Commercial vans :-(

[Stravaig]

Yes, I understand that people need to earn a living but don't agree that they should make our lives more difficult because of that.
In our little residential area it's residents' parking only. So, you get Mr Van Man parking the family saloon car in front of his house and his van across the road in front of ours. There are about three of them and they've got away with it for too long. Two of our neighbours don't have cars and I guess our tenants didn't either so it was a free for all for a while.

I'm going to get a blue badge and a 'disabled' parking space. I don't see why I should have to race some bl**dy builder or heating company to be able to get a parking space outside our house. Otherwise there'll be a van there and I'll have to risk life and limb to get to a parking space on a different planet. I just want it to be outside our house.

I don't think these guys ever think of anyone other than themselves. Do you agree? Have you also had any problems with van man?

[retropants]

Oh yes, our neighbour but one has a driveway, a big car and a van. The driveway is always empty and either the van or the car is partially blocking our driveway. I end up having to do multi point turns just to get onto my own property. Also, they have recently got a stupid dog that won’t stop barking.

[Stravaig]

Oh, I seem to have touched a nerve here. I agree. These guys are a pain in the backside. There was one at the bottom of our road used to park his van half in his driveway and the other half blocking the pavement. Any wheelchair or mobility scooter user would have to go down a step onto the road go round the van and up a step to go onto the pavement again. Fortunately he appears to have moved on.

I know not all disabilities are visible but not very long ago I was waiting patiently for the disabled toilet at a service station (I like the grab rail) and eventually this guy emerged. I would put money on it that he was a lorry driver either having a leisurely sh!t or perhaps pleasuring himself. If he required a toilet for disabled people then I'm a Chinaman*. He did look a bit embarrassed when he did eventually emerge and saw little old me with the walking stick waiting.

I saw a cartoon in Private Eye a while back. You know how you get parking spaces for disabled people - the cartoon had disabled spaces for van drivers marked "I'll only be five minutes love".

*Thinking about Chinamen, one lives directly below us in the flat. What a lovely guy. He just can't do enough to help you. I shall invite him to my party. Be nice to get to know him a bit better even if we are in the process of moving out.

[oldherbaceous]

Maybe a polite word with the offending drivers, explaining your situation, Stravaig, might help….a lot of the time, it is just down to lack of thought….

[Stravaig]

I agree, OH. A polite word wouldn't hurt.

Same with the builders next door who are dumping their rubbish on us and leaving us with an eyesore. I'm inviting the new owners to my party and welcoming them to the street. If/when they get here, eventually we might mention their bl**dy builders... and show them the results.

They've half demolished a wall to build something new on their side but left a half eaten wall on our side. If I was Alan Sugar I would say, "Where was their brains?" They probably don't have any.

Husband commented "That's nice, and you didn't even mention the problems they're causing." (Evil grin. )

[Colin2016]

Where I used to live every house had a garage attached, mine was the only one that had a car in it.

As for van some like to speed past our home when there is no need so I take a note of company and send email to Geo asking them to have a polite word with the driver.

[Stravaig]

Good on you, Colin!

We had a very nice house with a garage in Delhi. Unfortunately the garage door was too small to admit a normal sized vehicle - the oven was also too small to be able to make Yorkie puds and the temp could never go high enough. Don't ask.

OK designed by a woman architecht with no idea of those kind of things are the norm in the UK. Asian kitchens often don;t have ovens at all.

***
Slightly different subject... when we were getting this house done up to suit us, ie making the old kitchen into a utility etc, the builder (turned out to be a cowboy) seemed to have an accident almost every week. For heaven's sake, we've been driving around here for years without accidents yet every time he went out it seemed like someone crashed into his van - according to him. Nothing to do with him, eh?

I agree that some of the driving is dreadful around here. A couple of days ago a guy cut right across us to turn left. We were in the correct lane... he wasn't... I learned to drive in the army about a hundred years ago, that guy would have got shot for that.

I am going to have my tea now and rewatch the Star Trek Reboot film - it's grea!

[Westi]

I think I would be inclined to just knock on neighbours doors & advise them you have a disability & could they leave you access into your drive. We live in a cul-de-sac & I just advised the resident with the most cars, the father of children (both are still at home & have cars as well as his wife & he has a work car); that Mr had an amputation & would need space to get on the drive so can get his wheelchair out. They still all park in the close but now quite a way back & even help him get his chair out. No fuss, they just showed respect.

[Stravaig]

LOL! We don't have a drive. This is SE England and we're not millionaires. We can park on the road outside our house. Ours is also a cul-de-sac. I see someone across the road has claimed their space and they now have "disabled" prominently displayed at their parking place.

I've started the process of getting mine. I thought I'd need to get a GP appointment but no - just a form with my medical records. Gee, the people who write the records could work for HR - they just make up stuff about you. Apparently I used to be a chain smoker. Yes, I did smoke (I don't now) but I was never a chain smoker. Where the heck did that come from? Just some brainless idiot sitting behind a desk feeling self-important and making up lies about people.

I just want to win the lottery, buy a nice house and wave goodbye to all the idiots we have to deal with otherwise. I've been on a lottery winning streak but not much - a fiver here, a lucky dip there, but something is always better than nothing.

[Westi]

I don't know if legal but loads of folk around the area have knocked down their fences & just built a half wide wall & use those plastic curb ramps to give themselves access to parking right outside the door. Never seen any one remove them, so expect because they are considered not permanent that creates a loop hole.

As with all government form filling it is tedious, repetitive & too long; not to mention the protracted time for them to respond. I wouldn't worry about being labeled a chain smoker, that will add credence to disability as chain smoking gives you claudication which severely limits mobility. Mind you can just buy the appropriate stickers off 'A' for you car, just can't have the cardboard clock thing or park in the disability parking spaces, which btw you still have pay for. Strangely so many of these spaces are further away from the ticket machine, even if closer to the shops! Hmm???

[janjones]

Bala town has 5 designated disabled parking spaces on the high street and every sunny day they are taken up with motorbikes, 2 or 3 per bay. During covid, a traffic warden was appointed and now the bays are kept clear for blue badge holders.
My neighbor's and their visitors would regularly park outside my house until I pointed out that they were perfectly healthy and able to walk a few feet more to their cars and shame on them to make me struggle. Now no more problems.
Jan

[Primrose]

We have a similar parking problem. We live in a cul de sac close to the local grammar school who have advised all their sixth form students with cars to park in our road as there is insufficient parking for them on site.

So in rush hours parents dropping children off or collecting them use us as a drop off/pick up point or drives are blocked by inconsiderate student parking. Residents regularly have to ring up the school to get a student to come and move their car so we can get out to drive to a hospital appointment or whatever. And the police don't get involved in civil matters so a cause of constant frustration especially when tradesmen need to visit and can't find anywhere to park.

One problem is that planners never allow for adequate parking in new developments so the infrastructure is tarnished. from the start. The country needs to adequately plan for accommodating motor vehicles. They,re not going away. The economy depends on them!