Today I will Mostly be Victor Meldrew
Discussion
A house is being built on our street. It's a fairly quiet (and short) road; there's a station at the top (just off to the left) so we do see a fair few commuters and dropper-offerers as well as the picker-upperers during the working week.
The house looks great (owner is living next door while it's being built and Grand Designs are involved). The build is nearing the end and the road has recently been dug up by contractors commissioned by the electricity people. For two weeks (ish) before this event, signs were displayed to warn everyone that the road - our road - will be closed during this time. As planned, huge 'ROAD CLOSED' signs were put up at each end of the road with other barriers and cones to make it look like a gateway 'for residents only'. In terms of the dig, they've dug up quite a lot because the mound of excavated mud is massive. You can see it from both ends of the road. The dig is about three houses up the road from me towards the station. None of it affects me for access and egress.
My road is not the only way to get to the station as there are several parallel roads all connecting to the road the station is on. Since the road closure people rat-running to the station still use the road. So they squeeze through the gateway that says ROAD CLOSED, drive up less than 100 yards to the massive mound of fresh mud. The look of disappointment/disdain/disgust is universal; they get angry and then the panic of having to turn their car around. Of course, residents cars from up the road are now down the road as the area in the middle is out of bounds. So it seems every five or ten minutes, there's a chancer coming a cropper which includes courier and delivery drivers, most of whom have managed to damage every single panel on their van (and that's without having to negotiate tricky situations). They then launch into an angry five/six/seven/eight point turn outside my house. It's beyond amusing now. Like, which part of 'road closed' didn't you understand? They know it's a short road (about 20/25 houses each side) because they use it all the time. If it says ROAD CLOSED, just drive past it and use the next turning; it's literally AROUND THE BLOCK, whichever way you go!
Yesterday was bin day and even the BIN MEN have taken the opportunity to skip emptying our recycling bins. They can't say it was an access issue because the refuse truck managed do it a couple of hours before them and THEY USE THE SAME TRUCKS! It's clearly a case of one driver used his initiative and reversed up, the other couldn't be bothered. Now everyone's blue bins are left out on the pavement looking like they've exploded with all the cardboard inside them. I guess we will have to make do until next week now and not generate any recycling...
It's a good job I'm not retired. Yet.
They're lucky
The house looks great (owner is living next door while it's being built and Grand Designs are involved). The build is nearing the end and the road has recently been dug up by contractors commissioned by the electricity people. For two weeks (ish) before this event, signs were displayed to warn everyone that the road - our road - will be closed during this time. As planned, huge 'ROAD CLOSED' signs were put up at each end of the road with other barriers and cones to make it look like a gateway 'for residents only'. In terms of the dig, they've dug up quite a lot because the mound of excavated mud is massive. You can see it from both ends of the road. The dig is about three houses up the road from me towards the station. None of it affects me for access and egress.
My road is not the only way to get to the station as there are several parallel roads all connecting to the road the station is on. Since the road closure people rat-running to the station still use the road. So they squeeze through the gateway that says ROAD CLOSED, drive up less than 100 yards to the massive mound of fresh mud. The look of disappointment/disdain/disgust is universal; they get angry and then the panic of having to turn their car around. Of course, residents cars from up the road are now down the road as the area in the middle is out of bounds. So it seems every five or ten minutes, there's a chancer coming a cropper which includes courier and delivery drivers, most of whom have managed to damage every single panel on their van (and that's without having to negotiate tricky situations). They then launch into an angry five/six/seven/eight point turn outside my house. It's beyond amusing now. Like, which part of 'road closed' didn't you understand? They know it's a short road (about 20/25 houses each side) because they use it all the time. If it says ROAD CLOSED, just drive past it and use the next turning; it's literally AROUND THE BLOCK, whichever way you go!
Yesterday was bin day and even the BIN MEN have taken the opportunity to skip emptying our recycling bins. They can't say it was an access issue because the refuse truck managed do it a couple of hours before them and THEY USE THE SAME TRUCKS! It's clearly a case of one driver used his initiative and reversed up, the other couldn't be bothered. Now everyone's blue bins are left out on the pavement looking like they've exploded with all the cardboard inside them. I guess we will have to make do until next week now and not generate any recycling...
It's a good job I'm not retired. Yet.
