Residents are holding rush hour protests against commuters who clog their inner-city streets to avoid parking charges.
People living near the Mancunian Way in Hulme say they are sick of their streets being used as ‘free car parks’ so drivers don’t have to pay for parking in town.
They say around 100 cars arrive every day from 6am onwards.
Now they are holding morning and evening protests around Hulme Street to confront motorists as they pick up and drop off cars, asking them to park elsewhere.
This takes me back nearly twenty years. I was out in the driving school car teaching my client to reverse around a left-hand corner. We had stopped by the side of the road so that I could brief him when a resident came out and started haranguing us about practising outside his house. I listened for a moment or two to this as he regaled me with a story about another driving school conducting a turn in the road and had accidentally damaged his fence after mounting the kerb. I asked what had happened after that. The insurance paid for a new fence, he told me. Well, that was the end of the matter, then – nothing to do with me, I explained.
This gentleman wasn’t satisfied with my apparent indifference to his plight and became increasingly animated. Eventually, after several minutes of this (which was wasting my pupil’s precious time), I explained politely and calmly that this was a public highway. The vehicle was road legal and I was fully entitled to use it. As I had planned to carry out a simple maneuver and then be on our way, it was of no inconvenience to him. As such, I was going ahead with my plans and would use this junction whenever I felt that it would suit the needs of my learners.
Another such individual ranted at me for allowing my pupil to reverse park outside his house. I was a little more short on that occasion. We were on our way to the test centre, so I had neither the time nor the inclination to indulge such NIMBYism. He phoned me later on to complain – he thought that the school was more than just me as he wanted to complain about one of the instructors. I told him that I was the instructor concerned. His response was to state that he didn’t like my attitude. I rejoined by telling him that as I didn’t like his, we were quits and promptly hung up.
Like the people in this newspaper story, I find that people park outside my house. Driving schools also pass by carrying out their manoeuvres. Sometimes this is inconvenient because I can’t park where I want to. Sometimes it makes getting the trailer out impossible as I can’t line the car up with the gate. Thing is, that’s just too bad. It’s a public highway and providing they are not actually blocking my entrance there is nothing to be done about it.
That’s life. Get over it.
I used to live in an area of Leeds that was a criss-cross grid of quiet streets, and we used to have learners practising their 3-point turns and reverse-round-a-corner all the time. We lived on a corner plot, so it was a constant irritant. I agree that what they were doing was entirely legal, but when you have endured your tenth granny-revving long-drawn-out manoeuvre of the day and it’s not even ten o’clock, it gets a bit wearing.
I used to go out and explain that they were the fifth instructor that day to use the corner, and ask them politely if they would consider using a different corner occasionally. They were usually co-operative, and it never got beyond a polite request and a polite reply. I never fell out with any of them over it. I was careful not to ‘harangue’ any of them, but if one had come back with a smartarse reply I wouldn’t have been so even-tempered. Live and let live – but always live with consideration for those who share the planet with you.
You’d be surprised (or maybe not) how rude these people can be.
Personally, I am usually unaware that people are practising outside because I am not looking and care less. If I happen to be looking at the time, then I notice, but I’m not bothered about it. They have to practise somewhere and instructors will have a number of favourite spots that are suitable for the learner they have with them at the time. They have a job to do and it is not always easy to find a suitable place for the exercise.
So, yes, I did on occasion give a smartarse reply. Behaviour begats behaviour.
I’m a deal less sanguine about folk parking in residential streets. Our narrow (three-car wide) cul-de-sac is used as a free car park by as many people as will fit in on a weekday (and Saturdays when the bowls club is playing a match). With cars parked nose-to-tail down both sides from the turn-in to the bottom, delivery trucks have been prevented from entering the road (leading to some ugly scenes where drivers verbally abuse residents who cannot, of course, move other people’s cars) and on three occasions emergency vehicles have had to either give up trying for access (the ambulances, with the crew having to run to their destination and transport the patient back up to the ambulance) or shoved cars out of the way (the fire appliances – very satisfying).
None of these parkers are doing anything illegal. But the consequences of their actions may one day be serious. Residents asked for double yellow lines down one side of the road but were told there was no point as they would be ignored.
Where there is obstruction, then there is a case to answer and parking restrictions would make sense. Resident permit only for example.
Of course in the Netherlands, almost no residential roads are through roads, so that deals with rat-runs. this would probably free up quiet roads during the week for instructing.
Some people are just too precious about “THEIR” bit of the Queen’s highway. Just be thankful they don’t go as far as the few Nationalist residents of the the Garvaghy road, Drumcree.
I personally beleive that when you but a house you should also have the rights to the parking space on the street outside. That isn’t the case though and I don’t get arsy about it.
The spaces outside our house are marked as residential but that is often ignored. Sometimes if I’m out I’ll say, “Residents bay that mate” and they will appologise and move on. I wouldn’t make a point of going out to do that because there is plenty of parking in the area.
I can see why these people get annoyed but not to the extent of doing what they are doing
Here’s what I would be tempted to do:
1. Move my own car from the garage/driveway onto the street, and keep it there from now on.
2. Put a discrete sign on the driveway saying parking space for rent.
3. Negotiate an annual rental rate with the customer, to give him daily use of the space, and a handsome profit for me.
Should be worth £20 to £25 a week.
rite….CARS DRIVE…..push bike,…..push…..buggies/prams also push but dont see them on the highway….just like the horse and cart…..they are not liked on the highways as they hold up traffic…make traffic…..all push bikes do is the same hold the highways up so why does this country make the push bikes worse by allowing them on our roads where lorrys cars and proper bikes not push ones drive…..get the cycilist OFF the road and on the pavement just like buggies and prams.
We live opposite a popular Catholic church and around the corner from several busy pubs. As a consequence it can be quite difficult to find a parking space on my street (an early 20th Century terrace with no driveways) at certain times and yes, I have been known to raise the occasional expletive when that has happened. However, during the working day mine and most of my neighbour’s cars are not there and anyone who would like to park there will find plenty of space to do so. I often wonder why these NIMBY’s have nothing better to do than complain about people just trying to make their way in the world and earn a crust. I assume that the complainers are retired (as they are there to give a shit during the day) and would have had a bit more sympathy with those still making the daily grind!
As far as learners are concerned I subscribe to the ‘we were all learners once’ school of thought and am happy to let someone complete a manoeuver whilst I wait, and don’t object to them reverse parking on our street. It took me over a year and nearly 100 lessons to eventually pass, so I must have caused a fair amount of similar ‘chaos’ whist doing so!
Me too. You’d be surprised at how many drivers manage to forget, though.
In some places in the city, there are shared pavement/cycle paths. In general, though, no, they are a menace to pedestrians. As a driver, I am content to hold back for a suitable passing point before overtaking a cyclist.
There is of course a simple remedy for these residents. Peition the council for a residents parking scheme. If commuter parking is causing serious disruption then they have an excellent reason for requesting it. Then signs go up restricting parking between say 0830 and 1030 unless a permit is dislayed. Simples and no need for silly demonstrations. Ok, it usually costs £30 a year for the permit, to cover the administration, but I’d have thought that was worth it to solve the problem.
I agree. But that wouldn’t make for publicity, would it? 😈