Your bad driving encounters

[Resident]

I've noticed a lot of people go with thd "**** everybody else" attitude when it cones to parked cars. I try to move over to the middle of my lane to dissuade then from a dodgy manoeuvre as there's not always the space for 3 cars abreast.

It's worse when you're in a large multi-ton vehicle. They see you coming and still try to plough their way through then stare at you as if it's your fault. Usually it's either women or older male drivers in my experience.

I had one in early 2023 I was already well established along parked cars with a wall to my offside yet Victor Meldrew in his Berlingo type effort tried to force his way through. I stopped (removing any liability) and he scraped both sides of his vehicle, one side on the wall, the other on my vehicle.

He tried to claim to police that I "tried to bully my way through, they're all the same these bus drivers". Unfortunately for him all buses have multiple exterior cameras and he was charged with careless driving, insurance fraud (false report) & driving with uncorrected defective eyesight.

 

[MrRockliffe]

Moved my mums car onto the road for a brief moment, while I moved cars around on the drive.

Put it into the disabled bay as there was no other parking available at that moment in time, and it was only for a short period of time.


To be clear, my mum is registered disabled, and I’ve put the blue card in the car.


Just went to move it and the people who live there have made it super tricky to get out.


When I went to get into the car, the owner of the white van said I can’t park there as it’s a disabled bay. I explained that I have a blue card in the car. He then said that it’s not my parking space, so I explained that it’s a public road.



Just to check, if the owner of the house by the bay had the space put in, is it their space?

Would be happy to move it but they won’t move their van?


Doesn’t make any sense to me - if they want their space back I’ll move it, but they said they won’t.


Any thoughts other than to call 101?

 

[Uther]

It's a public road, anyone with a blue badge can park there (although you probably shouldn't have, as the blue badge holder isn't in the vehicle...)

 

[rypt]

It's worse when you're in a large multi-ton vehicle. They see you coming and still try to plough their way through then stare at you as if it's your fault. Usually it's either women or older male drivers in my experience.

Multi-ton vehicle drivers are also not immune from poor driving.

There's a spot where two single lane major roads merge - on the "outbound" there are 2 lanes - one lane for each of the merged roads.

The challenge comes in is that for one of these roads the merge happens on a bend, meaning that all the "multi-ton vehicles" don't slow down enough and routinely use up both lanes in order to make their turn and expect the other vehicles to effectively give way to them.

 

[MrRockliffe]

It's a public road, anyone with a blue badge can park there (although you probably shouldn't have, as the blue badge holder isn't in the vehicle...)

You’re right, I did technically park it

I wouldn’t have done it with my own car, hence why I parked it much, much further away from the house.


But I have tried to since move it - with it being such a short amount of time, didn’t think it would be an issue. There’s now plenty of parking on said road but I can’t move it.

 

[Uther]

You’re right, I did technically park it

I wouldn’t have done it with my own car, hence why I parked it much, much further away from the house.


But I have tried to since move it - with it being such a short amount of time, didn’t think it would be an issue. There’s now plenty of parking on said road but I can’t move it.

You might just have to leave it there, but my concern is the guy in the van has a towbar which will leave a nice dent in the car if he wants it too.
I think you could get it out, with someone helping, and lots of backwards forwards movement.
The guy in the van is also over the disabled space, so is being a complete tool.

 

[Uther]

Localish road, never understand why people do this.

 

[Stu999]

You’re right, I did technically park it

I wouldn’t have done it with my own car, hence why I parked it much, much further away from the house.


But I have tried to since move it - with it being such a short amount of time, didn’t think it would be an issue. There’s now plenty of parking on said road but I can’t move it.

Knock on door of ******* who blocked you in and ask them to move their car as you’re moving your mum’s car (which was supposedly their issue)?

 

[MrRockliffe]

You might just have to leave it there, but my concern is the guy in the van has a towbar which will leave a nice dent in the car if he wants it too.
I think you could get it out, with someone helping, and lots of backwards forwards movement.
The guy in the van is also over the disabled space, so is being a complete tool.

Yeah I think I might be able to get it out with help, but my mum isn’t able to get outside today to help - hence why I moved the car in the first place.


