Driving standards

[duncan]

22 hours ago, spikey said:

Well this might not be new to you, but it's something I've not seen before.  When cycling home from the shops this morning at about 8.45, I decided to vary my route so as to have a go on the usual fun and games outside the local primary school.  As expected, there were the customary 6 or 7 enormocars parked on the yellow zigzags on the school side of the road plus two on the white pedestrian crossing zigzags which start where the yellow ones finish, but strangely not one vehicle parked on the opposite zigzags.  However, what there was instead was two cars double parked alongside those on the yellow zigzags, both with their drivers holding doors open to discharge their offspring, this process stopping passing traffic on account of the double parking and open doors taking up all but a yard or so of the width of the road ...

 

I wonder how many times the police have declined an invitation to attend at school times to advise the mothers (?) that they are endangering OTHER people's children ?

[spikey]

5 minutes ago, duncan said:

 

I wonder how many times the police have declined an invitation to attend at school times to advise the mothers (?) that they are endangering OTHER people's children ?

 

Not many, at a guess.  And besides, it's their kids they're concerned about - not anybody else's. 

 

In the case I reported, the school is no more than a quarter of a mile from the police station, but that doesn't open until after the kids have gone to school and it's shut again before they leave.  And even if it was open, the Old Bill hereabouts stated publicly over a year ago that they're no longer interested in anything to do with parking, so it's a 24/7 free for all. 

 

In any case, as any fule kno, things like zigzags (be they yellow or white) only apply to others.

 

 

[Jonboy]

If you ever want a laugh take a look  at the staff parking around the Thames Valley Police local headquarters in Kidlington....

[Compound2632]

The school should be encouraged to remind parents of their responsibility to park safely and lawfully, so as not to endanger the children, and also to encourage alternative ways of getting to and from school such as walking buses - or just plain walking. The school should have a travel plan. If you don't want to contact the school directly, a word to one of the governors ought to be enough to prompt discussion of the matter.

 

I'm a primary school governor myself; our site adjoins that of a large secondary school, so it's not an issue that goes unaddressed.

 

[Jol Wilkinson]

15 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

The school should be encouraged to remind parents of their responsibility to park safely and lawfully, so as not to endanger the children, and also to encourage alternative ways of getting to and from school such as walking buses - or just plain walking. The school should have a travel plan. If you don't want to contact the school directly, a word to one of the governors ought to be enough to prompt discussion of the matter.

 

I'm a primary school governor myself; our site adjoins that of a large secondary school, so it's not an issue that goes unaddressed.

 

I was involved in getting a 20mph speed limit for the road through the village, as the parents park along it to deliver their children to the local infants school. About 90% of the children come by car from outside the immediate catchment are as the school is very trendy. Despite the proximity of the village hall car park a number of parents park along a narrow section of road without a footpath, which those that use the car park have to walk along. As they seem unwilling to exert any control over their excited children, I fear that an accident may happen someday. The Head of the school took no interest in the speed limit campaign and seems unwilling to do anything to get parents to act in a more sensible and considerate way when delivering/collecting their little angels. And who are amongst the worst at adhering to the 20mph speed limit, the parent without doubt.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[kevinlms]

47 minutes ago, Jol Wilkinson said:

I was involved in getting a 20mph speed limit for the road through the village, as the parents park along it to deliver their children to the local infants school. About 90% of the children come by car from outside the immediate catchment are as the school is very trendy. Despite the proximity of the village hall car park a number of parents park along a narrow section of road without a footpath, which those that use the car park have to walk along. As they seem unwilling to exert any control over their excited children, I fear that an accident may happen someday. The Head of the school took no interest in the speed limit campaign and seems unwilling to do anything to get parents to act in a more sensible and considerate way when delivering/collecting their little angels. And who are amongst the worst at adhering to the 20mph speed limit, the parent without doubt.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Outside the school gate, so not his problem,  until someone gets hit. Then a case of 'why didn't someone do something'?

[Compound2632]

10 hours ago, Jol Wilkinson said:

The Head of the school took no interest in the speed limit campaign and seems unwilling to do anything to get parents to act in a more sensible and considerate way when delivering/collecting their little angels.

 

9 hours ago, kevinlms said:

Outside the school gate, so not his problem,  until someone gets hit. Then a case of 'why didn't someone do something'?

 

I find that surprising and I suspect untypical. Is the school LA or part of an Academy chain? If the former, a line to the Chair of Governors as a concerned resident ought to at least get a response. But be careful or you'll find yourself being co-opted as a Community Governor...

[Neil]

Here in mid Wales the latest fad amongst the cerebrally challenged drivers is to use fog lights whenever it gets dark enough to require headlights. Most roads round here are rural and unlit; fog lights dazzle particularly on those wet dark nights that autumn and winter bring. Worst culprits seem to be small SUVs (Ford Kuga, Nissan Qashqai sort of thing) though no class of vehicle seems to be immune. If you're one of those drivers who always runs with their fog lights on, please stop it, it's thoughtless and unlawful. Thank you.

[298]

On 15/11/2019 at 17:53, spikey said:

 

Not many, at a guess.  And besides, it's their kids they're concerned about - not anybody else's. 

 

In the case I reported, the school is no more than a quarter of a mile from the police station, but that doesn't open until after the kids have gone to school and it's shut again before they leave.  And even if it was open, the Old Bill hereabouts stated publicly over a year ago that they're no longer interested in anything to do with parking, so it's a 24/7 free for all. 

 

In any case, as any fule kno, things like zigzags (be they yellow or white) only apply to others.

