'The Friendly 7'

[Alan]

That’s worth knowing it’s a lot cheaper than a parking ticket.

[Reckless Rat]

It's far too much effort for the CPS to prosecute such an offence, because of the evidential requirements necessary to prove the word "Wilfully". It also requires being caught in the act. Given the maximum penalty it would never be cost effective. That's why it's never used. There is still the offence of causing an unnecessary obstruction which is a preferred choice, but again the wording "unnecessary has to be quantified, justified and proved. (Highways Act 1980)

I guess what's needed is something akin to parking on a yellow line, ie an absolute offence, which does not involves having to prove wilfulness, intent or objectivity. It's either there or it isn't.

Having been there and done it, it's a "neetmare, gaffer". (thank goodness I finished with all that 23 years ago)

[Dave Mann]

The seven is my preferred car for going to the doctors, just last week I followed an SUV into the car park and reversed into a slot ready for a quick getaway I was followed by another SUV which grid locked the lot but not my Seven. Whist cycling gets quite interesting. Stopped at a tee junction waiting to turn right onto a main road just inside both white lines with an SUV parked on my right another SUV tried to turn right off the main road and came to rest a couple of feet in front of my front wheel, we looked at each other expecting the other to move, the pause was long enough for a car to pull up behind me. I wormed my way through the gap.
We have the last laugh, while filling up the Seven with 3 to 4 gallons of petrol I'll see an SUV pull up at another pump put some fuel in and be gone, they can't afford to fill it up.
The proliferation of large cars illustrates that the climate change committee is as much use as a chocolate fire guard. For Duncan     and Reckless    

[Reckless Rat]

In that second piccy, Dave I suspect that the edge of the highway is the joint between the tarmac and the poured concrete, in which case your RN could be illegally parked. The yellow lines will apply from the centre of the highway to the edge of the highway (on that side) and includes any footway. Just saying. You could say that a bloke in a pub made you do it and I would believe you. Probably a small beardy bloke with glasses, white hair, short arms and very deep pockets.

[Tony Griffiths]

Yes, the adverts overdo it. 10 seconds should be the max, but some ramble on for over a minute leading one to just clicking off.

Most entertaining (apart from the inescapable advertising)
One of the advantages of having a smaller car (A7, 2CV Messerschmidt etc) can be that it's often possible to drive between bollards designed to stop traffic... don't tell anyone please

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Gosh, as children we used to sledge on the pavements in the 1950s. 
[quote="Reckless Rat" pid="98464" dateline="1702898219"]
The offence of wilfully driving on a footway was created by the 1835 Highways Act and section 72 of the said act is still in Force, albeit outdated in terms of its legalese and also for the maximum penalty that can be applied. It is sadly outdated and one of the reasons the government is looking at updating it to reflect what is needed in the 21st Century.

"If any person shall wilfully ride upon any footpath or causeway by the side of any road made or set apart for the use or accommodation of foot passengers; or shall wilfully lead or drive any horse, ass, sheep, mule, swine, or cattle or carriage of any description, or any truck or sledge, upon any such footpath or causeway; or shall tether any horse, ass, mule, swine, or cattle, on any highway, so as to suffer or permit the tethered animal to be thereon."

The maximimum penaty is £2.

[Howard Wright]

Reminds me of the graffiti I saw once…

Keep death off the roads…Drive on the pavement!

Cheers

Howard

[Duncan Grimmond]

Thanks for the bollard pic Dave. A tight fit but a fit nonetheless!
I have also found that the Pembleton cars I've built will go under most carpark barriers, if you fold the aero screens down and crouch behind the scuttle...

[Dave Mann]

There is no foot way on that side of the road Reckless, look behind the Seven, it's on the other side. I didn't get a ticket.

[Chris Garner]

Slightly off message but speaking of SUVs there's a piece in this week's Country Life magazine. The writer describes struggling to climb the 25% Sutton Bank in the Yorkshire Dales in snow and apologising for the fact he's using what might be described as a global warming, four litre, vehicle. He then goes on to say ' ...my mind went back to Herriott: how the hell did he manage, in a 1930 Austin, with bald tyres, to do his wintry rounds as t'vitn'ry? But they were resourceful and tough that generation. They did for Hitler.

I expect our contributor, Malcolm Parker, will tell us!

[Reckless Rat]

Not all SUVs are 4 wheel drive, and many of those that are aren't really tyred up for tackling something as extreme as Sutton Bank in the snow. Dial into the equation the possibility that the writer might not be experienced at off-road driving techniques and you end up with a situation where someone who thinks they can go anywhere manages to get an all singing all dancing Carlos Fandango Chelsea tractor stuck on a school playing field.

21" alloys with wide low profile tyres might be cool on tarmac, but they're rubbish at making traction in snow or mud. There's lots of footage of pre-war cars, not just Austin Sevens making easy progress through knee deep mud that would flummox most modern SUVs and their users. Let's face it most of them can't even park properly at Sainsbury's.

Just because it's got a 4 litre engine doesn't mean you're going to succeed. It's not the size of your bait that matters, but how you dangle your maggot...

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There is no foot way on that side of the road Reckless, look behind the Seven, it's on the other side. I didn't get a ticket.

Dave, I was being flippant. I can see there is no footway (as such) but the offside wheels of your RN are on what might well be construed as being public highway and as such would have rendered the parking illegal. I'm happy that you didn't get a ticket. I would have let you off anyway. You owe me a pint. Wortles is buying.