There are many here among us / Who feel that life is but a joke

[hirez]

A couple of years ago, I was to be found mithering about crap Bristol car drivers parking on the pavement. I assume it's an extension of the 'leaving the hazard flashers on means I can park somewhere stupid' (lack of) thought process. It's as if they know they're doing something that's going to shite stuff up for other people, and they're making some strange kind of semi-socially-acceptable excuse/apology. Obviously, if you call them on it, they go all passive-aggressive on you.

The thing is, it's socially-enforced shit behaviour. A few people bung their cars halfway up on the pavement, and the next time you park up you're going to get funny looks if you don't join in. Even though it's illegal. At the point where everybugger's at it, it becomes de facto normality.

Perhaps I am failing to articulate just how much I detest such behaviours? Perhaps not. Perhaps I'd like to live in a town where pedestrians get priority instead of tosser car-pilots.

Anyway.

The rot's started in our street. Some twatmonkey in a MX5 has plonked his (or indeed her) hateful shitbox halfway up the pavement. I await developments with mild concern.

[Poll #1777986]

Comments

[the-siobhan.livejournal.com]

On my street it's mainly a function of there not being room for other cars to get by if they don't. It usually happens when people are unloading/loading heavy things, children or elderly parents.

[ivory-goddess.livejournal.com]

I've seen some streets where its actively encouraged - parking bays marked partially on the pavement. In my sister's road you can park entirely on the pavement in the marked bays (its a very wide pavement and a very narrow street).

Mostly I notice it in streets where if you didn't park on the pavement you'd block the road. Lesser of 2 evils perhaps?

[mr-tom.livejournal.com]

It's not the illegality that's the issue: motoring is one of the few areas of life where one is given a number of passes to break the law before any form of punishment is even considered. It's the fact that it's really inconsiderate towards those people that society should be protecting: the elderly, disabled, or children in prams.

Allez les Dégonflés!

[sammason.livejournal.com]

I use a wheelchair. This thread has led me to notice that I haven't yet found a pavement blocked by a car such that I couldn't wheel along it. But it certainly could happen. It does happen when wheelie bins are placed carelessly, but to be fair to householders, the people who leave the bins carelessly are generally the people whose job it is to empty them.

[liz-lowlife.livejournal.com]

You don't like MX5s?!

[hirez.livejournal.com]

I like all sorts of cars. It's the drivers of the poor beasts that give a chap pause.

Apart from Vauxhalls. They're horrible. Oh, and BL kit that isn't some flavour of Mini. Non-classic Rangies are suspect, too.

[purple-spider.livejournal.com]

We don't have pavements in our village, I am serious, there are no pavements .... but it is a busy place with narrow roads and lanes and people do double park which makes driving through a nightmare. I mostly have to contend with tractors crawling along at 3 MPH ;)

[the_axel]

And they always get moved as soon as the jobs done.

[hirez.livejournal.com]

That sounds like the place where I grew up. No pavements, no streetlights... And no-one daft enough to park on the road.

[perlmonger.livejournal.com]

Traffic-calmed innit. Speed bumps, one way, but parking allowed (most of) both sides, so no need for wazzocks to kerbride. Still packed solid of a weekend though.

[aoakley.livejournal.com]

The entire country would be a better place if people just obeyed the law.

Us and our parents are two generations of special snowflakes who think we're exceptions to the rule. Hopefully the next generation will be less selfish.

The correct reaction to "the law is an ass" is to write to your MP, not to disobey the law.

[meltie.livejournal.com]

Sheffield streets. 'nuff said.