Picture makes the gap look bigger than it is though.


Guy with the white van doesn’t have a disabled badge so he can’t technically park in the space I guess

 

[MrRockliffe]

Knock on door of ******* who blocked you in and ask them to move their car as you’re moving your mum’s car (which was supposedly their issue)?

The guy who owns the van came out, but refused to move it.


Don’t know who owns the car behind, so could go knocking on a few doors.

 

[Uther]

The guy who owns the van came out, but refused to move it.


Don’t know who owns the car behind, so could go knocking on a few doors.

Looks like a residential road so I assume no sign of a traffic warden? People have to pay for those spaces IIRC so get quite precious over them, but it doesn't give them exclusive rights to park there.
If you can get the car out (I'd definitely have a go, he might come out and move the van if he thinks you are going to hit it)

 

[MrRockliffe]

Looks like a residential road so I assume no sign of a traffic warden? People have to pay for those spaces IIRC so get quite precious over them, but it doesn't give them exclusive rights to park there.
If you can get the car out (I'd definitely have a go, he might come out and move the van if he thinks you are going to hit it)

With no sensors and no help, I don’t want to risk it. If I bump their car they’ll go through the roof I imagine.


Yes residential road and no traffic warden.



On the phone to 101 for some advice on best way to sort. Hoping they can give him a call to ask to move it if he’s not being helpful to me.

 

[jpaul]

Put it into the disabled bay as there was no other parking available at that moment in time, and it was only for a short period of time.


To be clear, my mum is registered disabled, and I’ve put the blue card in the car.


Just went to move it and the people who live there have made it super tricky to get out.

they intentionally parked close - on both sides ?
not sure you are outside bounds of permitted use - disabled owner needed it to be temporarily parked on public road close to her home
The badge is for your use and benefit only. It must only be displayed if you are travelling in the vehicle as a driver or passenger, or if someone is collecting you or dropping you off and needs to park at the place where you are being collected or dropped.

 

[Rroff]

Localish road, never understand why people do this.

Maybe done in the dark - water can be surprisingly hard to see in the dark. I was following a lorry back last night and saw them swerve (they had the benefit of their main beams) and I had very little margin to avoid a huge puddle that was almost across the road.

 

[Rroff]

Any thoughts other than to call 101?

Nominally the parking brake is only the rear wheels, though if a front wheel drive automatic or left in gear that can make it a bit trickier.

 

[Yaayuh!]

Went down to Cornwall at Christmas, a frequent trip done throughout the year but by goodness, the amount of people that cut me up and the general the state of driving was awful...

 

[Kenai]

With no sensors and no help, I don’t want to risk it. If I bump their car they’ll go through the roof I imagine.


Yes residential road and no traffic warden.



On the phone to 101 for some advice on best way to sort. Hoping they can give him a call to ask to move it if he’s not being helpful to me.

Have you managed to get the car out yet? 101 any use?

 

[Uther]

Maybe done in the dark - water can be surprisingly hard to see in the dark. I was following a lorry back last night and saw them swerve (they had the benefit of their main beams) and I had very little margin to avoid a huge puddle that was almost across the road.

Nope, daylight! Loads of roads flooded here now, and some people are starting to get a bit worried, mainly the ones that were flooded out of their homes a ew years ago.

 

[Rroff]

Nope, daylight! Loads of roads flooded here now, and some people are starting to get a bit worried, mainly the ones that were flooded out of their homes a ew years ago.

I've never known a year like it - not necessarily the worst flooding, 2014 and 2019 were way worse for peak water level but that was 1 or 2 events, but so many flooding events the last couple of months which are serious enough to block roads, etc. and many days where everything is well soaked threatening to flood. Mostly it goes down pretty quickly though.

 

[MrRockliffe]

Have you managed to get the car out yet? 101 any use?

101 didn’t want to do anything as it was a civil matter

Tried calling the council but they didn’t pick up, and eventually the phone lines closed.


Will try again tomorrow and see if the van has moved. If not, the petty child in me wants to leave the car there as long as possible.



Will check when I’m next at my mums on Thursday.