Parking wars outside my house

[Julia9054]

Cars are certainly getting bigger which is part of the problem A Current fiesta is around the same size an an 80s escort. A current Focus is around the size of a mk1 mondeo and a five door mini has a similiar wheel base to a mark 1 Range Rover.

Apart from the odd city car most cars are nearly half as big again as as similiar cars were 30 years ago.

As anyone who lives on a typical housing estate built in the 1960s, parks their car on the drive and the falls into the flower beds when getting out will tell you. The driveways were built for 1960s minis.

 

[swee'pea99]

Cars are certainly getting bigger which is part of the problem A Current fiesta is around the same size an an 80s escort. A current Focus is around the size of a mk1 mondeo and a five door mini has a similiar wheel base to a mark 1 Range Rover.

Apart from the odd city car most cars are nearly half as big again as as similiar cars were 30 years ago.

Tho' true, I think that's only a very small factor. When it comes to parking, only length really matter and lengths haven't really changed significantly. The problem is multiple car occupancy. When households had one car it was fine because that car would fit in the space at the front of the house. Two, and it becomes a squeeze; three or four and you're going to exceed the kerb-space in front of the property. There is no solution other than limiting car occupancy somehow. But no politician wants to pick a fight with the vast majority of the population: everyone wants to drive.

 

[raleighnut]

Tho' true, I think that's only a very small factor. When it comes to parking, only length really matter and lengths haven't really changed significantly. The problem is multiple car occupancy. When households had one car it was fine because that car would fit in the space at the front of the house. Two, and it becomes a squeeze; three or four and you're going to exceed the kerb-space in front of the property. There is no solution other than limiting car occupancy somehow. But no politician wants to pick a fight with the vast majority of the population: everyone wants to drive.

Not everyone. Oh and BTW Maz doesn't drive either.

 

[swee'pea99]

[QUOTE 5095550, member: 45"]Width is a problem, on old terraced streets and on new winding estates.[/QUOTE]
It is. But it's a very small factor in relation to the issue raised by the OP.

 

[Amanda P]

I'm glad the thread finally got back to parking. It touched on autonomous cars earlier, and there's a link.

The problem with parking isn't cars, per se - it's with the stationary cars. Most cars spend most of their time not moving, and that's when they cause parking problems.

If we had the kind of autonomous Uber-system-driven cars some are proposing, more cars would spend more time moving and less time parked. Rather than owning a car which spends 90% of it's time doing nothing but occupying public road space (which would be better used for moving cars to move in, children to play in, me to cycle in etc etc), you could subscribe to fleet scheme of autonomous cars. When you need it, you summon it. Climb in and it takes you and your clobber to where you want to go (possibly sharing part of the ride with other users, if that's mutually acceptable). When you get there, it beetles off and takes someone else where they want to go. And so on.

This is quite similar to car clubs as they exist now, but with the advantage that you could get at one even if there aren't any kept near where you live or work: they'd come to you. I can't see why it wouldn't work even in rural areas.

It's true that to meet peak demand, there'd need to be a lot of cars which wouldn't be needed during the night or in, say, mid-morning, when most people have got to where they want to be for the next few hours. But at least they could take themselves somewhere out of the way, rather than clogging up the roads.

Of course some people will always want their own cars for the 'prestige' - self-driving or not. But it seems young city-dwellers at least are beginning to kick the car-owning habit, and choosing to signal their status with other material possessions such as £1K iPhone Xs. Perhaps the rest of us will eventually follow suit and use our smartphones to summon obedient shared autonomous cars when we want them, and not find ourselves fighting to park them?

 

[DCLane]

To make life interesting: if they park on your drive it's a civil matter and you can't stop them *

* I'm off to park my Tepee on Mr Annoying's home driveway (see https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/parking-wars-outside-my-house.228439/post-5091899 and https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/parking-wars-outside-my-house.228439/post-5092596 ). See how he likes that. Or what his wife says when she asks why and I tell her it's because he's blocked my road to hide his car when visiting his girlfriend.

 

[Julia9054]

To make life interesting: if they park on your drive it's a civil matter and you can't stop them *

* I'm off to park my Tepee on Mr Annoying's home driveway (see https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/parking-wars-outside-my-house.228439/post-5091899 and https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/parking-wars-outside-my-house.228439/post-5092596 ). See how he likes that. Or what his wife says when she asks why and I tell her it's because he's blocked my road to hide his car when visiting his girlfriend.

