there are plans from the council to turn the area outside my house in gaywood drive in to an area of trees and no parking which we are all dead against if they do this they will only add to the already bad parking problem that we have and possibly cause conflict between residents do the council really have no sense

Get all residents to sign a petition against it and prove you (all of you) don't want it.

Point out to WBC that they should be looking for ways to save money, not to spend it against the residents' wishes.

Get NWN to run a story, hopefully based on WBC wasting money in times of hardship.

Quoted from blackdog

Get all residents to sign a petition against it and prove you (all of you) don't want it.

Point out to WBC that they should be looking for ways to save money, not to spend it against the residents' wishes.

Get NWN to run a story, hopefully based on WBC wasting money in times of hardship.

Sometimes a petition counts as one vote so if your residents want to retain the status quo, then bombard them (WBC highways) with a letter from each of the residents and any other interested party. For instance, do the buses run down the road and will it become difficult for them to use the route. Write to them. If there was a fire, would an HGV fire appliance have difficulty, write to them as well. Contact your councillor and ask him to meet you to discuss the proposals. You might want to ensure that this actually is a plan which must be advertised and not just heresay.

If this is the Gaywood Drive near Fir Tree Lane, I recall most properties had driveways.

Quoted from lengthus

there are plans from the council to turn the area outside my house in gaywood drive in to an area of trees and no parking which we are all dead against if they do this they will only add to the already bad parking problem that we have and possibly cause conflict between residents do the council really have no sense

I'm sorry to see that the shift and all the punctuation keys have been stolen from your keyboard.

The punctuation does not make a difference to the post.
It still gets the point over no matter what some people think.

Quoted from Brewmaster

I'm sorry to see that the shift and all the punctuation keys have been stolen from your keyboard.

Probably by the same person who stole your humility.

Quoted from Brewmaster

I'm sorry to see that the shift and all the punctuation keys have been stolen from your keyboard.

I see someone has got his 'Miserable old sod' head on again today !

Just to help us...and without giving your location away, can we take it that they are not wanting to plant trees in the road, and therefore this area must at present be laid grass? Are you saying that this area of grass is currently being used to park cars on?


Threep.

Quoted from Threepwood

Just to help us...and without giving your location away, can we take it that they are not wanting to plant trees in the road, and therefore this area must at present be laid grass? Are you saying that this area of grass is currently being used to park cars on?


Threep.

I imagine that this is a proposal to stop some of the more inconsiderate residents from turning their street into a set from All Quiet on the Western Front...? Some residents might be against this (lengthus perhaps?) as they'll struggle to park their five cars on the driveway, but there will be other residents I'm sure who have have been getting increasingly pi$$ed off whenever they see their neighbours chewing up the grass verges outside their houses and turning the whole area into a mudbath.    

Are you sure that the residents haven't already submitted a petition to WBC demanding that they do something about people destroying the grass verges and devaluing their property?  Perhaps lengthus wasn't asked to sign it as he is the main culprit?     

It's probably a cheaper option than converting all the grass verges to block paving parking (which seems to have happened on all the length of Gaywood Dr from Fir Tree Lane up to Birchwood Road)  

[quote=16]Just to help us...and without giving your location away, can we take it that they are not wanting to plant trees in the road, and therefore this area must at present be laid grass? Are you saying that this area of grass is currently being used to park cars on?


Threep.[/quote

I rang the council one day,and asked if I may park my vehicle on the grass[speen] and the lady replied "no,sorry,but it"s an offence to park on the grass verges"......I replied that she should take a walk round here,and see how many offensive parkers live here!

(Grabbed from a Google search)

1.     "It is only an offence for Heavy Goods vehicles or buses (any vehicle over a certain weight) to park on grass verges."
2.     "It is an offence for any vehicle to obstruct a footpath. (Grass verges are decorative features - not footpaths, so are not obstructed.)"
3.     "Private cars/light vans are not committing any offence if they park on a grass verge - as the law stands at present."
4.     "Vehicle drivers can only be made to pay for damages if they can be proven to be the driver of a vehicle causing specific identifiable damage. Without the evidence drivers cannot be made to pay for any repairs. (Including damaged kerbs, pavements, drains or manhole covers.)"
5.     "Householders can pay for the installation of Vergemaster™ posts on the verges outside their own homes, but as most of the offenders parking cars on the verges are the residents - they decline to take up the offer. (I also understand from another sources that if a vehicle, having hit the Vergemaster™ post, is damaged by the said Vergemaster™ post, although they are frangible, the resident responsible for the installation could be held liable for the damage to the vehicle by the damaged vehicle's insurance company.)"

