Muckaway:
A little while ago, one of our 4wheelers broke a spring in Burford and stopped in the layby near the school to wait for a fitter to attend; This layby has a kebab van in it that serves elephant meat for breakfast, and said suntanned vendor had a go at our driver for parking there and not buying anything (I also got moaned at a few years back for doing the same thing.) Has anyone else experienced something similar with these disease merchants when they haven’t bought anything? I’ve had evil looks off others in Oxfordshire and wondered if it was limited to just around here?
Yes, they do take the ■■■■ a bit, but I’ve recently discovered that they actually pay the local councils to rent their spots in lay-by’s, and, human nature being what it is, some of them will see a non customer wagon as taking up space for their regular ‘patrons’. Of course there is no obligation to buy owt so how you deal with them is up to you.
They get permission from the local council to operate! But have no right to tell you to move unless it is on their actual pitch! Never been asked to move! Must be cause I’m a big lad!
garp:
I used to park up in a layby near leyton buzzard and the guy from the van came up to me and said it was for customers only,told him to do one as it was a public place .The next day i thought i would have some fun, pulled in to the layby got out the cab and sat on the grass bank and pulled out a pack lunch and started to eat it.Well he went mental but he could do nothing as the old bill were there and told him to shut up.I did this for a week before i bored.
garp:
I used to park up in a layby near leyton buzzard and the guy from the van came up to me and said it was for customers only,told him to do one as it was a public place .The next day i thought i would have some fun, pulled in to the layby got out the cab and sat on the grass bank and pulled out a pack lunch and started to eat it.Well he went mental but he could do nothing as the old bill were there and told him to shut up.I did this for a week before i bored.
dessy:
They get permission from the local council to operate! But have no right to tell you to move unless it is on their actual pitch! Never been asked to move! Must be cause I’m a big lad!
A while back I parked outside a cafe in a proper parking bay which I did totally take up as I was in an artic was just about to get out and go in when my phone rang. It was something quite important so I sat in the cab on the phone when the cafe owner came banging on the door saying I can’t park there as it’s for customers. To say I went a bit mental was a understatement and we ended up screaming in the middle of the road until his son came out and dragged him in. For a few weeks after I stoped elsewhere got a takeaway and sat outside his cafe and he used to stand at the window cursing in Turkish and moan at other drivers on my firm.
I know it was childish but it just really hacked me off
I pulled into one on the A689 leading to A1M a few weeks ago. Parked up, put on break and got me grub out. When I looked up there was some woman stood there gapeing at me. I thought here we go, another eastern european selling her wares but no - she asked if I was going to be long as I was taking up space for people who wanted to buy a crappy butty from her greasy cabin.
I replied, “I’ll be 45 mins love” she then said this was not acceptable as I was losing her business and she may have to call the Police.
I said “thats fine by me love, this is a public road, theres my tax disc and I’m due a 45 min break in 4 minutes so I cant see a Police man moving me on but feel free to try”
She just walked off chunnering to herself!
After my 45 was up I was going to ask her if I could use her portaloo but decided againt it carried on to Newcastle.
dessy:
They get permission from the local council to operate! But have no right to tell you to move unless it is on their actual pitch! Never been asked to move! Must be cause I’m a big lad!
Most have to pay for their pitch, I was talking to a lass in a tea van somewhere outside Stafford one day and she told me she was packing it in, Staffs County Council were wanting to double her fee from £1800 per year to over £4k, so as soon as her 12 months was up she wouldn’t be there.
dessy:
They get permission from the local council to operate! But have no right to tell you to move unless it is on their actual pitch! Never been asked to move! Must be cause I’m a big lad!
Most have to pay for their pitch, I was talking to a lass in a tea van somewhere outside Stafford one day and she told me she was packing it in, Staffs County Council were wanting to double her fee from £1800 per year to over £4k, so as soon as her 12 months was up she wouldn’t be there.
Bloody ell, dont blame her. Even the £1800 sounds a lot
Rob K:
Park in the first layby on the A13 from the M25 heading into London and watch the bloke there go ape. He comes braying on your door at 5am telling you to shift as it’s apparently “his” layby and no-one else is allowed to park there unless you’re buying.
Bang on my door at 5am and they’d be greeted by a mallet for shutting container doors, it’s against the law to interrupt our breaks.
Rob K:
Park in the first layby on the A13 from the M25 heading into London and watch the bloke there go ape. He comes braying on your door at 5am telling you to shift as it’s apparently “his” layby and no-one else is allowed to park there unless you’re buying.
