 sj |
||
|
||
BS: Parking on the pavement(sidewalk)
|
|
|
Subject: BS: Parking on the pavement(sidewalk) From: GUEST,Tunesmith Date: 21 Mar 12 - 12:30 PM In the UK now, parking your car either wholly, or partially, on the pavement ( sidewalk) has become the norm along many roads. Does this practice happen in other counties? |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Parking on the pavement(sidewalk) From: saulgoldie Date: 21 Mar 12 - 12:32 PM Yes, shortly before all the glass of said vehicle is removed by means of many rocks pelting it. Fecking numskulls. Oh whatta world! Saul |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Parking on the pavement(sidewalk) From: Bee-dubya-ell Date: 21 Mar 12 - 01:18 PM I used to see cars with one wheel on the sidewalk quite often, but that was when sidewalk curbs were low and tire sidewall heights were high. Nowadays, many curbs are taller and most tires are lower. Jumping a six-inch right angle curb when your tires are only three inches tall can put hundreds of dollars worth of tires and rims at risk. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Parking on the pavement(sidewalk) From: Bonzo3legs Date: 21 Mar 12 - 02:17 PM A authorised 2 wheels on the pavement policy with road signs is in operation along our road, otherwise for instance the dustmen's vehicle will not have room to drive between cars parked on both sides of the road. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Parking on the pavement(sidewalk) From: gnu Date: 21 Mar 12 - 02:32 PM Happens in Moncton, NB, CAN a lot. Two doors away... I mentioned it to the visitor... he said, "Nobody with a wheelchair could navigate that sidewalk (it's up and down) and old people would trip on it." ??? Two doors away on the other side... "I was only going to be a minute." to which I replied, "I've been walking this street for 20 minutes and you were parked there when I started. Next time, I'll call the by-law enforcement and explain there is a handicapped person illegally parked at ** ******* Drive." She said, "I am not handicapped." I said, "Yes, you are. Think about it... if you can." |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Parking on the pavement(sidewalk) From: Jack Campin Date: 21 Mar 12 - 03:15 PM If you have a large and sharp bunch of keys on your belt you may find you quite often bump into the paintwork of cars parked like that. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Parking on the pavement(sidewalk) From: GUEST,Tunesmith Date: 21 Mar 12 - 04:59 PM The "Highway Code" is the British book/booklet, produced by the Government, which sets out the rules of behaviour for motorists and pedestrians. Not long ago, the follow instructions were included:- "Pavement are for pedestrians, NOT vehicles" and "Remember! Pedestrians and vehicles don't mix[well]" Seems like very good advice to me! Interestingly, those two instructions have now disappeared from the current edition of the "Highway Code". |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Parking on the pavement(sidewalk) From: Newport Boy Date: 21 Mar 12 - 05:54 PM Unless there's been a change in the Highways Acts which I missed, driving on the footway (correct UK term for sidewalk) is an offence. (I should know - it's the only offence for which I've been penalised in 50-odd years driving.) I don't know of a way of parking on the footway without driving on it - well possibly with a Smart car. Phil |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Parking on the pavement(sidewalk) From: Don Firth Date: 21 Mar 12 - 06:27 PM In Seattle, at least in the area where I live--and from what I have observed elsewhere around the city--parking on the sidewalk earns one a ticket (stiff fine), and if the car is still there the next time the parking checker comes around (usually every two hours), he/she calls for a tow-truck. Costs a bundle to get your car back out of the pound. Don Firth |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Parking on the pavement(sidewalk) From: Richard Bridge Date: 21 Mar 12 - 07:28 PM There are times when it is practical - too many drivers seem to be unable to miss wingmirrors, but certainly room should always be left for a wheelchair or pram. If that's not possible, park elsewhere. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Parking on the pavement(sidewalk) From: SPB-Cooperator Date: 22 Mar 12 - 08:44 AM Its ok as long as when there is not enough room left on the pavement, that vehicles driving realiose that the road then becomes the pavement |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Parking on the pavement(sidewalk) From: GUEST,leeneia Date: 22 Mar 12 - 09:54 AM My husband and I chose to visit Paris in August because the guidebook said two things: 1. Cars are not parked on the sidewalks. 2. Parisians have gone on vacation, taking their dogs with them. Since the DH dislikes dogs, it was a winner all around. