Is turning yourself in a good idea?

[Ixion]

The easiest thing to do is park your bike in a whole car park. they don't like that much. A cop asked me once why I did that, and I told him that if he would get the car shifted out of our bike park, then I could use that. He did, and thank you Mr Cop.

I regularly park in car park car spaces. If there's a bike park convenient I'll use that, but if not I just park in a cage spot. We pay higher rego than them anyway, so we're MORE entitled than they are.

[jazbug5]

Hmmm.

What a total pr*ck. I'm not sure what the damage was, here? It sounds as though you were pretty restrained to me, although if you felt so angry you were having difficulty controlling yourself, then maybe that's a separate issue?

Anyway, one of my anecdotes: I used to live on Tower Bridge Road in London. Busy, as you might imagine. It was a flat on several floors (we called it 'The Tower') and it was above a florist's. Like all the flats on that block, entrance was from the back, via an alleyway. And regularly, we would find that vans parked in there despite the signs, blocking in cars and my courier flatmate's motorbike; not to mention us. A very narrow alleyway, it was near impossible to sidle past, especially carrying a mountain bike, as I tended to be doing. Worst of all, they often chose to stop at the exact spot our door was, meaning that we were actually stuck in our house. Because it was 'private land', the police would do nothing about it. Of course, several vans that did this had a little panelwork damage as I (repeatedly) tried to knock back the unknown 'obstruction', while having a 'panic attack' brought on by being trapped.

One day, I got home after a particularly crap day at work, having had several white van drivers try to take me out, only to find our entry way blocked again. I had had enough, and pulling out my handy craft knife (I was a design student at this point) I 'customised' their tyres for them.

Then I rang the firm that owned it; "Oh, hi there... look, one of your van drivers is going to need a tow pretty soon. Why? Well, he parked in our alley where the local schoolkids go for a fag after school, and they've obviously slashed his tyres for a prank... not that he should be obstructing our driveway, either, by the way..."

Well, the woman I was speaking to responded by saying that actually, he'd be getting his cards as soon as he got back, now. I felt a bit crap at that: asked her why, if all he'd done was park in the wrong place? It turns out, he was supposed to be working on the other side of London. And where he was was right around the corner from the boss's place, where in all probability she was having it away with the boss's wife... and now they had had their suspicions confirmed...

oops!

[thehollowmen]

I just park right up the arse/front of the offending car/van and sit down close by and have a pie or whatever.

that wouldn't have worked. He was there for six and a half hours

Yeah, I do that usually, and take their license number so I can track them down if they hit my baby, but there wasn't anywhere to park... this set of four or five parks has yellow dashed lines all around them

[thehollowmen]

I wish the BoiRacR that f*$%ed our Fiat on Saturday night would turn himself in!

We got back from our holiday, emptied the car, then I took the Fiat out of the gargre so the wife could drive straight in when she returned from her FoodForagingExpedition. "Hmmmmm.... should I park it over the other side of the road, or wait till she gets back and park it on the apron?" (no driveway).
A few minutes later, she returns, and a couple of minutes after that (less than 10 after I put it there), a neighbour comes to tell us that the Fiat is now in the middle of the road, having been shunted there by a guy in one of two black cars that were "racing around the streets". They both took off before she could get their licence plate numbers. Great. So we now have to pay for a new back bumper and tailgate.
Luckily, the handbrake wasn't on very hard, and it's weak anyway, so the damage was less than it could have been.
We've reported the 'hit'n'run' to the cops, and yesterday son#2 saw a car around the corner which matched the description - it also had damage consistent with the bits left on the road, and with running into a silver-painted Fiat. So hopefully the cops can follow that up before it's repaired, so we can match the bits of indicator and headlight to that car.

Ouch, sorry to hear that. Good luck and I hope the cops take them for everything they can.

[vifferman]

Ouch, sorry to hear that. Good luck and I hope the cops take them for everything they can.

