The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Community => Coffee Lounge => Topic started by: plumseverywhere on October 10, 2010, 09:38:25 am

Title: Big Rant time!!! speeding cars..
Post by: plumseverywhere on October 10, 2010, 09:38:25 am
So, woke up this morning to a dead cat (hit by car/lorry) outside our house. Not just any dead cat but one of my cats kittens who had gone to live with a little boy who has cerebral palsy (2 doors down lane) and who totally adored him. no note through door, nothing.
Thursday, one of the carers who helps dress my  disabled mum everyday had her car written off seconds after she'd got IN IT! she was sat there while some man hit her about 60 mph and shunted her several metres along the path, nearly hit our wall. total write off.

we have a road that is used as a rat run for Long Lartin prison and also a food exporters (fruit and veg) and many are uninsured foreign workers.  both places have been approached about speed but nothing done.
we have a traffic action group but police taking ages about sorting sites for activated signs to flash speeders.

tomorrow local rag coming to photograph myself, kids and many neighbours waving slow down signs - not my normal monday afternoon but we've had enough!! its a 40mph road (with loads of bends so not an ideal speed anyway) but most travel at nearer 70mph.

sorry rant over!!   
Title: Re: Big Rant time!!! speeding cars..
Post by: DIGGER on October 10, 2010, 10:25:40 am
Liecestershire Police frequently have document and road tax checks at Magna Park may be you should ask for the same exercise in your road.

Digger.
Title: Re: Big Rant time!!! speeding cars..
Post by: Rosemary on October 10, 2010, 11:34:09 am
Try holding up the dead cat for the photo  >:( We get them down our road too - it only goes to the golf course and the army camp.
Title: Re: Big Rant time!!! speeding cars..
Post by: jinglejoys on October 10, 2010, 11:38:59 am
  Its when the travellers lean out of their cabs and slap your mule on the rump you should worry ::)
I got hit by a car when walking Malaga to work to the Domestic Fowl Trust when I worked there a few years ago.It was when they had closed up half of North Littleton and obviously some mother was late takig her son to school.I could hear her comming down the lane and thought "That cars far too fast.We were on the Z bend near the poultry farm and there was no footpath just a ditch and a hedge so I pushed Malaga over as far as was safe and she hit my bum with her wing mirror.She was very apologetic...didn't see me because of the sun (Maybe it was my Hi-viz)Well what do you do if you can't see?YOU SLOW DOWN! >:(
     I was very proud of Malaga my mule as he just stood there calmly I thought he was alright but it was after that we started to have leadership issues....it has taken three years to get him back on track and he still has confidence problems now :(
Title: Re: Big Rant time!!! speeding cars..
Post by: Fleecewife on October 10, 2010, 12:08:11 pm
I sympathise totally Plums.  Our road is similar in that it's almost single track but a rat run - city workers far too intent on getting to work, or back home, that they won't apply the brakes at all. Neds who use this as a speedway track at night.  White van delivery drivers go extremely fast, often using their mobile phones as they negotiate the blind summit-on-a-bend outside our house.  We have had lots - yes lots - of cars through our gates and fences, which is always work and expense.  We also once had a teacher who drove straight into the front of the school bus (maybe she had issues  ;D ).  We have had three dead cats,  a squashed chicken and this year several baby birds killed, and crossing to our fields on the other side of the road means risking our lives every time.  We have also had a driver spread out over the road with a fractured femur, cars upside down with screaming drivers inside - all in all it can be a stressful place to live.  We dread that squeal of brakes followed by a huge thump.  The police claim to be interested but in fact do nothing.  One or two drivers have gone to court if two vehicles have been involved, but the system seems to be fairly ineffectual. It's probably the usual thing of numbers, in that they might do more in town because more people are put at risk.  We have been told that this is nominally a 60mph road so there's 'nothing they can do'.  This seems to be a nationwide problem which needs dealing with centrally.  We have sometimes parked a tractor in such a way that cars can only get past if they squeeze by slowly and that does have an effect, but obviously we can't leave it there permanently.  Even drivers who have actually crashed here can be seen just a couple of weeks later speeding along cheerfully, obviously with no lesson learnt.
So good luck with your protest, and a big hug to the little boy whose cat was killed - that is so sad.
Title: Re: Big Rant time!!! speeding cars..
Post by: sheila on October 10, 2010, 12:08:52 pm
We had 33 crashes on our road over a six month period . We started taking photos of each incident and sending them to the woman responsible at the council. eventually she got fed up and implored us to stop blocking her inbox. she instigated a road survey and her conclusions were that NONE of the accidents were speed related. The speeding is so bad that we sometimes drive to the neighbours next door as we fear to take our lives in our hands if we walk!
Title: Re: Big Rant time!!! speeding cars..
Post by: bloomer on October 10, 2010, 12:20:37 pm
We had 33 crashes on our road over a six month period . We started taking photos of each incident and sending them to the woman responsible at the council. eventually she got fed up and implored us to stop blocking her inbox. she instigated a road survey and her conclusions were that NONE of the accidents were speed related. The speeding is so bad that we sometimes drive to the neighbours next door as we fear to take our lives in our hands if we walk!

