Expensive screws!

moresparks

moresparks

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Westwick - Essex
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I needed a couple of packs of self tapping screws to finish a job I was doing over the next couple of days, so I popped into the Chandlers at Maldon.
There was a parking space right outside; that’s handy I thought as the yard appeared blocked with a boat on a trailer. I was only in the shop for 10 minutes or less and when I emerged there was a traffic warden duly writing me out a parking ticket. £70.00 fine or half that if I paid within 14 days.
Wow - the warden was quicker than Usain Bolt, and he explained that the parking spaces were for resident parking only.
I am cross, but mainly with myself for not giving due consideration and paying more attention. I just think that these days with on-line shopping becoming the norm, that this will harden my view and will not help local businesses one bit, a real shame.
As penance (apart from paying the fine) I will be under the boat scraping off the old antifouling getting an expensive blue rinse.
Happy New Year and fair winds to all East Coast Forum readers.
 
sailorman said:
It is no wonder town high streets are struggling with attitudes like ths
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Weeeellll, it's not exactly the town high street down there is it?

And as we're about to move into a property (or to be precise, our son is about to move into a property) that has strictly controlled resident permit parking only for the very simple reason that if it didn't the residents would stand no chance of parking within a mile of their home during the day my sympathies are very much with the residents!

(As the new gaff is within a five minute walk of the town centre, without the residents only parking restrictions the streets would be used by town centre workers and shoppers, mainly workers, avoiding paying for parking. At least we're well away from the General Hospital 'cos anywhere within half a mile of that is chaos due to the whopping parking charges the NHS thump their employees with)
 
Bru.
Absolutely agree - it was totally my fault for not paying attention.
I was only in the shop for 10 minutes and for all intent and purposes it looks like the parking space was for visitors to the shop as it is misleading, It needed better signposting as the sign was a little way along and partially hidden by a camper van.
 
Moresparks here is a tip for you. Halfway up the high street is a shop called Reeves. Old fashioned hardware etc. ( probably would sell you 'for'k 'andles' if you ask). In there is a veritable Aladins cave of all things stainless with threads and even some washers if you need 'em.
Now if you approach from Burnham via Wantz road there is free parking at their back door. Its tight and a bit of a squeeze but free for customers.
Only today a bought a trio of penny washers (stainless cos they are not magnetic, (I checked)) all for the princely sum of £0.60. Yep thats not a typo..... sixty uk pennies.

I have no commercial connection other than always being a satisfied customer and needing them to be there.
Unc
 
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I live in Burnham but don't shop in Maldon at all because of the parking problems. What parking there is is pay and display so you have to decide how long you are going to be which spoils the idea of deciding to have a coffee if you fancy it. Basildon and Souuthend are cheaper to park and you pay on the way out so time is not an issue.

High Streets are dying but old fashioned attitudes to parking like the one in Maldon are partly to blame. I think it was bad luck you were caught and it's all very well to say 'don't park where you shouldn't' but when a warden has no discretion over a ten minute infringement supporting a local business its still killing local trade.

As for residents' only parking, I'm surprised that you were unlucky because to discourage all day parking, it's usually only for an hour or so at some part of the day - say 14.00 - 15.00 and that protects residents from workers using their street as a free all day car park. In the evening its not really necessary as the demand is lower. Ideal solution is a park and ride like chelmsford has but Maldon is too small.
 
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Its quite within the power and ability of either the the town council or local chamber of commerce to provide free parking, with systems to penalise those that arent shopping. If they cant be bothered to sort it out then sack them.
 
Dougal Tolan said:
Its quite within the power and ability of either the the town council or local chamber of commerce to provide free parking, with systems to penalise those that arent shopping. If they cant be bothered to sort it out then sack them.
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Where are they going to put these free car parks? Where is the money to buy the land going to come from? And to build the car parks? And to maintain and supervise them?

Within the power, maybe (but arguably). Within the ability? I fear not

However, we're in danger of straying into lounge territory here! The solution to Maldon parking problems is, of course, to arrive by boat .....
 
