We support the RPZ plans for our business driving.

A lot of claims are made about the "cost" of traffic jams, pricing driver's time above that of pedestrians and cyclists. While we certainly agree that our time should be valued above those people who can't afford to pay road tax, we dispute the naive application of "value of time".

The worth of time of people who are stuck in traffic jams as they drive to work is essentially zero.

Why do we we conclude this?

• The commute marks a transition between work time (paid, valuable) and leisure time (no financial cost to society).
• The commute time is not part of working hours -it happens after, so is part of the leisure time.
• If the peak hour commute takes an extra 15 minutes, you can leave 15 minutes early and still arrive at work at the same time. And in the evening you get home 15 minutes later after leaving work at the scheduled time.
• If you have chosen to move to Bradley Stoke or Portishead, your leisure time is an empty void and so worthless regardless of when you travel.

Because commute time is really leisure time, it isn't costing you anything. The people it is costing are google, because you could spend an extra 30-45 minutes online. This is why Google, strategic partners of both us and the NSA, are so fond of self-driving cars. They could get an extra 1h30 of adverts in front of your eyes.

So: commute time: you can get up earlier and leave earlier to compensate -it doesn't cost business or the country anything.

On the other hand:

the worth of time of businesses who need drivers traversing the city is tangible and negatively affected by commuters in two ways.

1. The congestion they cause adds delays. This isn't just the jams on the A-roads, it is the cars driving round in circles looking for places to park.
2. The parking spaces -legal and non-legal- that they use up, create problems for the city all day long.

Bristol traffic has a broad dataset of the what it is like as a white van driver, with numerous problems clearly shown. 

The lack of legal parking bays forces us to park where we can. This can result in parking tickets

This photo was taken on a weekday in Kingsdown -the commuter parking has filled up all the spaces made free by residents, so forcing us to park here. We've also had to waste time driving around until we could find an empty space like this.

The lack of free parking bays costs us time -and hence money

Then there's the double parking. We have to do it whenever we drop off one of our premium entertainment products -especially in Clifton, where there is never any space. We don't mind doing that, don't care about the abuse -but we do care about being held up by other double parking delivery vehicles.

Double parking of short-stay vehicles creates delays that costs us money.

An RPZ provides parking for delivery vehicles, so simplifies our life -and stops us being held up.

Commuter parking can even stop us reaching our destination. Look at this photo of Kingsdown Parade


It's a weekday morning in Kingsdown, and our van is held up by a scaffolding truck that can't get past the parked cars. The crew had to get out, bounce the car out the way. This cost them time, and it cost us time.

Commuter parking narrows roads and eliminates passing places -causing delays and costing us money.

Now look at kingsdown post-RPZ:



Can you see the difference: the road is nearly empty. No more struggles to get wider vehicles past too many parked cars. With the passing places, we don't even need to drive aggressively at oncoming cyclists. Which we actually care about -a schoolrunning parent on Cotham Hill this morning actually put their hand up by their head and damaged our wing-mirror this morning. And now that cyclists are starting to wear helmet-cams more, our driving becomes more visible to the police and employers.

This shows how resident parking zones directly save us money

1. Providing long stay parking close to our destination, eliminating parking tickets and confrontation.
2. Providing short-stay parking for deliveries, eliminating double parking -and stopping us being held up by other double parked vehicles.
3. Effectively widening our roads in the narrow inner city.

The roads in our inner city are too valuable to be wasted on commuter parking.

This is why we strongly support the RPZ plans -it delivers direct business value to us.

Kingsdown update

Shocking footage in Kingsdown, where we can see the paint lines for the resident parking zone going up, even though the zone isn't going live until 2011.

We even have video coverage of a drive-by review of Freemantle Square, showing two things

1. They've even yellow-lined the corners
2. The parking area is to narrow for a premium SUV -it's almost as if they want us van drivers to feel unwelcome.

That's OK, we are used to be hated. And we aren't scared of yellow lines on corners. Indeed, this fellow driver has managed to park on two corners at once

This is something to be impressed by.

If the council had not selfishly put bollards up by the double yellow lines , it would have been able to park on the pavements instead.

While admiring our own upload, youtube recommended this related video, which is quite entertaining, by one bristolcyclista, who is getting pretty irate at WR54HRW for turning over them.

Bristolcyclista -if you had not been on a bicycle, you would not have been nearly hit. Therefore, you are the cause of the situation. You may think "but what would she have done if I was in a car", but the answer there is simple: it depends on the car. Everyone gives way to a battered white van or a 1970s volvo.

The Kingsdown RPZ

As many readers will know, Kingsdown and some bits of Cotham have voted to become residents parking only.

