Council removing my legally parked vehicle?

[rayny]

PH, where we see both sides of the coin :

So many threads about the greedy DVLA and insurance companies - Now we have somebody who pays both for six months without actually using his vehicle...

Also, Croydon where so many people own small city cars to help cope with the limited amount of on-street parking - Now we have somebody who takes up unnecessary parking space(s).

[kambites]

There have certainly been numerous PH threads with people complaining about apparently abandoned vehicles not being removed by the local council.

[KTMsm]

First world problems but I had a neighbour who despite having a large drive (as did I) used to regularly park his Sprinter outside my house rather than his

As I preferred the view of plants / trees out of my bedroom and lounge windows, I wasn't overly impressed

OP why don't you park it outside your house?

I have enough cars to line your street, would you think it reasonable if I did so and left them there for 6 months ?

[fasimew]

Because there is a yellow line outside my house preventing me from doing so. The van is parked in a designated free parking bay, along with several other vehicles. One of which is a neighbours van that is even larger than mine (and newer and shinier). FYI he has a few on his drive and has to park two of his vehicles in the bay. I'm not throwing my toys out the pram because I'm an adult because even though he is being selfish by having many vehicles that seldom move, there is enough space for others to park.

But what difference does it make where I park? There is no law to say that I can't legally park my legal vehicle anywhere I legally please.

Edited by fasimew on Thursday 15th February 09:35

Edited by fasimew on Thursday 15th February 09:40

[Jader1973]

Why isn’t it parked on your driveway?

[911Spanker]

How big is the van? Put up a picture of it in its current state.

[irc]

I checked my council website. Seems they wouldn't have treated this vehicle as abandoned.

https://www.eastdunbarton.gov.uk/residents/roads-a...

Though as it is obviously causing someone annoyance it seems reasonable after 6 months to move it and give someone else the pleasure of an immobile van.

If it was me I would worry that if getting it moved by the council failed it might start to suffer random acts of vandalism.

[Hammersia]

I suspect OP is not going to see the relevance of this famous theory:


“The shopping cart is the ultimate litmus test for whether a person is capable of self-governing. To return the shopping cart is an easy, convenient task and one which we all recognize as the correct, appropriate thing to do. To return the shopping cart is objectively right. There are no circumstances other than dire emergencies in which a person is not able to return their cart. Simultaneously, it is not illegal to abandon your shopping cart.

Therefore, the shopping cart presents itself as the apex example of whether a person will do what is right without being forced to do it. No one will punish you for not returning the shopping cart, no one will fine you or kill you for not returning the shopping cart, you gain nothing by returning the shopping cart. You must return the shopping cart out of the goodness of your own heart. You must return the shopping cart because it is the right thing to do. Because it is correct.

A person who is unable to do this is no better than an animal, an absolute savage who can only be made to do what is right by threatening them with a low and the force that stands behind it. The Shopping Cart is what determines whether a person is a good or bad member of society."

[fasimew]

Except in this case I am 'being fined' in some respect for not returning the shopping cart.

[fasimew]

Jader1973 said:

Why isn’t it parked on your driveway?

That's irrelevant, but I'll indulge you... There isnt enough space.

[fasimew]

911Spanker said:

How big is the van? Put up a picture of it in its current state.

Standard swb transit. No pics necessary.

[thebraketester]

Thread is meaningless without pics.

[philrs03]

Hammersia said:

I suspect OP is not going to see the relevance of this famous theory:


“The shopping cart is the ultimate litmus test for whether a person is capable of self-governing. To return the shopping cart is an easy, convenient task and one which we all recognize as the correct, appropriate thing to do. To return the shopping cart is objectively right. There are no circumstances other than dire emergencies in which a person is not able to return their cart. Simultaneously, it is not illegal to abandon your shopping cart.

Therefore, the shopping cart presents itself as the apex example of whether a person will do what is right without being forced to do it. No one will punish you for not returning the shopping cart, no one will fine you or kill you for not returning the shopping cart, you gain nothing by returning the shopping cart. You must return the shopping cart out of the goodness of your own heart. You must return the shopping cart because it is the right thing to do. Because it is correct.

