Honor Oak Park, parking warning...

[panda boy]

Long story short...

My car was parked on Honor Oak Park for a few hours, returned to car to find a mashed drivers side and the front bumper torn off, (and placed carefully on the pavement next to the car!?)

No note left and no witnesses (typical) and the car is now a write off.

Certainly didn't fill me with the joys of spring...

My suspicions lie with the large dumper trucks that have been tearing up and down the road that seem to originate from the now demolished school, (soon to be a new 'boys academy'?) on Peckham Rye.

It's only an educated guess with absolutely no evidence to back it up, (yet) but judging from the type of damage to my car, and the fact that had anything smaller been involved, it would have sustained quite a bit of damage itself, i would think that a large truck of that size would barely have felt the impact.

There's nothing i can do about it apart from mourn the passing of my trusty vehicle, (stings all the more after spending 400 quid on keeping it going,) so this is basically a moan, and a warning to all about parking anywhere near where those lorries operate. I'm quite sure some of the drivers are careful and considerate, but some are quite clearing bloody dangerous, irresponsible and deserve being nicked for the way they drive around.

Has anyone else noticed the way these lorries tear about, or is my view slightly skewed due to my recent experience?

Moan and warning over...

[KalamityKel]

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[panda boy]

Hmmm, not sure i understand your point Kel.

I'd parked in a marked parking bay, 1/2 on the pavement as indicated.

People park their cars in these bays all the time and i've been unaware of any major collision problems.

(Though thats part of my reason for posting this, to see if others have suffered the same experiences.)

And the fact i've noticed the way the lorries are being driven has been made all the more acute after my car was wrecked, and a sense of curiosity about what could have done such damage and driven away.

I'm sure anyone owning a car in london is, like me, used to the normal bumps and scrapes that appear over time, but to find the such damage was, i think, a bit out of the ordinary.

I could be completely wrong about the lorries, a smart car could have done it...

[James]

What a ridiculous thing to say KKel. What are any of us supposed to do about the careless driving of certain scumbags? You can't exactly take preventative action to avoid them. My car was dented whilst parked outside my house. Presumably I should have anticipated this as well?

[skidmarks]

I know how you feel PB it is so annoying and spineless of them. Someone did something very similar to my car when trying to parallel park recently. They hit my car so hard to knocked the radiator off but they drove off anyway. It is an old car and in reality a right off. I have had to bodge the radiator back on with a few tie wraps but the most annoying problem is now the bonnet won?t stay locked and I always worried some prick will steal the battery or generally vandalise the engine. The worrying thing is that there are people out there driving who can cause this much damage when only trying to park?I wouldn?t like to meet them on a road at 60mph.

Anyway?. what goes around comes around

[panda boy]

> Anyway?. what goes around comes around

One can only hope...

[Alan Brady]

Now now everyone calm down.

[KalamityKel]

James just back off I was only asking a question!

I don't know that area well enough to comment on traffic trends - for example, on my side of the lane there are areas you just know not to park whether its due to large vehicles, reckless drivers or vandals out and about. Instead of jumping on the aggressive side all the time James use ya brain for once.

[Alan Brady]

Yeah James!

[James]

Why don't you use your brain instead of making such patronising, pointless remarks? If you ever get mugged would you appreciate someone telling you you shouldn't have been carrying your wallet/walking down that particular street?

[KalamityKel]

Please stay on topic - Parking not mugging ta

[panda boy]

Wow.

Do you two know each other or something?

[KalamityKel]

Panda boy I'm sorry to have diverted the topic of your thread.

Do you know if your incident was a one off or if others have been hit in the area not just that road? Besides you asking on here I mean.

[PeckhamRose]

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[KalamityKel]

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[panda boy]

In the interests of mediation;

KKel - Yes you're quite right, there are places you shouldn't park so as to reduce the risk of damage by inconsiderate tw*ts. This however wasn't one of those occasions, (as i said, i parked in a bay, have done many times before, as have countless other people.) And, hindsight being the wonderful thing it is, i won't park there again. I think your post, despite you saying you weren't trying to sound unsympathetic or have a go, unfortunately came across as doing just that.

James - You're quite right too, though your anger is beating mine, and i've had my car trashed!! Have you suffered a similar thing?

[KalamityKel]

I apologise to both panda boy and PR. I shall now go and do penance or what ever is acceptable for my crimes.

[panda boy]

KKel, apology accepted, thankyou.

I've had conversations with other locals who have noticed these lorries and the way they are driven, but not heard of any other accidents, yet. (Thats why i posted this.)

I'd say they are an accident waiting to happen, but its happened already!

[lenk]

panda boy Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I'd say they are an accident waiting to happen,

> but its happened already!

Well, there's no actual proof of this.

And suggesting that the contractor working on that site is guilty of writing off someone's car is obviously libellous with no proof.

But you'll know all of this, I'm sure.

[panda boy]

Yes Lenk, I was merely making an educated suggestion (based on the damage,) and not actually accusing anyone or anything specifically.

Wouldn't do that.

I meant that non-specific big vehicles being driven at sometimes high speeds around residential roads is an accident waiting to happen.

Unless i'm the only person who's noticed the recent addition, and driving habits, of these big tipper trucks to our local roads?

[PeckhamRose]

There was a discussion about the increasing number of large and commercial vehicles using Ryedale, at the last Police Ward Panel Meeting. Some suggested they obviously had to do with the water works at Colyton Road, but I also suggested that it is not always the drivers faults for using those roads, but their satnavs are telling them to! ("Nuffink's my fault, gov, just doin' what I am told so I don't have to think whilst on me mobile.")

[panda boy]

Well PR, i don't know what the answer is, or if there is even an answer to be found.

Public highways are public highways...

And while i'm fairly pragmatic about parking scars in london, i don't really expect to find a written off car when parked in a marked bay.

Grrr etc...

[PeckhamRose]

panda boy your attitude is great and I applaud it.

Public highways are indeed public highways.

I think only today I found another road which did not have road humps on it and they certainly don't help when traffic swerves to avoid the humps and gets a car or other road user instead, even a stationary one!

[panda boy]

PR, I personally fail to see the logic of the mini humps that are all over the place.

I can see the idea that on a bus route it means the buses can straddle the bumps, but with the amount of wide axle 4x4's that can do the same kind of negates the point.

They also seem to encourage people to drive down the middle of the road to try and straddle them, making a road that could fit 2 cars driving in opposite directions quite happily, into a slalom with folks that nip out into the middle of the road to straddle the bump. (Not a problem when there's nothing coming in the opposite direction, but a bit dangerous when there is...)

Anyway, don't mean to turn this into a speed hump rant...

[dave]

A question for the OP - exactly where were you parked when the damage was inflicted? Was it down near the station?

Agree on the speed cushions. Lewisham seem determined to put them in, but don't limit the parking around them, creating the slalom situation. Still, at least it slows *most* people down...