Two VW Vans stolen in one day! Mountview Road and Albert Road

busman · May 2010

I had been parking my VW van up on Mountview road as its outside the CPZ, as a few other people on here do/recommend doing . It was pinched sometime between Monday and Wednesday afternoons. Reported it to the Police so maybe will be recovered but in what condition I dont know. Anyway if you do see G63 VKN a white transporter with two (yes two) sliding doors please call me on 07881 493812. There is a fuller description at http://www.volkszone.com/VZi/showthread.php?t=642228 , Andy would you mind making that into a link if it hasnt done it? Thanks for you vigilance and bear it in mind if you park up that way.

andy · May 2010

<http://www.volkszone.com/VZi/showthread.php?t=642228>; Link! Hope you get it back. It'll probably turn up at the weekend on Market Road.

busman · May 2010

is that still on? Maybe I should drop down there with my wheel clamp.Shame I didnt use it before.

busman · May 2010

Following the article in the Hornsey Journal I got a couple of follow up emails. It turns out another camper van was stolen on the 17th from Albert Road - around half a mile away. Either a big coincidence or its organised. If you own a camper I suggest you clamp it or fit a tracker otherwise it might disappear.

busman · June 2010

Due to the newspaper article I now know that another one went as per below:

Reg Number G483 SAU
Putting this on for the owner Carolyn - this was taken at almost the same time as mine , which leads me to think there is a gang involved. The van was blue with a white high top. It was taken from Albert Road, London N4 which is around half a mile from where mine was taken. It went between 8pm on the 17th May and 9am on the 18th. I will try to get some distinguishing features and a better photograph than has been sent through.

If you own one I would suggest checking its still there!

tosscat · June 2010

There appears to be some dodgy vehicular activity in general around the Mount View/Granville Roads free parking zone.

We've had 3 big SUVs parked outside for 6 weeks now, both with 2 flat tyres each, one is full of tyres. I've reported them to the council and one has gone, but the others are still there.

I hate not having a CPZ now, and I don't have a car.

busman · June 2010

If it bothers you that much you can check the status of the vehicles by visiting the MID website http://www.askmid.com/ownvehicle/ This is for owners to check their whether their own insurance has shown up on the database but if you are prepared to risk it you can also check if a vehicle has insurance (that you dont own). Also useful if you are in a crash and suspect the other party is not insured. Secondly you can check whether a vehicle is taxed via the DVLA website - you need to know the reg and the make to do this http://www.taxdisc.direct.gov.uk/EvlPortalApp/application?origin=vehicleEnquiryInfo_en.jsp&event=bea.portal.framework.internal.portlet.event&pageid=Vehicle+Enquiry&portletid=VehicleEnquiry&portletns=VehicleEnquiry_en&wfevent=link.next.

I dont know how to do links . If the vehicle is taxed and insured and outside your house then I am afraid thats life. If the owner chooses to keep it filled with tyres thats his choice. In the same way as some of the houses in my street are full of sh*t in the front garden and havn't repainted their doors as often as me I just have to put up with it. If they are not paying their mortgage/rent thats a different matter.

andy · June 2010

<http://www.askmid.com/ownvehicle/>; <http://www.taxdisc.direct.gov.uk/EvlPortalApp/application?origin=vehicleEnquiryInfo_en.jsp&event=bea.portal.framework.internal.portlet.event&pageid=Vehicle+Enquiry&portletid=VehicleEnquiry&portletns=VehicleEnquiry_en&wfevent=link.next.>;

busman · June 2010

Article in the journal
http://www.muswellhilljournal24.co.uk/content/haringey/muswellhilljournal/news/story.aspx?brand=HCEJOnline&category=news&tBrand=northlondon24&tCategory=newsmhj&itemid=WeED09 Jun 2010 13:20:11:730

graeme · June 2010

<a href="http://www.muswellhilljournal24.co.uk/content/haringey/muswellhilljournal/news/story.aspx?brand=HCEJOnline&category=news&tBrand=northlondon24&tCategory=newsmhj&itemid=WeED24 May 2010 15:52:20:947">Muswell Hill Journal</a>
...help find our missing hyperlinks etc

Good luck, hope it turns up.

sincers · June 2010

I'm with Tosscat on the CPZ. I don't like the idea of them, but when you live on a free-parking road, every bugger without a permit, their Aunts, Uncles and half the small businesses in the area keep their vehicles their. Plus all the expired tax discs and uninsured rustbuckets get dumped their cars as they're too lazy and cheapskate to have them scrapped. They don't get patrolled by traffic wardens because they're outside the zone and so never get picked up. I don't have a car since losing the company car last year, but in London its pointless. I'd welcome a CPZ now.

