Car ban day one: How was it for you? (From Essex County Standard)
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Car ban day one: How was it for you?
3:00pm Sunday 17th March 2013 in News
What car ban? Motorists ignore the car ban on Sunday
Colchester's car ban started today.
From 11am to 6pm, only buses, taxis, motorbikes and cyclists were allowed to use the High Street.
However, early indications suggest a lot of motorists were not aware of the restrictions or were wilfully ignoring them.
Lyn Barton, councillor responsible for renaissance, said: “It is going to be an adjustment and it needs time for everyone to get used to it."
Send your views to gazette.newsdesk@nqe.com
Comments(45)
meadowlady
says...
4:03pm Sun 17 Mar 13
HARRY438
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4:10pm Sun 17 Mar 13
Hope the potholes will survive this upheaval?
hughie-s
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4:24pm Sun 17 Mar 13
Count Wolfgang Van Otto wrote:Mein Gott, you only have a driver, no staff to carry you? Anyone know if sedan chairs and rickshaws are banned?
Awful! My driver had to drop me at the bottom of the hill, and on reaching the top I found myself to be out of breath and perspiring slightly. I am NOT an animal, and refuse to be treated as such.
I suspect the council held off today as the High Street was closed earlier for the half marathon.
Garyrae
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5:04pm Sun 17 Mar 13
meadowlady wrote:There were 5-6 people from the Highways Agency on the High St, but they didn't actually do anything except watch cars go by.
Why did the Council not have staff on duty ensuring cars did not drive down the High Street. I expect their comment would be 'It's up to the police'. Now it has crossed my mind that if I choose to walk down the High Street tomorrow in the middle of the road and there is traffic behind me, who has the right of way. Will I have to scoot to a pavement or as the road is being semi 'pedestrianised' can I continue in the road and make the traffic wait or will I die.
Antony-C
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5:05pm Sun 17 Mar 13
one driver not from this town got a £75 fine for it pmsl serves them right. and as for blue badge holders well disabled my foot if you can have posh cars are you really disabled i think that needs to be looked at as well considering most of you can walk round town for ages.
i think vineyard street should be for blue badges holder that are really disabled that means no more parking in high street and head street.
Count Wolfgang Van Otto
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6:36pm Sun 17 Mar 13
Are you seriously trying to suggest that disabled people are incapable of being/becoming rich? What a spastic!
rhetoric
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6:39pm Sun 17 Mar 13
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The rich can be disabled as can the poor. Having money does not always mean there is a ready remedy. If one is rich does it mean one should be confined to barracks for life? Do they have to sit at home because Antony-C is jealous of them and wants some of their - no doubt hard-earned - money?
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It is also a bit spiteful to be glad that a driver got a £75 fine when they were not from Colchester, while it has been mentioned that others are getting away with it. Surely on this first day if anyone is to get away with a caution, it should be those from "furrin parts"? Colchester is going to drive that visitor away for good, especially if they see that they are among the very few not being allowed some grace on this first day.
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Thank you for banishing the disabled to Vineyard St. Try getting someone to break your legs and then you can walk up Scheregate Steps and along the rather bumpy and eccentric routes to the High St if necessary.
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You are also implying that blue badge holders are not disabled. There are admittedly some who abuse the system, but measures are being and have been implemented to make this more and more difficult. Any "system" is likely to be abused. Don't take your envy out on the disabled - and the better off!
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You will be easy to spot, Antony, with your face green with envy of those who have a nice car and those who get to park near to the Town Centre because they can't walk far. Get on with your own life and, just maybe, do something to help the disabled as an apology.
BANJO1970
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6:40pm Sun 17 Mar 13
DelA
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6:40pm Sun 17 Mar 13
Are you for real?? What has money got to do with being disabled!! They can also have a car instead of their DLA payment of over 200 pounds a month.
I am sure most would change places with you any day!
Yendor says
says...
7:16pm Sun 17 Mar 13
Antony-C wrote:Antony-C , could I ask what car you drive ?
its been a fun day in the high street some drivers need to get there eyes tested when the high street is closed it means closed to personal cars.
one driver not from this town got a £75 fine for it pmsl serves them right. and as for blue badge holders well disabled my foot if you can have posh cars are you really disabled i think that needs to be looked at as well considering most of you can walk round town for ages.
i think vineyard street should be for blue badges holder that are really disabled that means no more parking in high street and head street.
Its just that I would just be interested to know if the mentally retarded also drive posh cars ??
Feisty CBC
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8:07pm Sun 17 Mar 13
Red Tape 2
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8:13pm Sun 17 Mar 13
stadium medic
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8:47pm Sun 17 Mar 13
johnny64
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8:50pm Sun 17 Mar 13
sandgronun64
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9:00pm Sun 17 Mar 13
Do they really think their actions will one day prove so pivotal?
