Goochie

Back in June I posted on here about having our drob kerb adjusted to accomodate the Z. However, in the end I found the existing pedistrian sized drop was just big enough to accomodate the car is approached at the right angle.

We got permission to widen the drop by 2 kerb widths.

So many months on we still have a pedsetrian sized drop kerb for our driveway.

Staffs. highways are now resurfacing the orad and the pavement, they're currently 200yds away and have been ripping out all of the kerbs and replacing them.

I thought it may be worth a try offering the blokes beer to get them to adjust ours - they said they'd love to but they couldnt.

So I rang Staffs. Highways. Despite my best attempts at haggling with the lady on the phone she said there would be a charge for doing the work - even though they will be digging up and replacing the digging up and re-laying the pavement.

Madness, total madness....

She has asked a senior engineer to call me but if they insist on charging me for something my council tax is already paying for then I'm half tempted to leave it for 3 months then get some pikeys along to do it and mess the whole thing up.

*goes away to bang head against a wall*

TeflonTom

buy yourself a luminous yellow jacket and a clipboard and can of spray paint, and go outside and mark the bit of drop kerb you want extended and tell the blokes you are from the highways agency and tell them that the owner of the property has payed to have this bit extended

Goochie

I actually went out last night to see if any others have been marked up for adjustment - but I diddnt see any.

The spray marks are all in "code" and I dont really want to paint "drop the kerb here, lads"

Tom_VRS - can you help? what do I paint on the road to indicate a kerb drop?

heresmo

I think it could be because pavements are for people and if a driveway is widened it might appear to give carte blanche for car drivers who think it is a side road (whatever) that gives them right of way over pedestrians.

Not to mention that there might be services (pipes) underneath which the weight of car might not affect, but if the driveway were wide enough to accommodate a lorry...

I'm not playing devil's advocate, just pointing out that there could well be reasons. TBH, I'd find out, like quick, before they get to your house and see what you can arrange officially. After all, you'd be miffed if your services were to fail - and let's face it, you'd be trying to sue the council if your services failed because of pavement resurfacing - you can hopefully see where all this is coming from - i.e. there might or might not be reasons, so just find out instead of...

Regards
Mo

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tippo1983

goochie, flash the clash it always does the trick.

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Goochie

Our house has a driveway already, and the krop kerb is currently too narrow. We already have permission to have it widened (see bold text above).

It would be nice if my house had a long enough drive that drivers may think its a road - but sadly it doesnt.

They are digging up the top 5" of pavement to resurface it. Very doubtful and services will be this shallow.

My council tax is high as it is - I am already paying for my share of the work.

Dropping the kerb WILL COST NOTHING EXTRA!

ScoobyChris

Does sound ludicrous. I like Mr Teflon's idea - luminous jacket, spray paint and clipboard is much cheaper

Chris

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Holding up the traffic in a little Italian..........

Lance

Council people - ARRGHH!!!

LJ_Matt

Good old council!
If it makes you feel any better Phil, we had to pay £500 ish to put in our drop kerb (one of the first in the street) after the wifes car got torched on the street outside - a few years later the council dug up all the pavements in the area (including our street) and resurfaced them which included redoing our bit .
To make things worse, about half the neighbours in the road who had by this time all followed suit with the driveway conversions got them all done while the resurfacing work was being done, for a significantly reduced fee - a*@sholes!

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Regards,

Matt
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Assumption is the mother of all foul ups Now proud owner of a Kawasaki ER-6F too!

heresmo

I've never particularly liked the clash, so wouldn't like to rely on others liking them either. I don't mind coldplay, as background, but Mil's stuff might be the currency of our time methinks...

On topic - there are two people to ask, one is the council and the other would be a solicitor to find out what might be on the cards.

As we all know (at least I think we do) it costs a lot of money to change one's kerbing or driveway, so any ideas on how to avoid it would be good. It seems to me that we've all fallen foul of that cost so far... Surely there must be some sort of foresight that one can investigate?

Just a "Why is this, how can that be?" question when there must be a way to keep £'lots in the bank.

Mo

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simonsheil

If you can get in touch with the engineer i reckon it may be your best bet in terms of getting them dropped.

Tom_vRS

Phil, there will be an order on the new footways meaning a spade can not be dug into it for 12 months unless it was for emergency utilities works... This covers the guarantee period for remedial repairs. The order is legally binding and could land anyone in breach with a sizeable fine.

Plead with them to adjust it, no reason why they shouldnt to be honest.

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Goochie

But I have planning permission that is valid until June 9th. So surely I could do it 3 days after the works if I so choose?

ScoobyChris

I might be being a bit thick here but if you have planning permission, what are the council objecting to?

Chris

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Holding up the traffic in a little Italian..........

Tom_vRS

Nope, definitely not.

You will need to give the council a programmed start date, and they will turn round and tell you to bugger off for 12 months. At least thats how it is here.

I see no reason why it can't be altered NOW though Phil. Mention a few words like "ombusdman" and they will soon get a wriggle on. I wouldn't expect to pay more than a £100 admin fee.

I take it you live on a classified road if you needed planning permission

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97/R BMW 328i in Boston Green.

yashicamat

I would assume so if the council are resurfacing it.

My reccomendation as I too work for highways, would be to speak to the senior engineer about the matter. Explain the situation and see what he says. They should be honest with you if there is a reason why it can't be done, although I can't see why it couldn't be. But don't lose your rag at them - people are less obliging to do favours if they're being shouted at.

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Rob

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gillywibble

I think you're better off losing your rag. Would be interested to see the pics of the kerb you actually get

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cheezemonkhai

Don't they have to replace damaged kerb stones when doing that sort of work

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Goochie

They're replacing all of them anyway - pulling out old 1930's concrete ones (where you can see little stones in them) and replacing with modern concrete ones.

Still no word from the engineer who was supposed to call me on friday afternoon.

Tom_vRS

Don't you carry out maintenance and resurfacing works on unclassified roads?

(Classified means its either, a, b or c road... so most residential streets are unclassified)

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97/R BMW 328i in Boston Green.

Dr Zoidberg

Dudley council don't carry out maintenance and resurfacing on ANY roads.

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Alex

"I laugh in the face of danger, then I hide until it goes away"

www.drzoidberg.co.uk

camerashy

...

you ought to see the roads in the centre of Leeds/around any of the terraced streets. Never in my life have I been on roads SO bad.

heresmo

I think everyone on our planning team must drive everywhere as the roads aren't bad but some pavements around here are truely a disgrace, if not downright dangerous.

Good luck with your desired change, Goochie. Can you send the resurfacing team down here once they've finished pretty please?

Regards
Mo

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Goochie

I'll ask Mo, but I think the problem is that I dont have a local accent

The funny thing is that the road surface is apaulingly bad - as is the pavement. I cant help wondering if it was the engineer who originally cam to look at our kerb proposal that decided the whole road needed doing.

heresmo

I doubt it, Goochie, since logic would suggest that it'd be better to replace the kerbstones before refinishing the road. That said, it would be most unusual for a council to do anything that was logical so you might have something there...

Hopefully you have a sympathetic engineer and get it sorted, as I think it's an offence to drive over a pavement in case it upsets the underlying pipes etc.

Best
Mo

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