This goes for people too as I found out when the alcoholic old lady next door walked into my house (front door unlocked) and screamed abuse at me. Police told me there was nothing they could do as she had not committed a criminal offence! Never left my door unlocked after that.

 

[theclaud]

I'm glad the thread finally got back to parking. It touched on autonomous cars earlier, and there's a link.

The problem with parking isn't cars, per se - it's with the stationary cars. Most cars spend most of their time not moving, and that's when they cause parking problems.

Stationary cars are annoying, because they are completely useless, but it's a bit odd to talk as if moving cars are not a problem. They intimidate, maim and kill when moving, and people only park them all over the place in anticipation of moving them around at their convenience. I share your optimism that autonomy offers less antisocial ways to manage moving vehicles, but I think that there is a convergence of powerful interests and ideologies working against such a progressive vision - the technology progresses, but the necessary conversation about public space does not appear to be happening, whilst political and rhetorical manoeuvres to get people out of the way of vehicles continue unabated.

 

[Amanda P]

Stationary cars are annoying, because they are completely useless, but it's a bit odd to talk as if moving cars are not a problem.

I agree completely, but the thread is about parking. Moving cars aren't parked, so while they are tied in with all the problems you list and more, they're not directly relevant to this thread other than in the sense that if we reduced their numbers because of all the other harms, there'd be fewer parking issues too.

Mind you, lack of direct relevance has never bothered anyone on here, including me...

 

[theclaud]

I agree completely, but the thread is about parking. Moving cars aren't parked, so while they are tied in with all the problems you list and more, they're not directly relevant to this thread other than in the sense that if we reduced their numbers because of all the other harms, there'd be fewer parking issues too.

Mind you, lack of direct relevance has never bothered anyone on here, including me...

I disagree - parking is simply a side-effect of driving, and parking wars are an extension of motorists' sense of entitlement to appropriate public space for their own exclusive use. Parking outside one's house has assumed an importance in people's lives entirely out of proportion to any issues of convenience or practicality, because it is about status and identity.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

because it is about status and identity.

Is it? I find this a very closed view to which you are entitled, but can you explain why you are so viciously against ALL car ownership, I totally agree there is a segment that this applies to, but your broad brush includes a lot of people.

 

[Cuchilo]

They have just changed the parking arrangements on my street to allow for a cycle path There is parking mayhem with people blocking others driveways rather than walking a little bit from a designated parking space . It doesn't bother me that much as i normally know whos car it is but i noticed someone getting towed away yesterday for blocking a driveway

 

[theclaud]

Is it? I find this a very closed view to which you are entitled, but can you explain why you are so viciously against ALL car ownership, I totally agree there is a segment that this applies to, but your broad brush includes a lot of people.

I'm neither vicious (where do you get that from?) nor against all car ownership. I think there's an argument for a small minority of people to own cars, but that most arguments for car ownership are merely rationalizations for antisocial behaviour, and for the structures that enable and encourage such behaviour. When you say a 'closed view', what do you mean exactly? If you think cars are about rational use-value, and not about identity, try leaning on one at the next set of traffic lights.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

I'm neither vicious (where do you get that from?) nor against all car ownership.

Because each time there is a post you are quite vociferous against car use. I wondered if there was a specific reason.

try leaning on one at the next set of traffic lights.

I have had people do it on mine, so what, I agree there is a lot of unessential or maybe better unneeded use, but the way that society has developed over the past 50 years, unless you want to live in a city & I personally cannot think of a worse form of living, having a car is almost essential. The fact I own 3 of them (currently), doesn't change the fact that I can only drive one at once, of which none of them when not in use at home are not left on the public highway.

 

[raleighnut]

Because each time there is a post you are quite vociferous against car use. I wondered if there was a specific reason.
I have had people do it on mine, so what, I agree there is a lot of unessential or maybe better unneeded use, but the way that society has developed over the past 50 years, unless you want to live in a city & I personally cannot think of a worse form of living, having a car is almost essential. The fact I own 3 of them (currently), doesn't change the fact that I can only drive one at once, of which none of them when not in use at home are not left on the public highway.

If you really fancy a laugh then next time you see a car with a rear light out stopped at traffic lights tap on the window and when the driver lowers it and scowls "What" at you tell them very politely that they have a bulb blown and which one it is then add "It might save you £50 if you get it fixed before the Police see it".Totally flummoxes them.