A person who is unable to do this is no better than an animal, an absolute savage who can only be made to do what is right by threatening them with a low and the force that stands behind it. The Shopping Cart is what determines whether a person is a good or bad member of society."

Yep. I absolutely love this and I’m a firm believer that anyone who doesn’t replace their shopping trolley, should be shipped off to and Island to live with all the other worthless, selfish, small minded, immoral burdens on society. I wonder how long it would take for the place to burn. We see it on a smaller scale every day in Cities and densely populated urban areas in the US/UK. A load of selfish, entitled (usually liberal) people concentrated in one area, and civilised society falls to pieces.

[Du1point8]

fasimew said:

Because there is a yellow line outside my house preventing me from doing so. The van is parked in a designated free parking bay, along with several other vehicles. One of which is a neighbours van that is even larger than mine (and newer and shinier). FYI he has a few on his drive and has to park two of his vehicles in the bay. I'm not throwing my toys out the pram because I'm an adult because even though he is being selfish by having many vehicles that seldom move, there is enough space for others to park.

But what difference does it make where I park? There is no law to say that I can't legally park my legal vehicle anywhere I legally please.

Edited by fasimew on Thursday 15th February 09:35

Edited by fasimew on Thursday 15th February 09:40

While the van is parked legally in a free parking bay and is fully taxed and tested, the core issue lies in the perception and community impact of leaving a vehicle in a communal area without moving or maintaining it for an extended period.

The argument that the van's legal status justifies its stationary presence overlooks the broader social responsibility (being a good neighbour) vehicle owners have to their neighbors and the community's aesthetic.

Comparing the van to a neighbor's larger, newer vehicle attempts to deflect criticism but fails to address the fundamental concern: a neglected vehicle, regardless of its legality, can become an eyesore and contribute to neighborhood discontent.

The legality of parking does not exempt an owner from considering the visual and communal implications of their actions, especially when neighbors express concerns, indeed emphasizing on legal entitlement overlooks the value of giving your neighbours mutual respect and cooperation in shared spaces.

[Bill]

fasimew said:

Except in this case I am 'being fined' in some respect for not returning the shopping cart.

How are you being fined? Your van looks abandoned, they didn't receive a reply to the letter they (undoubtedly...) sent, so they've put a note on it to tell you to get in touch if it's not abandoned.

They're not fining you, they're asking you if it's dumped.

[bad company]

Please let us know what the council say when you call them op.

I really can’t understand how they can legally move or attempt to move the van.

[jhonn]

if Croydon council are like my local council they can implement residential parking rules, where you have to be a resident and display a permit to park there. Alternatively they could allow parking for a period with no return within a specified time. They have the tools to manage legal rights and manageable parking, balanced with resident's reasonable expectations.

As they haven't done this the OP is perfectly within his rights and the council are unjustified in taking the action they're proposing.

I suspect what will happen is that the OP will contact the council, explain that the van is legal and not abandoned and that will be the end of it.

[Hammersia]

fasimew said:

Except in this case I am 'being fined' in some respect for not returning the shopping cart.

Yes, as predicted, you don't see the relevance.

(You're "sort of" being fined because that is apparently the only way to get you to behave better than an absolute savage.)

[Vasco]

fasimew said:

Because there is a yellow line outside my house preventing me from doing so. The van is parked in a designated free parking bay, along with several other vehicles. One of which is a neighbours van that is even larger than mine (and newer and shinier). FYI he has a few on his drive and has to park two of his vehicles in the bay. I'm not throwing my toys out the pram because I'm an adult because even though he is being selfish by having many vehicles that seldom move, there is enough space for others to park.

But what difference does it make where I park? There is no law to say that I can't legally park my legal vehicle anywhere I legally please.

Edited by fasimew on Thursday 15th February 09:35

Edited by fasimew on Thursday 15th February 09:40

Legal or not, who on earth parks a van on a public road for 6 months and never uses it?

[bad company]

jhonn said:

I suspect what will happen is that the OP will contact the council, explain that the van is legal and not abandoned and that will be the end of it.

What other outcome could there be?

The council have no options.