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So we seem to have acquired an HGV parking opposite our house.
It normally parks facing traffic. Parks there for a couple hours late afternoon with some plant on, then heads off for a couple of hours before returning to park overnight.
Happens couple of times a week.
Kind of ruins our view somewhat, if I wanted to live on an industrial estate I’d move to one.
So what do I do?
Put up with it or complain?
What would you do?
Had similar a few months ago near us. Fortunately down the street a little from our property but caused a bit of an obstruction for bin lorries etc. Was relatively short term. Plant machinery was being used to dig up the road nearby and the company depot was some miles away so they used the street as a “base”. Could be something similar if you have anything going on in the near vicinity.
You need to find out if it’s being stored in accordance with an Operators Licence:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/goods-ve...icensing-guide
Many years ago I lived in a lovely street/area on the outskirts of a large village. A large drop side transit type vehicle began parking right close to a nearby bend making driving that part more difficult than it had normally been. I discovered that the 'owner' lived in a council housing estate within walking distance and I presume he didn't want the the vehicle to be spotted/parked there (draw your own conclusions). Very late one night I simply pulled the windscreen wipers back off the screen. The van was never seen again.
If it’s just overnighting doing deliveries in the area then the O license hasn’t anything to do with it, that just gives a location to operate out off.Quote:
Originally Posted by phil h
The closing of lay-by by the councils means as long as it’s not on double yellows and you’re not obstructing anything anywhere is fair game now.
If it’s marked up and had a phone number just phone them and ask they don’t park there, do it nicely otherwise you might get a couple turning up. Also remember he’s probably on £15 an hour doesn’t see his family all week and is as wound up parking there as you are but he’s just doing his job.
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No he's not. He is coping with the existing regulations and dire supplies of alternative solutions, yes. And the day he and his colleagues decide they don't want to go through that anymore we'll realise how important their role is to our day to day lives, yes.Quote:
Originally Posted by aa388
But parking the way they do sometimes is problematic, and my sympathy stops when they become a nuisance to the neighbourhood: their presence seems to be associated with diverse sorts of nighttime traffic, food trucks being only one of them, and what they remains behind when they leave is hardly the best way to be welcomed the next time...
To the OP, I would petition the council for decent parking and toilet facilities for them. Having said that we have some near Ashford, but some seem to find them too expensive (for one) or too small (for the other, a small roadside cafe which is always full).
The company he drives for have an operating base on their operators license which is 29 miles away. Hardly necessary for an ‘overnight’ job surely.Quote:
Originally Posted by aa388
There are plenty of lay-bys in the area outside the village. Presumably not as handy/close to home.
It seems likely he’s living elsewhere in the village and parking there overnight means he doesn’t have to travel to work to park/collect the vehicle.
I don’t think being well/poorly paid should be a factor when it comes to parking.
Nobody seemed that concerned about them while their wages were being cut by ‘competition’.Quote:
Originally Posted by Saint-Just
I don’t think parking and toilet facilities for HGVs would be a priority for a small village not on any major routes.
When I wrote "council" I didn't think you would understand "parish". Here we speak to Ashford Borough Council and Kent County Council on those matters.Quote:
Originally Posted by oldoakknives
Rally some neighbours and ensure there’s no room for the HGV to park up. Stick a few traffic cones out. Make it difficult for the driver to get parked in the first place and difficult for him to get out if he does get parked. He’ll soon get the message
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What difference would more parking in the borough make if he’s not using the parking already available outside the village?Quote:
Originally Posted by Saint-Just
He’s only 29 miles from his operating base as well.
We obviously have different issues. Yours is a local driver who prefers driving his lorry home. Mine are mostly foreign drivers, or Northern (England + Scotland) preparing to cross the Channelled and are too close to their maximum daily driving time, or waiting to be allowed to drive on motorways (forbidden on Sunday if not refrigerated on French motorways).Quote:
Originally Posted by oldoakknives
I'd say yours is easier to fix: a polite message to the driver on his windscreen first (signed "the neighbours" Make sure you have support, you don't want to be alone); Then if not effect a mail/RMSD letter to the company; then...
