and you should just hear the abuse those car drivers will give anyone like
me when politely asked not to park on the pavement because I cant get by
with a twin buggy
Quite why they think a pushchair should be forced onto the road while they
sit on the pavement is beyond me


"David Rance" wrote in message
...
Down the road from us there has been a lovely cypress hedge for the last
twenty years. I saw it planted and have admired it ever since. The owner
has tended it lovingly, never letting it get out of control. I suppose
it must be about six foot high and it has always looked very neat and
beautiful. I wish my privet hedge looked half as nice.

This week he has started cutting it back nearly to the trunk. This
morning I was walking past and he was there. "What a shame," I said.
"Were you told to cut it back by the Council?" "Yes," he said.

Apparently the reason he has been told to cut it back is that it
overhangs the pavement. Not by very much and it doesn't incommode
pedestrians. I know because I walk past it several times a week.

So why am I cross? Because all the way down the road there are cars
parked *on* the pavement making it a real obstacle course for the
pedestrian. Does the Council try to do anything about them? No! They
just have a go at someone who has provided something that looks
beautiful and doesn't incommode the pedestrian.

Bah!
--
+-------------------------------------------------------+
| Internet: | writing from |
| Fidonet: David Rance 2:252/110 | Caversham, |
| BBS: telnet://mesnil.demon.co.uk | Reading, UK |
+-------------------------------------------------------+

John Towill wrote:

It is an offence to park on the pavement. Here is an amusing story.

Except when when pavement parking is in operation

"Essjay001" wrote in message
...
Ben wrote:

Fair enough being cross if this particular hedge was not
inconveniencing anyone, but where I used to live I spent half my
journey to work walking along the road because one gardener after
another allowed their trees and shrubs (not hedges) to completely
block the pavement. I wish the council had told them to cut back a
bit!

Complain to the council, it is their responsibility to keep the pathways
clear. They should write to the owners telling them to cut their
hedges/trees

But does the owner have to cut them? Out here in rural West Devon the
council cut the hedges, I really can't imagine the sense in doing things
any other way. All the likely legal fees, letters sent and ignored,
knocking on doors, etc. Surely the council cut roadside verges, so why not
the hedges? Clearly (sub)urban Britain has some very strange customs.

Granted some folks might not want their hedges cut with a tractor mounted
flail, but surely that's just a technical matter for homeowners to agree
with the council.

Michael Saunby

"bnd777" wrote in message
...
and you should just hear the abuse those car drivers will give anyone
like
me when politely asked not to park on the pavement because I cant get by
with a twin buggy
Quite why they think a pushchair should be forced onto the road while
they
sit on the pavement is beyond me


I suspect folks that park half on the pavement are simply trying to show
their working class roots. Anyway car drivers can be just as effective in
curing offenders by parking correctly immediately behind them - so they
can't see traffic when they want to pull out.

Michael Saunby

Previously on Buffy the Vampire Slayer ^W^W^W^W uk.rec.gardening, I
heard Michael Saunby say...
I suspect folks that park half on the pavement are simply trying to show
their working class roots. Anyway car drivers can be just as effective in
curing offenders by parking correctly immediately behind them - so they
can't see traffic when they want to pull out.

It does depend somewhat on the circumstances. Although it is against
all my principles, I have to park half on the pavement when I visit Ma,
as her house has no drive and the road is not wide enough for cars to
park on both sides and still allow traffic to pass. And as there are
several people (including her next door neighbour) who work from home
and have large vans as well as more than one car, it can get more than a
little crowded.
--
Fenny
Fictitious Facts of the Day - from a list by Andrew Burford
#188: 2,000,000 egg cartons and 3,500,000 washing-up liquid bottles went
into the making of Star Wars.

The message
from "Mary Fisher" contains these words:

In this street it's sometimes possible to squeeze past cars on the pavement
but not if you're pushing a pram. There's a nursery at the bottom of the
street so every day young mums are forced on the road with prams and
toddlers.

Hasn't it occurred to those young mums that car paintwork can get
badly gouged by a passing pram when the pavement is obstructed?

Janet

The message
from Ben contains these words:

The surprising thing is that, with the exception of central London,
there doesn't even seem to be any law against parking on the pavement!

There is. And if you were to take the law to extremes, you wouldn't be
permitted to push or ride any wheeled vehicle, truck, buggy, pram,
shopping trolley etc on the pavement or on any footpath.

--
Rusty http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/tqt.htm
horrid·squeak snailything zetnet·co·uk excange d.p. with p to reply.

