Author Topic: Dealing with congestion  (Read 16547 times)

Kim

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    • Fediverse
Re: Dealing with congestion
« Reply #25 on: 28 January, 2019, 09:20:08 pm »
If you live in a city there's no point in owning/running a car yet everyone I work with is paying off massive loans so they can have a nice new shiny toy.

It wouldn't be so bad if they actually seemed to get pleasure from them...

ian

Re: Dealing with congestion
« Reply #26 on: 29 January, 2019, 09:05:49 am »
There is a lot to recommend the low cost life style.  The lower your outgoings, the more relaxed you can be about the job you do.  Too much debt and you need a suitably stressful job just to service it.

That's the circular irony though, people have to work to pay for the car to get them to work to pay for the car.

Debt is a valuable commodity though, the financial sector has grown leaps and bounds by securitizing and derivatizing our debt. Mortgage, personal finance, car loans, it's all grist. You can guess who benefits from this.

Re: Dealing with congestion
« Reply #27 on: 29 January, 2019, 11:12:38 am »
I'm 40 in May, I have a few old cars lying around none of which are particularly valuable, I just get enjoyment from working on them. Our day to day car is currently in the car park here at work (out of town industrial estate) because I didn't cycle today. It's 15 years old, has 135,000 miles on the clock and there are younger people here with much bigger nicer, newer cars who probably look at me in disdain and I really don't care.

I don't know many other nearly 40 somethings without a mortgage and absolutely zero debt. I know I'm lucky and not having kids has a significant impact on disposable income but I get to go on ski-ing holidays and cycle tours through Europe rather than watching (figuratively speaking) my bank manager go on such trips.

If my job ends tomorrow I won't worry, I'll probably not go on holiday in the summer but I'll be OK for a while. It would give me a chance to get one of my old wrecks back on the road!
Duct tape is magic and should be worshipped

Re: Dealing with congestion
« Reply #28 on: 29 January, 2019, 11:33:19 am »
I live on a recently built estate. Each house has two car paring spots, one on a driveway and the second in the garage. Most households have two cars but none store them in the garage therefore a lot of the houses use the road outside their front door for a second car. However not all the houses are adjacent to the road so not all have this facility, therefore there is often conflict over using the designated visitors bay for the extra vehicles.

Recently a household moved into one of the properties, three cars and occasionally the son's works van as well. They do have road parking for one car and drive for the second but the garage is full of boxes and the other 1 or 2 vehicles are in the fight for the visitors space and blocking other areas.

Me I have one car on my drive and a garage full of bikes and tools.  :smug:

Re: Dealing with congestion
« Reply #29 on: 29 January, 2019, 11:38:20 am »
Some of us with too many old cars and even more bikes are desperate for a proper garage (I keep one car in Dad's) and yet all over the place no-one ever keeps their car in the garage.

This is mostly to do with the fact the car they paid for with a giant debt is too big to fit in the garage because it has to be bigger than the car next door.
Duct tape is magic and should be worshipped

Re: Dealing with congestion
« Reply #30 on: 29 January, 2019, 11:53:34 am »
But the developer had to come back and rebuild some of the garages as they were too narrow for the vehicles. New doors, relocate the access stairs to the coach house above and then new dividing walls.

ian

Re: Dealing with congestion
« Reply #31 on: 29 January, 2019, 12:55:21 pm »
One suspects that if you annexed a part of the road outside your house to build additional bedroom because you had another child it would be frowned upon. Yet it's apparently OK to do so with cars.

I used to manage a small private estate of 12 houses in south London, each house had one parking space (for a four-bed) along with four guest spaces. I got fed up of the arguments pretty quick, what you see is what you get, I can't manufacture additional parking spaces. I blocked off stupid parking places with heavy planters. I'm not sure what the logic is in buying a house with one parking space if you have four cars (the estate agent told them 'it would be OK' apparently).

Re: Dealing with congestion
« Reply #32 on: 29 January, 2019, 02:20:07 pm »
If you calculate the cost of renting a plot of land large enough to park one car, I'm sure it would be more than the annual car tax in most localities.

Gattopardo

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Re: Dealing with congestion
« Reply #33 on: 29 January, 2019, 02:24:47 pm »
I received a survey this week from our local candidate hoping to become the next conservative mp. We currently have a labour mp but that only changed in the last general election (I didn't vote for either party).

The survey was all about congestion and what did I think about improving parking, fixing potholes, bus and train services in and out of the town, the building of a new bypass, what would make a difference locally to me and my journeys etc.

No where, not once was there any mention of cycling and walking provision or improving the air quality by reducing traffic. It was entirely about 'me and my car'.

At every opportunity I added comments about poor cycle lanes and highlighted not everyone has to drive somewhere.

You never know he might actually read it......

Ah the tory that cut spending....

Re: Dealing with congestion
« Reply #34 on: 29 January, 2019, 03:06:03 pm »
One suspects that if you annexed a part of the road outside your house to build additional bedroom because you had another child it would be frowned upon. Yet it's apparently OK to do so with cars.


I own a 2 bed flat that comes with a parking space and have no car. I haven't looked into it, but I expect that I wouldn't get planning permission or permission from the landlord to put a shed on my own parking space. I doubt they'd object to me owning a large van and parking it in my own space though, which I have considered.

Re: Dealing with congestion
« Reply #35 on: 29 January, 2019, 03:13:53 pm »
Wouldn't even need to be that radical. Simply ban (overnight) parking on the road. If you want a car, you need to either own or rent enough land to keep it on.
That would discriminate against the less-well-off.  Besides, especially in residential areas, parked cars are effective traffic-calming features.

ian

Re: Dealing with congestion
« Reply #36 on: 29 January, 2019, 04:12:13 pm »
They would be if they parked them on the actual road and not the pavement.

