http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-17529648
"The Scottish parliament is being asked to back a members' bill introducing tougher measures to tackle irresponsible parking. "
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Cycling News
Call for tougher parking controls
(31 posts)-
Posted 13 years ago #
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Being a PMB don't suppose it will go far, but it's good that someone is willing to look at inconsiderate parking.
Of course if it's illegal parking it should already be being looked at...
Legal parking is a whole different matter - and is of course a 'human right'.
Was thinking about this as I cycled along (parked) car free Harrison Road yesterday -
As anyone who goes along here knows, it's narrow has speed bumps, tight bend and a bit of a hill - and (usually) cars in a hurry.
Wonder where all the 'must park outside my house' cars went. Could be so much better with double yellows and a cycle lane on the uphill side.
But this is Edinburgh/just an accepting part of the 'car culture'.
Don't suppose the Community Council would back this idea!
Posted 13 years ago # -
If they could have a word with the owner of the BMW that's parked outside the curry place that used to be Oscar's on Slateford road, that'd be nice. It's there in the bus lane just about every day.
Posted 13 years ago # -
I suppose, if it were a real nuisance, some impish person might commit a highly irresponsible and illegal act, such as dragging a key or blade right down the outside of said BMW's paintwork. Probably never see it there again after that. Of course in no way am I advocating that anyone should do such a thing. It might occur to someone if they were suitably irate mind you.
Posted 13 years ago # -
I wouldn't even write that here, Crowriver. Remember the EEN commenters sometimes pop over here for a nosey.
Posted 13 years ago # -
"Of course in no way am I advocating that anyone should do such a thing"
Quite.
But if it happened, you've now made yourself a suspect!
Posted 13 years ago # -
But if it happened, you've now made yourself a suspect!
Given that I am hardly ever down that way, most unlikely.
I get very worked up about the stupid, illegal, and dangerous double parking on my street, but I would never resort to such tactics. I just slalom around the various vehicles placed at jaunty angles, and wish they'd go away. They don't, well not for long.
Posted 13 years ago # -
I'm not sure a vigilante keying campaign by irate neighbours would be a good idea however bad the parking problem is - these things can easily escalate, and you could be living around the corner from a serious provider of illegal substances, not that I'm making any allegations local to us, you understand!
That said, I have often thought that there might be good mileage in legislation such that if the fire brigade are blocked by your vehicle they can ram it out of the way, and you must pick up the bill for damage to the engine... ;-)
Posted 13 years ago # -
My non criminally damagey notion for the BMW and ilk was to QuR one's front wheel on a wet day, get some gutter muck on it and run it across the boot, top and bonnet of car as if you'd just monstertrucked over it.
Posted 13 years ago # -
Uberuce - would you like to borrow a 4" tyre for that?
Posted 13 years ago # -
Or could erect a sign, "Bus lane closed, Diversion -->" just before the car, and "Diversion ends" just after.
Posted 13 years ago # -
Got to say I'm strongly against that sort of vandalism of someone's private property (keying vehicles), however strongly you feel. Firstly, if you had parked an expensive bike somewhere you considered either legal, or only a minor inconvenience to others, would you think it fair if you came back to find that a thousand pounds worth of damage had been done by someone to your bike because you were being inconsiderate? It's the job of the authorities to punish illegal parking, not ours. Secondly, sods law says you wouldn't get the inconsiderate individual anyway, you'd get poor mrs miggins who happens to have the same type of car and parked there for a few moments while she rescued sick kittens from the gutter (or somesuch). I'm afraid I do feel suggestions of criminal acts like that should be moderated off the board. They are neither sensible nor appropriate. Imho of course, and no offence meant to the op or other readers.
edit, @cb, love that idea!
Posted 13 years ago # -
"I do feel suggestions of criminal acts like that should be moderated off the board"
Came close but I tend not to mod/censor (outwith 'the rules') - apart from spam!
Leaving things allows for response/balance - like yours.
Posted 13 years ago # -
As an alternative, the Government could just ask insurance companies to add a condition in their standard terms and conditions that said that if a car is illeagally parked, it is not insured against damage of any type.
Posted 13 years ago # -
Cb's idea beats mine for devilish wit, hands down.
Posted 13 years ago # -
@chdot, fair enough :-)
Posted 13 years ago # -
VeloVision reported (yes I've bought the electronic subscription and am going through back issues)...
...that a French cycling group just parked around and in front of the offending vehicles en masse with posters reading the equivalent of "I'll only be a minute" - apparently illegal parking is common there with that catchphrase being trotted out as the excuse.
Robert
Posted 13 years ago # -
Parking instructor parked up (engine off) giving lecture to the learner today. On a blind corner. On double yellows. Just past a school.
Give them the bad habits early, huh?
Posted 13 years ago # -
Was it Alan's School of Motoring by any chance?
Posted 13 years ago # -
Police / Emergency services dont like double parkers either.
Friend used to live at far end of Watson Crescent (polwarth) and had to get up early for his building job - and was frequently double parked in a way that meant he couldnt get out.