I walked down the High Street at 5pm this afternoon and there numerous cars parked (illegally according to the ban) but no penalty charge notices, and counted over 20 cars driving up the high street before deciding to stop at that.
As I have said already on other threads, the information relating to this change has not been well disseminated, and on the CBC website explanations are scant and at best confusing.
Perhaps this was a mass act of 'civil disobedience?' Unlikely. More likely, those concerned were either confused by, or unaware of this poorly organised scheme.
The whole thing is (as widely mooted by residents of the town centre) a fiasco.
Oh well, cue the 'Trolls' I suppose.
Red Tape 2
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9:19pm Sun 17 Mar 13
stadium medic wrote:You can however still be hit by a bus, taxi or motorbike.... Which is why it's such a daft idea!
finally I can walk around the town without having to watchout for daytime boyracers and mopeds/scooters weaving in and out of people and traffic. Places like southend, ipswich, chelmsford all manage it so why can't we? give it a chance its only day 1. Im sure there will be small areas to over come but its a start of a good thing in my eyes.
stadium medic
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9:23pm Sun 17 Mar 13
Say It As It Is OK?
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10:17pm Sun 17 Mar 13
stadium medic wrote:The closure of the High Street to selected motorists will not make it any safer for pedestrians. Bus and Taxi drivers are only doing a job of work which many other professional as well as other motorists are all being denied access to the High Street due to this absolutelt barmy decision.
I am surprised they still allowed motorbikes, but when it comes to taxis and buses they should be 'professional drivers' and should take more care and im sure most if not all do. I guess ya have the same amount of chance of being hit by one of those mobility scooters as well. guess we shall see lol
Hamiltonandy
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11:29pm Sun 17 Mar 13
Antony-C
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12:21am Mon 18 Mar 13
jeffbridges
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12:46am Mon 18 Mar 13
DelA wrote:oh very well said young dell,
"disabled my foot if you can have posh cars are you really disabled i think that needs to be looked at " Are you for real?? What has money got to do with being disabled!! They can also have a car instead of their DLA payment of over 200 pounds a month. I am sure most would change places with you any day!
some of them who drive older cars can pocket the £207-40 for use in jolly ups of course, or purchase scooters, or big he man motorcycles too.
you tell `em young dell.
"some" even get £309-80, but you need to be not very well for that one.
while other disabled drivers consider the expence and worry of not quite new vehicles is one step too far, so rather than take on more mechanicle worries, just take the shiney new car options.
So, new car every 2 years,
or a sedate older vehicle that costs almost nothing to run.
not an easye choice is it.
jeffbridges
says...
12:51am Mon 18 Mar 13
Red Tape 2 wrote:LOL..
stadium medic wrote: finally I can walk around the town without having to watchout for daytime boyracers and mopeds/scooters weaving in and out of people and traffic. Places like southend, ipswich, chelmsford all manage it so why can't we? give it a chance its only day 1. Im sure there will be small areas to over come but its a start of a good thing in my eyes.You can however still be hit by a bus, taxi or motorbike.... Which is why it's such a daft idea!
I believe the Idea is not daft,
just flawed.
rhetoric
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5:03am Mon 18 Mar 13
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Might be interesting to see how many in each area actually receive motoring subsidies of any kind. I suspect not a great number.
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There seems to exist what amounts to a kind of racial hatred against the disabled. As has been said already, try it for a while and you'll soon be crying to be "able" again. What next? Disabled people to be banned from the Town and made to wear bells like lepers?
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I'm not disabled myself but have had experience of long-term caring. The majority of the disabled are very brave and overcome a lot of their problems in the spirit of "nil desperandum". They and their carers mostly save the State a deal of money by soldiering on and taking care of each other, probably taking a toll of the carer's health in the process.
Justice79
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7:43am Mon 18 Mar 13
Antony-C wrote:Ah work shy that makes sense only someone who spends 70% of their "working" day sitting on their backside reading the red tops would make such a misguided and uneducated statement about the disabled.
i'm a taxi driver thats what i do for a living .
wormshero
says...
8:43am Mon 18 Mar 13
Feisty CBC wrote:I'm trying to work out if this in an implication that closing the high street drove customers to an out of town shop or not? If it is, that's true of pretty much every Sunday. Also, given how busy the high street was at 9, maybe it would have been wise for some town center shops to open earlier for a one off.
I strolled through town today...it was dead. Went to Asda and it was packed.
I still don't think this goes far enough; until buses/taxis/motorbik
es/bikes are also banned from the high street there's no point, might as well allow cars too.
jeffbridges
says...