ADGS · June 2010

Surely part of the problem here is living in a non-CPZ area near to a CPZ; if there were no CPZ in the area at all, a lot of those problems wouldn't arise, or at least not to the same extent.

sincers · June 2010

true. I have to admit though, it was one of the main factors as to why I chose not to get another car. I just wish it had more of an influence on others.

tosscat · June 2010

You can't have no controlled parking in such a big city, therefore you will always move the problem out to the borders of the CPZ. On the upper east side we have people kerb crawling of a morning, waiting for people to leave for work so they can park up, then hop on the train at Harringay to get into the City. Moan moan moan moan moan. The three SUVs have gone now, so I think the mights roar of Harringay council may have put the willies up them. I know I have probably spelled one of the Harr... wrong but I can't be bothered to look it up.

tosscat · June 2010

At least I can do [links](http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A842942)

busman · June 2010

Untaxed vehicles are not the reponsibility of the traffic warden. They are identified by the vans drving round with ANPR cameras driven by the DETR's sub contractors. These cheerful fellows have a van full of wheel clamps which they attach to anything that pings up on their screens. Sometimes they have a HIAB lorry an hook them away straight away. Funnily enough they patrol non CPZ areas more for the very reasons you mention. I like the logic of wanting a CPZ when you dont have a car - whats the expression? Is it NIMBY? If I can't use it no one else can. If a car is taxed/insured etc it can park anywhere the driver likes - a bittough if you live in a non CPZ area. I would quite happilly repeal the CPZ where I live - the only time the road is full is at night. During the day my van is the only vehicle out there. Just a revenue generating ploy. If you are so bothered by not having a space outside your house I suggest putting your dustbins out there to mark "your" territory. When those get stolen, you might want to appropriate some police cones used on match days. Good luck. Not bothered about links. I reckon the reason its a non CPZ is because its a public transport desert up there.

tosscat · June 2010

I think the expression is dog in a manger.

busman · June 2010

Anyway it was a month ago today

Papa · June 2010

CPZ's are a curse that are inflicted on everyone because of the fatal flaw, once you put one in somewhere they spread like a disease because you push the problem outwards. You can't have no controlled parking in a big city, but you can have it run much more sensibly. For example. You only need one or two hours in the middle of the day to stop commuters. Not 8.30am to 6.30pm six days a week as we have on the Islington and Harringay sides of Stroud Green Road. Also a degree of people parking in the area is desireable, say to get the tube into town on a Saturday or in the middle of the day. They use local shops, restaurants and businesses, visit the local area, see what a good place it is. Successful town centres try to attract people. Furthermore, the problem is caused by massively over controlling parking but failing to provide an alternative. If visitors to the area can't park all day, six days a week due to a blanket CPZ and only short term expensive meters, where else do you park. The councils provide no other options, thus you get people clogging up non CPZ areas. (I'm not suggesting they should be able to park all week-long, just that councils seem to have failed to remember some people do need to go somewhere once in a while and park for four hours for example - and just having guest vouchers does not solve this). And finally, I often hear the argument having a car in London is pointless. Well, that's your view, but I disagree. I have family 30 - 40 minutes out of town from Stroud Green, having a car means me and the wife can visit them as and when I want without being ripped off to the tune of £20 each way for train tickets on a 20 minute journey and then having to beat the complete lack of public transport from the station out in the sticks. I can go to the tip, I can go away to visit friends and family - without getting ripped off on the train - I can buy bulky items. And as for the green argument, I cycle to work with a rarely used car that doesn't pollute while its parked. Apologies. Rant over.

Ali · June 2010

CPZs massively reduce the amount of cars parked in a street which in turn makes it a more pleasant place and safer for young Children and older folks etc as there are a lot less cars wizzing around. I consider that the SG Triangle is much pleasanter place because of it. I do agree that on a Friday Saturday the hours should be reduced a bit or maybe the Council should charge variable rates/time for parking depending on time day of the week etc. Also get a family railcard to reduce the costs on the railway as I bet if you costed you car expense properly it will be costing you more to drive. I guess this is probably down to convenience and in the end on where you going. It is easy to do St Albans by train in say 45 to 50 mins for £17 return for 2 Adults and 2 Children You can take friends on the card as well !

tosscat · June 2010

Should you not depreciate the pollution from its original construction across the usable life of the product?

