Vehicles are so much trouble: they cause road rage; global warming and arguments about car parking.
The good people of Birchington are enraged about White Van Man and his plumbing friends parking on double yellow lines, near a junction on one of Thanet’s narrowest streets. I’m not surprised, I know the street. To fuel their fury there is actually a large car park just 100 metres or so further along the street.
Lets face it – some of these drivers are probably lazy, selfish and full of their own self importance. They don’t care where they park or what danger they cause to other road users (including pedestrians). I like to think, however, that it is a minority of drivers who are causing trouble.
Just occasionally there may be a good reason for stopping on a double yellow. I actually remember being one of those offending drivers – I have parked at that very location – I had good reason which I expained to the trafic warden - once in 2003 and once since then, I’ve also parked in the car park a number of times. Mr Tara Plumbing parked in that car park this morning.
What is this all about? In case you don’t know:
This is the location of St Nicholas Heating – S.H.N. They supply all things gas and plumbing related to the trade and the public. It is a local, family run business – the corner-shop of the gas/water world.
Like most corner-shops they do not have a huge, free, convenient car park. There is only off road parking space for 2 vehicles at their premises.
All the usual car parking issues are relevant:
- S.N.H cannot be responsible for the irresponsible parking behaviour of their customers;
- The drivers may be collecting bulky or heavy items;
- Alternatively, people could drive for miles to use the supermarkets of the plumbing world (B&Q, Wickes, Plumbcentre, Plumbase, etc…) with their free car parks;
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Lack of car parking (or free/convenient car parking) in the towns makes them less attractive to shoppers compared with out of town shopping centres, places like Westwood Cross;
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Lack of car parking could be contributing to the decline of local town centres and family run small businesses.
S.N.H. is one of the main suppliers used by Tara Plumbing because they can offer the sort of high quality, personal service that you expect from a family run local business.
The partners who run the business really are qualified plumbers, so they know what they are selling.
And, of course, one of them trained as a plumber at the same time and same college as Mr Tara Plumbing (along with another local man, lets call him Mr Birchington Gas). It’s a small world and everyone does know each other.
This blog includes a permanent link to SNH on the right or you can click here:
If you visit them, please be considerate with your parking.
Problems like that need creative solutions… sadly most of the time these are expensive and no one really wants to foot the bill (understandably).
Thanks for the insert of the parking problem at Albion road. We at SNH have done everything we can to help the problem. i.e. Sent letters to our suppliers explaining that if their is a delivery already at SNH tradecentre please use the car park and wait until they have moved on ect, so we don’t get 2 lorries unloading at the same time. From last year (2007) 50% of all our deliveries go to our where house which is in St Nicholas to help ease the congestion of Albion road. But if I can say that we only get approximately 2 deliveries to our SNH tradecentre store a day so the inconvenience is only very minimal. The trouble is that most people think ALL that park at Albion road is SNH Tradecentre deliveries or customers, and this is not the case. Just opposite us we have a builder/Garden centre that attracts at least 2-3 deliveries a day from flowers to building material, also the post office vans deliberately stop and completely block the road to unload their post for the local area, you have Brills sending not 7.5ton lorries but juggernauts up Albion road to block the public car park, intern ours and everyone else’s customers cant use the facility until they have unloaded.
As SNH tradecentre supply big and bulky items most of our customers have their orders delivered this in turn stops more vehicles on the road and eases Thanets congestion problems. Only a small percentage wish to collect and as the rules of the road state you do have 10 minutes or so to load and unload on double yellow lines.
We do have our fair share of ignorant van drivers who visit us who just don’t care where they park, but if one of us sees them parking stupidly we do ask them to move.
What else can we do (any constructive suggestion please)
Anthony
Thanks for explaining the situation.
It seems – SNH get blamed for all the congestion in the street.
Even though many large vehicles blocking the street(perhaps the majority) are nothing to do with SNH.
Tara Plumbing fully appreciate the excellent delivery service provided by SNH. – essential for professional plumbers –
We don’t want to waste valuable working hours driving to and from Birchington doing deliveries – when we could be in a customer’s house earning money.
Many people may not realise that much of the stock never goes to your Birchington address, as you have explained.
xx