Double Yellow line advice

johnfarquhar74

I'm reasonably familiar with the general rules when it comes to yellow lines but I have an issue that I can't seem to resolve so looking for advice.

Firstly, I don't wish to come across as a NIMBY but if that's how I come across I make no apologies. I'm just trying to help my neighbours out before someone is hurt or worse!

Basically we live on a residential road that has the entrance to a v. small retail park on one side and a large superstore on the other. These are both at the beginning of the road, connected by a zebra crossing, the road continues with housing and comes to a dead-end/cul-de-sac after 500 yds. The road has zig-zags around the zebra crossings and double yellows it's length towards the housing.

The complaint regards parking by the large lorries and home delivery vehicles that deliver to the superstore. The store has next to no goods yard so they have to sit outside on the double yellows. In my opinion they are neither loading or un-loading but waiting for access to the goods yard. They can be there all day from 0600 to 2300, sometimes later. Most drivers are considerate enough to switch off their engines (some chillers have to run) so noise isn't the issue. The issue is the fact that come christmas, there can be 3 or more arctic trucks all queued up on the double yellows, and due to there length, they often go over the zig-zags and sometimes even the zebra crossing. This, along with difficulty in safely passing consecutive long vehicles is the problem.
The store show no interest to the issues raised, they have put profit before safety by taking away possible waiting areas on their land to replace it with store extensions and more customer parking.
Communications with local councillors result in promises of more routine visits by yellow peril wardens on scooters but this has not made an ounce of difference nor has anyone witnessed a ticketed vehicle.

So can anyone confirm that the vehicles shouldn't be able to sit their for such long times (most are there for are least 10/20 minutes wating on 'slots' but some can sit there all day) or has the law changed so that trucks 'waiting' to unload are allow to sit on double yellows, white zig-zags and/or zebra crossings?

Any useful advice greatly appreciated!

cyclonebri1

The normal rules of the road apply.

They cannot stop on the zigzags and they cannot "park" on the double yellows, getting the relevant authority to do something about it however, is another matter. :mad:

Yes these situations rile me too, seems to be a different set of rules applied to certain issues in certain localities.

DaveF327

Given that the council has only sent parking attendants, you should now approach the police with regard to the pedestrian crossing offences. They won't be much interested in yellow lines but stopping on a zigzag is an endorsable offence and only the police can issue fixed penalty notices with penalty points.

If you can persuade a friendly plod to take issue with the zigzags, he may well deal with the yellow line offenders too.

Did the parking attendant or council explain why he hadn't ticketed a single truck?

johnfarquhar74

DaveF327 wrote: »

Did the parking attendant or council explain why he hadn't ticketed a single truck?

Simply because the truck moved! The proper traffic wardens are a bit thin on the ground here so hit trouble spots by nipping about on a moped/scooter. My neighbour said he seen them when they first arrived, they had a word with a driver and he managed to get into the goods yard. The superstore staff then started diverting traffic around the block to stop them sitting on lines whilst the warden was in the area. The minute the warden went elsewhere, the trucks appeared again. My old neighbour said if it was speeded up and dubbed with some benny hill-esque music it would have been quite funny!
As the 'proper' traffic wardens are a finite resource, if they don't perceive there to be a problem they don't come back as many times then eventually their appearances dry up.

skiddlydiddly

Hopefully the supermarket will be made to take action and provide ample waiting/unloading space rather than a kneejerk action which just punishes those drivers who are just doing their job and a victim of circumstance.

BLT_2

skiddlydiddly wrote: »

Hopefully the supermarket will be made to take action and provide ample waiting/unloading space rather than a kneejerk action which just punishes those drivers who are just doing their job and a victim of circumstance.

Exactly in essence the OP wants individuals who are merely doing their job to be ticketed and fined due to the inability of the superstore to provide suitable facilities.

johnfarquhar74

skiddlydiddly wrote: »

Hopefully the supermarket will be made to take action and provide ample waiting/unloading space rather than a kneejerk action which just punishes those drivers who are just doing their job and a victim of circumstance.

That's the only real solution but can't see it happening now, they've been there 10 years with the situation, they recently went through a massive refurb extending the store and taking more space away from the existing goods yard and despite numerous local objections from residents in regards to the delivery issues, the re-development went ahead.

johnfarquhar74

BLT wrote: »

Exactly in essence the OP wants individuals who are merely doing their job to be ticketed and fined due to the inability of the superstore to provide suitable facilities.

Mmm, in essence that's may what has to happen short term but long term the superstore has to sort the problem out, no? The vast majority of deliveries are from the superstores own trucks, not 3rd parties. Either way, should professional drivers be allowed to flout the rules of the road/law?

skiddlydiddly

Anything else is punishing them for something they cannot control.Wagons are usually booked into a time slot, if they miss it that can be it for the day.They're also subject to tacho laws.

If the supermarket doesn't have the space they should organise their deliveries more efficiently.A local Spar has similar problems where they receive regular deliveries from an HGV.They have no loading bay at all, just a small car park and the drivers have to park on the main road next to a crossing, right on the white zigzags.This is one of my pet hates but under the circumstances I don't see what else they can do.

martindow

May be you could get local councillors, the planning department and possibly local papers involved? Planning permission often has requirements for delivery times. The supermarket may well be more concerned about dealing with this if it could result in pictures in the paper and adverse publicity.

DaveF327

BLT wrote: »

Exactly in essence the OP wants individuals who are merely doing their job to be ticketed and fined due to the inability of the superstore to provide suitable facilities.

Two wrongs don't make a right.

Professional drivers who drive trucks should obey the rules. The supermarket staff directed them to keep moving when the warden was present, so what's wrong with continuing to obey the rules whilst he isn't? If they went onto the private land, close to the loading area and blocked a few bays, the supermarket management would soon get the message and at least it would be legal.