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Parking on the pavement(sidewalk) From: GUEST,Patsy Date: 22 Mar 12 - 11:27 AM There has been an apidemic of partial pavement parkers in Bristol for years especially in the leafy suburbs and hidden cul-de-sacs, I really thought this was something that mostly happened here, so we are not alone then! On Sundays it seems to be worse than ever when visitors of the ppps park up and join in. Does anyone do or say anything about it? No. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Parking on the pavement(sidewalk) From: GUEST,Julian Date: 23 Mar 12 - 05:04 AM An English friend living in France parked his car half on the pavement/half on the road. The local policeman told him off - he said it shuould all be on the pavement! |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Parking on the pavement(sidewalk) From: banjoman Date: 23 Mar 12 - 07:38 AM As a mobility scooter user, there is nothing more annoying than to find the pavement blocked by parked cars. Recently when I took one driver to task he responded with an expletive and added that "people like you shouldn't be allowed on pavements anyway" So far as I understand, it is an offence to obstruct the highway which includes the pavement and that obstruction is the only offence for which there is no defence. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Parking on the pavement(sidewalk) From: Acorn4 Date: 23 Mar 12 - 07:48 AM 4 x 4 drivers seem to be the worst - I think it's their interpretation of "off-roading". |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Parking on the pavement(sidewalk) From: Bonzo3legs Date: 23 Mar 12 - 08:16 AM As I posted above - we have Local Council authority to park 2 wheels on the pavement with appropriate signage. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Parking on the pavement(sidewalk) From: Will Fly Date: 23 Mar 12 - 08:21 AM In the maze of tiny streets with rows of terraced houses where my son lives (in Brighton), all car owners park their vehicles with two wheels on the pavement, otherwise nobody would be able to get in and out of the streets (cul-de-sacs to a large degree). The council have not put parking restrictions there of any sort - probably because they realise that to restrict the cars would simply move the problem elsewhere. The residents as a whole - many with young children - are very co-operative and, on the whole, it works. But this is all residential - parking on the pavement on shopping areas or where there is adequate road room - is a different matter. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Parking on the pavement(sidewalk) From: Black belt caterpillar wrestler Date: 23 Mar 12 - 09:02 AM The last time I looked it was still illegal to wheel a perambulator on the pavement! |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Parking on the pavement(sidewalk) From: GUEST,CS Date: 23 Mar 12 - 09:06 AM "As a mobility scooter user, there is nothing more annoying than to find the pavement blocked by parked cars. Recently when I took one driver to task he responded with an expletive and added that "people like you shouldn't be allowed on pavements anyway"" Well, he's sort of right. Mobility scooters (like bikes( aren't legally allowed on pavements which are for pedestrian use only. I do understand cyclists and scooter users using pavements with consideration for pedestrians of course, especially on busy roads, though sadly does often seem to be routine abuse of the tolerance of pedestrians in such circumstances with cyclists and scooter users cycling/riding aggressively and at speeds which can seriously injure (and even kill, as has happened) vulnerable pedestrians such as young children, the aged and disabled. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Parking on the pavement(sidewalk) From: GUEST,CS Date: 23 Mar 12 - 09:09 AM Reboot: Well, he's sort of right. Mobility scooters (like bicycles) aren't legally allowed on pavements at all, which are for pedestrian use only. I do understand cyclists and scooter users wishing to use pavements however (with consideration for pedestrians of course) especially on busy roads - though sadly there does often seem to be routine abuse of the tolerance of pedestrians in such circumstances, with cyclists and scooter users cycling/riding aggressively and at speeds which can potentially seriously injure (and even kill, as has indeed happened) vulnerable pedestrians such as young children, the aged and disabled. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Parking on the pavement(sidewalk) From: Rapparee Date: 23 Mar 12 - 01:39 PM Put a slow-moving vehicle sign on your mobility scooter and drive down the street -- in front of him. Do so in a manner such that he can't pass (overtake) you. Obviously if you don't belong on one you belong on the other and he should have to deal with it like he would a big lorry or a slowly moving police car. If he honks or shouts, wave to him with one finger. