Only £4 million

Oh dear, it seems Bristol City Council is making money out of us motorists again, and the Association of British Drivers are really cross. 

The Evening Post has it covered, in some in-depth investigative journalism. Even though we never get ticketed for parking on pavements the council have still managed to extract £4 million from us over the last year just for parking badly on the roads.

This is the sort of thing that happens these days - no yellow lines in sight! We're with the ABD's spokesman on this, who stated:

"But the trouble is if you treat people like children they act like them."

We're not sure if the driver of FM57WUR is actually a child, but if the ABD want proof, here it is.

UPDATE: What we need is more footballers in Bristol.

Clifton Downer

Those Bristol roving traffic wardens really are a nuisance. They've taken to visiting places without any yellow lines. Luckily for WV56HSF they haven't yet been to Pembroke Vale, but we're sure it's only a matter of time before they do.

We think it's fine when they pick on the Redland Mums, after all if you live outside the catchment area of a school, but manage to get your child into it, you can't be expected to fully understand the etiquette attached to driving and parking in the 'hood.

But over here in Clifton, we pay proper road tax, and like to send our kids to public schools. We all have cars, and nobody important walks in our streets. Yes, poor people, the blind and the elderly may have to use pavements and take trains, but we're far too wealthy to worry about them. Which is why we're miffed that P32OSX and AK55BFY have been ticketed for obstructing dropped kerbs.

It appears that Bristol City Council (who seem to think they own the pavements) want to persecute us for simply parking where it's most convenient.

Of course, parking fines are nothing to the good residents of Clifton. So we'll just carry on.

Double Jeopardy 2

Back in June we covered the unfair persecution of a motorist, purely because they had the temerity to park across a dropped kerb.

It seems this sort of behaviour by uncaring, irresponsible council officials is still going on. Poor old YL04ZWW has been targeted in the same way, with a ticket on two successive days.

Our roving reporter did re-visit the site on the third day, but sadly the Mini had gone. We suspect the evil council took it to the car-pound to be crushed, but it could be (this is Redland after all) that some kindly neighbour contacted the owner, who then flew back from Barbados, and parked somewhere else.

We just hope it wasn't here, where unlucky R125SLB, has also been persecuted for nothing more than inconveniencing a few children on their way home from Redland Green school.

The Friday Quiz Returns

After a break, and now that we've had a bit of summer, it's time for some fun again.

So here's a picture.

Is it just me or is there something wrong here?

Delivery is everything

We know this van. We've seen it more than once before, but never on Redland Road

As we reflect on our new political landscape, it's worth remembering that, promises are one thing, but delivery is another.

Clearly the driver of YA55VDY is destined for a seat in the cabinet. Note the tactics - delivery accomplished, careful positioning, blocking, get-out strategy (front or rear), and all without affecting the very important people that drive up Redland Road. Genius.

Parking Police Persecution in Kingsdown

Kingsdown Parade, nice little parking area for commuters. The residents are trying to make it RPZ, but someone from Clifton has been round pushing Keep-parking-free leaflets through every door encouraging them to resist, to give visitors from Clifton somewhere to park.

One reason: in an RPZ, there will be more yellow lines and tickets, and who wants that? Not us, obviously, yet even before the RPZ decision is final, someone is ticketing cars for being over dropped kerbs.

The car on the right NC54RXO, yes, it's a dropped kerb, but it's not blocking the corner. As for the car on the left, L693CON, well, that's the funny one. Its got two tickets, but if you look at that side of Kingsdown Parade, the entire pavement is only a centimetre high. There is no raised, therefore: no dropped. It seems to us the ticket is on pretty week grounds here, as its only the funny road markings that hint this is a pedestrian area, not the kerb.

Dropped Kerb Parking Persecution

Since March 1, the council has been promising it will make life harder for us, the city's tax payers, by ticketing our cars on dropped kerbs. And its true, they really are!

Here by Hampton Road and Cotham Vale, HD53UHB has received two tickets.

It's crime? Being parked across the knobbly bit of the pavement -that's all.
 

That's despite the fact there is clearly enough room for a student to walk up the hill and out onto the road -while talking on their phone- we note. Why don't mobile phones detect when someone is using them at walking pace and stop working? Because the telcos make so much money from students strolling around, chatting to their mates, that they don't want any ban on walking+mobile phones.

Over in Beaufort Road, Clifton. Another corner. another car, A3FXX, ticketed.

A week later we can see how the locals have learned and adapted. WP52EFH shows the trick.

If you park far enough away from the dropped kerb, you are no longer blocking pedestrian access. That's OK then.