see when she asks you to stop you're making progress, double the number of photo's you send her of each incident!!!!
Title: Re: Big Rant time!!! speeding cars..
Post by: plumseverywhere on October 10, 2010, 12:32:42 pm
we are logging all the incident numbers etc and will continue to badger the relevant bodies. its a complete PITA - we can't even reverse out of our drive without panickign about getting hit!

jinglejoys - are you still local? we are Bennetts hill.  not had the pleasure of the travellers patting mine (or any of my livestocks) bums yet but my 8 year old has a 'boyfriend' on the cleeve site!
Title: Re: Big Rant time!!! speeding cars..
Post by: jinglejoys on October 10, 2010, 12:58:12 pm
 :wave:Yep but made redundant from the DFT two years ago just before Chtistmas so now s**t shovelling for Claire Dysons racehorses in Cleeve Prior.Up side is there is pleanty of hard work,downside is I can't ride/drive/walk my Mules to work and back everyday in summer :(
   Rode down that track that comes out opposite the Prison a few weeks back and nearly got brushed off Picasso it was so over grown.Its only one traveller family that seem to have a problem most of them are O.K.They tried to frighten Picasso a few weeks back but he's too old to care ;)
   Don't use Bennets hill much (Always have a fear of someone running into the back of my mule)Sarah-lee my hinney always used to stop at the bottom because she sensed there were donkeys around ;D
Title: Re: Big Rant time!!! speeding cars..
Post by: plumseverywhere on October 10, 2010, 01:38:12 pm
I know the family you mean  ;)  unfortunately daughters boyfriend is part of the family in question! he is lovely though, so's his mum, I keep distance otherwise.
our house is a few up from the donkeys - the one that stands alone and was for sale for ages (now I know why - its the road!!)
sorry to hear you were made redundant from DFT - I probably have even met you there, we've been going there for years with the kids.
Title: Re: Big Rant time!!! speeding cars..
Post by: plumseverywhere on October 10, 2010, 01:39:51 pm
BTW, the DFT have a GG billy that they have said I can use for my saanenx girl Savannah. not sure what he's like yet but going along thursday to see if I can find out more.
Title: Re: Big Rant time!!! speeding cars..
Post by: Anke on October 10, 2010, 08:50:05 pm
Plums - while you are at the DFT and check out the billy, take an old teatowel or similar with you and rub between horns (or where they should be), or get someone else to do it, and when you think your girl is in season let her sniff the rag. That way you can be sure she is in season (tail wagging and calling), if there is no male on site it may otherwise be very difficult to detect it - my billy rag arrived just in time... (double wrapped in plastic bags through the post - no smell outside!).hopefully my BT type girl is now "done" for this year... and she still smells!