From 'Ask the Police' uk:

Q655: Can cars park on grass verges?

No, cars cannot park, fully or partly, on council owned grass verges. There will more than likely be a local bye law to specifically prevent this but there are also a number of other offences that can be committed (unnecessary obstruction, criminal damage to grass, etc).

If the land is privately owned and the landowner has given permission then it would be permitted.


https://www.askthe.police.uk/content/Q655.htm


Threep.

I think both posts serve to confuse somewhat.  It seems that there is not a specific law about parking on grass verges, other than bye-laws, but to prosecute, there would have to be proof that the person parking on a grass verge was causing an 'unecessary' obstruction or had singularly caused the damage witnessed.

It aint the damage so much as whether or not there's any By-Laws prohibiting it. (Parking)

It would seem from Uncles post that there are.


Threep.

Quoted from Threepwood

It aint the damage so much as whether or not there's any By-Laws prohibiting it. (Parking)

I know; that is why I said, 'other than bye laws'.  

Quoted from Threepwood

It would seem from Uncles post that there are. Threep.

It never stopped Dickie Jones parking where he liked!  

I have a relative who was prosecuted about 5 years ago for parking partly (2 wheels) on a grass verge, not locally.
No obstruction was caused to the actual footpath, and less obstruction was caused to the roadway by parking partly on the verge, but it was deemed illegal to do so.
This was in a residential street, private houses, in a london suburb / kent border.

West Berkshire Council appear to be able to manipulate situations for their own ends. A few years ago, they put parking bays in Newtown Road. They then discovered that with parking bays there, there wasn't room for the traffic to get past.

WBC solution? They carved a sloping section out of the pavement and cars are now allowed to park half on the road and half on the pavement. It is not a particularly wide pavement either.

Perhaps this could be repeated in other parts of the town?

Manipulate situations?

Sounds to me more like the Council responding to the requests & needs of residents in the best way possible.

Quoted from 78

Manipulate situations?

Sounds to me more like the Council responding to the requests & needs of residents in the best way possible.

Really! Are we still talking about West Berkshire Council???

Quoted from Greenham Common

Probably by the same person who stole your humility.

I don't recognise the concept.

What would you suggest Archie?  There are six terraced properties here by Montague Terrace which have nowhere else to park.  WBC seem to have allowed them to park outside their property while partially removing them from the carriageway which was causing an obstruction to traffic.   Check out the Google Street View and it looks like the remaining pavement is quite wide.

As for parking on grass verges, weren't Reading Council looking to start enforcing parking damage on grass verges?  I think they are facing lower income from parking charges as more people comply with restrictions and so were looking for other areas to raise income from.

In West Berks there is no local byelaw on grass verge parking.

Quoted from 78

Manipulate situations? Sounds to me more like the Council responding to the requests & needs of residents in the best way possible.

If they wanted to have done that, they'd left the road alone in the first place.

Quoted from Greenham Common

If they wanted to have done that, they'd left the road alone in the first place.

do you live there?

Quoted from 78

do you live there?

No, but I know someone who does and I occasionally use the road.  According to the person I know, residents complained about the 'new' set-up.

Sounds to me more like the Council responding to the requests & needs of residents and motorists in the best way possible.

Quoted from 78

Sounds to me more like the Council responding to the requests & needs of residents and motorists in the best way possible.

If they wanted to have done that, they'd left the road alone in the first place.

Quoted from Greenham Common

No, but I know someone who does and I occasionally use the road.  According to the person I know, residents complained about the 'new' set-up.

Complained about the new setup that's been there for about five or six years??

No.  Complained at the time actually.  The then council were itching to splash the cash on anything at the time; the St John Roundabout, for example.  This was another opportunity to fix something that weren't broke, as it were.  Those were the days.  

Quoted from Brewmaster

I don't recognise the concept.

Why do some people spend there (their) time picking up on the small spelling mistakes etc instead of responding to the comments as they are read.
I guess they have nothing better to do with the time they have.  

Quoted from brian newman

Why do some people spend there (their) time picking up on the small spelling mistakes etc instead of responding to the comments as they are read.
I guess they have nothing better to do with the time they have.  

As the weather gets colder there are probably less Motorbikes passing his house, so i guess he has to think of something else to moan about.