They are my favourite ones too, or the prat who sets up shop on an industrial estate right next to you ear. It is times like that when you need an old smoky F10
Don,t normally park in lay bys, but did one night when running out of time, got up next morning to find a guy in a car towing a butty van parked next to me waiting to take my place, when he saw I was up he came over and asked if I would be long, I was just about to tell him to **** off when he asked, very politely, if it would be possible for me to move a couple of yards, and that if I did he would have a coffee ready for me before I went, I moved up and by the time I walked back he had a coffee for me free of charge, I got talking with him and he told me that he had had that many run ins with drivers parked on his pitch in the past, and decided the polite and friendly way was the best. No good with a digicard though I reckon.
When I was on for Monty’s lot , I stopped in the lay by off the M4 near Heathrow just to sort some paperwork out for my next drop . Engine was still running as I was only going to be a few seconds I suppose . Anyhow , the salmonella peddlar turned up , jumped out of his car and went straight into one about me being " in the way " . I hadn’t said a word at this point but the muppet had lost it , face bright red with anger . It was at this point I decided I needed a 45 , engine off , curtains drawn , radio up .
If only he had been polite , I’d have gone straight away .
dessy:
They get permission from the local council to operate! But have no right to tell you to move unless it is on their actual pitch! Never been asked to move! Must be cause I’m a big lad!
How big are you, Dessy?
5ft and a Rizla tall and 8 stone! He just knew I wouldn’t eat that much!
I am in the fortunate position of being able to take my truck home but in the unfortunate position of having a weight limit in the village where i live so i park my truck for the weekend in a very well known layby on the A228 near Snodland.
One friday evening i pulled in to find only one space left right opposite where the tea van parks.
At this point i would like to point out that the owner of said tea van has “no parking” marked in the road which appears to have been painted on the road by the local council.
Now i have been using this layby for about 6 years without a problem and regularly bought food from him.
This particular weekend i was loaded for a delivery on monday and being i fridge driver the fridge was running as i was loaded with frozen chips. (and all you drivers who want to comment on fridges running at night…thats for another topic)
When i got back to my truck on sunday night i found a note on my windscreen telling me not to park there again
He said the racket from my fridge gave him a headache all weekend (he only opens briefly on a saturday morning)
I now make a point of not buying anything off the ■■■■■■…laybys are there for the benefit of tired drivers be they car or truck…and if any of you know the layby i am on about there is usually plenty of room.
As a post script…i did not know they pay so much to the council to use these laybys…i may be a little more sympathetic in future…but not if they get “arsey”
Grayham:
I remember the old guy with the tea wagon in the layby on the A20 at Wrotham Heath, was abusive and refused to serve artic drivers because they took up too much space in ‘his layby’. A few used to retaliate by parking up and pulling the curtains right in front of his tea wagon, so funny going past and seeing him sitting there fuming behind the counter, face like a slapped bum
He used to have a sign saying you couldn’t buy a drink unless you bought food as well
robroy:
Don,t normally park in lay bys, but did one night when running out of time, got up next morning to find a guy in a car towing a butty van parked next to me waiting to take my place, when he saw I was up he came over and asked if I would be long, I was just about to tell him to **** off when he asked, very politely, if it would be possible for me to move a couple of yards, and that if I did he would have a coffee ready for me before I went, I moved up and by the time I walked back he had a coffee for me free of charge, I got talking with him and he told me that he had had that many run ins with drivers parked on his pitch in the past, and decided the polite and friendly way was the best. No good with a digicard though I reckon.
You can creep forward a few feet at a time, maybe 6 feet waiting a bit in between each move maybe a minute or so.
Nice to know the problem’s not restricted to Oxfordshire; Bandana (or Bull(zb)it) Brian that runs the cafe near Lechlade moans like hell if you park there and don’t buy (I park there regularly ). His stuff aint bad, it’s just that if you’re in a tipper, he’ll bore you (zb)itless with tales of how he was Earthlines’ fastest driver and did more loads than anyone.
The cafe owner in the layby near the Evenlode at Eynsham apaarently hates it that so many drivers park there and don’t buy; The other day there were 4 Smiths tippers there, 4 MJ Church tippers and a couple of Chris Hayters artics…we all had sarnies
Fat ladies in the opposite layby’s crap too…
, engine off , curtains drawn , radio up .