Bonefishblues wrote:Psamathe wrote:Near me it's quite horrendous. Not only for cyclists but also driving a car.
Apart from the pulling out without looking, opening doors without looking, walking out without looking, etc., etc. one school near me is on a fairly tight bend, 2 way road. Normally when driving the bend is no issue because 2 cars or car with oncoming lorry, etc. can pass without problems. But school run drivers park illegally on the bend making drivers from on direction pull out onto the opposite side of the road whilst vehicles coming the other way can't see any issues and it's really dangerous and really illegal.
I've e-mailed the school about this and got back a "we've tried to stop it but it didn't stop it" - which angered me as quite pathetic. My next e-mail pointed out e.g. get local Police Officer to visit at 15:00 and issue tickets to every illegally parked car (and after 3 days there would no longer be an issue) or send out a teacher with a smartphone and take photos of illegally parked cars and when a parent asks what they are doing say "they are being submitted to the Police as you are illegally parked" and work will soon get round and people will stop. I identified loads of things they could do .... but nothing done, problem continues and school seems unmotivated to even recognise the danger they are creating.
I had to drive out through a local one yesterday and parent standing in roadside door then pushing door fully open just as I was alongside (I was in a car) - but they did give me time to swerve (if you can call it swerve at 10'ish mph).
Ian
On the subject of illegality, it isn't always clear-cut. For a couple of years we had a local resident who habitually parked a very large Transit equivalent opposite a T junction (i.e. on the junction, as it were), causing an obvious hazard. The police advised there was nothing they could do, so he continued to park there.
Out on the bikes today, we came across a large tractor towing an even larger gubbins that wanted to turn left off a road up a junction, with a number of houses on the right of the road, outside of which the residents had all parked, thus narrowing the road right along the section in which the junction is central. In trying to get as far right as possible, to get his tractor + gubbins 'round into the narrow entrance to the junction road, the gubbins had swiped one or more parked cars, not to mention demolished a flower pot or three outside the houses.
Now, this road with its junction is habitually traversed by large tractors with gubbin,s as the village is in the middle of extensive farmland to all sides. But the residents of them houses can't be bothered to walk a few yards to their front doors, instead wishing to park on their doorstep. Now they have been tractor-bit i' the pride&joy. There will no doubt be moaning, especially when the P&J owners spot their crushed plant pots an' all!
The tractor driver had got out and was knocking on all their doors, no doubt to say sorry; but get your bluddy cars out of the road.
Cugel