
Drivists really can do whatever they want.
But, but I thought shop traders liked footfall, and even cars passing? Have I been misinformed?
Seething Dartmouth trader fined as regatta visitors swamp town
The owner of an independent business in Dartmouth has blasted the impact of the town's annual regatta after he received a parking ticket.
Barry Hemmings, owner of Shopdeadgorgeous on Foss Street, says the car park he would normally use when loading and unloading into his shop has been closed off for the event, prompting him to instead park on nearby Market Street. He claims he returned to his vehicle 10 minutes later to find he had been issued with a penalty charge notice (PCN).
A spokesperson for Devon County Council said: "Loading is considered a continuous activity and our parking team would have observed the vehicle, initially 20 minutes casual observation followed by five minutes constant observation. If no loading was seen we would have issued a Penalty Charge Notice.
https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/seething-dartmouth-trader-fine...
on-line isn't Barry's thing - https://www.shopdeadgorgeous.co.uk/pages/about-us
Ulez spells ‘end for modern classic car (Evening Standard) ’
Trevor from Hillingdon initially talks tough with his Harley but eventually
“I’ll still ride my bike, I’ll just refuse to pay the charge and I’ll take it to a garage to make it Ulez compliant at the first opportunity.”
No time like the present,Trev.
https://apple.news/A6zNjpAtmRKKmnvP4T6HRUw
What cars do to people: Driver attacks traffic warden in street with wooden pole
Police said a 41-year-old man was arrested and the incident was dealt with by a Community Resolution, which saw him pay for the victim's damaged earphones
In this case, it looks like white van man bit off more than he could chew.
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/uk-news/driver-attacks-traffic-warden...
Nottingham personal trainer appeals 'ludicrous' park and ride fine after being clamped for parking overnight
NET said its rules are 'clearly displayed'
Mr Raeside complained that the signs were not clear enough to motorists. "The signs that I saw were quite big with lots of writing on, it's effectively small print," he added.
"I was convinced in the knowledge of being able to do it as I had for such a long time. They need to put better signage up or make people more aware."
https://www.nottinghampost.com/news/nottingham-news/nottingham-personal-...
https://www.nottinghampost.com/news/nottingham-news/hundreds-cars-clampe...
Avid cyclist alert
The people on the Welsh border 'confused' and 'frustrated' over how fast they're supposed to be driving
'It's going to be a nightmare for people to realise and remember' said one person of the different driving laws
Barry Watson (not the avid cyclist, he comes up later), who owns businesses with bases either side of the bridge including Chepstow Property Services and Wye Emporium, employs drivers who cross the border daily. “We travel it every day and the issue is the speed restrictions going up and down all the time,” he told WalesOnline from his Sedbury base.
“Why in the UK is there not a uniform rule for speed on default roads? It doesn’t make sense to me, and it’s particularly frustrating for people having to cross all the time. It suggests that one lot has got it wrong and the other is right, doesn’t it?
yes, Barry it does
I wonder how much money the authorities in Wales will gain from the amount of people who are going to be fined because they’re so confused by it all, especially if they don't live in Wales."
Drivers are raving about this simple trick to avoid speeding fines
“Even as a cyclist I don’t think it’s a good idea,” he said of the new Wales policy. “Generally I think most drivers are very patient and forgiving and drive very appropriately beside me. I worry that all this will do is attempt to force drivers to slow down and some will be annoyed by that. Sometimes I’m cycling faster than the drivers. I would worry about drivers who are angry and frustrated.”
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/people-welsh-border-confus...
Well, crashing a 40 tonne lorry is just one of those things you expect to happen every now and again. Thank goodness this driver was able to crash with such skill and daring.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12448151/Pictured-Hero-trucker-...
(I suspect there is a whole topic of stories along the lines of "I was driving like an idiot and kindly crashed with great skill to avoid killing lots of people").
Who knew?? And there was me thinking it was well, I dunno anything but too many cars
Firefighters being slowed down by traffic says Kent Fire and Rescue Service director
https://www.kentonline.co.uk/kent/news/firefighters-are-being-slowed-dow...
It's a nightmare to drive around the town
ST HELENS Council declared war on motorists a long time ago.
It’s a nightmare to drive around the town.
Lights, pelican crossings, so-called traffic calming temporary lights and roadworks everywhere, no parking everywhere.
Traffic wardens and even a two-hour limit for parking on the retail park... It’s pathetic.
This council have, over the years, turned our town centre into an eyesore concrete mess. It's nobody’s fault but theirs.
https://www.sthelensstar.co.uk/yoursay/letters/23745291.nightmare-drive-...
Another driver writes
Decline of town centre comes from pedestrianisation
THE decline of St Helens town centre runs much deeper than parking - it comes from the pedestrianisation.
This pushes all big businesses to retail parks and the few businesses left in town struggle as the footfall of potential customers declines... Eventually they close.
Once closed, there is no revenue for the council and so there needs to be something in the building that will generate revenue again and the only viable option is a food outlet.
This is because you don’t have to go to them – they will deliver, there is no footfall needed here.
Then there’s the people who work delivering the food. As demand increases, more delivery drivers are needed, which means more vehicles parked outside waiting for food so they can drop it off.
If the council wanted to truly regenerate this town, they would firstly reverse pedestrianisation of the town centre, allow vehicles back in, create more parking and put a limit on food outlets providing takeaways.
Yes, I know it creates jobs for drivers who deliver – but ultimately that’s all town will be in the end.
The last thing the town centre needs is knocking down and building accommodation and wine bars. Apparently, we need a new bigger bus station? Why? I can’t see people flocking here to go shopping; most of the bus services have been reduced or some just discontinued.
Get the conditions right and the town centre will thrive into the bustling place it used to be, pre-retail parks and pre-pedestrianisation.
These are two massive factors in the decline of the town centre.
Devastated dog owner fined £200 by 'jobsworth cops' for not wearing seatbelt while desperately searching for missing pet
Sonny Chambers was searching for his missing dog Penny when he was pulled over by police
Sonny, from Portsmouth, said: "I was in Nottingham for the weekend and I left Penny with a friend. As soon as I found out she was missing I drove straight home. I was sick to my stomach. I couldn't talk. It was a four-hour drive.
"The minute I pulled up, I went out looking for her and shone my torch out of the window. The police pulled me over and asked what I was doing so I explained what happened and they fined me £200."
https://www.hertfordshiremercury.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/devastated-dog...
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