Lorry Acces problems - narrow villages

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Thistle

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I live up a dead end lane, the road up through the village is passable but narrow. There are no weight restrictions as the farm at the top of the lane regularly has 42t grain lorries visiting.

I have lived here for 11 years and repeatedly have problems when leaving or returning from comps on the weekends, this is due to inconsiderate parking, mainly by visitors to 2 houses that don't have their own parking.

Things really came to a head yesterday morning when I could not get down the road at 8am due to a car parked. (only a small car would have got through the gap.

It wasn't terribly obvious who the car belonged to so I beeped the horn. After 10 mins of intermittent beeping and various people coming out to moan at me I decided to knock on the door of the house it was outside. I had to knock very loudly 2 or 3 times, the househoulder eventually opened an upstairs window and screamed abuse at me for disturbing her at such an early hour (this house has parking, she felt it was unfair for me to disturb her as the car outside wasn't hers) her screamed suggestion was I should be hammering on the door of the house it was outside - derrr it was outside her house.

Eventually after more beeping and a queue of 3 cars behind me a bleary eyed visitor in PJ's came out of a house and moved the car - not even an apology!

This has happened 3 times in the last 2 weeks, different houses. The general feeling amongst the village mafia is that I am really inconsiderate and a trouble maker because I should respect their visitors right to park where they want (there is a church car park just round the corner but that would involve a short walk). They feel that I shouldn't drive my 7.5t lorry, that I pay tax etc for, on the road.

The school bus also uses this route and I have heard moans that all the parents should individually drive their kids the 3 miles to school because it's inconvenient to have the bus pass through twice a day.

Each time I am obstructed I politely point out that the road is obstructed, emergency vehicles can't pass and there is another part of the village further up the road.

The screaming abuse woman is threatening to report me for breach of the peace for sounding my horn repeatedly at such an early hour (think the highway code says after 7am in built up area, it's certainly not built up, just about 12 houses)
.

I have contacted my community PC and left a message on his answer phone briefly outlining the access problem and asked him to contact me.

Any other ideas what I can do, apart from move (which I am doing later in the year) however until then I will probably need lorry access 3 times a week or so.

Sorry for the long rant.
 
could your local mp do anything like try and put parking restrictions in like yellow lines or something similar.
 
Living somewhere with equally small roads I sympathise fully - my first ideas may get you into a tad bit of trouble though - so I won't bother suggesting them!!!

I think you are doing the correct thing contacting the CPO. What about phoning your local fire brigde/ambulance station and enjuiring (sp) how much room they need ifor their vehicles to get through - with a bit of luck they may come a do a awareness thing locally....
 
Always travel with a few burly men like firemen. Have seen them 'bounce' cars out of the way that obstruct the route of their fire engines - can't be illegal to do that surely?!

Sorry, no sensible suggestions really, unless you could write letters and put them through all the doors, explaining sweetly your requirements (and those of the emergency services) re access and ask them to use to church car park?
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I have reapatedly asked over the 11 years I have lived here - however as a relative newcomer to the village and a heathen who doesn't go to church on a sun because we are usually out with the horses, my opinions count for nothing!
 
Speaking to the fire brigade would be good as would police as it is illegal to block an emergency vehicle. Every household along that road should be leafleted by the emergency services and have it pointed out to them how dangerous it is. I would also have a long chat with the farmer as he must experience the same problem especially as he has 42 tonne lorries coming up to his farm. Do the villagers have a problem with his lorries - or is it the fact you have horses therefore are posh? How does he get his lorries through.
 
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I have reapatedly asked over the 11 years I have lived here - however as a relative newcomer to the village and a heathen who doesn't go to church on a sun because we are usually out with the horses, my opinions count for nothing!

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In that case, and if you are moving anyway, just get a louder horn for your lorry!
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The farmers lorries and tractors generally run during working hours when the road is clear. I tend to go out in the lorry weekends and evenings when people are home.

The worst culprits re the parking are the 'stalwarts' of village life. They have frequent social gatherings. The cars parked often belong to people further up the lane whose houses would be the ones that burn down! These people are too lazy to walk the half mile, between their houses. They are 'posh' and have a large house4 and a range rover.

I would put something on the village website but the culprit is also the webmaster so he wouldn't publish it.
 
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I have reapatedly asked over the 11 years I have lived here - however as a relative newcomer to the village and a heathen who doesn't go to church on a sun because we are usually out with the horses, my opinions count for nothing!