When the plan is rolled out, it will be illegal for a non resident to park discreetly up on the pavement, the way N982WCF is doing on Kingsdown parade on a weekday.

Question is, will the residents be allowed to park on this pavement? That is, will the RPZ markings make these pavements locals only. If that's the case, then maybe Montpelier will follow them after all.

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.

Learning to park proper like

We love the sight of L-plated cars parking "Bristol style". If you want to drive in this city, you need to know how to park in it, and the first rule is knowing which signs you can ignore. Yellow stripes on the ground are a good starting point.

Here. Robbies instruction car WR57FYY makes discreet use of the available space on West Park, between Whiteladies Road and Cotham Hill.

And on a different morning, an AA instructor shows someone the correct way to park on a corner of Kingsdown parade with their car GF59UXH

Neither of these number plate strings appear in Google's datacentres at the time of writing, so we welcome them to the World Wide Web.

Apologies for the camera strap in the way, some of our reporters are, well, incompetent.

Incidentally, can we ask all web sites that put videos and photos of cars up to use the full registration number without any spaces. It's what the car dealers do, and helps keep things consistent. This means that you can search for KY08XHW and not only get quotes selling this car second hand with 11,000 miles on it, you can see our page noting this car was used for teaching people how to drive round Bristol, and therefore its clutch, gearbox and suspension are toast, regardless of the mileage. Same for KS08KK0: search engines work best with consistent identifiers. This is why the dealers and the Bristol Traffic project use single-word registration numbers, and we encourage others too: its the only way to integrate properly across the web.

Dangerous and inconsiderate

Some denunciations of random cyclists who got in the way of our drive across the city on a foggy day where they should have recognised the safety issues and stayed at home.

First, this one on Kingsdown Parade. It's too narrow to pass, and if I were to knock my wing mirror off, do you think he'd pay up? Unlikely.

Incidentally, up on Fremantle Square the PRSC had stuck some art, fortunately it's gone now.

Now down to Upper Cheltenham Place, Monty. We won't cover how to get from Kingsdown to Monty in a car, except to note that neither of the good options - Nugent Hill or Marlborough Hill- are technically legal. We remember the old days, when you could drive from Fremantle Square down Ninetree Hill, then tuck into Stokes Croft. Now you are forced to break the law.

At least these people have realised it is better to walk than cycle. But where do they walk? In our roads. And they smirk as they do it.

Cyclists interfering with residents parking

More breaking news, the local cycling campaign is getting involved in the Kingsdown Resident Parking Proposals.

Look at their ten page document!


Not only do they support this plan, they have recommendations which shock us

1. Parking must remain restricted on Nine Tree Hill -to do otherwise is to create danger for pedestrians and cyclists where there is none today.
2. Enforcement of blatantly dangerous parking -on zebra crossings, completely on pavements, blocking bike lanes- should commence today, so that such restrictions are not associated with the eventual RPZ rollout.
3. Zebra crossing safety on Cotham Road south is unlikely to be addressed by these proposals; we advocate the installation of a pair of in-road sheffield racks, to remove the zig-zag area as a parking option for delivery vehicles.
4. We have made some suggestions on assessing traffic within the city; these should be considered. In particular, RFID-tagged resident/disabled parking permits would prevent permit forgery/theft as well as enabling data collection and reducing future data collection costs

You see that? Not only are they pushing for existing double yellow lines on Nine-Tree Hill to be retained purely for the benefit of tax-dodgers walking and cycling to Cotham Grammar or Bristol University, they are advocating that existing rules about parking on double yellow lines or zebra crossings are enforced! In Bristol! Then they come up with some ideas to make it harder to create resident or disable parking permits, and to measure traffic flow in the area.

They are even asking that their campaign members send emails to respark@bristol.gov.uk supporting their proposals and referring to "Proposed Kingsdown RPZ"

This is shocking, and we hope that no readers of this, Bristol's Premier Anti-Cycling web site (despite how hard the Evening Post is trying to copy is), follows the cycling campaign's suggestions and writes in.

And again, those subversives, to add insult to injury, use our photographs! What do they think we are? Some kind of city-wide database of what actually happens on our streets, to be used to generate defensible data to support the cycling campaign? This a fundamental abuse of our goal, which is to celebrate the everyday solutions that drivers have to come up with to cope in an anti-car city.

Kingsdown and cliftonwood RPZ update

Breaking news: the detailed Kingsdown and Cliftonwood RPZ plans are up on the council site, go look for them.

