Rant: the difference between HGV and white van parking

[mjr]

HGV cab parked up by the cycle track that I was about to join. Perfectly fine. Most of them are. Even if they've got huge trailers, they manage to park neatly on the outside of the curve but their side of the kerb.

But what's that in front of it? Oh it's white van man/woman, narrowing the cycle track so that I'm going to edge through slowly so as to be sure not to hit it with my cargo!

That lay-by is wide enough for two HGVs to pass on the curve. Why does the motorist think it's so narrow that a poxy little white van needs to park on the cycle track? Should I have slowed down or should I have just gone for it and if the outside of the cargo clipped the van then that's their own silly fault?

 

[vickster]

You need to sort the date on your camera for it to be useful as evidence in such an event it's needed

 

[mjr]

You need to sort the date on your camera for it to be useful as evidence in such an event it's needed

Hah! I seem to have fatfingered the year. Thanks for pointing that out. I'll go reset it although I don't expect it to ever be useful as evidence except for the sort of thing where it'll be pretty obvious that the files are the latest recording. As I've mentioned elsewhere, I use it more as a way to spot dangerous potholes without having to stop and take notes... but the above was the last in a long sequence of events on today's ride and I was wanting to get home by that point which made the parking like a tw.. even more annoying.

 

[potsy]

should I have just gone for it and if the outside of the cargo clipped the van then that's their own silly fault?

This would by my feeling, same as when I walk down a road that has a vehicle parked in such fashion, if a wing mirror accidentally gets knocked as I try to squeeze past

 

[AndyRM]

That is very annoying!

Someone had parked their car over the entire pavement on my walk into work once, it was branded and so was the driver who I saw approaching.

The road is a quiet one, so I waited until he had started up and walked very slowly in front of his car down the street. In hindsight it wasn't the most sensible move (I was suffering a fairly brutal hangover so quite angry), but when the guy got out to try and batter me he did concede my point and we parted on fairly amicable terms.

 

[Brandane]

Wonderful people, these HGV drivers!
WVM are (or at least a lot of them are) wannabe HGV drivers who can't drive.

 

[Milkfloat]

If it had been me trying to use the path I would have folded the mirror. No damage, but enough of a hassle to make a point.

 

[midlife]

Just curious, is that a cycle path on the left and a pavement for peds on the right?

Shaun

 

[slowmotion]

[QUOTE 4243460, member: 9609"]that is the wonderful thing about owning an old white van, I couldn't really care less if someone did administer a few dints and scratches to it. LOL[/QUOTE]
My last white van never had a wash in all the seven years that I owned it...or a service. It sailed through its MOT every time. We got £90 from the scrappy when it finally looked too ghastly to drive.

 

[NorthernDave]

Go to https://www.fixmystreet.com follow the simple instructions to report illegal parking and upload your photo when prompted.
While it's unlikely a ticket will be issued (although you never know!), it flags the problem up and may result in enforcement action in the area.

If the van belongs to a company, you could also email them the image, and politely ask that they have a word with their drivers about illegal parking (although you're likely to have more success the bigger the firm is)

 

[Bollo]

I really don't want to get doctrinaire about paths vs roads, but that looks a perfectly serviceable and quiet road and an especially sh1te path. I might consider using the road even as a pedestrian!

Don't get me wrong, pavement parking really scoops my turds. Unfortunately there are a number of roads near me where you can't walk on the pavement of an evening because they're completely taken by parked cars.

 

[mjr]

@Bollo It's misleading as that is a layby off the north end of the A10. The cycle track just there is narrower than usual and we're pushing for it to be widened when they start building 20000 (I think) houses nearby. It widens out when it rejoins the main A10 which is a 40mph limit where the motorists AVERAGE 39.5mph!

@midlife That bit is cycle track on the east side and footway on the west. Not that either walkers or cyclists completely obey it.

 

[Bollo]

@Bollo It's misleading as that is a layby off the north end of the A10. The cycle track just there is narrower than usual and we're pushing for it to be widened when they start building 20000 (I think) houses nearby. It widens out when it rejoins the main A10 which is a 40mph limit where the motorists AVERAGE 39.5mph!

@midlife That bit is cycle track on the east side and footway on the west. Not that either walkers or cyclists completely obey it.

Fairynuff. I really wasn't trying to point-score, but it shows that a few pictures can't really give a fair hearing to the problem.