They're lucky
yes, i think if i saw the sign i might think oh the road is closed.
not quite the same thing but where i used to live in SE London my road was the last of about ten side roads. it was the last because the houses on the other side have a railway line at the end of their garden. the road is also quite narrow compared to the others and cars parked either side. you could pass an on coming car but slowly and sometimes perhaps tuck in a wing mirror.
there is also a premier league football ground a couple of miles away and on match days, which i had written into a calender, it was chaos as cars came in both directions trying to find a parking space. i often went out to weed the front garden just for the entertainment value. there is also a main line rail station with many trains about ten minutes walk from the football ground... go figure..
anyway... in that road a house appeared on "homes under the hammer" and, keeping with the football theme, i saw Dion Dublin filming on a couple of occasions.
not quite the same thing but where i used to live in SE London my road was the last of about ten side roads. it was the last because the houses on the other side have a railway line at the end of their garden. the road is also quite narrow compared to the others and cars parked either side. you could pass an on coming car but slowly and sometimes perhaps tuck in a wing mirror.
there is also a premier league football ground a couple of miles away and on match days, which i had written into a calender, it was chaos as cars came in both directions trying to find a parking space. i often went out to weed the front garden just for the entertainment value. there is also a main line rail station with many trains about ten minutes walk from the football ground... go figure..
anyway... in that road a house appeared on "homes under the hammer" and, keeping with the football theme, i saw Dion Dublin filming on a couple of occasions.
TBF, 'Road Closed' signs are often useless. Not because there isn't a road closed somewhere nearby, but because it doesn't say where. There's been a rash of them near where I live, and almost all of them can be completely ignored because the actual closure can be up to 2 miles away and there's maybe a dozen junctions, many of which you could use to bypass the closure or even leave the area entirely, between the sign and where the water company have their JCBs.
mikey_b said:
TBF, 'Road Closed' signs are often useless. Not because there isn't a road closed somewhere nearby, but because it doesn't say where. There's been a rash of them near where I live, and almost all of them can be completely ignored because the actual closure can be up to 2 miles away and there's maybe a dozen junctions, many of which you could use to bypass the closure or even leave the area entirely, between the sign and where the water company have their JCBs.
I take your point as it's happened to me a couple of times. I drove the entire length of a road (it's about three miles long) and getting to the near the end was a 'road closed' sign. Then there are the roads which will have plenty of warning signs but what it doesn't tell you is that it's one of the turnings somewhere along that stretch.
My road is 0.1 miles long.
Glassman said:
mikey_b said:
TBF, 'Road Closed' signs are often useless. Not because there isn't a road closed somewhere nearby, but because it doesn't say where. There's been a rash of them near where I live, and almost all of them can be completely ignored because the actual closure can be up to 2 miles away and there's maybe a dozen junctions, many of which you could use to bypass the closure or even leave the area entirely, between the sign and where the water company have their JCBs.
I take your point as it's happened to me a couple of times. I drove the entire length of a road (it's about three miles long) and getting to the near the end was a 'road closed' sign. Then there are the roads which will have plenty of warning signs but what it doesn't tell you is that it's one of the turnings somewhere along that stretch.
My road is 0.1 miles long.
I’ve noticed a trend where signs say “road closed ahead”
But it’s not always the road you are on, it could be a turning off form your current road
I guess in the older days the signage was more accurate and or more sensibly placed
So now when I see a road closed sign 5/10 its not the actual road you are on but a different one
Add to that people are entitled, so the road closures are for other people and not them
The main road outside our house has been temporarily one way for about 9 months, not a day goes past without a Honda jazz or similar driving agains the flow or along the pavement cus they are special
But it’s not always the road you are on, it could be a turning off form your current road
I guess in the older days the signage was more accurate and or more sensibly placed
So now when I see a road closed sign 5/10 its not the actual road you are on but a different one
Add to that people are entitled, so the road closures are for other people and not them
The main road outside our house has been temporarily one way for about 9 months, not a day goes past without a Honda jazz or similar driving agains the flow or along the pavement cus they are special
Edited by Spare tyre on Thursday 12th September 13:11
We have a (sort of steep) grass verge between us and the road, in which there some drain covers and our path to the front door. All very lovely.
When the road was closed for it to be dug up to fix something, there was really clear and helpful signage explaining this.
What we ended up with is drivers mounting the kerb and driving over the verge instead. Which damaged all the drain covers and required extensive repairs to the sewage system underneath. I ended up having to line up the wheelie bins to block it off so they didn't do more damage!
Never underestimate the ability of others to show no regard for others, especially if seconds could be saved on their drive. I felt quite Victor at that moment...
When the road was closed for it to be dug up to fix something, there was really clear and helpful signage explaining this.
What we ended up with is drivers mounting the kerb and driving over the verge instead. Which damaged all the drain covers and required extensive repairs to the sewage system underneath. I ended up having to line up the wheelie bins to block it off so they didn't do more damage!
Never underestimate the ability of others to show no regard for others, especially if seconds could be saved on their drive. I felt quite Victor at that moment...