Looking at the Kingsdown proposal:

• The Council also wants Saturdays to be RPZ only, 9-5. This will ensure revenue to Cabot Circus by reducing lower cost alternatives
  
• Will allow resident parking on the top of nine-tree-hill, a road that is currently only of interest to cyclists and pedestrians.
• Will add more yellow lines on corners etc.
• Have dodged the Kingsdown Parade bullet by still allowing parking on one side, except where there are yellow lines already

Although it will inconvenience commuters, out of hours it should still be OK to park as this car CN53MZZ has done: far enough onto the pavement that the double yellow lines no longer apply, and with the wing-mirror safe from being clipped

Bristol Walk like a Tree day - May 2

An early warning that Saturday May 2 is the Annual "walk like a tree" festival, which is really some form of pub crawl, just one with the participants dressed as vegetation.

It starts at the Arnolfini, goes up St Michael's Hill, pops into the Highbury Vaults pub then drops to Kingsdown, that area we've long suspected has practised pagan rituals on the solstices. A mayday event probably ends with something dark.

Smarter Parking with Smart Cars

Lot's of SmartCar coverage this week, showing the value these vehicles have in the city

First, in Kingsdown Parade, the SmartCar shows how, when parking on double yellow lines at a corner, it manages to leave room were a second SC willing to park behind it, and if not, the junction retains some visibility and the dropped kerb is open.

Second, down in St Paul's, where Smart Car YJ04TLX has been smartly parked outside the CEED building on Wilder Street in St. Paul's.


Contributor Bristle KRS says "It was there for the best part of today and yesterday, till not that long ago when it pulled away from its perpendicular position to smartly cruise elsewhere. I didn't think to snap its profile, but it blocks half the southbound side of Wilder Street, hence forceing traffic to slow down and give way, creating a de facto HomeZone along the road. Smart."

Kingsdown RPZ implementation issues #83

When the Kingsdown CPZ/RPZ gets rolled out, what will happen to cars like this one T612JCV?

(a) Commuter cars like this will no longer be able to park on the pavement over double yellow lines within the zone.
(b) Resident cars like this will no longer be forced to park on the pavement over double yellow lines within the zone due to commuters taking all the legal parking spaces.
(c) It being a Saturday, anyone will be able to park on the pavement over double yellow lines within the zone.

Xmas day in Kingsdown/Down

And next door, in Kingsdown? In the proposed CPZ/RPZ?

If the opposition are Unionists, what to call them? Republican is wrong, not unless they really do get together in the Kingsdown Vaults and sing The Men Behind the Wire and argue that Kingsdown should be called Down, as no king is recognised. Let's call them progressives instead; it makes clear they are trying to move things forward.

What, then, happens in the Progressive District on Xmas day? There's spaces on the pavement to park on Kingdown/Down Parade. Behind the Landrover Discovery N506NFG

And again in front of the Ford Ka SK51AOA

There's a very long stretch of unused pavement in front of the green clio S540NTP; space that doesn't have yellow lines on it.

There is also space on the other side of the road. Perhaps the pavement-parked cars just haven't been moved that day.

Out of the picture, Somerset Street was full; one van blocking Spring Hill road and pavement. As with any other day.

What does that mean? It means that even at what appears to be the time when the least number of vehicles are visible in Cotham as it ever possible to see, Kingsdown doesn't quite have enough parking capacity for everyone who kept their car in the district over Xmas to park their cars legally on the road. Nobody had to resort to parking on double yellow lines, but the pavement of Kingsdown Parade does seem needed.

If the CPZ does go ahead, this will force the council to make a choice as to whether that pavement is to be considered an acceptable place to park or not. The Unionists may use that as an argument against the parking zone, which is why even if the plans go on hold, enforcement of existing rules about parking should be considered for Kingsdown. That way, the price of the CPZ will be less.

Oh, one more feature of the walkabout: the database now knows which cars are locals vs. commuters.

A parking space in Kingsdown! A miracle!

It's Christmas eve , and the town is quiet. Over in Kingsdown there is space for two cars to park, on the road, legally, without blocking fire engines. The Christmas week is the only time this happens. For people wanting to visit this annual miracle, the ritual of the open parking space, it's on Kingsdown parade, just opposite the car LL51ZSY on the pavement by the double yellow lines.

Also in Kingsdown news, a note came through everyone's letterbox asking everyone to email their local councillor to fight the CPZ proposals, which are going for review at a council meeting on January 5th. This opposition is being run by the Keep Parking Free group, who are generally from outside the zones. They don't want parking zones near them as not only will it remove places to drive to, it puts pressure on areas just outside the zone. Unfortunately, Kingsdown is already in this state: it's on the fringe of the inner city, and gets a lot of hospital traffic, amongst other things. Not visitors, commuters. Though if residents parking does get rolled out, and disabled cars can park freely, then it does provide a large amount of extra disabled parking not far from the BRI.

