R75
Very interesting.
I know who is main moaner behind this situation.
After a letter of alert he immediately posted his version.
Lots of stats and dates etc that even our councilor did not know.
After praising the scheme he then shot himself in the foot by suggesting things that were either not permitted or needed parliament to act.
Finally wishing all a Merry Christmas & This letter has been printed on Re-cycled paper.
I think most are not concerned at a small extension of the yellow lines but not hundreds of yards along this side road ( a non rat run crescent) on both sides.
In reality the curent lines are generally ignored even though wardens visit now and then.
(I think the local bush telegraph works well in the local shops).
With £££s in short supply it makes MY blood boil re how much has already been spent to date on this plan. Go spend it on an accident spot. There is one just a mile away.
|
I have to admit that the costs were something that really got my back up as well. All in all (and calculated via figures gained via another FOI request) our little episode cost the tax payers of SNIP in excess of £50,000. They even turned up about 6 months later to put marked parking bays in when we had all explicitly said we did not want that as it would reduce the amount of available parking and basically looks unsightly.
My personal point of view is that the head of SNIP Highways should have been removed from his post.
edited - same reason as your other post
Edited by Webmaster on 30/12/2008 at 00:27
|
|
|
|
We wanted speed bumps in our road which is a bit of a rat-run, particularly when Man United are at home. What we got were speed 'thumps', slightly raised lines of thick yellow paint across the road, about 15 inches across, useless, they seemed to encourage people to speed up. There were 4 axle tippers coming down from some building project. When empty the back end jumped in the air over the 'thumps.'
The 2 car transporter of a local main dealer drove down with no regard to the 30 limit or his vehicle, which had twin rear axles, or customers cars on board. During this time, two houses, including my mother in law's, lost their pebbledash....both had a thump outside. After many complaints, we now have proper speed bumps and the thumps are gone, leaving scars across the road. On match day I now sometimes set up a 'chicane' by parking my two cars opposite each other but completely on the road to slow things down a bit.
Another aspect obviously not considered by councils is the destruction of the appearance of some roads. I use a main road regularly which is lined on both sides with lovely Edwardian semis. Originally they had red brick walls with terracotta capstones and sandstone gateposts. Since the yellow lines arrived, most of these walls have gone to make access to front gardens. The whole road looks awful now...shame, but that's human nature.
Ted
|
|
|
R75 unfortunately local government uses a little known law which enables committees to exclude proponents of change that the majority is against simply on the grounds that they're 'bised'. You can achieve anything that way.
Anyway, my council recently wrote to inform me of its plans re parking in my road. A yellow line is to be painted down the west side of the road "while we will be adding extra parking to the east side". This will "increase parking facilities in the vicinity, will improve access for council vehicles" and everyone will be happy so don't worry. That sort of thing.
Mmm. OK, but there isn't enough room on the east side to compensate for the removal of the east side. One space really, that's all. I calculated that, in percentage terms, the council is about to remove 48% of the parking my road. Give or take 3 percent either way. I studied plans in the council office to make sure I understood.
So, I started up Word and wrote "Dear Sir,"...the reply was intriguing. It seemed I was mistaken. The single space would indeed make up for the shortfall and, astonishingly, ADD an estimated "3-5% more parking" to the road. The Pope isn't a Catholic. As far as the council is concerned our correspondence is over, they've added 3% more parking (despite removing half of it), and they're obviously quite happy with that exchange.
Every day scores of council employees abandon their cars with inpunity in all the town's car parks. The majority of people who park in my road are employed by the council too. How they get away with it? Everyone's issued little blue badges and tells the car park owners to 'deal with it' or we'll revoke your license.
But this is the corker. How's this for incompetence. Shortly after the changes to the yellow lineage, the line painting men returned and blacked out a portion of the yellow line, then drew a dotted white parking space box right outside my house, the only parking spot on this side of the road. If anyone parked in it they completely blocked the road to all but bicycles and wayward pedestrians. People did of course park in it and then went to work leaving the road blocked if, as ever, carks are parked down the other side, the cars of people who have also gone to work.
So the council blocked the very council vehicles they had set out to improve access for. The dotted parking space has since disappeared and the yellow line reinstated. The council denies knowledge of these "line painters".
It can't be wise for any public body to make enemies of pockets of people while simultaneously corralling them into friendly union against them.
|
FocusDriver
>>Anyway, my council recently wrote to inform me of its plans re parking in my road.
>>
Lucky you. We did not get ANY information.
The main agitator in his unsigned letter states The dept put into effect the legal steps to implement the parking Restrictions ( this takes over a year for the legal process.)
Details were published in the local press and copies placed in Local Libraries. 28 days to object.
If this is true and the council do not have to send out any letters then this is certainly not acceptable. There is a large well known notice board for notices in the middle of the shops just 150 feet away that has been there for decades but nothing there.
Few get a local paper ( I am reliably told that it was hidden in the small print ).
I suspect few go to the library and read the information.
A mail shot to 120 houses immediately affected is the minimum requirement.
Proper consultation whould have supplied the council with a significant list of email addresses for any updates.
I am very unhappy with the whole procedure so the local MP and a few others will be updated with the situation.
I have this image of this old ***** smirking for a year knowing what was brewing.
|
"Proper consultation whould have supplied the council with a significant list of email addresses for any updates."
A practical, cheap and effective idea. I doubt the thought crossed anyone's mind henry. I think when you're a senior official in a local government post, you see ordinary people as things you tinker with all the time. "If you listened to everyone, nothing would get done."