Papa · June 2010

I'm going at least three miles from the nearest station - unreachable by public transport. Two options either the Welwyn Garden City line from Finsbury Park or the St Albans line from St Pancras. Go and stay for the evening with family and both cost £10 at least per person each way for a 20 to 25 minute journey. With the added hassle of then getting to the final destination and carrying everything you want to take backwards and forwards. So that's a £40 return journey. Car journey takes the same time and uses about £5 worth of diesel - it's a no brainer. I do the train regularly too - everytime it drives me crazy how much it costs. How we ever expect people to ditch cars for the less convenient option of public transport when it is so expensive, I'll never know. The comparison is, of course, that if I get the tube to work it costs me £2.20 and takes 40 minutes. As much as I hate to give more power to TFL, I wonder if the only solution to this is to hand over commuter train lines to it - after all they should be run as a public service not a moneymaker.

Papa · June 2010

Tosscat, is that a utilitarian argument that means I should use the car more, so that the pollution put into making it is more worthwhile?

tosscat · June 2010

Yes.

busman · June 2010

It was a month and a day today - really looking forward to Wray Cresc though.@ Ali I can see that less parked cars means better visibility but how does is mean less cars whizzing about? Surely theres more whizzing through the area because they can't park here? I suspect the solution would be to dig up all the roads and railways and never move further than we can walk. In that way we would become better neighbours , no one would ever get run over and we wouldn't have to worry about pollution or parking. Maybe we could also live in the gated off tunnel on the parkland walk and hunt wild animals for food or eat berries for the veggies, as we wouldnt have any food in the shops any more. I miss my camper.

busman · June 2010

@ Ali and another thing - Are you seriously suggesting that a family with two kids can survive without a car? What do you expect me to do get the bus to Sainsburys and carry all of the shopping back as well as managing a double buggy. might be an option if people on the bus gave a toss about giving some room. I look at people queuing for the mini cab service at IKEA with incredulity - Whay is all that about? Ditto going to a supermarket and calling a cab? is it just me ?

tosscat · June 2010

Why not get a cab from the supermarket? Is is a class thing perhaps busman?

Ali · June 2010

Why not do a and infrequent Internet shop for big stuff that can be stored which will mean less to carry and then shop more incrementally during the week supporting the local shops that have lost their Customers because no one can park with out a permit ! Or take a ruck sack to Sainsbury’s or when the kids get older make them walk and use the double buggy that’s what I used to do! By whizzing I mean that the volume of cars entering the area has gone down as the drivers have adapted to the fact they can’t park so don’t bother coming to try. Thought you said that you cycled to work

busman · June 2010

No that was Papa L. I have the choice of Light Blue or Dark Blue tube lines. I hate going to Sainsburys in the car - that retail park is a nightmare to get into and out of. In truth my other half goes (and shes on here all the time so I had better watch out) and we do use the Internet delivery services , who also drive like maniacs no matter what brand. The point is our particular bit of the road is literally empty Mon - Friday 8 - 6pm. And full the rest of the time. I would be much happier without the CPZ as I could park all of my cars (more than 5) outside to annoy the neighbours( I like them really). None of them move regularly - its my hobby. However they are all legal and entitled to be on the road.And because they dont move they are very environmentally friendly. What a funny place we live in....

busman · June 2010

@tosscat - nope I 've got a car - paid tax ,insurance and fuel .Might as well use it. Also minicabs don't usually carry child seats around with them do they? I need two .Otherwise I would probably consider it. Not sure if I understand the class reference perhaps you would like to elaborate. Most of us go to work these days,went to university(poly in my case) etc. Not many of your actual working class left guv'nor.

Papa · June 2010

I walk to the shops, cycle to work and love train travel, but I also like owning a car and the argument of 'you live in London you don't need one' only washes if you never leave London, or only go places in the daytime. Otherwise I find it's pretty handy, and I'm making the most of it before peak oil hits. Less cars on roads is good, but we shouldn't forget that they are roads built for traffic not playing on. I must admit I was hugely entertained when someone told me Ikea's home delivery service actually consists of calling you a cab. I'm not sure on the not getting a taxi home from the shops is a class thing accusation though, after all busman wasn't driving a Bentley - he owned a camper van.

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Two VW Vans stolen in one day! Mountview Road and Albert Road

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