Coming out of the Kingsdown residents group is a counter-leaflet. Mark January 5th for your diary, as the council house could be fun.

A ticket? In Kingsdown?

The var V004YGF is sporting a ticket this evening. This is such a rare event that it should be treasured by their owner, not resented.

Note that none fo the other cars on the pavement behind this car have a ticket? Why not? Because outside London, there aren't really any enforceable rules about parking on pavements. Pavements are for cars. There is in fact stronger legislation against bikes on pavement than there are for cars.

This car was unfortunate enough to choose park on the pavement by the double yellow line.

logistical problems part 2

Round the corner from where we saw a car ticketed for being on the pavement, I was hoping to see some more tickets along Kingsdown Parade, whose pavement on one side has effectively been lost to cars. No, no tickets.

But what's that on the fiesta X241YCD? A leaflet? From the fire brigade?

It says "Protecting our community. In streets like these, thoughtless parking can prevent fire engines getting through"

Along this stretch of road. This is is the only car with such a leaflet. Interestingly, it is the only car parked with all wheels on the road, rather than the pavement. It is not on a keep clear sign, or double yellow lines. It is the only vehicle legally parked on that side of the road, for the entire length of the road. And because of that, it is the one to earn the telling off from the emergency services for thoughtless parking.

Some people think this web site is some kind of satirical site. It is not. It is a documentary. We cannot make things like this up. Here we have Kingsdown on a Friday evening, the only car to get a ticket for pavement parking did so because it made it hard for cars to get past; the only car to get a note telling it that it was parked "thoughtlessly" was the one parked legally.

Someone in this city is playing a bigger game of irony than anything we can put together. That or they don't have a clue what they are doing.

wheels and pavements

An amusing little contrast of cars concerned about a bit of scrape damage, so opting to park more safely on the pavement, both taken the same morning.

First, a Ford Ka in Clifton, There's so little of this car on the pavement it probably just overshot while parking.

And here, in Kingsdown, some little Toyota thing, WP56PNF, which has just got one of its slim tyres left on the double yellow lines. This car owner values their car a lot more.

The key problem here is that to avoid your car being scraped, you need to be parked further in that the vehicles either side. As the camper van is half on the pavement, this car has to be even further in. They didn't have a choice.

dangerously inconsiderate parking

Here is a car on the double yellow lines/keep clear bit of Kingsdown parade. Nothing unusual there, but its not parked on the pavement. As a result, this large lorry full of scaffolding can't get through.

Standing out of site of the photo (they didn't want to be photoed or videoed) are the four people from the lorry who are about to bounce the car onto the pavement so that they can get through. That's not good for the car, and its not good for the lorry crew. If the driver of this Peugeot had parked two wheels on the pavement -as everyone else did- then the lorry could have got past more easily.

Remember: if you are going to park on yellow lines, you may as well go for the pavement at the same time. After all, the lines are there for a reason.

Smart Cars

Smart Cars are portrayed as a solution to the traffic problems of Europe's cities. Rather than walk, cycle or use public transport, you can drive to your destination and park in a space just big enough for it -and nobody else. Which works, provided nobody else has a SmartCar. Because once the vehicles become popular: no more parking spaces.

There are some other limitations of the vehicle. They still create traffic jams, they still block junctions, their fuel economy is pretty mediocre, especially at speed, as the overreved 4-cylinder engine will sound like a mini metro running flat out at 73 mph. This is why Daimler-Benz would prefer you to own a C-Class mercedes for the out of town trips. The SmartCar is the town-toy.

What a SmartCar does do, and this is a feature, is park sideways. This has many benefits. As well as letting you sneak into the smallest places left in the city for parking, you get to inconvenience all bicycles trying to get down the road. So by parking your SmartCar you not only show to the world that you can park where you like, you get to get one up on all those bikes that cut you up by running red lights. Revenge is something to savour!

Kingsdown Pavements are for parking

Here is an interesting question. If you are parked on the pavement, do double yellow and keep-clear lines apply? All the -presumably commuter- cars on Kingsdown Parade are clearly parked on roads with double yellow lines, but the lines are not underneath the car. By putting all, or nearly all of the car on the pavement, they are in fact no longer parked illegally.


How can we determine this fact? Its because Bristol commuters, including the driver of the green Renault Clio S540NTP and Silver Ford focus Y506TGV are all law abiding citizens of the city. They would no more park illegally than they would speed down a road without cameras.

If they were parked illegally, they would be ticketed -and as they are not, even when they park here, day after day, they can be confident that this is in fact a legitimate activity.