Anke
Title: Re: Big Rant time!!! speeding cars..
Post by: plumseverywhere on October 10, 2010, 09:13:32 pm
Brilliant, thanks Anke. I'll do that.
have visions of your postman having to delivery your billy rag if it had been smelly  ;D
Title: Re: Big Rant time!!! speeding cars..
Post by: plumseverywhere on October 14, 2010, 11:09:56 am
Here is our moment of fame! can't believe how many people we fitted onto our front lawn and what a fab turnout!

http://www.eveshamjournal.co.uk/news/8449535.South_Littleton_parents_shame_speeding_drivers/
Title: Re: Big Rant time!!! speeding cars..
Post by: morri2 on October 14, 2010, 11:56:53 am
Well done Plums, I'm impressed.  Hope no more squished moggies on your doorstep - I really felt  for the little boy whose cat it was.  Keep up the good work and let us know how things progress.  Good luck!
Title: Re: Big Rant time!!! speeding cars..
Post by: jinglejoys on October 14, 2010, 03:55:22 pm
Well Done,I don't get the Journal (Don't see why i should pay for it when everyone else gets it delivered free ::) )
   I remember when I first moved and was comming home late one night.There was something lying in the road just befor the turning to your rd by the chip shop.At first I thought it was a fox as it seemed pretty big but when I stopped to move it it was a large dead siamese type cat complete with collor.
    I did not want the owner to find it squashed(for want of words)in the road in the morning so I moved it carefully onto the grass bank so they could at least find what had happened.A few days later a gentleman came up to my place with a present and thanked me for moving it as it was their cat.
     By the way off topic....put the billyrag in a lidded jam jar to keep it "fresh"! My boys are very smelly at present its that time of the year!! ;D
Title: Re: Big Rant time!!! speeding cars..
Post by: plumseverywhere on October 14, 2010, 04:05:03 pm
so sad  :'(  I hate seeing domestic pets that have been hit or run over.
there's still blood on our road where woody was killed, can't get it off.
will keep billy rag in a jar, thanks for the tip. just got back from DFT - have bought some rhode rocks and goldlines and had a chat about billy - they are so lovely there, my kids adore the place!!
Title: Re: Big Rant time!!! speeding cars..
Post by: plumseverywhere on October 28, 2010, 02:58:29 pm
little old man knocked on our door 10.30pm last night to say he'd just knocked down a cat. WOody's brother Bobby, our other kitten it was. He died in Tony's arms minutes later. Really fed up  :'(   lovely man though fo rletting us know. No more cats for us, not while we live on Brands Hatch, or so it seems
Title: Re: Big Rant time!!! speeding cars..
Post by: jameslindsay on October 28, 2010, 03:04:00 pm
Sorry to hear that Lisa  :)
Title: Re: Big Rant time!!! speeding cars..
Post by: knightquest on October 28, 2010, 06:05:06 pm
So sorry to hear this sad news Lisa  :bouquet:

Ian
Title: Re: Big Rant time!!! speeding cars..
Post by: plumseverywhere on October 28, 2010, 06:29:43 pm
Thanks James and Ian. I've just about had it now, feel so low. that's 2 goats and 3 cats gone since May. Now Snowball, (Bobby and Woody's mum) hasnt' come home all day so sleepless night ahead methinks.
Title: Re: Big Rant time!!! speeding cars..
Post by: Hilarysmum on October 29, 2010, 02:00:57 pm
Did she come back this morning?
Title: Re: Big Rant time!!! speeding cars..
Post by: plumseverywhere on October 29, 2010, 05:28:08 pm
She did thank you Hilary'smum, I was really worried yesterday but she did come back and delivered a large, dead rat to my bedroom at 2am (!)  in fact she's just jumped on my lap so is definately hanging around bless her!!  Am feeling a bit better today but the children still very upset. Fortunately Tony has buried Bobby in the garden so today they have been visiting his grave  :'(
Title: Re: Big Rant time!!! speeding cars..
Post by: little blue on October 29, 2010, 06:49:32 pm
so sad  :(
Title: Re: Big Rant time!!! speeding cars..
Post by: clumbaboy on October 31, 2010, 05:18:44 pm
Hi everybody,
                 there is a very similar problem to that in a village close to me, the locals have invested in a dummy complete with high viz jacket and black hat and this gets moved about on a regular basis, slows them down quite considerably and they also have a roadside unit that shows the speed, not sure where they acquired it from but it does have a road agency sticker on it.
Maybe worth a try.  :)
Title: Re: Big Rant time!!! speeding cars..
Post by: plumseverywhere on October 31, 2010, 05:46:31 pm
will tell the parish council about this, it sounds like a great idea, thanks x