Rusty Hinge wrote:
The message
from Ben contains these words:


The surprising thing is that, with the exception of central London,
there doesn't even seem to be any law against parking on the pavement!


There is.

What??? I want to know - it might come in handy some day!

And if you were to take the law to extremes, you wouldn't be
permitted to push or ride any wheeled vehicle, truck, buggy, pram,
shopping trolley etc on the pavement or on any footpath.

I heard that about bikes - if in doubt (and in the presence of a copper)
carry it! Modern bikes weigh next to nothing and fit over your shoulder
quite comfortably. My dad was almost nicked for pushing his motorbike
along a pavement to get round a flood, but in the nick of time (no pun
intended) the copper noticed someone driving past talking on a mobile
phone and sped off after them instead ;-)

Michael Saunby wrote:

"Essjay001" wrote in message
...
Ben wrote:

Fair enough being cross if this particular hedge was not
inconveniencing anyone, but where I used to live I spent half my
journey to work walking along the road because one gardener after
another allowed their trees and shrubs (not hedges) to completely
block the pavement. I wish the council had told them to cut back a
bit!

Complain to the council, it is their responsibility to keep the pathways
clear. They should write to the owners telling them to cut their
hedges/trees

But does the owner have to cut them? Out here in rural West Devon the
council cut the hedges, I really can't imagine the sense in doing things
any other way. All the likely legal fees, letters sent and ignored,
knocking on doors, etc. Surely the council cut roadside verges, so why not
the hedges? Clearly (sub)urban Britain has some very strange customs.

Granted some folks might not want their hedges cut with a tractor mounted
flail, but surely that's just a technical matter for homeowners to agree
with the council.


Aaaah but theres a difference betwen a hedge and overhanging shrubbery
from a domestic garden.. I cannot imagine them getting a flail trimmer
down our residential north London street LOL.. That'd bring everyone
out quick;-) that said there are quite a few overhanging things esp in
the summer.

Hedge cutting is usually (to my knowledge) only done in the 'country'
sic where it is necessary to road safety. (visibility). Or just routine
maintainance of larger areas.

//
~Jim

"Fenny" k wrote in
message ...
Previously on Buffy the Vampire Slayer ^W^W^W^W uk.rec.gardening, I
heard Michael Saunby say...
I suspect folks that park half on the pavement are simply trying to
show
their working class roots. Anyway car drivers can be just as effective
in
curing offenders by parking correctly immediately behind them - so they
can't see traffic when they want to pull out.

It does depend somewhat on the circumstances. Although it is against
all my principles, I have to park half on the pavement when I visit Ma,
as her house has no drive and the road is not wide enough for cars to
park on both sides and still allow traffic to pass. And as there are
several people (including her next door neighbour) who work from home
and have large vans as well as more than one car, it can get more than a
little crowded.

You don't have to - you choose to, and in doing so you probably break the
law. I used to live on a fairly narrow road in Wargrave, the folks there
simply restricted their parking to one side of the road. In places where
the residents haven't show the sense to do this the local authority
eventually end up painting double yellow lines down one side of the road.

Michael Saunby

"Jim W" wrote in message
news:1fymjhc.145ji515y3l8gN%00senetnospamtodayta@m acunlimited.net...
Michael Saunby wrote:

"Essjay001" wrote in message
...
Ben wrote:

Fair enough being cross if this particular hedge was not
inconveniencing anyone, but where I used to live I spent half my
journey to work walking along the road because one gardener after
another allowed their trees and shrubs (not hedges) to completely
block the pavement. I wish the council had told them to cut back a
bit!

Complain to the council, it is their responsibility to keep the
pathways
clear. They should write to the owners telling them to cut their
hedges/trees

But does the owner have to cut them? Out here in rural West Devon the
council cut the hedges, I really can't imagine the sense in doing
things
any other way. All the likely legal fees, letters sent and ignored,
knocking on doors, etc. Surely the council cut roadside verges, so why
not
the hedges? Clearly (sub)urban Britain has some very strange customs.

Granted some folks might not want their hedges cut with a tractor
mounted
flail, but surely that's just a technical matter for homeowners to
agree
with the council.


Aaaah but theres a difference betwen a hedge and overhanging shrubbery
from a domestic garden.. I cannot imagine them getting a flail trimmer
down our residential north London street LOL.. That'd bring everyone
out quick;-) that said there are quite a few overhanging things esp in
the summer.

And what would the difference be? Why as a smallholder don't I have to
worry about keeping my roadside hedge from overhanging the road, but a
suburban gardener must? It does seem very odd that it's claimed such a law
(or is it bylaw?) exists that is so different between countryside and
suburbia.