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Parking on the pavement(sidewalk) From: GUEST Date: 23 Mar 12 - 02:56 PM Mobility scooters (like bicycles) aren't legally allowed on pavements at all, which are for pedestrian use only. Up to a point Lord Copper |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Parking on the pavement(sidewalk) From: GUEST,PeterC Date: 23 Mar 12 - 03:03 PM Oops that was me, why isn't that field mandatory? Parking on the pavement is legal if there is signage permitting it AND the car is in a marked bay. A blind eye is turned in some places (I have actually been asked by a resident to pull onto the pavement in one location) but it is a potential quick win for parking attendants trying the reach their quota of tickets which the contractors pretend that they don't have. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Parking on the pavement(sidewalk) From: Jon Corelis Date: 23 Mar 12 - 03:14 PM In Greece, the universal rule for cars and especially motorbikes (of any size) is: if it is physically possible to drive it there, I'll drive it there; if it is physically possible to park it there, I'll park it there. There's no point in complaining about it: they will just look at you as if you are crazy. Jon Corelis Poems, Plays, Songs, and Essays |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Parking on the pavement(sidewalk) From: Don Firth Date: 23 Mar 12 - 03:14 PM Mobility scooter does not mean THIS sort of thing, which should not be allowed on sidewalks. Mobility scooter refers to something akin to a motorized wheelchair, such as THIS, for people who are unable to walk or have difficulty walking. Their speed is usually limited to about 4 mph, which is a normal walking speed, and should cause no hazard to others using the sidewalks. Of necessity, for the past twenty-two years, I've had to use a manual wheelchair for indoors or short trips. Similar to THIS. But for longer jaunts, such as around the neighborhood or going any distance at all, I have a battery-powered chair. I can mosey up and down sidewalks and into stores, and even take it on the bus with no problems. It has a speed control. Top speed, 6.5 mph, but it can be dialed back, and further controlled with a joystick. As far as any danger is concerned, I'm usually the one in danger. I have nearly been crashed into and/or sworn at by kids on skate-boards who seem to think that "curb cuts" (wheelchair ramps) are there for their benefit, and in the local business district, I have to be alert and yell a lot, otherwise I'll wind up with someone in my lap. There is an amazing number of people who walk along totally preoccupied with their cell phone conversation or texting! I'm not the dangererous one here! I'm waiting for the time when one of these people walks forehead first into one of metal light poles alone the main street of the local business district. They make a very satisfying "BONG!!" Don Firth |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Parking on the pavement(sidewalk) From: GUEST,Tunesmith Date: 23 Mar 12 - 03:35 PM Talking about mobility scooters, Don Firth says, "Their speed is usually limited to about 4 mph, which is a normal walking speed, and should cause no hazard to others using the sidewalks". The problem is that most of those things race along - on pavements - at a speed that I couldn't run at! BTW, Do all mobility scooters have speedometers? |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Parking on the pavement(sidewalk) From: Don Firth Date: 23 Mar 12 - 04:12 PM The operational word there, Tunesmith, is "usually." My electric, and other electrics I am familiar with, have a maximum speed of 6.5 mph (a brisk walking or jogging speed) or under. But most are limited to 4 mph. Among other considerations, if you try to take a moderately sharp turn at something like 6 mph, you're very likely to fall over. Not nice! Lots of mobility scooters are not really that stable. Most of the weight is in the batteries that power them. No heavier than an automobile battery, and scooters and power chairs generally require two. When I crank it up and go at top speed is when I have a clear path and there is no one else close by. But when others are nearby, I turn it back to a maximum of 4 mph (normal sauntering speed), then further modify my speed with the joystick. Speedometers? Generally not. It's a common sense, seat-of-the-pants thing. Or should be. As my Dad used to say, "The most unreliable component of an automobile is the nut that holds the wheel!" Methinks that applies power chairs and mobility scooters as well. Don Firth |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Parking on the pavement(sidewalk) From: Leadfingers Date: 23 Mar 12 - 09:17 PM What about Cyclists on Pavements ? AND with NO lights most of the time |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Parking on the pavement(sidewalk) From: number 6 Date: 23 Mar 12 - 09:46 PM Geeez ...... so many things these days piss so many people off. whew .... I needed to vent biLL |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Parking on the pavement(sidewalk) From: Crowhugger Date: 23 Mar 12 - 10:07 PM In my neighbourhood the driveways are too short to accommodate 2 cars so the 2nd is parked on the too short stretch of laneway between sidewalk and road. That car is normally hanging partly over the sidewalk and partly over the street but the tires will be legal unless one drives a pretty big car. To date the by-law officers only ticket the illegal overnight parking on the street, not the illegal parking on the sidewalk. Nearly everyone is very considerate, leaving a sidewalk's width between the 1st and 2nd car even though pedestrians have to walk onto the (asphalt) laneway to get around the 2nd car then go back onto the (concrete) sidewalk. Since there is no step involved, it's not a big problem. What IS a problem is people with 3 cars, which cannot possibly fit in these laneways without blocking the sidewalk. When out with my walker, when I encountered that situation, I would never make assumptions about whether my walker would fit between two of the parked cars. Instead, I would always do my very best to jam my way through and if I really couldn't squeeze by, I would withdraw and go around onto the street. Petty, I know, but I get that way when some jerk forces me to risk death by using the road as a sidewalk because they've used the sidewalk as a parking spot. Environmental aside: The absence of decent public transit annoys me so I don't begrudge any of these households their excessive numbers vehicles. Public transit in this suburb of Toronto is mediocre to piss-poor. Only at rush hour is the frequency adequate, and then only if you're going somewhere along Lake Ontario. I would LOVE to get rid of 1 vehicle and use transit but it would take me 3 hours to cover a 45 minute drive, 1:45 or more to cover a 25 minute drive, and 1:15 to replace a 17 minute drive. Even if there were suddenly enough transit, when I have to carry anything more than a couple of pounds, I would have to drive because commuter transit has no porters. I'm not alone with those issues so I don't expect the blocked sidewalks to end any time soon. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Parking on the pavement(sidewalk) From: JohnInKansas Date: 23 Mar 12 - 11:13 PM US rules, like everything else here, vary by the state and in the case of parking, pedestrians, handicap vehicles, and the like, by the city - or sometimes by districts within the city. Some cities prohibit riding bicycles on the "sidewalks" while others require that they be on the sidewalks and prohibit them on the streets. Some places disparage the use of bicycles at all, with the exception of riding on designated "bicycle paths" - which don't actually exist in many of the places with those kind of rules. Whether parking "over the curb" is legal depends on their being a curb, and in many places there are none. Lots of places that have curbs don't have any sidewalk/footpath/pavement, but may still prohibit "parking on the grass." The definition of "on the grass" in my particular community is rather vague, so if you can get by with it for about a week there won't be any grass left, and it has become a "parking space" - sometimes. (It helps if it's near something that resembles a driveway, usually.) In some "older cities" the streets are too narrow to park anything and still leave a wide enough space for any traffic to get through; but there's no real consistency in how the locals handle the problem. Most towns of recent (100 years?) development have wide enough "streets" to allow parking at least on one side, but the rules on "which side" may vary. Some places where you're allowed to park on both sides have "winter rules" allowing parking on only one side on odd numbered dates and only on the other side on even numbered dates, to allow enough width for snow plows. Sometimes these rules apply all winter, and in other places they're invoked only if the mayor "thinks it might snow." One might sympathize with the plight of those in larger Japanese cities, where I've been told a person must prove they have a parking space and buy the license for the vehicle before they are permitted to order a vehicle. This is particularly burdensome for first time buyers, since you must show you "own" the parking space before the order is placed, and the usual delay from placing the order to receiving the vehicle is on the order of three years. (Locals in Nagoya confirmed these factoids when I was there on business a few years ago, along with the requirement that Mitsubishi employees were not allowed to apply for a parking space at the Mitsubishi factory unless their car was a Mitsubishi.) John |
