Forum Topic

Lorries parking in Friary Road .....again!

Many of you will remember the years it took to stop the dozens of lorries parking in Friary Road.  Regularly up to 22 lorries parked daily, engines running, noisy, blocking the road at the top at Horn Lane, churning up the green where they'd turn reverse on it, dumping their lunch wrappings in our gutters, hazardous to cars and pedestrians trying to negotiate the road.  Well, they're back!  A couple of years back, Stop and Shop bays were installed there by the junction.  Daft place to put them, as when they are being used, it blocks the traffic turning into Friary Road from Horn Lane.  However, when LORRIES are parked in the Stop and Shop bays, it's even narrower.  Not only that, they use the one disabled bay too! As well as the double yellows all along Friary Road.  They are creeping back, day by day.  With the proposed redevelopment of Friary Park, whatever format that takes, it will be even worse - there will be dozens more lorries for EIGHT years.  Yes, 8.  The road and the rail bank there are sloping anyway and have done with the lorry use over the years.  A tree fell down the embankment once!  Can you imagine what it's going to be like when Cross Rail and the increase in footfall and cars from the Friary Park estate happens?  It has got to change.

Angela White ● 4177d6 Comments

More lorries sitting there today.  :-(  This is a big issue come CrossRail and Friary Park.

Angela White ● 4173d

Ealing Council will fine anyone whose vehicle engine stays running unnecessarily when stopped.  This is from the LBE website (below) and therefore, these lorries, not only parked on double yellows and in the disabled bay, are breaking Council rules and will be fined (won't they?) for keeping their engines running:  Idling is when a vehicle’s engine stays running unnecessarily when stationary. This pollutes the environment and it is illegal on a public road.Unnecessary vehicle idling is an offence under the Road Traffic (Vehicle Emissions) (Fixed Penalty) (England) Regulations 2002.If you fail to turn your engine off after being asked to do so by an authorised officer you can be issued with a fixed penalty notice (FPN).The idling legislation covers all vehicles on public roads including buses, taxis, commercial vehicles and private cars. It does not apply to vehicles moving slowly due to road works or congestion, vehicles stopped at traffic lights, vehicles under test or repair or defrosting a windscreen.As a rough guide, if you're going to be parked for more than 30 seconds, turn off your engine and restart when you are ready to move on. You're likely to use less fuel, reduce unnecessary emissions, improve air quality and avoid the risk of receiving a fixed penalty notice.In an initial one-month trial, enforcement officers will be patrolling the Horn Lane area of Acton from 1 December 2014 until 1 January 2015. The officers will approach drivers who are seen to be idling and ask them to turn off their engine. Drivers who refuse will be issued with a £20 fixed penalty notice*. Signs will also be put up in the area reminding drivers of the law.*The fine will increase to £40 if not paid within 28 days.

Angela White ● 4174d

8 years back or so we had lorries there whose drivers took hammers to the metal signage giving no parking warnings to destroy them.  The double yellows couldn't be seen after a while due to the oil and detritus built up by the lorries in the gutters.  Must have cost the Council lots of our money.  Our wonderful head of Streetwatchers from the Council came out to talk to the offenders, got abused. This matter can only deteriorate with the forthcoming chaos of the Friary Park building works (sans Towers of course) and of course Cross Rail.  The Council need to think now and take precautions, weaving this factor into their plans and not be reactive.

Angela White ● 4177d

Users of Harry's cafe have always parked up there even on double yellows right by the cafe.The cafe people requested some parking bays away from the corner to encourage customers to park further up and not congest the narrow junction.They are still too near the corner and then some don't seem to now what double yellow stands for and stop outside the serving counter.

Kim Rugg ● 4177d

Ha, ha, know exactly which company you mean, Kim, as I too have had a mouthful from them and my daughter (7.30am in the car on way to school) asked "what accent is that Mummy and why do they have a kangaroo on their vans?"  She never mentioned the swear words they were using or the hand movements, funnily!I wonder why they are creeping back?  It was bliss without them.

Angela White ● 4177d

I have on several occasions been unable to drive round the corner because of these lorries, often parking to use the Cafe, I've been called names as I asked them to park further up as the traffic was stuck. One antipodean removal firm with very distinctive trucks is particularly prone to parking on the disabled bay while the workers get their bacon butties. Must be a company with very good equal opportunity policy to have disabled removers, good on them!

Kim Rugg ● 4177d