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In that case, and if you are moving anyway, just get a louder horn for your lorry!
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Our new house has no neighbours, it has a half mile private drive/farm track and a moat to keep out the invaders!

I can't wait to move.
 
TBH, in my village the church goers are by FAR the worst when it comes to blocking the roads - can barely get our horsebox past them if we happen to be going out during a service, when apparently everyone's legs fall off and they have to drive to church instead of walking
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You will have a moat?! If you read Richard Deakin's (well I think thats the author) book Waterlog, he has a moat and uses it to swim lengths.
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Ask them to do what we used to do in my home village in France where the tractors have to get in and out and all the roads are single track - leave the handbrake off. That way, if you need to move the car, you just shove it up a few feet... Seriously though, this should be a matter for the local council. If you scratched their cars, they'd be livid. If the fire engine needs to get through, they're breaking the law by obstructing a public highway. Either which way, ignore the stupid woman who got woken up on a Sunday and post them a picture of your envy-inducing new pad when you move..
 
Wait until there are a large number of offending vehicles and have an out of control bonfire that needs the fire service }-)

But really, I'd have a word with the local fire station and ask them what they would advise. They might feel like having a practice run at blocked or narrow roads that just happens to end at your house for tea and biscuits
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Just to play devil's advocate for a moment (and I agree re the emergency services thing btw), if someone doesn't have a driveway to park on presumably they do need to park on the road? I know our church wouldn't let people use it for personal parking, it is for people attending services, not off road parking for homeowners. Can they park closer to the edge than they do?
 
the houses have 2 spaces for the householders, just not extra for visitior.

The village hall/church car park is regularly used by considerate visitors to other houses.

Emma I see your point but the road really is only just a little wider than a car, my 8ft wide lorry brushes bushes at both sides. There is no pavement just thick hedges and a house wall. It really isn't safe to park there . If you want to have lots of parties then maybe you should buy a house with facilities to entertain?
 
The fire brigade are your best bet. Ring them up and ask to speak to a fire prevention officer, explain the problem clearly and state you are concerned about access in the event of a fire. They should have someone available to call and visit/leave cards. We've a similar problem only people tend to park around the entrance to a public park to walk dogs, when the 2-3 spaces are full they block half the road. Everytime I see one I slap a card explaining the fire problem, and to be fair it's never the same cars do it twice.

You could try contacting the local Parish Council and explain the problem in terms of fire NOT your access, as this is more likely to happen at night when people have left the chip pan on, and see if they've a parish magazine. Ditto I'd still write for the website, but put it in terms of FIRE and the other houses affected, rather than it becoming an 'access for my horse box' issue eg 'I'm concerned about the regular parking in xx road overnight and at weekends, which blocks the access for larger vehicles such as fire engines or ambulances should there be an emergency at the houses further up' and perhaps suggest as a remedy if you can think of one eg if there's a bit of field could be annexed 'could the Parish Council purchase a strip of land alongside xxx road for use for overnight parking, as a layby for when the school bus stops as well as for overspill for the church' That way you perhaps won't get so much hate mail but it might make people think!
I've just got our local PC to put forward to the local council a road improvement scheme - suggested a route for a 'bridleway so that bicycles, pushchairs can use it too as the road is really a bit narrow to take pedestrians so that people can walk to the pub safely from the new housing estate'. may well get it approved too as it involves putting a path INSIDE the hedge of the country park so we can zip down it segreggated from the road. Won't get used much as most of the estate people either don't go or drive to the pub unless it's a sunny Sunday, but would be dead handy for the horses as the traffic on that bit is waaay too fast.
 
I knew a slightly eccentric woman who got in these circs once at the start of a long drive to races with a box load who just put her foot down and munched the side of someones car. Naughty..not to be recommended..but funny!!
 
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I knew a slightly eccentric woman who got in these circs once at the start of a long drive to races with a box load who just put her foot down and munched the side of someones car. Naughty..not to be recommended..but funny!!

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I must say on Sun morning that was looking ever more tempting - shame I now have a nice lorry, if I had still had my old one it would have been an option!

Typically the community PC has not returned my call, I'll try to contact some sexy firemen tomorrow.
 
Dubsie, unfortunately the offenders are very involved with the parish, hence they feel they are beyond reproach!

Will def try the fire brigade route.

Unfortunately there is no alternative parking on that bit but as I said the church car park is only 2 mins walk.

It is a tiny village so unfortunately the village mafia tend to gang up.
 
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