Parking in your Town/ city

[patricks148]

Have been out the last few nights with the Current Mrs148 and really noticed that its a bit of a free for all when it comes to parking.

At the moment there are no Traffic Wardens due to Police Scotland not wanting to pay for them or the Council. The Police themselves either can't be bothered or have too few guys looking at it.

in the last few days Ive seen;

A row of cars (20+) all parked on a double yellow lines.
Cars on Pavements, where the road has double yellow lines.
A car parked on the white zig zags on a pedestrian crossing ( used to be 3 points on your licence)
a Coach parked the corner of a road junction with traffice lights and with a yellow cross hatch ( no stopping)
cars parked in bus stops in the town center.

So whats it like where you live.

 

[ADB]

I live near Brighton, driving is actively discouraged into the centre and parking is expensive. The wardens are ruthless. Residents parking is a nightmare, there are too many properties for the number of cars - and many park up their hippy wagon for 50 weeks of the year blocking space.

 

[Rooter]

Newbury is Hell. no where to park for free anywhere anymore, I believe i read there are 20 traffic wardens for a small town, this is a lot!! Its also expensive, Sundays annoy me, its 2 quid all day. no option for an hour.

There was also recent news that the council had undersized the parking spaces and had been fining people that parked over the lines!

To this date, i have had 6 tickets, and not paid for any of them. Always won my appeal, what a waste of public money, but i suppose they make it back with the people that just pay.

 

[Imurg]

Have been out the last few nights with the Current Mrs148 and really noticed that its a bit of a free for all when it comes to parking.

At the moment there are no Traffic Wardens due to Police Scotland not wanting to pay for them or the Council. The Police themselves either can't be bothered or have too few guys looking at it.

in the last few days Ive seen;

A row of cars (20+) all parked on a double yellow lines.
Cars on Pavements, where the road has double yellow lines.
A car parked on the white zig zags on a pedestrian crossing ( used to be 3 points on your licence)
a Coach parked the corner of a road junction with traffice lights and with a yellow cross hatch ( no stopping)
cars parked in bus stops in the town center.

So whats it like where you live.

Much the same - except we have Traffic Wardens, not that you'd know it

 

[Slab]

Not sure what the Creole translation is for ‘traffic warden’ maybe that’s why we don’t have any. The police issue most other traffic tickets and carry out random stop checks but parking is a bit of a grey area

Basically the defence to leaving it anywhere seems to be, just because your car has stopped it doesn’t mean you’ve parked it (even if it’s empty) It might just being getting a rest or cooling down while you pop to the ATM etc

In addition stopping to let passengers in/out can apparently be done at any bus stop or in any lane even if traffic is flowing or while going through roundabouts if that’s 10 yards closer to where they want to go

It's fun!

 

[Paul77]

I was out seeing Kevin Bridges in the Hydro in Glasgow last night. I was really struggling to find a parking spot and had to park in a street about 2 miles away. They have a multi-storey there but it was rammed before the show. Glasgow is a joke for parking. You can't go anywhere without it costing you, and also max 2 hour stays on most places. Totally pointless. If they want folk to go see shows, provide ample parking and it'll be more successful.

 

[patricks148]

I was out seeing Kevin Bridges in the Hydro in Glasgow last night. I was really struggling to find a parking spot and had to park in a street about 2 miles away. They have a multi-storey there but it was rammed before the show. Glasgow is a joke for parking. You can't go anywhere without it costing you, and also max 2 hour stays on most places. Totally pointless. If they want folk to go see shows, provide ample parking and it'll be more successful.

if you were going out to the Theatre in Inverness, you could park on the front steps to the place and get away with it

 

[Deleted member 18645]

The town near where I live has a Tescos with free parking and around 30 free parking bays in the main street. And still you get idiots parking in the bus stop or the disabled spaces "because I'm only going to be five minutes". Some people are just so damn selfish .....

But I do agree with the jobsworth type traffic wardens and councils out there. Even though I would double, even triple the fines for parking in bus/disabled spaces.

 

[MegaSteve]

In line with being a London Borough... Parking is expensive and wardens are plentiful and ruthless...

 

[patricks148]

The town near where I live has a Tescos with free parking and around 30 free parking bays in the main street. And still you get idiots parking in the bus stop or the disabled spaces "because I'm only going to be five minutes". Some people are just so damn selfish .....

But I do agree with the jobsworth type traffic wardens and councils out there. Even though I would double, even triple the fines for parking in bus/disabled spaces.

yep, same here.

When i take the dogs out for a walk i often walk though the Leisure center car park. There are 6 disabled spaces at the front of the building and they are always filled with cars not displaying a blue badge. there is also a drop off zone that has double yellow lines outside the front door. more often that not this bay is filled with parked cars. The other day i watched a woman get out wearing a judo kit along with her kids. They all went in and left the car parked there.