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Dealing with congestion
« Reply #37 on: 29 January, 2019, 04:17:33 pm »
People working to pay off debts incurred to buy cars they need to get to jobs they have to have to buy cars and stuck in traffic and not enjoying it one bit used to be referred to by Patrick Field as "the primary victims of car dependency".
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Kim

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    • Fediverse
Re: Dealing with congestion
« Reply #38 on: 29 January, 2019, 05:09:31 pm »
Wouldn't even need to be that radical. Simply ban (overnight) parking on the road. If you want a car, you need to either own or rent enough land to keep it on.
That would discriminate against the less-well-off.  Besides, especially in residential areas, parked cars are effective traffic-calming features.

For values of traffic-calming that might reasonably described as "traffic-enraging".  Sure, it slows the cars down, but effectively creating pinch-points or single-track roads makes drivers more likely to close-pass or bully cyclists.  I'm sure we've all had the pleasure of cycling uphill on a residential road with cars parked on both sides so there isn't enough room for a safe overtake...

ian

Re: Dealing with congestion
« Reply #39 on: 29 January, 2019, 05:15:22 pm »
People working to pay off debts incurred to buy cars they need to get to jobs they have to have to buy cars and stuck in traffic and not enjoying it one bit used to be referred to by Patrick Field as "the primary victims of car dependency".

Yet those are the same people who will demand more cars, more parking, more roads and fight any attempt to change that paradigm.

Possibly in the same way as more guns are the solution to violent crime.

Re: Dealing with congestion
« Reply #40 on: 29 January, 2019, 09:23:49 pm »
I'm sure we've all had the pleasure of cycling uphill on a residential road with cars parked on both sides so there isn't enough room for a safe overtake...

Far to often, unfortunately. They'll never accept they're likely part of the problem

Re: Dealing with congestion
« Reply #41 on: 29 January, 2019, 09:54:53 pm »
That's the circular irony though, people have to work to pay for the car to get them to work to pay for the car.
There was a calculation once. Take the average annual mileage of a car. Divide it by the hours taken driving it, cleaning it, filling it with petrol, and earning the money to pay for its purchase, maintenance, fuelling, storage, etc.

It would be quicker to walk.

(But we do have a car. Officially, it's my wife's.)

Ben T

Re: Dealing with congestion
« Reply #42 on: 29 January, 2019, 11:32:04 pm »
One suspects that if you annexed a part of the road outside your house to build additional bedroom because you had another child it would be frowned upon. Yet it's apparently OK to do so with cars.


I own a 2 bed flat that comes with a parking space and have no car. I haven't looked into it, but I expect that I wouldn't get planning permission or permission from the landlord to put a shed on my own parking space. I doubt they'd object to me owning a large van and parking it in my own space though, which I have considered.

Why don't you just rent it out?

Re: Dealing with congestion
« Reply #43 on: 30 January, 2019, 11:15:36 am »
Who would pay me money to park their car in my space when they can park on the street for free? Especially if it will involve a short walk as people prefer to park outside their own doorstep.
Parking isn't a problem in the cul de sac where I live. Everyone seems to have 1 car per home. It's when I turn out into the street, it's the usual 2 lanes turned into 1 by parked cars.

Re: Dealing with congestion
« Reply #44 on: 30 January, 2019, 01:34:39 pm »
Unfortunately by the time you have taxed it, MOT'd it insured it and moved it into your space even for storage you would be better off going to a local container storage company.

If you don't tax it, one of those people blocking the rest of the street but unable to use your space will look it up on the DVLA and report you for owning an untaxed vehicle. Even if on private land the freeholder would probably decided they have a right to remove it if the DVLA can't be bothered.

You might be able to declare it SORN but that would depend on the rules for your flats. Someone will be petty enough to get upset about it no matter what you did.
Duct tape is magic and should be worshipped

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Dealing with congestion
« Reply #45 on: 30 January, 2019, 01:38:13 pm »
You could use a caravan to avoid all those requirements.
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Ben T

Re: Dealing with congestion
« Reply #46 on: 30 January, 2019, 02:37:17 pm »
Who would pay me money to park their car in my space when they can park on the street for free? Especially if it will involve a short walk as people prefer to park outside their own doorstep.
Parking isn't a problem in the cul de sac where I live. Everyone seems to have 1 car per home. It's when I turn out into the street, it's the usual 2 lanes turned into 1 by parked cars.

Maybe not if there's free parking generally available...but it is 'a thing', possibly more so in bigger cities. One of my flats in sheffield has got one which was 10 grand to buy, as it is it just goes with the flat and slightly increases the rent of the flat, but it is possible to rent it out separately.
Is it a designated space or just the right to park 'somewhere'? If the former, you might find people park in it anyway, you could then simply invest in some yellow stickers...  :demon::)

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Dealing with congestion
« Reply #47 on: 30 January, 2019, 03:32:03 pm »
People renting out their driveways is a thing in some places.
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Re: Dealing with congestion
« Reply #48 on: 30 January, 2019, 03:36:18 pm »
Especially if you live near a major sports or entertainment venue.

https://www.parkonmydrive.com/
Duct tape is magic and should be worshipped

Re: Dealing with congestion
« Reply #49 on: 30 January, 2019, 07:21:37 pm »
It's a designated parking space and (my) private property, so I could probably SORN a van and dump it there, even wheel clamp it if it works. Nobody uses it as far as I know. I can see it if I poke my head out of my bedroom window.