MikeM6 said:
We have a (sort of steep) grass verge between us and the road, in which there some drain covers and our path to the front door. All very lovely.
When the road was closed for it to be dug up to fix something, there was really clear and helpful signage explaining this.
What we ended up with is drivers mounting the kerb and driving over the verge instead. Which damaged all the drain covers and required extensive repairs to the sewage system underneath. I ended up having to line up the wheelie bins to block it off so they didn't do more damage!
Never underestimate the ability of others to show no regard for others, especially if seconds could be saved on their drive. I felt quite Victor at that moment...
We lived in a cul de sac with a foot path leading to another roadWhen the road was closed for it to be dug up to fix something, there was really clear and helpful signage explaining this.
What we ended up with is drivers mounting the kerb and driving over the verge instead. Which damaged all the drain covers and required extensive repairs to the sewage system underneath. I ended up having to line up the wheelie bins to block it off so they didn't do more damage!
Never underestimate the ability of others to show no regard for others, especially if seconds could be saved on their drive. I felt quite Victor at that moment...
When there were roadworks up the road causing silly queues people just started taking a shortcut in their cars along the path
We were walking on the path when some cretin van driver came whizzing along at about 15mph right at us, had a couple of words with the guy and suggested he stuck to the roads, felt a bit sorry for him as he was a delivery driver who gets screwed if he doesn’t keep up
But none the less people are idiots
The council to be fair did seem to react quickly with a wooden post which did claim a victim one night
Spare tyre said:
I’ve noticed a trend where signs say “road closed ahead”
But it’s not always the road you are on, it could be a turning off form your current road
I guess in the older days the signage was more accurate and or more sensibly placed
So now when I see a road closed sign 5/10 its not the actual road you are on but a different one
Add to that people are entitled, so the road closures are for other people and not them
The main road outside our house has been temporarily one way for about 9 months, not a day goes past without a Honda jazz or similar driving agains the flow or along the pavement cus they are special
I'm sure Road Closed ahead has been on roads a long time. But it’s not always the road you are on, it could be a turning off form your current road
I guess in the older days the signage was more accurate and or more sensibly placed
So now when I see a road closed sign 5/10 its not the actual road you are on but a different one
Add to that people are entitled, so the road closures are for other people and not them
The main road outside our house has been temporarily one way for about 9 months, not a day goes past without a Honda jazz or similar driving agains the flow or along the pavement cus they are special
Edited by Spare tyre on Thursday 12th September 13:11
I think it's more for larger vehicle drivers who can stop and phone for advice/use Google maps etc rather than smaller vehicle drivers who can usually turn easily at side roads.
It's just saying that the road is closed further on, but there's still access for businesses etc before it.
There is, of course, always the slight off chance that the signs are all wrong and access is back to normal.....
40 odd years back my parents bought their first grandson a pedal car marked up as a police car and complete with cones and warning signs. My sister and family lived in a cul d sac in Runcorn at the time and one morning noted extra traffic.....are you there before me? The little bugger had laid out signs and cones directing traffic into their road!
40 odd years back my parents bought their first grandson a pedal car marked up as a police car and complete with cones and warning signs. My sister and family lived in a cul d sac in Runcorn at the time and one morning noted extra traffic.....are you there before me? The little bugger had laid out signs and cones directing traffic into their road!
ferret50 said:
There is, of course, always the slight off chance that the signs are all wrong and access is back to normal.....
This^A couple of months ago I was trying to find an address in the Greenock(ish) area. Never been there before and was following a satnav on phone.
Having already got lost once in a maze of housing, I had to turn left only to see a road closed sign and some cones. About 100 yards further up that road there was another matching set with the back to me. Waterboard had been working but all works were finished and the patch resurfaced. No diversion signed. So......
ferret50 said:
There is, of course, always the slight off chance that the signs are all wrong and access is back to normal.....
40 odd years back my parents bought their first grandson a pedal car marked up as a police car and complete with cones and warning signs. My sister and family lived in a cul d sac in Runcorn at the time and one morning noted extra traffic.....are you there before me? The little bugger had laid out signs and cones directing traffic into their road!
My friend when about 14 stashed some diversion signs in a bush, there is a field that is used for a show once a year40 odd years back my parents bought their first grandson a pedal car marked up as a police car and complete with cones and warning signs. My sister and family lived in a cul d sac in Runcorn at the time and one morning noted extra traffic.....are you there before me? The little bugger had laid out signs and cones directing traffic into their road!
He was up early for a paper round so the perfect time to deploy them. I just remember waking up and the road was full of big trucks beeping and hissing away all trying to turn round as more piled in
Still makes me giggle like a naughty boy just thinking about it
Great planning an execution
Gassing Station | The Lounge | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff