In the few months I've been on the forum it seems most people like a good whinge, so I thought I'd start a thread where everyone can get involved.

There are many things in Newbury that annoy me:

- People smoking in cars with children in the back, windows up or down, I wish it didn't happen.
- People swearing, often in a loud voice, or spitting, in public.
- Elderly folk driving who can barely control the car, or see for that matter (although that concerns me more than annoys me).
- Fighting and voilence in general, especially that fuelled by alcohol, there's just no need.

One of my biggest pet-hates, trivial as it may be, is people who drive with their parking lights on. It's not a major issue, and I doubt there are more than 2 accidents in West Berkshire each year that can be attributed to it, if that, but it infuriates me nonetheless. They're called parking lights for a reason!

What annoys you most?

Lights?
Are you confusing with DRL's as mandated by law on new cars?
Volvo started trend some years back based on solid research/their well known safety orientation.

See
http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/safet...ing-lights.html

Good question Claude, where do I start?

People who think the only rule on a roundabout is give way to the right;

Smoking full stop

People who stop 30 feet from the car in front at a traffic light then edge up 2 feet. And another two. And then three.

Societies extremities - ie rude and ignorant rich people, and rude and ignorant poor people!

But mostly Westy Berkshire Council!

Oh yes, the staggering ineptitude of West Berks Council and its staff would be close to the top of my list. Such ineptitude has not been seen in government since the days of the Soviet Union.

People who cannot speak correctly, especially those who seem to find it impossible to say anything with resort to the awful word "basically",

Heart (radio): the most lowbrow, peasant-orientated infection of the airwaves EVER.

Media hysteria over certain people: Prince George, Pippa Middleton, Nelson Mandela. GET OVER IT!

Insurance adverts: why do all that advertise on TV and radio now think they need to use a dumb-*** song or dance to sell us insurance policies??

Blimey!

I am not getting confused, no, I like DRLs. Interesting link too.

My issue is with people who put their parking lights (others may know them as sidelights) on when it's a little bit dark then at some point later when they deem it dark enough they put their headlights on. If it's dark enough for lights, put your headlights on, parking lights should only be used when you're parked!

I thought parking lights were something different.

Same here Strafin. I have a knob that does all that stuff for me.
(No frivolity please).
ce

Road users who are not polite.

Anti social behaviour

Abuse

Cyclists who don't know their right from their left; i.e. ride on the wrong side of the road.

It is, technically speaking, illegal to drive on sidelights/parking lights only.

The law requires dipped headlight when visibility is poor. Ergo, if the visibility is bad enough for lights at all, then they should be dipped headlights

What annoys me is people who both think and drive in thick fog with their headlights on as well as their foglights. The headlights are just bouncing back from the fog. Foglights by definition are low and cut under the fog and the driver sits above the light so there is less glare. (This is why lorry drivers tend to have better visibility in fog)

also, the t*ssers who use rear foglights either in a traffic queue or simply forget to switch them off - what do they think that orange warning light is telling them. Fortunately most manufacturers are catering for these morons as the rear foglights are reset by turning off the lights anyway and need to be re-selected if needed again

And whilst we are on things that annoy me...

People who use none with a plural verb; people who cannot differentiate between less and fewer; people who insist on calling the leader of a committee or the like the 'chair' - which is actually the piece of furniture on which he or she sits

This is for those struggling to maintain a healthy brain and Blood Pressure.

Appointment times for a GP or hospital.
If you are late more than twice they reserve the right to send you to Ratners for a new watch.
Arrive on time and " Sorry for the 40 minute delay we are a bit busy today".
And I read in the Telegraph letters pages that you are only allowed to discuss 1 symptom.

Dr I fink I am a wabbit... Hop it! Boom Boom.
ce

This little gripe is about 4 years old, only happened once, but it still annoys.

We all know to turn off ringers or pagers in a theatre or cinema.
Now there are things about the size of a book. A girl about 5 rows in front had one on all evening
Even during the gripping clog dance of La fille Mal Gardee (The naughty little vixen).
If she was looking for a translation, no luck.

It was like standing outside a ladies changing room when the door is stuck open.
You couldn't take your eyes off it.

You really are an idiot aren't you.
All new cars as of late 2011/2012 have to have front daytime running lights BY LAW. I can't think to see how there are ANY accidents contributable to that.
If you didn't see the car coming you certainly didn't see it had it's sidelights on.. Use your brain, seriously.

Berkshirelad - Every car I've ever driven requires the front headlights to be on to have your foglights on. This can normally either be sidelights and foglights or dipped beams and foglights.

