Charging your car at home.

I saw an RSJ positioned so a whole wall could be taken out years ago, to make two rooms into one. A small hole was made in a couple of places where the span would be. The new RSJ was laid on the ground ready - this was key, why became obvious, wood planks were pushed through the holes and up against the ceiling, supported by Akros. Two more Akros were used to support the RSJ up near it?s final position. It was placed on the floor previously as the other Akros would be in the way. Bricks where the RSJ was to go were removed and seating prepared for ends. RSJ moved off Akros and into position. I didn?t see the rest but I assume, finish around RSJ, remove cross planks, and unwanted wall.

The men doing it made it look easy. At the time, I?d never done any serious DIY ( I was still a student, it was an acquaintance?s house) and I was fascinated.

You need props with shortish, thin cantilevers to load bear off the axis of the prop and go between the lintel and the masonry above.

There are car-chargers that can have remote current transformer monitoring, so can work out from the rated supply, minus usage, plus any contribution from solar and throttle the car to what's available, e.g. the Zappi

Anyone *can* can ignore the "no parking across the drive" restriction, regardless of whether they have the householder's permission or not. At least providing there's not already a car parked there and there's sufficient room for manouvere.

Certain people *may* ignore the "no parking across the drive" restriction providing they have the householders permission.

That would probably depend on your attitude to openly flouting the law, I suppose. Whether or not you feel it your duty, as a law abiding citizen to set a good example to others, regardless of the likelihood of getting caught.

michael adams

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What surprises me is how powerless the police seem to be when a car is parked across a drive, blocking access. Given how assiduously the tow-away trucks take cars that are parked where they are not causing an obstruction (just outstaying their welcome, which is a *much* less serious offence IMHO), it's surprising that cars which are causing an obstruction across a drive cannot legally be towed away, as long as they have valid tax, MOT and insurance.

My parents have a long layby outside their drive (and outside lots of neighbouring houses). People park in their in order to walk the 1/4 mile to the railway station. Fair enough, as long as their are nor blocking anyone's drive. But on several occasions people have been blocked from getting their cars out, and the police do not want to know, because the layby is deemed not to be part for the highway, even though it needs to be crossed to access drives. (*) One of our neighbours very carefully (so as to avoid causing damage) jacked up the rear wheels (**) in turn and put wheelskates underneath, and pushed the car a couple of feet forwards. The police said that providing no damage was done, this was not illegal.

(*) Interestingly, they weren't even interested in cars parked in the marked bus stop part of the layby.

(**) The ones which would be locked by the handbrake. I presume he had already established that the car was not in gear which would have locked the front wheels, requiring them to be raised as well.

In message <r4u198$bbd$ snipped-for-privacy@dont-email.me, at 20:43:50 on Wed, 18 Mar

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I expect it has crept in at different times at different local authorities.

A dropped kerb can be placed anywhere to provide a crossing point for pedestrians. From someone who got fined for parking alongside one in Ilkley despite the parking bay being marked out across the dropped kerb section.

Richard

In message <r4viiq$khv$ snipped-for-privacy@dont-email.me, at 10:45:11 on Thu, 19 Mar

The highway includes the pavement and laybys as well as the bit the through traffic drives upon. If they really think it's not a highway then you could start charging people to park there!

What they probably mean is that the car isn't causing an *obstruction* on the highway, but my understanding is that if it's blocking someone in, then it will be (but asymmetrically, blocking someone from returning home, not, unless that's an old wives tale).

And yet its a potential source of revenue. Is there maybe an ongoing dispute between the Police and the Local Authority ? Who at least here in West London, actually cop all the revenue from parking and similar fines. It might be a matter of who is going to pay for the tow truck as well. As to which of them. the designated TT company have the arrangement with. Maybe its argued it should be the responsibility of Wardens employed by the Council, general buck-passing IOW.

michael adams

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I'd have expected an intelligent person to measure the car before buying it - if such things are important.

Has anyone ever bought a house with a garage built at the same time which was actually an adequate size for the sort of car that house would expect to see?

Does the housing feed not also come down the street? And go under the pavement into each house? So just as accessible as a street light one?

Yes but if you tap into the feed upstream of the house and meter, there is no way to include the electricity usage in the house electricity bill. You'd need to run a third wire from the downstream side of the meter to the roadside charging point.

I presume street lights are billed to the local council according to number of hours that the timer turns them on and the rated power of each light (which varies with technology eg sodium versus LED) - unless each lamp-post has its own meter.

next door added to their house less than 10 years ago. The now intgral garage has a single double door.

when my parents moved in 1958 it was to a house built in 1939. The lady selling said the garage will take a Rolls & a Cadillac - we've tried it."

probably 2 or 3 feet down and possibly in the road.

working (as a student) with SESEB, the substations often provided a separate street light supply with the time clock in the substation.

The powers of council parking enforcement types are limited.

The police would need to arrange for a vehicle blocking a driveway to be removed - assuming a normal residential street. And given they won't usually even turn out for a break-in, good luck with that.

Surely not a problem to have some form of smart (cost) charging these days? After all, in most towns, you can't guarantee being able to park outside your house. So would make sense to be able to use any charging point and pay for that there and then.