8:49am Mon 18 Mar 13
rhetoric wrote:""What next? Disabled people to be banned from the Town and made to wear bells like leper""
It might be worth the moaning, green-eyed enviers noting - many of the disabled became so after their working days had ended, so they have no claim for tax-free or subsidised motoring, and indeed most of them are not even aware of these concessions. They do have the blue badges which are most gratefully received and carefully kept. . Might be interesting to see how many in each area actually receive motoring subsidies of any kind. I suspect not a great number. . There seems to exist what amounts to a kind of racial hatred against the disabled. As has been said already, try it for a while and you'll soon be crying to be "able" again. What next? Disabled people to be banned from the Town and made to wear bells like lepers? . I'm not disabled myself but have had experience of long-term caring. The majority of the disabled are very brave and overcome a lot of their problems in the spirit of "nil desperandum". They and their carers mostly save the State a deal of money by soldiering on and taking care of each other, probably taking a toll of the carer's health in the process.
Ding Dong rhetoric.
unfortuately, most see "disabled" as those Individuals who are limbless or worse, but fail to recognise those with Illnesses of the body from within.
need I say anything more,
or am I out of breathe on this one.
romantic
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9:28am Mon 18 Mar 13
Regarding the High Street, let´s give it a fair trial. We cannot judge it on one Sunday, nor even on the first couple of weeks, while people are adapting. I didn´t see it yesterday, but would hope that if there are people on hand, they will give guidance rather than just fine people straight off.
Jess Jephcott
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9:57am Mon 18 Mar 13
Reginald47
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11:25am Mon 18 Mar 13
Wicky1
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11:58am Mon 18 Mar 13
Scoot
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12:44pm Mon 18 Mar 13
TheCaptain
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12:50pm Mon 18 Mar 13
Wicky1 wrote:Just been on the High Street. Not much noise but still lots of people. A few cars parked as you say. If they stay all day then they will be committing parking offences.
Day 2 Monday: Went in on my motorcycle at 11.30am not many cars driving through but followed by a couple of cars as there was no enforcement in place. Noticed lots of parked cars either side of High St that presumably drove in and parked before 11am. Will they be hit by a fine when they drive off after 11am, or will they wait until after 6pm to leave??
omgwtfbbq
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3:33pm Mon 18 Mar 13
This is another example of how anti disabled Colchester council is, not providing disabled parking after 6 keeping the disabled out of town at night wasn't enough for them, now they ban the disabled in the day too.
The Council has put taxi only parking all the way down head street to stop the disabled parking there too.
If the disabled could walk from where the Council says to park and still manage to shop then they wouldn't be disabled!!!
If they wanted to cut traffic then they should have clamped down on the people using blue badges that do not belong to them. all blue badges have a photo on the back of the person that should be in the car. parking officials in Colchester never ever check these like other councils do. This is the reason you see so many cars displaying them yet the people who get out run across the road, they are fraudulently using someone else's badge. People that really need the badge would be happy to show it belongs to them if asked.
Also how come mini cabs are allowed to use the high street and other bus lanes? they are not taxis, they are not running on a meter. the signs say buses and Taxis not buses, Taxis and mini cabs!
IngridRansome
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6:34pm Mon 18 Mar 13
jut1972
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7:09pm Mon 18 Mar 13
Justice79 wrote:Dear Antony, what cab firm do you work for?
Antony-C wrote:Ah work shy that makes sense only someone who spends 70% of their "working" day sitting on their backside reading the red tops would make such a misguided and uneducated statement about the disabled.
i'm a taxi driver thats what i do for a living .
I'm sure you speak for all your management and colleagues and would have no issue losing all those cushy school runs or ECC subsidised trips ferrying those families around when they all have those posh cars.
Assimilation
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8:54pm Mon 18 Mar 13
IngridRansome wrote:They sure can, but without their cars.
Can disabled drivers still go down there as there are a lot of parking areas in High Street and near the Castle?
Reginald47
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12:03am Tue 19 Mar 13
sotat123
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8:42am Tue 19 Mar 13
Antony-C wrote:Antony-C. Firstly good morning sweetie! I would like to correct your quite frankly sheer rudeness.. Firstly not all disabled people park in the high street; secondly the "posh cars" come with a mobility scheme please feel free to google this" and although I agree some people kick the butt out of the system and should be fined for this I can honestly say, she says with her old crappy ford puma being born with congenital heart disease and had four open heart surgeries amongst a few things! Bless you you comments have been as some would say "quite remarkable!" .(we are all entitled to an opinion of course).
its been a fun day in the high street some drivers need to get there eyes tested when the high street is closed it means closed to personal cars.
one driver not from this town got a £75 fine for it pmsl serves them right. and as for blue badge holders well disabled my foot if you can have posh cars are you really disabled i think that needs to be looked at as well considering most of you can walk round town for ages.
i think vineyard street should be for blue badges holder that are really disabled that means no more parking in high street and head street.
wormshero
says...
