Money Moral Dilemma: Should I park outside someone else's house to avoid paying?

pompeyrich

MichaelLib wrote: »

Actually it is just anti-social behaviour.Yes its not illegal just inconsiderate. After many years of petitioning the council in Feb this year they finally brought in curfew parking (ie no parking in road 10am to 12 noon mon to fri) and hooray we've got our road back. Bit inconvenient as have to pay £50 per year to park outside own house or use rather steep drive as I do

We live near a hospital and are now in a residents parking zone, it seems a shame that those nurses that used to park in the road and walk the 10 mins to the hospital now can't, even though the road is currently empty, well 4 cars in 40 spaces. Although it is nice to come home to a pretty much guaranteed space it does seem a bit selfish.

Richard53

NBLondon wrote: »

This Be the Verse - Philip Larkin. The first line that everyone knows.

I once read that line, misspelled as "They tuck you up, your Mum and Dad." I rather like that.

Teapot55

At some point in the past many of us gave up travelling to work on buses. That's definitely how my parents got there. I did too when I first started working but within a few years I had a car & my parents followed suit soon after.

At some point in the past buses stopped being subsidised by the local council and became profit-making enterprises that, unless I'm mistaken (?) still need public subsidy.

Then many of the unprofitable bus-routes disappeared, the frequencies of the buses dropped. Slowly, inextricably the bus-stops have moved away from where people need them to locations that are less likely to inconvenience the motorised traffic. In the nineties I had a part-time job that involved going from client to client every hour (not 'caring'). I had become too poor to run a car so I used to buy a weekly pass (paid for by my employer) and 'bus-hop'. You could get off at the corner, walk a few yards into the next road & catch a different bus. One always came along quite soon. You so could not do that now, because you would wait half-an-hour or something.

I've been lucky enough to have a job ten minutes' walk from home more recently (one of the reasons I took it) and still have use of a car should I need it.

I was going to say on this thread 'Why don't all these inconsiderate parkers all catch buses?' but I think it is too late to put the genie back into the bottle!

neilmcl

pompeyrich wrote: »

We live near a hospital and are now in a residents parking zone, it seems a shame that those nurses that used to park in the road and walk the 10 mins to the hospital now can't, even though the road is currently empty, well 4 cars in 40 spaces. Although it is nice to come home to a pretty much guaranteed space it does seem a bit selfish.

What's a shame is that those nurses can't be provided with free car parking by their employers instead of being ripped along with patients.

Mercdriver

neilmcl wrote: »

What's a shame is that those nurses can't be provided with free car parking by their employers instead of being ripped along with patients.

My mother was in Southmead hospital in Bristol a few years ago, and the office staff got designated parking in an area close to their workspace and the nurses were allocated an area that wasn't accessible before 8am that was in an area that was a fair distance from the wards. (at this hospital they call wards 'gates' and the main central area is laid out like an airport terminal - the bright spark that decided this on some brain storm didn't think there was any other context of 'departure')

The health trust decided to close the old main Frenchay Hospital and moved the operations to Southmead which is in a densely populated area. No surprises that the Frenchay site is now a huge building site, building executive housing.

Norman_Castle

Teapot55 wrote: »

I was going to say on this thread 'Why don't all these inconsiderate parkers all catch buses?' but I think it is too late to put the genie back into the bottle!

The vast majority of motorists never consider alternate ways of getting anywhere. Once becoming car owners that is the only way they will travel regardless of extra cost or inconvenience. When fuel prices increased a few years ago there was a noticeable drop in traffic. I think moving VED to fuel duty so motorists pay for what they use could make a difference.

NBLondon

Teapot55 wrote: »

I was going to say on this thread 'Why don't all these inconsiderate parkers all catch buses?' but I think it is too late to put the genie back into the bottle!

Yep - you've already answered the question. I've only ever had one job in 27 years where the bus was a sensible commuting option. At one point I had the choice of a 30 minute walk (half of which was through a Royal Park) or 40 minutes on two buses or 25 minutes by car and pay £6 a day to park (or park outside someone's house and then a 12 minute walk).

I walked. Took the bus if it was tipping down.

Mercdriver

NBLondon wrote: »

Yep - you've already answered the question. I've only ever had one job in 27 years where the bus was a sensible commuting option. At one point I had the choice of a 30 minute walk (half of which was through a Royal Park) or 40 minutes on two buses or 25 minutes by car and pay £6 a day to park (or park outside someone's house and then a 12 minute walk).

I walked. Took the bus if it was tipping down.

When I'm in Central London on business I find the cheapest car park I can find on the edge of the congestion charging zone and then make my way around Central London on foot. I will use the tube on occasion, but the bus is unpredictable and nearly every time I meet up with friends that are getting about on the bus, they are late.

It's difficult to say whether the congestion charge has reduced congestion or not. If I know what time I need to get somewhere, the most reliable way is by foot.

Teapot55

Norman_Castle wrote: »

I think moving VED to fuel duty so motorists pay for what they use could make a difference.

Not sure why this isn't done? They have half done it by having zero tax for the cars with low emissions and the converse. Maybe the costs would 'drive' (sorry) all the transport firms etc out of business?

Teapot55

Mercdriver wrote: »

When I'm in Central London on business I find the cheapest car park I can find on the edge of the congestion charging zone and then make my way around Central London on foot. I will use the tube on occasion, but the bus is unpredictable and nearly every time I meet up with friends that are getting about on the bus, they are late.

It's difficult to say whether the congestion charge has reduced congestion or not. If I know what time I need to get somewhere, the most reliable way is by foot.

Another factor is 'unsuitable clothing'. (Remember the old adage?) I have always been lucky enough to find waterproof jackets & trousers to fit me, along with hats or hoods with brims that mostly keep my specs dry.