If he can park there legally there isn’t anything anyone can do. Ask him and the company nicely to get him to park somewhere else, don’t be an arse otherwise his mates will park up with him for the night.Quote:
Originally Posted by Saint-Just
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This is a good non-confrontational action to take. If you all have drives park your cars on the road instead before he normally arrives. If a number of neighbours are in work the remaining cars don't need to be very close together to prevent an artic parking.Quote:
Originally Posted by NigeG
I think any Heavy Goods Vehicle that is subject to an operators licence must be kept at the registered address, stated on the licence as its registered base, when not out working. I don't think parking overnight near where you live is covered by that. Neither is parking against the flow of traffic which seems to be his favourite way to park.Quote:
Originally Posted by aa388
The parking against the flow is the only thing there that could be considered iffy, and that’s a police matter. You can park away from the O licence address any time you want, most wagons do. If it becomes regular and I mean a couple of months every night at the same spot that could be deemed as outside his license and would need another O licence for that location. We have 159 wagons and 900 trailers on our O licence and as long as they are back for inspection every 5 weeks we never see them. We get maybe 1 complaint every couple of months and just have a quiet word with the driver.Quote:
Originally Posted by oldoakknives
If you’re that concerned he’s operating outside his licence speak to DVSA or the traffic commissioner. That’s why I said just phone his company up and they should talk to him.
If like ours this wagon could well have a full camera system on it, the company will have a full 360 video of everything that happens so don’t embellish anything you say. And don’t tamper with it.
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Your answer to my post is not accurate. If the lorry just aggrieves Ian it might be correct. If it aggrieves the neighbourhood I believe the lorry company has a lot more to lose than the neighbours, especially with the number of home cameras around.Quote:
Originally Posted by aa388
As to whether a company can have a driver parking his hgv near his home I don’t know.
I'd be taking aa's advice.
Does the HGV have a letter box?
Nope. It should be facing with the flow of traffic and have lights on it. If a car was to hit it whilst not parked in accordance with the Highway Code it might not go down well.Quote:
Originally Posted by aa388
The Highway Code.
https://i.postimg.cc/QChvh4N7/Screen...t-14-47-54.png
Parking away from the O licence address isn't the issue. There are lorry parks and proper places for lorries to park. The issue is parking in residential streets. I would hope most of your lorries are parking in the proper places and not on housing estates or on random streets in small villages.Quote:
Originally Posted by aa388
Stevenage don't have HGV parking on residential streets apparently and seem prepared to enforce it. Seems the way forward to me.
https://i.postimg.cc/Y9cJy2Jb/Screen...t-14-40-39.png
Also our local council seem to want people to report it.
https://i.postimg.cc/vZKRftXR/Screen...t-14-38-22.png
I don't need to 'embellish' anything, time stamped photos and an ongoing record of times will be as far as I go. And vandalism is not something I've ever been involved with or will be going forwards.Quote:
Originally Posted by aa388
Our drivers are discouraged from parking in services. There is more theft of goods and fuel in services so we tend not to go into them overnight. They park next to you, cut the curtains and pass the goods between wagons and nobody cares, you just get a crime number. We’ve even removed the locking fuel caps as it’s cheaper to loose £500 of fuel then replace a fuel tank when they’ve drilled it.Quote:
Originally Posted by oldoakknives
There are very few secure parking places in the UK.
As for Stevenage, I’ve parked there many times and Biggleswade used to be good until they built the new estate.
We tend not to park in residential areas but in a blue moon you’re just caught out due to road closures and have to unfortunately.
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Again, hardly the same as someone taking their lorry home with them and parking it on a residential street 3 or 4 times a week. I'm sure you wouldn't want someone parking an HGV outside your house.Quote:
Originally Posted by aa388
Complain, I wouldn't put up with it in a residential street.
I’m not going to. Like I said, I don’t live on an industrial estate so don’t see why I should.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kenny
Thoughts and prayers.. Did you have a word with the driver, his employer...most importantly do you have your view back?
https://media4.giphy.com/media/57IQRWq3eidi0/giphy.gifQuote:
Originally Posted by Passenger
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A fine and memorable actor.Quote:
Originally Posted by oldoakknives