10:01am Tue 19 Mar 13
omgwtfbbq wrote:I agree on most of this, but wonder how you think checking the photos should be implemented? To do so would mean traffic wardens being at the spots as the driver either arrives or departs, and asking them to show an ID. Firstly, I imagine the likelyness of being in the right place at the right time are slim, but also I imagine it'll start to annoy people when they're asked for the multiple time to show the back of their blue badge to prove it's theirs.
This is madness, other towns that do this have other roads people can use, other towns also still let blue badge holders have access.
This is another example of how anti disabled Colchester council is, not providing disabled parking after 6 keeping the disabled out of town at night wasn't enough for them, now they ban the disabled in the day too.
The Council has put taxi only parking all the way down head street to stop the disabled parking there too.
If the disabled could walk from where the Council says to park and still manage to shop then they wouldn't be disabled!!!
If they wanted to cut traffic then they should have clamped down on the people using blue badges that do not belong to them. all blue badges have a photo on the back of the person that should be in the car. parking officials in Colchester never ever check these like other councils do. This is the reason you see so many cars displaying them yet the people who get out run across the road, they are fraudulently using someone else's badge. People that really need the badge would be happy to show it belongs to them if asked.
Also how come mini cabs are allowed to use the high street and other bus lanes? they are not taxis, they are not running on a meter. the signs say buses and Taxis not buses, Taxis and mini cabs!
André
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11:05am Tue 19 Mar 13
Working people really are second class citizens here. The town thrives purely as the worker hands tax to the undeserving poor, who now have a private highway to McDonald's and the Girobank.
Ever noticed that GP's hours cater to the underclass or the leisure classes (retired, non working parents, students) but don't offer evening appointments for working people.
This vehicle ban is just another kick in the teeth for those that want to use the town to work and a big fat jolly for the big fat jollies who don't.
jeffbridges
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12:18pm Tue 19 Mar 13
anyold road, yesterday, I parked in Vineyard Streets car refrshed car park, one that now has many more FREE disabled spaces.
although I never ventured far in town centre, I got there, got parked, and thus you got a statisfied customer.
I then had the pleasure of parking at Essex County Hospital. bless them, for a bi annual eye screening service.
yes, on the attempt to return to the peace & quiet of "west clacton" at 5-30
through towns overworked roads, It was a tad tuff on the ankles changing gear, but we took our time, and got through in the end.
my next visit will be attempting to venture further into town.
One small point raised by JJ on NO Advance warning signs, correct from my point of view..
WHY CBC WHY......
rhetoric
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9:47pm Tue 19 Mar 13
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Whether every council invests in one or more of these card-reading machines is another matter.
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As I no longer have a disabled person to care for, I don't know what progress has been made, but would assume that it has to be gradual, with the new more technical cards being issued as the old ones expire.
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It is a very serious offence to misuse a disabled badge. I no longer know where the line is drawn, but the Police can be involved. No doubt all the relevant info can be found on the gov. website.
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Perhaps this will calm the paranoid posters on this site who think all disabled card users are swindlers. I also repeat what I said earlier, that most disabled became so after retirement age, and so get no car allowance or car tax allowance. Often, in fact, their disability means that they have to use what savings they have to buy a vehicle that will take their wheelchair. I was able to fit a folding chair in the boot of our small car, but more robust chairs and equipment will not fit into an ordinary car.
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Finally, all you doubters and those who think it's no big deal pushing a chair for a few hundred more yards, should try pushing one uphill when it contains a fully grown adult. Even on the level the pavements are usually given a "camber", and a quarter of a mile gives the carer a severe shoulder ache. Add to that the extra distance finding a bit of lowered kerb to avoid jolting both carer and disabled, and serious exercise doesn't begin to cover it. Add also the fact that the majority of unpaid carers are over 65.
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So, get a motorised chair then? Well, with no visible financial help where's the money coming from this time? You've already probably paid for a stair lift (circa £4-5k) and various other aids to stay sane and relatively fit and allow access to bedrooms. The most basic but admittedly satisfactory sturdy wheelchair costs around £199. Any improvement on this sees the cost shoot up.
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We carers don't protest just to make a noise. It really is a difficult time when one tries to remain cheerful and positive. The nastiness of the disabled-haters is akin to putting one's shoe in a dog mess.
Assimilation
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11:20pm Tue 19 Mar 13
yum!yum!
says...
12:20pm Wed 20 Mar 13
Count Wolfgang Van Otto says...
3:03pm Sun 17 Mar 13