 

 

 

It's the council's responsibility, and our childrens school is policed by a small car with ANPR cameras that only records parking infringements on the zig zag lines, and not street corners or double yellow lines. I know this because on Friday I had a chat with the caretaker who'se official role at 08.40 is as a greeter at the school gates, and moments before I attempted to have a discussion with a mother who is a regular abuser of the double yellow lines and doesn't see a problem with sitting there in an idling dirty diesel both blocking viewpoints for crossing said road or making the air unbreathable. 

 

The quicker clean air acts are implemented, the better. But I'm not sure how stupidity and ignorance can be dealt with....

[Jol Wilkinson]

7 minutes ago, 298 said:

. But I'm not sure how stupidity and ignorance can be dealt with....

It can't. It's now a human right, together with the freedom to be inconsiderate , self centred, avaricious, etc.

[Hobby]

10 hours ago, 298 said:

The quicker clean air acts are implemented, the better. 

 

That won;t make any difference, they'll just park their EVs there instead.

[TheQ]

I pass 4 schools on the way home at kicking out time,  there are regularly Cockwombles parked in stupid places.  When we still had PCSOs, they would occasionally put one at one or other at the two main Cockwomble places. The road would be good for a few days,  but would then go back to being blocked. 

 

The nearest police station walkable in a few minutes,  is the one the police park their cars half on the pavements.. 

[Nick C]

I've seen two cars this week driving after dark with no lights at all...

[Jonboy]

So what is the signal to tell a driver following to turn off their bl##dy full beams....gets a bit wearing after 3 miles...

[polybear]

48 minutes ago, Jonboy said:

So what is the signal to tell a driver following to turn off their bl##dy full beams....gets a bit wearing after 3 miles...

 

With many modern cars supplied new with those really intense (LED?) cold white headlights I personally find it difficult to know if they're on full beam or not.  About time they banned those things....

[Ian Abel]

2 minutes ago, polybear said:

 

With many modern cars supplied new with those really intense (LED?) cold white headlights I personally find it difficult to know if they're on full beam or not.  About time they banned those things....

Here in the US (I'm sure it's the same back home/UK) with so many new vehicles also having fog lamps as standard, again, probably due to the flash LED wave, huge number of drivers consider those to ALSO be on no matter the weather, adding to the ability to fry retina from front OR rear  they're called f!@#$!@#$!@$ING FOG lamps for a reason dumbass!

[Hobby]

1 hour ago, Jonboy said:

So what is the signal to tell a driver following to turn off their bl##dy full beams....gets a bit wearing after 3 miles...

 

Flash your rear fog lights?! Sure yours weren't on so he put his front lights on full to let you know?! 

 

Serious answer: pull over and let him go...

Edited November 19, 2019 by Hobby

[Sidecar Racer]

1 hour ago, Hobby said:

 

Serious answer: pull over and let him go...

 

 Then follow him doing the same ?        

[Reorte]

13 hours ago, polybear said:

 

With many modern cars supplied new with those really intense (LED?) cold white headlights I personally find it difficult to know if they're on full beam or not.  About time they banned those things....

 

LED lights are a good example of technology being used badly. They can certainly be very useful, no complaints at all by having most of the lights in my house LEDs, but it's too easy to make a mess of things with them, which a lot of car headlights seem to. Bike lights too, flashing lights as bright as car headlights are nothing but a hazard IMO.

[Paul13]

My car has led headlights and I think they are excellent. Badly a!igned halogen lights are much worse for dazzling oncoming drivers and even worse are aftermarket HID kits, although there seems to be less of these around since they  became an mot failure. People sitting stationary at lights with their foot on the brake is much more dazzling i feel and is one of my personal hates. 

[bimble]

Accident on the M3 this morning (took me nearly two hours to go from J3 to J2), notable for the large number of vehicles who ignored the lane closed (lane 4)  sign to jump the traffic. Including a Royal Mail hgv who must of passed three lane closed signs by the time they overtook me.

[peanuts]

2 hours ago, bimble said:

Accident on the M3 this morning (took me nearly two hours to go from J3 to J2), notable for the large number of vehicles who ignored the lane closed (lane 4)  sign to jump the traffic. Including a Royal Mail hgv who must of passed three lane closed signs by the time they overtook me.

you will more than likely find that somewhere along the row of red crosses is a camera recording all of the transgresors who will recieve a fine and points fairly soon in the post . gmp make a big thing of this on thier twitter feed every time it happens which can be very enlightening on just how stupid and moronic most drivers are .

[Reorte]

19 hours ago, Paul13 said:

 People sitting stationary at lights with their foot on the brake is much more dazzling i feel and is one of my personal hates. 

 

Amen to that, when putting the handbrake on takes zero effort in any meaningful sense.

[melmerby]

28 minutes ago, Reorte said:

 

Amen to that, when putting the handbrake on takes zero effort in any meaningful sense.

Many modern vehicles have autostart to save fuel but it only works if you put the handbrake on so these numpties are wasting fuel and annoying those behind them.

I don't suppose they could care less.

Edited November 21, 2019 by melmerby

[Nick C]

20 hours ago, Paul13 said:

People sitting stationary at lights with their foot on the brake is much more dazzling i feel and is one of my personal hates. 

 

Very much agreed. I've had quite a few arguments with people on the internet who believe that is the right thing to do.

 

I was taught, both by my original instructor and on the IAM advanced course, to bring the car to a halt, apply the handbrake, then change to neutral and release the footbrake.