todays shunt 17/12/11

[news shopper martin]

Met gazza and B.E at the back off glass shop then whent to meet mg and tom tom at the pen with the idea off mg paasing some vip papers to B.E but erm yeh il let some one els tell that story  pep droped by then off whent mg tom tom B.E. And pep so me and gazza whent shuntting we had one scar leave so followed it and it whent straight to the lock up which we thought was a bit early  so we whent back to the pen just in time as 2 scars where about to leave then I delayed the first one getting out  as he was reversing out on to the main rd so I whent and told what him what he was doing was against the law, so he drove back into the pen turned around and came out the right way    he did not know that reversing on to a road was agenst the law  so any ways after wefollowed him whent to erith town center. Done the busstop theres chatted to a few people gave out a few cards had a teenager other us biscuits which was kind of him then we where off again to a bus stop on the Main Rd. Then to another on the other side, then we called it night as it was getting rather chilly and dark lots off support from other drivers lots off horns going off but the most important no pcns issued!!! while we where with the scar    :dancing: :dancing: :dancing: :dancing: :dancing:

[Nigel W]

Well done Martin. Sounds like you had a good day.

The important papers have now arrived with me. BE brought them to Richmond. Must have been a long cold day for him. Thanks BE.

Reversing out onto a main road eh?

The Highway Code

201

Do not reverse from a side road into a main road. When using a driveway, reverse in and drive out if you can.

Do these 'drivers' have a driving licence?  Have they ever passed a driving test?

[Monkey Girl]

I absolutly think you two are amazing  :dancing: :dancing:, the cold got the better of me yesterday,,, so well done both of you 

I not going to let on what we did...some one else can spill the beans 

[DastardlyDick]

The Highway Code

201

Do not reverse from a side road into a main road. When using a driveway, reverse in and drive out if you can.

Do these 'drivers' have a driving licence?  Have they ever passed a driving test?

But the Highway Code is not the Law.

[Nigel W]

Dick you are partly right.

Taken from The Highway Code itself:

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Highwaycode/DG_070236

"This Highway Code applies to England, Scotland and Wales. The Highway Code is essential reading for everyone.

Many of the rules in the Code are legal requirements, and if you disobey these rules you are committing a criminal offence. You may be fined, given penalty points on your licence or be disqualified from driving. In the most serious cases you may be sent to prison.  Such rules are identified by the use of the words ‘MUST/MUST NOT’. In addition, the rule includes an abbreviated reference to the legislation which creates the offence. An explanation of the abbreviations can be found in 'The road user and the law' ".

It is therefore not against the law to do this. However it is against the Highway Code and everyone should drive in accordance with it.

[DastardlyDick]

201 Do not reverse from a side road into a main road. When using a driveway, reverse in and drive out if you can.
 
Since this only says "do not" and not "must not" it's not the law, however, I would guess that should you have an accident while doing it, you could bear a greater proportion of responsibility for any damage/injury caused.
 
I would be very careful before starting to demand that everyone abides by the strict letter of the law otherwise life in general could get a lot more difficult for everyone - for instance, I believe it is still on statute that it's illeagal to hang your washing out on a Sunday!

[The Bald Eagle]

Left my nice warm home at about 11.30am yesterday and met up with Martin and Gazza in Foots Cray. Still freezing cold from the long ride down, I rode to the pen with them to meet up with MG and Tom Tom who had driven up specially in a nice warm, dry cage to deliver some papers for me to deliver to Nigel.

I am still wondering exactly how it was that someone could leave the house for a very specific purpose, and yet arrive at their destination without the documents they had specifically set out to deliver.

So another cold ride down to Medway ensued, with MG and Tom Tom following up in the comfort of their cage. Two cups of warming tea and a couple of phone calls later, a partially thawed BE set off to deliver the forgotten papers to Nigel in Richmond.

By now the sun had set and the temperature started to plummet. I finally arrived (after a painfully slow ride round most of the South Circular Road that was packed with Christmas shopping traffic) at Nigel's at about 6.15pm where I barely had time to have a pee before having to set off home so I could be there in time to take Mrs Eagle out for the evening as promised.

And then it started to rain.  

And it wasn't your ordinary rain that eventually works its way through your gloves and waterproofs, that makes riding a miserable experience. Oh no. This was the icy, stinging type of rain that makes riding treacherous and has the ability to spitefully drill its freezing spikes right to the marrow of your bones.

And I had to endure this for the best part of an hour doing 60 to 70mph on the M25 as I rode from Nigel's house to my own in Enfield only to find there had been an accident just before the junction where I wanted to leave the motorway. To avoid the traffic I was forced to leave the motorway one junction early, which forced me onto some very dark, slippery country lanes where I could barely see where I was going due to spray from vehicles and the continuing spiteful rain.

When I got in it was a quick change into dry clothes and I hadn't stopped shivering before I was whisked away to our dinner date with friends. After about two hours of arriving at our friend's, I had finally thawed out when my nose started to run. And it hasn't stopped since.

So it's now late Sunday afternoon and I'm laying in bed typing this, feeling very sorry for myself and getting very little sympathy from Mrs Eagle.

I'm not bitter though MG. As Wastemonster know only too well, I'm not the type to hold a grudge.

[Nigel W]

BE, A sterling performance. You bikers certainly do not have it all your own way. You may miss the traffic jams but when the weather gets bad it is plunder.

Thanks again for all your efforts. Let us all hope that they were worthwhile. Get well soon.