Parking On The Pavement

[mikey4444]

I was involved in a small incident over pavement parking this morning.

I was walking up a street, about 10 miles up the Valley from me, and I saw an elderly gent having great difficulty negotiating the pavement, as some one had parked a brand new Mini in the way.

The gent was driving on of those electric buggies, one of the smaller ones that aren't really suitable for road use. He couldn't come down onto the road, as the kerbs were far too high. I was trying to work out how he was going to get past, when the this brassy-looking woman came out of the house and shouted at us, not to scratch her nice new car !

I pointed out that she was obstructing the pavement with her car, and would she please mind moving it. The language that then resulted would have made a navvy blush. I asked her to be reasonable and she got even worse !

After about 5 mins of this log-jam, a Council van came up the road with two workers in it and stopped to help. faced with the the four of us, eventually this brassy woman did move her car, with very bad grace, but only over to the other side of the road and promptly bocked the pavement there !

The poor old clap in the buggy was rather upset by all this and I felt sorry for him.....why should he have to put with this ?

[bhg481]

I think I would have telephoned the police after giving the woman a chance to move her car.

[Cloverjo]

So selfish of the woman.
Poor man, if life isn't tough enough for him already. She should feel ashamed.

[mikey4444]

If the young chaps from the Council hadn't come along when they did, I might have called the Police, but how long would it have taken them to climb into their cars and arrive ?

I and my car was attacked by an idiot with baseball bat in November 2011, and it took nearly 40 mins for the Police to arrive.

[julia-mag]

I have been involved several times by having to reverse my mobility scooter way back along the pavement to try and find a spot where I can get into the road because the pavement is completley blocked by unthinking motorists who pay a road tax (presumeably to use the road) whereas I dont have to because I am supposed to use the pavement. Don't they realise that by them breaking the law for parking stupidly they are making me break the law for using the road and putting my life in danger!

[bhg481]

I take your point Mikey but I think that the fact that you were on the phone to the police would have encouraged the woman to move the car.

[mikey4444]

BHG...yes, you may be right, but the old gent was getting very upset, and I didn't want to make it any worse.

I am going up the same street again this evening, so I will see if the bloody Mini is stall there !

[Everhelpful]

As bhg said,I would not have hesitated.

[New Judge]

"...but how long would it have taken them to climb into their cars and arrive ?"

You'd still be there now, Mikey. And this time tomorrow.

I'm afraid the UK is full of "Me, me, me" types of which this "lady" seems to be typical. They have been brought up (if that's the correct term) to believe that the world revolves around them and their needs and nothing, but nothing, must impede their progress through life.

[Buenchico]

A relevant link
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-34988833
but, unfortunately, the Private Member's Bill mentioned there was withdrawn at the Second Reading stage last December.

[hc4361]

It wouldn't have made any difference, buenchico. Every day motorists get away with illegally parking on double yellow lines and pedestrian crossing zig zags, driving when texting and a multitude of other offences.
If nobody is there to enforce it, nothing is done.

[wolf63]

Mikey, I never took you as a bloke who would confront an innocent, fragile woman in the street.

:-)

[TWR]

I think if I would have been in your position Mikey & own a mobile phone, I would have taken a snap of the car with the view she was obstructing the pavement, give the evidence I'm sure they would have to act.

[mikey4444]

Wolfie...there was nothing fragile about that harridan ! I have been polite when I used the term "brassy"

[Baldric]

///I and my car was attacked by an idiot with baseball bat in November 2011///

I wonder why?
And it is genuine curiosity, not a put down.

[mikey4444]

Baldric...its a long story but he was high on drugs I expect, judging by his eyes. I was working in a quite cul-de-sac, and this individual was driving around, trying to sell leather jackets out of the back of his car, another Mini, actually !

When I refused, he took nasty and started performing. A couple of residents came to my rescue but he drove off at high speed. The Police then took all that time to arrive, despite the headquarters of Gwent Police being less than a mile away. The Policeman told me that this was a banned driver, and that they would pursue the matter, but I never heard any more from them.

It was a very frightening time, I can tell you. I have refused to work in the area ever since.

[jourdain2]

We and our neighbours have to park partially on the pavement. Everyone tries to leave enough room for buggies, wheelchairs etc. and it works OK although all would happily shift their cars temporarily to allow someone to pass if necessary.. The reason is that this is a highly agrarian agricultural area and some of the larger farm machinery simply cannot get past if the cars are wholly in the road. As it is, it is a very tight squeeze and the very small pavement on the other side of the road has to be driven on right up to the hedge for the combines etc. to pass.

I think people need to co-operate with each other on this. The female you met, mikey, was well out of order. Poor old chap in his buggy.

[Baldric]

Thanks Mikey, sadly there's a lot of them about.

[Peter Pedant]

criterion for a ticket is that a woman with a pram can pass apparently

pity there were nt any meter maids around when you need them

[DTCwordfan]

why didn't you call the cop shop?

[mikey4444]

I did. I first dialled 999, and when the woman answered she said it wasn't important enough and to dial 101 !

When I dialled 101, another operator did, at least, recognise the problem. I gave her the reg. number of the red mini ( S555GWH ) and she told me that an Officer would attend "shortly"....shortly being about 40 mins, when the twit had gone.

I wasn't expecting Thunderbird One to come over the horizon, but 40 mins did seem a tad tardy.