I was in my 26 tonne steel lorry travelling between Cranleigh and Effingham this morning. Unfortunately I took a wrong turn firstly up a narrow 20% gradient road and then even worse down I believe it’s called Green Dene. What a major mistake that was especially during rush hour as it’s a single track road through the trees and through most of its length you cannot get a car past a lorry. This road seemed to go on for miles and I got majorly stuck with car after car coming from both directions. It took much directing of traffic by me and others to finally get out about half an hour later. Ok I shouldn’t have been there but some pompous old git asked me ‘what the ■■■■ was I doing here?’ when I politely asked him to reverse up. I asked him if he had ever made a mistake and he shut up!
Staggered by the number of drivers who cannot reverse or use their brain. Also most vehicles just kept coming towards the obstruction rather than hang back. Must have got 50-100 vehicles stuck on that road after I exited. My name is mud now in the Surrey Hills.
That was some ‘wrong turn’.Cranleigh to Effingham just use the main route to Guildford and then the A246 it’s a nice drive.Look on the bright side I just a failed a first time taxi knowledge test with the council.Suddenly realised that I know how to drive to Sicily without a sat nav or using a map but couldn’t for the life of me remember which actual road the local pub was in let alone the more complicated stuff like where is St Georges Hill golf club is it St Georges Hill or Golf Club Road.
Today the brakes locked on my trailer while at a roundabout. Luckily I wasn’t blocking the whole thing, everything including lorries could still get round but I still got called all sorts. I had it sorted in five minutes (felt like hours) but no understanding at all from many.
We’ve all done that plenty of times.
Heck I’ve gone down some proper dodgy roads that are so tight that the mirrors stay permanently pushed in. Pedestrians wouldn’t even be able to get passed.
Top tip never take a shortcut. Paid by the hour so take the proper way unless you know where you are going.
Did I read somewhere that bus drivers aren’t allowed to back up - certainly the bloke in Arundel a while back wasn’t having any of it even though he was in a far better position to do so than me.
Socketset:
Did I read somewhere that bus drivers aren’t allowed to back up - certainly the bloke in Arundel a while back wasn’t having any of it even though he was in a far better position to do so than me.
It’s a myth that it’s illegal for a bus to reverse (without a trained banksman is what’s usually said), but a lot of bus drivers genuinely think it’s law and won’t move, ever.
However as stated above, company policy may place restrictions as well. In training we were told: if it’s not safe, don’t do it. (Read: If you aren’t 100% sure about the reverse, sit there). They reckoned around half of all accidents involving property damage happened in reverse which if true, is very surprising, even if some of that is shunting accidents in the yard.
There’s also a Highway Code rule that gives general priority to buses. So basically if a bus comes to a loggerheads it will rarely be the bus that reverses. The police, if called, tend to clear the way for public transport, or so I’ve heard, from drivers that have had long standoffs.
I had it once in London where a bus could easily have waited 5 seconds for me to clear an narrow / awkward bit that I was already committed to yet kept coming and then blocked the road by doing so. Flatly refused to reverse stating not allowed to, situation was completely avoidable and of his making but he was prepared to ring for the police.
Yet in Burnham on Crouch in Essex, the service buses have to do a three point turn into a side road at the end of the high street before they can make a return journey, no banksmen or help, they just crack on the hazards and do the sort of manoeuvre that we do all day.
Socketset:
Did I read somewhere that bus drivers aren’t allowed to back up - certainly the bloke in Arundel a while back wasn’t having any of it even though he was in a far better position to do so than me.
Fizzifish:
Staggered by the number of drivers who cannot reverse or use their brain.
I pulled into a garage one night somewhere off the A421 Bedford. I went up the sliproad, over the roundabout, and into the garage entrance. Straight away I realised there was no way I could get an artic in there, yet alone turned around back out again (there were no no-HGV signs). So the only thing I could do was reverse back out onto the roundabout. Luckily it was the early hours. But as soon as I put it into reverse a car stopped behind me. So I waited it out thinking my reverse lights would indicate the nature of my problem, and the car just sat there. So I got out, and the driver was a woman with that I’m-not-impressed look women seem to have down to perfection. I explained, asked her to back up a few feet and come around me, and went back to my cab. Did she come around me? Nope. She just sat there. So I had to get out of my cab again, and I think I must have started to get a bit angry and this time she backed up, and went around me. I got back in my cab, yep, you guessed it. Some American bloke in an Audi parked right behind me, and didn’t seem to understand what my revere lights meant. And I had to get out of my cab for a third time to explain. Luckily he understood and just went round. But yeah, the average motorist is dumb, and doesn’t instill much confidence in me.
Years ago I used have a regular deliver to place that does garage doors on outskirts of tovil
Only way to get there was down country lanes for about 2 miles.
But tight in some spots.
Half way down a car was heading to me and stopped as wasn’t enough room for us both.
I got out was a newish bmw with a woman driving it. I polity asked her to reverse back about 5 ft into a driveway /cutout so i could then get past.
I got a mouthful of abuse I was here 1st you.move out of my way…
I explained there’s no space all you need do is reverese back a few feet.
I then got in my cab . After about 5 mins of staring at each other… she decide it would be a good idea to squeeze past me burying her car into the bushes as much as possible to force her way though.
I could hear the scratching noises as she went past.
I’d of loved to see the state of her car when she got past. Be scratched to hell.
Some.people just begged belief at times.
I pulled into a garage one night somewhere off the A421 Bedford. I went up the sliproad, over the roundabout, and into the garage entrance. Straight away I realised there was no way I could get an artic in there, yet alone turned around back out again (there were no no-HGV signs). So the only thing I could do was reverse back out onto the roundabout. Luckily it was the early hours. But as soon as I put it into reverse a car stopped behind me. So I waited it out thinking my reverse lights would indicate the nature of my problem, and the car just sat there. So I got out, and the driver was a woman with that I’m-not-impressed look women seem to have down to perfection. I explained, asked her to back up a few feet and come around me, and went back to my cab. Did she come around me? Nope. She just sat there. So I had to get out of my cab again, and I think I must have started to get a bit angry and this time she backed up, and went around me. I got back in my cab, yep, you guessed it. Some American bloke in an Audi parked right behind me, and didn’t seem to understand what my revere lights meant. And I had to get out of my cab for a third time to explain. Luckily he understood and just went round. But yeah, the average motorist is dumb, and doesn’t instill much confidence in me.
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This made me laugh out loud!!
One of the funniest things I have seen on the country lanes was when I came across an elderly chap in his little car. Realising he had to reverse back to let me through he turned his steering wheel and reversed into the hedge on the opposite side of the road at 90 degrees. I just sat there shaking my head and laughing!!■■
8wheels:
I had it once in London where a bus could easily have waited 5 seconds for me to clear an narrow / awkward bit that I was already committed to yet kept coming and then blocked the road by doing so. Flatly refused to reverse stating not allowed to, situation was completely avoidable and of his making but he was prepared to ring for the police.
Yet in Burnham on Crouch in Essex, the service buses have to do a three point turn into a side road at the end of the high street before they can make a return journey, no banksmen or help, they just crack on the hazards and do the sort of manoeuvre that we do all day.