Until hundreds of people turn up outsite town halls at weekends (I find it's often a bit cold, or raining) and demand action one way or the other things will remain the same. It's raining again at the weekend I think.
|
'Until hundreds of people turn up outsite town halls at weekends (I find it's often a bit cold, or raining) and demand action one way or the other things will remain the same.'
And those of us that advocate such action are regarded as being Mr Angry by others all though they are quite happy to accept the fruits of our labours.
|
You could all stand for election to your council - certainly where I live the number of people you have on your side would certainly give you a chance of election.
Edited by hxj on 30/12/2008 at 09:07
|
|
If I could see that the "Mr Angry" approach worked I would use it, MrX, but I have found from experience that shouting and ranting doesn't usually have the desired effect, you are more likely to alienate people against your cause rather than win it... thats why I take a different approach which would be more along the lines of that earier post, get everyone together and approach en mass... no need to shout at them and gets the desired result... I admit it doesn't always work, but has more chance than one person screaming and shouting, I suspect!
|
|
|
|
b308
Neither Mr X nor myself are advocating "shouting" or "screaming" as you say. I don't understand why you've read so much more into what I said than ... what I actually said.
I merely said "hundreds of people turning up outside a town hall"
You've just demonstrated Mr X's point!
|
Neither Mr X nor myself are advocating "shouting" or "screaming" as you say.>> I merely said "hundreds of people turning up outside a town hall"
It wasn't aimed at you, I was replying to MrX, and despite what you say, from what I've seen of his posts (before and after moderation) he seems to be the typical Mr Angry and I was suggesting that there are better methods of approach... I agree that sometimes, as a last resort, you have to go down the mass demonstration route, but the majority of issues can be sorted without getting bolshy and done in a calm manner.
|
|
|
|
|
|
I actaully had the head of the Highways Dept (is that all right webmaster!!) sat here on my sofa SNIP - it was alright until you mentioned the location again! trying to argue that black was white!! He did not have a clue , I was not sure what planet he lived on but it was not the same one as me.
He even tried to argue that it was illegal for us to park on a grass verge (it was not), it is only illegal if the verge is damaged or if the vehicle is over 3.5t. I pointed this out to him whereby he said if he saw me parked there he would claim I had damaged the verge, I replied that he ought to do just that as I had photographs of his depts 3.5t vans parked on the verge and I would be interested to see his report to the court on how my car would make more damage then his vans.
He then took the hump and walked out!!!!!
It really does get quite silly, I spent an awful amount of my own time sorting it all out. I was lucky in that I had the support of nearly all the neighbours and together we sent in lots of letters and at some points took more direct action to stop what was going on!!
They have now come up with what they think is an adequate compromise and that is they have installed bushes, this is supposed to stop the parking, but it does not, what it does do is catch all the litter that blows around, and we phone up on a regular basis to complain about it, it also stops the grass cutters getting to the edge and so they have to send a man with a strimmer to finish the job. More expense for something 1 household out of 30 wanted!!!!
And to cap it all the actual reason the resident wanted the dragons teeth was to stop cars parking outside his house as an estate agent had told him it was reducing the value of his home by £16k, he is one of the 5 houses in the close that has a drive, the rest of us have to park outside our houses on the road, which we are all happy with. But his plan failed in spectacular style as the bushes look worse then ever the neighbour on the other side of him now has a nice private parking area fenced off by bushes!! (they moved in after all this had happened so to my knowledge know nothing of what went on!!). So he got what was coming to him if you ask me.
Edited by Webmaster on 31/12/2008 at 01:01
|
|
Why do they listen to one person who is trying to claim rights over a stretch of public highway ?. Does that person never park in a street other than his own , is he not doing unto others as is being done unto him ?
Edited by Webmaster on 31/12/2008 at 01:01
|
Good luck with your protests, henryk.
20 years ago we lived in Walton-on-Thames and Elmbridge Council tried to introduce residents parking to our road that had no parking problems despite being close to shops, river and with 3 pubs ;-} They just fancied the money!
The residents mobilised and revolted in a most effective way. There's still no controlled parking in the road, despite the big new shopping centre in the town!
|
Boxsterboy. thanks
I am in Elmbridge but it is Surrey CC is the highways mob.
I delivered, in person, my letter and reception said "Oh he has been getting a lot of mail" I have to believe they were not letters of support.
|
|
Surrey CC Highways are a bit of a pain at the moment. They are objecting to nearly every Operators Licence or change of Licence in the county at the moment. And a s a result a lot of VOSA inspectors time is being taken up needlessly writing reports and attending public inquiries. It seems whoever is the head there is trying to make a name for themselves!! My contacts within VOSA are getting a bit fed up to say the least!!
|
|
|
|
There's still no controlled parking in the road, despite the big new shopping centre in the town!
Not for long, it seems.
tinyurl.com/7on56v
|
|
|
|
Yep he parked in the street and his family when they visit still do as well!! The guy was and is a hypocrite and has succeeded in alienating himself with all the residents around him, but on a plus point the rest of us now know each other an awful lot better and get on very well!
He knew someone in the dept and this guy was doing it as a favour to him! That is the long and short of it.
|
|
Did the guy in the dept get disciplined, R? If not he should have!!
|
Nope, nothing was done about him. It was a complete farce, but, having said that, because of the way it was done it was easier for us to get it reversed as we could prove it was not done correctly.
A complete and utter waste of an awful lot of money that could have been far better spent on other things in the area/county.
|
Surrey county council highways are incapable of organising any road junction or parking scheem.Over many years I have had dealings with them re road planning and I can say that all the ones I have meet live on another plannet.They have this superiority that what they say goes and we lesser mortals will just have to accept it.
see link below for another SCC mess up in the making
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?v=e&t=70...7
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
