Parking on grass verges and footpaths by Big Tom Driving School

A few years ago Dogsthorpe was chosen by Peterborough City Council to pilot a scheme that focussed on the problem of vehicles parking on grass verges and footpaths.  It designated areas with clear signs and white lines where drivers were allowed to park on the verge/footpath.


Circular street signs were put up that informed drivers that it is not permissible to park half on the road, half on the verge/footpath, and the sign looks like this:

Above is one of the larger versions of this unrecognisable sign in the Highway Code with text, in case there was any confusion caused.  Remember these circular signs are intended to indicate a "prohibition".



And this sign (right) shows the end of the prohibition.

Some Local Authorities will quite happily ticket vehicles that are parked with both wheels of either side of the vehicle on the verge/footpath citing the Disability Discrimination Act.  The logic is that wheelchair and mobility scooter users need to have access on the footpath.  In reality, little regard is given for how much of the footpath is actually affected to warrant a ticket.

My advice is to take care when choosing a spot to park up.  Leaving the four wheels fully but legally on the road, is often correct, despite the effect that has on cyclists, scooters, buses etc that then have a tougher time of passing your parked car.

Be wary of looking to see how others around you have parked, offending in numbers is little defence for the Peterborough City Council parking prohibition car that whizzes round taking photographs of offending vehicles with its camera on the top of the car, which is then used as evidence to enforce parking fines.

There was talk in the press recently that Local Authorities were being instructed to make less use of these money making parking enforcement cars - time will tell if the residents of Dogsthorpe can breathe easy yet.  

In general terms, parking on grass verges and footpaths often does present other problems.  The grass verges can get cut up badly and have very large pot holes in them.  Some drivers think nothing of parking an entire car fully on a grass verge, even when very near junctions.  This practise has road safety implications as it blocks vision for road and footpath users.

BIG TOM Driving School  Intensive Driving Course in Peterborough 01733 306016 

Taking the driving test in own car by Big Tom Driving School

I have had 2 recent enquiries asking about taking the driving test in your own car.  As it happens both are male and 62 years old, but are otherwise completely unconnected coming from different towns.  Both of them were in particular asking my opinion if the examiners would in any way frown upon taking the test NOT in a driving school car.  The concern appears to be that examiners would assume that a candidate that presented for the driving test in a private car had not received professional tuition; the suspicion would be that they present a higher risk and would be assessed in a negative way as a result. 

As I have said to both chaps, whilst I can understand perfectly why they might have that concern, I have not witnessed any such behaviour from examiners.  The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency are a Government organisation that operate under pretty strict regulations, and included in the documents that they make available for the public are guidelines that include a standard of driving (regardless of HOW that standard is achieved) as well as operational instructions for how the driving test is undertaken.  As such, it is perfectly possible for the public to get access to this information without any assistance at all from a registered Driving Instructor.

The examiners that are employed at the test centres have no regard for how a candidate learnt to drive, they ask no questions about how long it has taken, who taught them, or any related questions.  How you get to the test centre, who you bring with you, and what vehicle you use for the test is not part of the assessment criteria and in my experience of observing driving tests, the examiners are very highly trained, courteous, professional folk.

There are certain conditions relating to the vehicle that is used for the purposes of the driving test, and they can be viewed in this link.  One of the very first actions that you will be asked to do when you attend for the driving test is to sign to confirm that there is appropriate insurance cover for the vehicle that is about to be used for the test.

In summary, when you are considering taking the driving test in your own car, do not be concerned that the examiner will be influenced by sitting in a non-driving school car.  I have had plenty of pupils who have finished off their driving course with me accompanying them in their own car that they intend to drive after passing the driving test, and it is a strategy that I fully approve of that has clear advantages.

BIG TOM Driving School Intensive Driving Course in Bourne 01778 309773

Mock Driving Test Gone Mad

The problem with mock driving tests, is that any 17-25 year old will naturally compare it to an academic test.  It is instilled into us from a very early age, that if you practise enough academic mock tests, eventually..... eventually, you will reap the rewards when it comes to the actual test.  We only need to look at the energy created by enthusiastic Grammar school parents who coach their 10-11 yr old children for the 11+ tests to see this in action.  This is just a taste of things to come.  It is little wonder that by the time our 17+ year olds come out of this process of learning by continual testing, that they feel inclined to have the same attitude towards learning to drive.

I have witnessed pupils hopping across the country, repeatedly attempting the driving theory test having done very little actual study, but in effect, only learning by repeatedly failing the £23 test.  

Likewise, there are a great many young people who will shortcut the process of learning to drive, and hop on the driving mock test route, with the view that if you do enough mock tests, surely you will pass the driving test eventually.  It is not uncommon for pupils who repeatedly fail mock tests, to still insist on going to test, in the misguided hope that just like the academic tests, if they don't get their ultimate intended "grade", they will still pass.

Now at this point in my blog, I am very conscious that if I haven't already completely switched off all 17-25 year olds, then the remaining few, are actually quite serious about learning to drive well,  and doing it 'cost effectively' - yes that combination really is possible!  If you are still with me, then take a look at this video of how to monitor progress when learning to drive, and see if you can spot the fundamental trap that many poor folk will fall into that inhibits any further learning.

If you get nothing else out of this blog than appreciating how "learning by testing" is not the way forward when you learn to drive, then it has been time well spent for you, and could possibly save you several hundreds of pounds as a result!

Big Tom Driving School - 0800 689 4174 (Free from mobiles too!)