[David9694]

Let’s cheer up our heatwave conditions, impending power cuts, fuel bills and big freeze with a couple of silly season stories about drivers on holiday and their problems. 

Family vows never to return to Cornwall after racking up £760 in parking tickets over 12 days
https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornwall-news/family-vows-never-return-cornwall-7426072

Unapologetic Cornwall parking firm says tourist who racked up £760 in fines over 12 days must pay
https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornwall-news/unapologetic-cornwall-parking-firm-says-7445322

I love the “push off then, emmet” comments on these stories, e.g.

CornishBornCornishBred4 DAYS AGO 

You’re not coming back to Cornwall ??? these are HAPPY tears!!!! Now how do we get rid of the rest you and stop you from coming down! Because I can assure you…. WE DONT WANT YOU HERE ANYWAY!

 

Topic

[David9694]

West Midlands Police say don

West Midlands Police say don’t exceed speed limit after ‘drivers caught out with change in tolerance’

drivers sailing close to the wind as usual 

“…enforcement across the country could become stricter with the National Police Chiefs Council saying they intended to review its guidance. Steve McNamara, general secretary of the Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association, said the changes had had a huge effect on taxi drivers who were being caught breaking the law more frequently???.” 

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/black-country/west-midlands-police-say-dont-25110143

Kent man warns drivers of little-known change to parking guidance

Government guidance giving drivers a ten minute grace period to leave car parks was withdrawn earlier this year

If the tech now exists for the “clock” to start when you drive in, then why wouldn’t it. Why would you expect the “10 minute” rule to work in your favour if you didn’t know about it??

‘His PCN notice letter shows he left the car park four minutes after his parking ticket had expired. Smart Parking state that he spent 310 minutes in the site having only paid for 300.’

“I think the general public don’t know about this. I didn’t even know about the ten minute grace period until I appealed and I wanted knowledge to back me up. I had no idea it had been withdrawn, and people need to be aware of that.

https://www.kentlive.news/news/kent-news/kent-man-warns-drivers-little-7619904?_ga=2.54824621.724749981.1664133528-121834996.1663968809

 

[David9694]

Covid car park row as charges

Covid car park row as charges reintroduced as booster jabs begin

Volunteers who helped thousands stay safe in pandemic fume as they must now pay to park at Anchorage Road site near Sutton Coldfield Town Hall

I’m going to weaken and say free permits for volunteers when they are on shift – free bus fares and cycle parking too though. 

Drivers forever trying to add to their list of reasons not to pay to park/store their private property.  

Dropping of items to a charity shop

visiting someone in hospital

going to church 

(etc)

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/covid-car-park-row-charges-25085671

[David9694]

Of course he is confused. The

Of course he is confused. The standard driver fog-bank of self centred, want it now, stupidity and/or rage. 

[David9694]

I think we’ve all had our

I think we’ve all had our moments with parking machines, be it that it’s unfamiliar, we’re in a mood or it is actually malfunctioning/ instructions are unclear.  

But I think there’s a distinction between being a bit inconvenienced, and those oh so competent drivers who claim to be be completely unable to get to grips with Ringo and the like. 

[ktache]

Wouldn’t paving the lot

Wouldn’t paving the lot encourage motorists?

[TheBillder]

It’s been like that for
It’s been like that for decades in Bath – at least since the mid 70s when I moved there. Not a bad idea – make driving your own car into the centre difficult as a disincentive, but you can get in if you need to.

A place that size is better to walk around or take an open top bus. What would he do in Venice – moan that the roads seem a bit wet?

[Sriracha]

He seems confused…
He seems confused…
[I]”If the council do [b]not[/b] want cars in the city, then they should … [b]not[/b] try to discourage drivers as seems to be the case now.”[/i]

[David9694]

thoughts and prayers… 

More thoughts and prayers… 

Angry tourist vows to never visit Bath again due to ‘terrible’ roads

It will be a cold day in hell before I visit again

He believes navigating around Bath’s “labyrinth” of “hideously confusing roads” is “impossible” for a non-local. Mr Porter also slammed current roadworks…and added that “if the council do not want cars in the city, then they should pave the lot and send a solid message”. Bath and North East Somerset Council declined to comment.

https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/news/local-news/angry-tourist-vows-never-visit-7592824

[hawkinspeter]

David9694 wrote:

Thoughts and prayers for the elderly drivers who it seems are simultaneously perefectly fine to drive 1.5 tonne of car, but don’t have the mental or physical dexterity to use an app to park it. 

Changes to coastal car parks after discrimination complaints
https://www.lincolnshirelive.co.uk/changes-coastal-car-parks-after-7577313

To be fair, some of those parking machines are terrible. I got stuck the other day when a parking machine was asking for the last three digits of the number plate, but Mrs HawkinsPeter’s car only has two. Turns out it meant the last three letters.

[David9694]

Thoughts and prayers for the

Thoughts and prayers for the elderly drivers who it seems are simultaneously perefectly fine to drive 1.5 tonne of car, but don’t have the mental or physical dexterity to use an app to park it. 

Changes to coastal car parks after discrimination complaints
https://www.lincolnshirelive.co.uk/changes-coastal-car-parks-after-7577313

[David9694]

NHS workers forced to pay £12

NHS workers forced to pay £12 a day to park for work in Taunton

Man sets himself up as a mini rentmydrive.com in new twist on old chestnut. 

24h visitor parking there is £12.80, my guess is that staff parking is a lot less and it sounds like there aren’t enough spaces to go around anyway.

https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/news/somerset-news/nhs-workers-forced-pay-12-7576889

[David9694]

Family ‘taken aback’ by

Family ‘taken aback’ by amount of parking fines at Fantasy Island

“Meters do not automatically calculate length of stay” – drivers be like “oh, I assumed they did”. 

https://www.lincolnshirelive.co.uk/news/local-news/family-taken-aback-amount-parking-7546512

Parking

“You can pay for parking via cash, card or online any time before you exit the car park on the day of your visit.
The charges are as followed throughout the year:

£2 an hour
£4 for 2 hours
£6 all day

Since installation [of ANPR], the misuse associated with the car parks has declined immensely.”

Not sure I’ve understood the entry pricing, but it seems like it’s free to go in, but each adult needs a (typically) £20 wristband to go on the rides, bowling etc. 

 It’s just one try-on after another, drivers.

[David9694]

Sorry. Best I could come up

Sorry. Best I could come up with out of this week’s news.

[Sriracha]

That’s a slightly different
That’s a slightly different context – according to the article they were fined despite paying for their parking. The car park was notionally “closed”, yet still physically open for business and accepting payment. If the car park was supposed to be out of use to I’d expect it to be made obvious (with the facility to pay disabled) not used for covert entrapment.

[brooksby]

David9694 wrote:

Dozens of vehicles blocked in by coaches after taking their car parking spaces near Welsh beach

A local councillor has described the parking situation in the beach town as “a conundrum”

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/dozens-vehicles-blocked-in-parking-24794645

A row of vehicles were left blocked in by coaches in a beach car park after they parked in specially-designated bus spaces to secure themselves a good spot on one of the hottest days of the year. Several campervans and cars parked illegally in the car park next to Traeth Abernaw in Barmouth on Sunday, August 14 and were left with nowhere to go after the coach drivers blocked them in having had their spaces pinched.

Serves ’em right!

[Author]

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