 

[Robster59]

If I'm being pedantic, Traffic Wardens are pretty much gone. All parking fines are apparently issued by Civil Enforcement Officers.

This will be controversial to a number on here but I see them as being necessary evils. If there is nobody to enforce the law then inconsiderate, obstructive and, in some cases, dangerous parking would just proliferate. I see far too much bad parking even with the TW's/CEO's. What Patrick highlights is what happens if they are not there to enforce the rules.

The problem is our cities were not designed to take this volume of cars. I know Glasgow has issues but my journeys around the UK tells me it is not the worst by a long chalk.

Undoubtedly there are some stupid parking laws, pedantic councils and officers but it would be a hundred times worse if it wasn't applied.

 

[Rooter]

If I'm being pedantic, Traffic Wardens are pretty much gone. All parking fines are apparently issued by Civil Enforcement Officers.

This will be controversial to a number on here but I see them as being necessary evils. If there is nobody to enforce the law then inconsiderate, obstructive and, in some cases, dangerous parking would just proliferate. I see far too much bad parking even with the TW's/CEO's. What Patrick highlights is what happens if they are not there to enforce the rules.

The problem is our cities were not designed to take this volume of cars. I know Glasgow has issues but my journeys around the UK tells me it is not the worst by a long chalk.

Undoubtedly there are some stupid parking laws, pedantic councils and officers but it would be a hundred times worse if it wasn't applied.

Of course i agree, too many cars not enough of an infrastructure to cope. Take this back to my town, we are just about to approve a new housing development of 2,500 houses! This is in a town with a railway and a river that dissect it, and only 2 ways to cross it. One of them is closed for the next 13 months for the electrification of the railway line. It can take up to an hour to get from one side of town to the other!

Now, lets build 2,5000 houses, potentially 5000 more cars, where are they going to park if they want to go to the shops? Its not walking distance! Infrastructure first, then housing. Not the other way IMHO!

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Don't ever seem to have an issue in LB or MK - lots of parking around

 

[guest100718]

The wardens round here can smell a car with a soon to expire ticket from a mile away! the town is minimmum 1 pounds even for a 10 minute stop to pop in for a colelction.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

I was out seeing Kevin Bridges in the Hydro in Glasgow last night. I was really struggling to find a parking spot and had to park in a street about 2 miles away. They have a multi-storey there but it was rammed before the show. Glasgow is a joke for parking. You can't go anywhere without it costing you, and also max 2 hour stays on most places. Totally pointless. If they want folk to go see shows, provide ample parking and it'll be more successful.

Oh I don't know - Monday evening I parked in Castle Street, off Byres Road outside Balbir's Indian restaurant for free. Mind you - the (Urban) Clearway Parking Notice telling when I could and couldn't park there was hellish confusing and I might well have been parking illegally and I got away with it.

 

[Crazyface]

Hate it. Huge increase in traffic over the last 10 years. Everywhere rammed. A town by-pass built years ago that ended IN THE TOWN causing a massive tailback at all times. Parking charges everywhere you go. and on and on and on......

 

[ger147]

I was out seeing Kevin Bridges in the Hydro in Glasgow last night. I was really struggling to find a parking spot and had to park in a street about 2 miles away. They have a multi-storey there but it was rammed before the show. Glasgow is a joke for parking. You can't go anywhere without it costing you, and also max 2 hour stays on most places. Totally pointless. If they want folk to go see shows, provide ample parking and it'll be more successful.

SECC parking is fairly simple - park in the city centre and get the low level train out to the venue and back.

You can park in the multi-storey by the bus station or at Cowcaddens for £2 after 6pm for the whole night then go about your business for the evening before picking up your car on the way home. You can even pay in advance as you park so all you need to do on the way home is ignore the beggars outside the car park entrances and you're away.

The other option is eat pre-theatre in the Rotunda and you get a free parking spot for the night.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

SECC parking is fairly simple - park in the city centre and get the low level train out to the venue and back.

You can park in the multi-storey by the bus station or at Cowcaddens for £2 after 6pm for the whole night then go about your business for the evening before picking up your car on the way home. You can even pay in advance as you park so all you need to do on the way home is ignore the beggars outside the car park entrances and you're away.

The other option is eat pre-theatre in the Rotunda and you get a free parking spot for the night.

I think the 'night out' access situation in Glasgow is pretty good if you are prepared to accept not being able to drive and park close to where you want to go. Parking at Whitecraigs is free - all day - every day. And it costs £7.50 or so return to Central. Access to everywhere in City Centre from there is straightforward and inexpensive.

 

[Kellfire]

I live in York. The best bet is to take a bus or walk into town. Parking is minimal and expensive. Grim.

 

[Robster59]

I live in York. The best bet is to take a bus or walk into town. Parking is minimal and expensive. Grim.

I'll agree with you there. My daughter was a student at York and it was always a nightmare trying to find somewhere to park when I went to see her.