Probably didn't see the signs

A lot of driver groups (AA, RAC etc) complain about the sheer number of signs, how they distract drivers. That can be a problem, but Bristol drivers cope by ignoring them completely. Especially the small signs. Here, we have a Nissan X-Trail (WU56VFG) up on pavement.

It's a wide bit of pavement/extended parking area, but with the waste bins in the way, pedestrians get to walk on the road. Being a weekend, Aberdeen Road in Cotham is fairly quiet: about 1 car every 20 seconds. So, no risk. After all, if the council felt it was dangerous to park here, they'd have some signs up, saying something like "Show you care, park elsewhere". Or maybe "School" in big yellow letters.



(Incidentally, the driver came out when I was taking the second photo and told me that he'd only just arrived there. Strange, as the first photo is timestamped 20 minutes earlier. )

Keep Clear means "Keep clear for me"

There are some people who think that Keep Clear signs and the related white markings on the road are there to provide safe passing places in busy roads, safe access to buildings or schools, and to make junctions easier to negotiate. This is not true in Bristol.


As can be seen here, in Somerset Street, Kingsdown, the Keep Clear markings provide extra parking for important drivers, such as the silver Volvo LS02MRY above,

The Red Nissan K299 RLC

A Black Toyota W433XDL

And black Saab S177SFU.
These vehicles are all important enough to park on Keep Clear lines.

How do you know you are important? Well, if you need to park, and there is nowhere else to so, you can declare an emergency and park in these regions. Incidentally, there are some discussions about making this area residents parking only. These proposals should be opposed because people from all over Bristol clearly need right to park here on a weekday, especially if they have had to drive a long way to get into the centre of town. This area provides valuable free parking for commuters. The only argument in its favour would be if the plan increased the number of double yellow lines, as it would create more parking spaces for important people.