Dear LPG

Do you remember the first time that British Rail offered its public the fact that there were ‘leaves on the line’ as a reason for train delays?  I remember it being one of those ‘… and finally’ news items that were designed to make us smile. 

I am still a driver who has lived in Lewisham for most of my reasonably long life so far, and though I am quite familiar with where most of the yellow (and more recent red) lines are, over time we become aware of those places where not too many people are aware that you still can park, because there is no coloured line warning you otherwise. The real problem is remembering exactly where the lines begin and end in the autumn. (I would also mention winter and snow but I avoid driving in that.)

I mention this because we have again reached the time of year when the lines get blurred because of those naturally produced phenomena that to me look so beautiful in the park but make life so difficult on our roads.

When the trees decide that it is time the leaves were on the ground they fall thick and fast and sometimes can be layered so thickly that they obscure  the lines on the roads; particularly the ends of those single and double red and yellow coloured ones . 

I recently parked my car on what I thought was a lineless bit of the road only to find that I had chosen a spot that was not quite beyond the end of the double yellow line, but I was wrong according to the parking attendant who left me a parking ticket. 

So I just want to say that as we approach autumn again, if you are not sure, where the lines end… don’t park there. 

Leaves on the line worked then, and continue to work very well as a valid reason for British Rail but it will not work for us drivers.

ND, Catford