Yeah, me too. I'm hoping the car we saw IS the one, so we don't have a big hit on our insurance or wallets. If the prick had stopped and sorted it, we would've kept the cops out of it, but if they catch him, he's got car repairs to pay for plus a ticket for careless use plus another for failing to stop after an accident. My bet is that he didn't stop because either he has no insurance, or there's something dodgy with his licence, or both.

[GROOMER]

Writing on their car or similar is almost Ok considering..but oil on the windscreen is not such a good idea. If they happened to be driving down the road and used their washer jets, or it rained ... they got a shit show of seeing where they're going

[thehollowmen]

Writing on their car or similar is almost Ok considering..but oil on the windscreen is not such a good idea. If they happened to be driving down the road and used their washer jets, or it rained ... they got a shit show of seeing where they're going

Yep
I'm feeling really bad about it considering the weather today

[MSTRS:Me]

Writing on their car or similar is almost Ok considering..but oil on the windscreen is not such a good idea. If they happened to be driving down the road and used their washer jets, or it rained ... they got a shit show of seeing where they're going

If they are blind enough to not see the oil/grease first, then how is it that they are allowd to drive?

[GROOMER]

If they are blind enough to not see the oil/grease first, then how is it that they are allowd to drive?

Well he mentioned he had wiped most of it off. still leaves residue?
And theres at least 50% of the driving population who shouldnt be allowed to drive

[ManDownUnder]

I regularly park in car park car spaces. If there's a bike park convenient I'll use that, but if not I just park in a cage spot. We pay higher rego than them anyway, so we're MORE entitled than they are.

I hadn't thought of the financial angle (but I agree totally with it...) I like looking at it from a convenience point of view. I a person wants to park there - they can! More often than not that vehicle is a car, but it still only has 1 person it in. My behicle has two wheels... but one person.

That being said, if I can find a bike park handy, I'll use it out sheer consideration for others (do unto others and all that)... but having one person in a vehicle being more "entitled" to a parking space thatn another? NOPE. It doesn't wash wih me... (coz I don't wash..)

MDU

[ManDownUnder]

Out of interest... I have heard wallpaper paste applied to the windscreen... followed by a layer of newspaper has the desired effect without leaving permanent damage...

[thehollowmen]

I hadn't thought of the financial angle (but I agree totally with it...) I like looking at it from a convenience point of view. I a person wants to park there - they can! More often than not that vehicle is a car, but it still only has 1 person it in. My behicle has two wheels... but one person.

That being said, if I can find a bike park handy, I'll use it out sheer consideration for others (do unto others and all that)... but having one person in a vehicle being more "entitled" to a parking space thatn another? NOPE. It doesn't wash wih me... (coz I don't wash..)

MDU

The bylaws here won't let motorcycles park in metered carparks, or carparks that are one car length long. We're not even allowed to squeeze in between the cars if there is a big enough gap.

In dunedin we have metered parks and have to keep the ticket on my dash. I've been ticketed when I'd purchased three of them. One for under the screen, one for on my spedo, (hoping people wouldn't nick both of those) and one in my pocket.

I got and paid tickets for all of that.
Frankly it sucks and it is another reason I'm thinking of moving away.

[skidz]

A bit of superglue on thier wipers would do the trick!!

[phaedrus]

The bylaws here won't let motorcycles park in metered carparks, or carparks that are one car length long.

I think you've been shitted to.
section 13.5 for who can park where
and 13.8 for those parking meters

in my messed up understanding, i couldn't find anything saying no motorbikes in carparks.

Dunedin parking bylaws

[Ixion]

I think you've been shitted to.
section 13.5 for who can park where
and 13.8 for those parking meters

in my messed up understanding, i couldn't find anything saying no motorbikes in carparks.

Dunedin parking bylaws

In fact (b)

(b) Where more than one motor cycle occupies a metered space it shall not be
necessary for the payment of more than one parking fee to be made provided that no vehicle
shall remain parked in the metered space after the time that the meter has expired.

clearly implies that motorcycles may occupy metered spaces (ie car type ones). Provided of course that they pay the appropriate fee. Caveat : I am not a Dunedinite