Quoted from brian newman

Why do some people spend there (their) time picking up on the small spelling mistakes etc instead of responding to the comments as they are read.
I guess they have nothing better to do with the time they have.  

Why don't people use shift and punctuation keys?  

Quoted from brian newman

Why do some people spend there (their) time picking up on the small spelling mistakes etc instead of responding to the comments as they are read.
I guess they have nothing better to do with the time they have.  

Because things like spelling and punctuation are very important. They alwyas used to be, and they still are today, although there are some people that seem to think that, as long as one can get their point across, then it doesn't matter. But, taking the OP for example, imagine if their CV looks like that. Basically the whole thing being one long sentence, only without a full stop even at the very end. It makes it largely unreadable, and would go straight in the bin.

Everyone makes spelling mistakes and typos, but one should at least attempt to make some kind of effort with things that make a sentence work. The OP was, after all, posting a statement for others to comment on, so why make it hard for people to understand you in the first place?

Quoted from massifheed

Because things like spelling and punctuation are very important. They alwyas used to be, and they still are today, although there are some people that seem to think that, as long as one can get their point across, then it doesn't matter. But, taking the OP for example, imagine if their CV looks like that. Basically the whole thing being one long sentence, only without a full stop even at the very end. It makes it largely unreadable, and would go straight in the bin.

Everyone makes spelling mistakes and typos, but one should at least attempt to make some kind of effort with things that make a sentence work. The OP was, after all, posting a statement for others to comment on, so why make it hard for people to understand you in the first place?

Of course grammar is important if you wish to be understood, but people shouldn't be made to feel intimidated posting what they think on an unofficial forum.  Some people, like me, do not have a very good command of English, so I feel it is important that people who do, should encourage, not belittle like Brewmaster often does.  It is not picking up on people's English that is wrong, but more the way people do it (in my view).

Quoted from blackdog

Why don't people use shift and punctuation keys?  

Because many people now access the internet on their mobile and it can be awkward to hit punctuation, access capital letters etc., from the tiny buttons - especialy when you have a large thumb.

Quoted from massifheed

Because things like spelling and punctuation are very important. They alwyas used to be, and they still are today, although there are some people that seem to think that, as long as one can get their point across, then it doesn't matter. But, taking the OP for example, imagine if their CV looks like that. Basically the whole thing being one long sentence, only without a full stop even at the very end. It makes it largely unreadable, and would go straight in the bin.

Everyone makes spelling mistakes and typos, but one should at least attempt to make some kind of effort with things that make a sentence work. The OP was, after all, posting a statement for others to comment on, so why make it hard for people to understand you in the first place?

alwyas ???? Practice what you preach !

Qualified by....

..........Everyone makes spelling mistakes and typos, but one......

Quoted from PaulaM

alwyas ???? Practice what you preach !

Quoted from massifheed

Because things like spelling and punctuation are very important. They alwyas used to be, and they still are today, although there are some people that seem to think that, as long as one can get their point across, then it doesn't matter. But, taking the OP for example, imagine if their CV looks like that. Basically the whole thing being one long sentence, only without a full stop even at the very end. It makes it largely unreadable, and would go straight in the bin.

Everyone makes spelling mistakes and typos, but one should at least attempt to make some kind of effort with things that make a sentence work. The OP was, after all, posting a statement for others to comment on, so why make it hard for people to understand you in the first place?

Thank you, massifheed - you are now on my Christmas card list.

(Or would be if I ever sent any!)

Quoted from HJD

As the weather gets colder there are probably less Motorbikes passing his house, so i guess he has to think of something else to moan about.

You mean 'fewer', not 'less'.

And 'motorbikes' should not be capitalised.

(Now let's see, it is too cold to go outside - anyone else I can educate?)

Quoted from Brewmaster

You mean 'fewer', not 'less'.  And 'motorbikes' should not be capitalised.  (Now let's see, it is too cold to go outside - anyone else I can educate?)

Shouldn't you have used a semicolon instead of a hyphen?

Quoted from Brewmaster

You mean 'fewer', not 'less'.

And 'motorbikes' should not be capitalised.

(Now let's see, it is too cold to go outside - anyone else I can educate?)

It's bad form to start a sentence with 'and'.

Quoted from blackdog

It's bad form to start a sentence with 'and'.

Quoted from Greenham Common

Shouldn't you have used a semicolon instead of a hyphen?

Can - open. Worms - everywhere.