Parking on the pavement - SELFISH motorists!

Norma_Desmond

I'm going to let off some steam! I live in a tiny village that does get quite busy with tourists in the summer months, my house fronts directly on to the pavement where drivers seem to think they've got a God-given right to park right across my front door step, blocking the pavement entirely......my house has been hit by numerous car doors and I've been almost run over on a couple of occasions. The police, in fairness, are very good, but obviously can't patrol 24/7, but the local council are dragging their feet regarding the installation of bollards/railings on this stretch of pavement as they said there isn't enough room to erect bollards and to allow for disabled access. Bloody hell! - no-one, even the able-bodied can get by NOW! I've really had enough of stand-up rows with selfish motorists who can't be bothered to walk 100 yards from the perfectly adequate car park down the road. What I'm wondering is, do I have any legal redress against the council for when (not if!) my house is damaged or I am injured? Sorry for the rant!

Binxy

Wow Norma, you don't live in my parents old house do you? They had the same problem exactly. And also with huge articulated lorry drivers who would helpfully reply "Just popping to the loo, love"

She used to say "Let me know where YOU live, and when I'm passing I'll come and park on your DRIVE!"

Where I live, we have allocated parking spots, and allocated visitors spots too. We park in ours, and whoever wants to can park in the next one. Except when that's full, so they use ours :mad:

The worst of it is, when there ARE proper visitors spots available, and they STILL choose to park on the bend of the road, over the pavement. To get past them, you have to walk INTO THNE ROAD on a blind corner. For gods sake!

I can't tell you how often i've wanted to scrape my key right down the side of their pretty shiny cars

Norma_Desmond

Too right Binxy; I've accidently(!) bashed a few cars with my shopping bags trying to get into my house!

shrek101

I have same problem, vehicles often use the pavements to drive on or to stop and drop people off. I don't mind folk dropping people off but sometimes they drive so close to my house that when the car doors opens it bangs against my property knocking the paint of the boundary wall.

We often get artics who bump up on the pavements to drive on, a few feet from my house, they terrify my kids.

We have yellow lines outside my house when I moved here 14 years ago there wasn't yellow lines. I hate going shopping because when I come back there no where to park so I have to pull up outside my house to rush into house to drop off bags, and then get abuse form morons who use our street as a rat run.

I get so stressed with the inconsiderate morons who don't get a damn about people who live here, I have almost come to blows with some people and I am unfortunately not alone in this. I would love to move just to get off this street.

Its okay for those who use our street many have nice gardens, driveways or just park on the pavements all the time. But wow betide us residents who want to pull up and off load goods for a few minutes, we are just an inconvienance to rat runners.

SidB_2

Norma_Desmond wrote:

the local council are dragging their feet regarding the installation of bollards/railings on this stretch of pavement as they said there isn't enough room to erect bollards and to allow for disabled access.

Ask them to put it in writing because you'll be taking legal advise on the matter. They have a legal obligation to ensure that highways and pavements are safe and free of hazard. They get sued for loose paving stones after all.

ilovefreebies_2

I sent a complaint via http://www.complain-online.co.uk to the local council last friday.

I got a reply today saying it has been received by the council and passed to the relevant person. Lets see what happens!

The problem is where I live the yellow lines are that old and broken that no one takes any notice of them and the police cant do anything till the lines are repainted. Its mad!

Norma_Desmond

Sympathies Shrek - but let's not allow the ******* to grind us down! I've taken photos and film of these idiots, ready to pass on to the local press and will shortly be informing the council of my intent to put a few great big whitewashed boulders on the edge of the pavement. I'll probably get the 'book' thrown at me, but it's good publicity! I adore my lovely old house, and won't put up with this for much longer!

shrek101

I have taken many photos, video, drivers don't like it, its one reason why they come up to me and get abusive. I have had my video shown on local tv and photos published in a book, believe it or not.

Its going to change soon anyhow yellow lines removed and traffic claiming in place but there still wont be enough space to park. I don't normally park on the street accept to off load and or put items in the car to take to tip which is pretty rare.

I pay to garage my car because of the stress of not finding anywhere to park and car gets damaged by drivers driving to close to park vehicles. As I hardly use the thing it is more likely to get damaged parked all day.

When my kids were young at the bottom of my street a business uses the pavements to put tyres on cars. You have to walk on the road, and one day I had enough because you endanger your kids having to avoid the parked cars and walk on the road. When I reported this to the Police, you guessed it they don't do a damn thing.

There was a time when roads were a shared area for people and horses and even cars. Now even pavements are for vehicles.

shrek101

I forgot to say we requested a few years back bollards on the pavement outside even though it would slightly inconviance us it was to stop drivers using the pavements to drive on (which has cause ruts in the pavements) like you, the council refused, said it would cause problems for disabled people. I accept it may be a possible problem and last thing I want to to cause problems for the disabled. But it would stop the hidden danger of drivers using pavements and stop damage to kerbs/pavements.

I look around my town and there bollards every where, so why were we excluded?

surfcat

someone could accidently drop some milk bottles outside your door....

Norma_Desmond

Shrek, your last comment is so true! My house is 250 years old, built when our tiny main street was horse-and-carriage only. I actually like living in the centre of the village and passing cars aren't a problem as it's not exactly Piccadilly Circus, but when some lazy moron pulls up 2 inches from my window, gets out leaving the engine running to post a letter it makes every old sash window in my house rattle! I can't get double glazing (even if I wanted it!) as the house is in a National Park AND a conservation area. No way am I giving up on these selfish prats!