He simply called the police every time, noted that fire engines woulc not be able to access the end of the street, cars were lifted and the problem was solved.
Not suggesting that will work for the 'occassional' double parker, but it worked for persistent offender in the same location.
Posted 13 years ago # -
Parking near schools..... the biggest obstacle to letting children cycle to schools.
My greatest hope is that as many children as possible could be trained on the roads beside their school. This would save the time taken on walking routes to the 'approved' areas and show we're serious about changing the school run. Getting children to walk with bicycles to go to bike training is not easy. I know - pack them in a minibus....!
Posted 13 years ago # -
He simply called the police every time, noted that fire engines woulc not be able to access the end of the street, cars were lifted and the problem was solved.
Round here folk just sound their horn, regardless of the time of day. The situation is crazy, as there are regularly big artics delivering supplies to an asian supermarket round the corner. Folk parked in front of on-street wheelie bins (despite double yellows and KEEP CLEAR signs), parking at junctions, double parking opposite each other so that the street is blocked entirely...
Posted 13 years ago # -
Alan's School of Motoring
I sent them an email a while back as one of their drivers didn't understand that cyclists are allowed / encouraged to merge with traffic on Forrest Road. I could hear him shouting at me even though I was legally there albeit on a recumbent bike (yes - he had a good reason you see!).
My email was polite and pointed out that his misunderstanding was commonplace. Worry is that a lack of understanding of how bike lanes are arranged might be passed on to pupils.
Never got an answer so just know to watch out for him ;-)
Posted 13 years ago # -
Nelly's solution is the legal one, point out no access for the emergency services and complain every time. If someone is sounding their horn in the middle of the night note the reg no and complain to the Police after all it is a "must not" in the Highway code:
"112
The horn. Use only while your vehicle is moving and you need to warn other road users of your presence. Never sound your horn aggressively. You MUST NOT use your hornwhile stationary on the road
when driving in a built-up area between the hours of 11.30 pm and 7.00 am
except when another road user poses a danger."Clearly an illegally parked vehicle is an inconvenience and not a danger (to the other vehicle in this case) and so it is illegal to sound the horn (in my unqualified opinion!)
Posted 13 years ago # -
""I'll only be a minute" - apparently illegal parking is common there with that catchphrase being trotted out as the excuse."
I used to live round the corner from a Coop which had loading bay for lorries except that the lorries were always out in the road blocking traffic. Why? Because a day-long succession of drivers who would "only be a minute" were making sure the loading bay was never accessable.
I also lived in Polwarth for a while. Very scary. Very glad I am out of there now. No way a fire engine could ever have got down our street plus we used to have the car horns all day and night too.
Tougher parking controls can't come too soon IMO.
Posted 13 years ago # -
"I'll only be a minute" - apparently illegal parking is common there with that catchphrase being trotted out as the excuse.
It also works under the assumption that the double yellow is there to deny the parker a parking space, not to keep a narrow / tight bend clear and free of cars / obstructions, not to keep a dropped kerb / island clear and with clear lines of sight. These are needed 100% of the time, not just when it suits the selfish car parker.
I've noticed in last few weeks a couple of instances where people have parked on the double yellows on the corner of Marchmont Crescent and Roeseneath Street outside the co-op to nip into off licence / cash machine / take away. On two occassions the Number 41 bus has been prevented from getting round the corner by island on its right and parked car on left and has had to resort to leaning on the horn to raise the offender.
Other week I was cyling over to Waverley and found a 3-way traffic jam at top of MMW. Was caused by careless parking (on single yellows) on both sides of Forrest Road - including cycle lane. Number 41 bus couldn't get round corner at Doctor's and couldn't back up. Traffic ground to a halt while they tried to pick the jam apart in the one way system.
Posted 13 years ago # -
"I also lived in Polwarth for a while. Very scary. Very glad I am out of there now." You whaa?? polwarth scary? well maybe if you're on the wrong side of the canal..... ;-)
Anyway parking on the double yellows is terrible. You would never catch me doing it just for 2 mins to run into Kaputnic's house to buy a frame off him.... that wouldn't happen!!!!
Posted 13 years ago # -
"You whaa?? polwarth scary? well maybe if you're on the wrong side of the canal..... ;-)"
It is when you keep hearing about tenement fires in Edinburgh, you live in a tenement and you know fire engines can't access your street.
Posted 13 years ago # -
I was once ticketed in Polwarth for loading in a parking bay - apparently illegal in Edinburgh, but no where else...
I was advised that I should have been loading on the corner, obstructing the junction, blocking the traffic, on the double yellow lines (without stripes, i.e. no parking, but not no loading lines).
Legally, they were correct, but they still refunded the fine when I challenged it!
Robert
Posted 13 years ago # -
@min Yeah You're quite right actually. Although the double parking problem has got better over the last couple of years it did used to be really bad. I had a woman that used to block my drive every night with her double parked car until kindly offered to move it out of the way with the very battered old rusty van I had at the time.... she stopped parking there strangely.
Posted 13 years ago #
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