Hedge cutting is usually (to my knowledge) only done in the 'country'
sic where it is necessary to road safety. (visibility). Or just routine
maintainance of larger areas.


It seems to be a pretty routine thing in Devon for all hedges. The work is
done by farmers/contractors by the local council pays. Though these days
it may have something to do with tourism and keeping the place tidy. There
are certainly other laws to make that so - e.g. you can't have billboards
in the countryside.

Michael Saunby

In article , Michael Saunby
writes

And what would the difference be? Why as a smallholder don't I have to
worry about keeping my roadside hedge from overhanging the road, but a
suburban gardener must?

Must he? I thought all a suburban gardener had to do was keep the hedge
from overhanging the pavement?
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I presume you do not have a pavement to
overhang.


--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm

"Kay Easton" wrote in message
...
In article , Michael Saunby
writes

And what would the difference be? Why as a smallholder don't I have to
worry about keeping my roadside hedge from overhanging the road, but a
suburban gardener must?

Must he? I thought all a suburban gardener had to do was keep the hedge
from overhanging the pavement?
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I presume you do not have a pavement to
overhang.


True, but why is a pavement different from a road in this respect? It
seems odd that if your hedge grows over your neighbours property they have
a right to cut it back, but can't make you do so, and that councils keep
roads clear, but then councils appear to have this special power wrt
pavements.

Michael Saunby

Any super market that spends several hundreds of pounds in what is
essentially a wire box on wheels deserves to loose a few

Druss wrote:
Those trollies cost the supermarkets several hundred pounds each, I
wouldn't want anyone to get done for "nicking" one of them.
I know they tried this in the early eighties with the bread baskets,
and now they'll do you if you own a blue pallet !!!

Talking of which there was a garden makeover prog with Monty Don and
Carol Klein, in which two blokes built a raised deck using blue
pallets, and it was all done on film, they had to apologise the next
week, since the blue pallets all belong to one company and they NEVER
sell them to anyone, so any found anywhere are theirs, he he he

Duncan

"Essjay001" wrote in message
...
Mary Fisher wrote:
In this street it's sometimes possible to squeeze past cars on the
pavement but not if you're pushing a pram. There's a nursery at the
bottom of the street so every day young mums are forced on the road
with prams and toddlers.


A chat with the local constabulary should get a result. Failing that
'borrow a trolley from the local supermarket and scrape it down the
side of the cars, they soon learn.

--

Steve R

---
One piece, one button suit, timeless fashion. All made by the same
manufacturer, no designer label, everybody has one.

--

Steve R

---
One piece, one button suit, timeless fashion. All made by the same
manufacturer, no designer label, everybody has one.

Michael Saunby wrote:

But does the owner have to cut them?

Yes he does, a house holder can do more or less what he likes within the
bounds of his own property, however once his hedge /shrub stsrts to imping
on the pavement he is then blocking a public right of way. If a pedestrian
has to walk in the road because of the overgrowth from a domestic property
and gets knocked down by a passing car who is he going to blame and more
importantly who is he going to sue.


Out here in rural West Devon the council cut the hedges,

Do we need to make a distinction here between domestic hedges and hedgerows.
Certainly here in Wilts it took me about 18 months to get the authorities to
cut a domestic hedge that overhung a 6' foot path by 5'.


I really can't imagine the sense in doing things any other way.

Why should the council cut domestic hedges? Why should a guy who doesn't
have a hedge have to pay in his coulcil tax for someone who is too lazy to
do it himself?

All the likely legal fees, letters sent and ignored, knocking on doors,
etc.

A court case ususlly sorts out the 'negligent hedge owner

Surely the council cut roadside verges, so why not the hedges?

Hedgerows yes but not hedges and shrubs in private gardens

Clearly (sub)urban Britain has some very strange customs.

No not really just some very lazy people


Granted some folks might not want their hedges cut with a tractor
mounted flail, but surely that's just a technical matter for
homeowners to agree with the council.

You have obviously never had your windscreen broken by the debris from a
flail.
Jusy imagine a 'normal' domestic street, and the put a flail in the picture.
Apart from the debris all over the road, broken windows injured people, dead
cats etc etc. Absolute bloody nightmare.

I don't for one minute believe that the council comes round to cut peoples
privet, leylandii, beech or any other private hedge, but if this is true,
someone should take the council to court for mis-appropriation of taxes

Steve R

---
One piece, one button suit, timeless fashion. All made by the same
manufacturer, no designer label, everybody has one.