Friends of ours got a ticket in the same place as the OP. Bit embarrassing as they were visiting us on our boat and we hadn't told them they could park in the yard beside the chandlery:-)

It is not clearly marked as a resident permit area, the signs are all down toward the Queens Head end.

People often park outside the shop in the paved area if popping in for something quick, owned by Marinestore and they do not seem to mind if your a customer. Mind you Uncle A has a point, Reeves are MUCH cheaper for stainless screws and nuts and bolts.
 
Burnham Bob said:
As for residents' only parking, I'm surprised that you were unlucky because to discourage all day parking, it's usually only for an hour or so at some part of the day - say 14.00 - 15.00 and that protects residents from workers using their street as a free all day car park. In the evening its not really necessary as the demand is lower. Ideal solution is a park and ride like chelmsford has but Maldon is too small.
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Trouble is that the residents are invariably asked as to the degree of residents parking they would like. From my experience they invariably choose the maximum time (7 am to 10 pm in my case) and don't give two hoots about the concept of supporting local businesses etc etc... As they are having to pay for the right to have residents parking they are fairly determined to make it exclusively theirs. Along the street that I used to live this invariably mean that the street was empty of cars between 8 am and 16.30. Made no sense but hey ho that's democracy for you ;-)
 
UncleAlbert said:
Moresparks here is a tip for you. Halfway up the high street is a shop called Reeves. Old fashioned hardware etc. ( probably would sell you 'for'k 'andles' if you ask). In there is a veritable Aladins cave of all things stainless with threads and even some washers if you need 'em.
Now if you approach from Burnham via Wantz road there is free parking at their back door. Its tight and a bit of a squeeze but free for customers.
Only today a bought a trio of penny washers (stainless cos they are not magnetic, (I checked)) all for the princely sum of £0.60. Yep thats not a typo..... sixty uk pennies.

I have no commercial connection other than always being a satisfied customer and needing them to be there.
Unc
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You beat me too it! Let me just say that if you add up the cost of your nuts and bolts as you go along and tell them at the counter, not only do they take your word for it they will round it down for you to the nearest convenient number.
"£2.17, make that £2.00." Cracking shop!
 
Tam Lin said:
You beat me too it! Let me just say that if you add up the cost of your nuts and bolts as you go along and tell them at the counter, not only do they take your word for it they will round it down for you to the nearest convenient number.
"£2.17, make that £2.00." Cracking shop!
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Entirely agree, but for balance a word of warning. Do not buy your drill bits there. I bought a set last year and they were made out of lead I think. HHS steel bits that actually bent in use and wouldn't drill a lump of balsa let alone mild steel.

They sell factory reconditioned power tools from time to time which are like new, with warranty but nice and cheap as well as just about everything else.
 
Dougal Tolan said:
Its quite within the power and ability of either the the town council or local chamber of commerce to provide free parking, with systems to penalise those that arent shopping. If they cant be bothered to sort it out then sack them.
Click to expand...
Unfortunately not entirely so. Local councils are heavily constrained by central government on capital expenditure on car parks and they are required to service that expenditure by charging. Unless there are parking restrictions in high streets people will Hogg the spaces, so some sort of regulation and control will be necessary. Even supermarkets with "free" car parking often have parking control. Our local Aldi, for instance allows 1 hr free parking and fines you if you overstay or forget to enter your Reg. No. At the tills. I agree with Bru that parking spaces should be protected for locals in a residential area from long stay shoppers or employees.
 
You can tell this isn't the Lounge. Any thread entitled "expensive screws'" on there would have diverged from mechanical locking devices long ago!
 
It is difficult. I am generally of the opinion that you should not park where you are not supposed to but mistakes happen and they could make it easier. In some countries they have different coloured lines on the road to indicate parking. For instance a white parking bay marked at the side of the road could be for anyone, a blue one for residents and a red one where there are restrictions. I got a ticket recently for parking in a white marked parking bay that had a ticket holders restriction on it but I did not see the sign. It is my second parking ticket and I was annoyed at myself for not checking better but, as I say, they could make it easier.
 
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