Where do you get that one? Does 2+2=5 in your house?

On car lights subject again, get very annoyed, (but now given up hoping will ever change) re drivers in traffic queues, who can't be asked to use their handbrake.

They're too lazy and just keep foot on the brakes so dazzling unfortunate motorist/s behind em, as traffic crawls along; if they're one of those previously mentioned, with unnecessary rear fogs on too, even better...not .

What I hate most are pious winging know-it-all gits

I really hate that aswell!

I've just come come back from a short family stay in Guildford. Has involved a fair mileage in a borrowed car round the town and its bizarre and Byzantine one way systems. Newbury drivers may irritate from time to time, but they are at least generally forgiving and tolerant of error; real or deliberate. Seriously, I'm glad to be back here, at least most local drivers accept human frailty!

What annoys me most in the 'Newbury area' is getting the light sequence wrong in Thatcham, if you get a red traffic light at one end, you seem to get them all through Thatcham! Although it could just be an illusion. As a pedestrian, cars who don't slowdown or stop at zebra crossings for people waiting.

On the road ( in no particular order ) :-
Middle or outside lane hoggers.
Tailgaters.
Drivers who are unaware they have indicators.
Using Mobile phone.
Cars with Illegally bright Headlights.
Cyclists who ride as if they are invincible with complete disregard for their own safety.

Also when riding my Motorbike :-
As above & also the following.
Drivers who persistently pull out of junctions etc. in front of me, for F's sake am I that invisible or are they just blind or stupid !!!!!
Car drivers who drive about 2 foot from my back wheel when I am abiding by a speed limit.

Off the road :-
Irresponsible Dog owners who let their Dog's bark all day / night, & of course the ones who let them crap anywhere.
People who have stinking Bonfires with no thought given to neighbours who might have washing out on the line, or just wanting to sit outside in the Fresh air.
Telephone Call Centres.
Chuggers.

Annoying.... Wheezing people in mobility scooters who terrify pedestrians by hammering along the footpaths well above the supposed manufactured speed of these things while smoking a packet of fags and being dressed in SPORTS KIT!? ("You're not going to football practice so get that Sports Direct tat off!!")

Annoying.... My next-door-neighbour-but-one's hound.... I want to rip the thing's bark box out of it's throat. It's been programmed to bark from dawn to dusk every weekend and presumably only stops to take a breath when it's crapping on the verges in our estate. (But it's a big dog so would probably take MY throat out if I made a grab)

Annoying.... The flying rats that insist on using my garden to perform their daily sex rituals and then thank me by crapping over my cars. (I need to make me a pigeon killing catapult like I used to have when I was a youngster and put an end to their depraved behaviour)

St. John's roundabout annoys me. I don't know who signed off on that cycle lane layout but I'm sure I could illustrate to them why it's dangerous in less than a minute with a very crude drawing. And then slap them about the face slapstick-style.

I'm also irritated by the charity muggers that invade Northbrook Street once in a while. They make shopping in the town very unpleasant (the false compliments are nauseating and I'm very much suffering from compassion fatigue).

The retail park car park is aggravating simply because it's nearly always too busy and it feels like they tried to fit too many parking spaces.

Other than the aforementioned, I find Newbury a very pleasant place to live.

This thread proves everyone on here is middle aged and loves a good moan!



Yes that is annoying. However I now have an automatic. And generally by the time you have put your car in N and put the handbrake on the lights have changed. And then you have a slight pause going from N to D before you can pull away...

The noisiest dog near me is a Doberman & the owner seems oblivious to it barking everyday not just weekends .
You are right about the pigeon's, they are a pest & health hazard & something needs to be done about their increasing population.

Something else which annoys me that I missed of my list is drivers who must speed around Tesco's car park & give a menacing look if you dare try pulling out. And why do 4x4 drivers always want to park next to me making it difficult to squeeze back into my car.

The chuggers and churglers: yes, what a pestilential menace these are. Why haven't they been banned?

The European Union: An over-bloated, duplicitous, corrupt, outdated, bureaucratic and hypocritical mess we have been shackled to.

Bankers: have people forgot the hubris that these liars still manifest? The bankers were the co-conspirators in the financial collapse.

Gordon Brown and Tony Blair: The guilty men, liars, unable to confess their giant size **** ups and ineptitude and who carelessly flooded Britain with uncontrolled immigration.

You should have seen what it was like before!

I'd rather we did thank you.

Motormad,

Firstly, I think calling me an idiot is a little unnecessary. By all means if you disagree, say so, but name-calling is out of order.

Now to the matter at hand, I think there may be some confusion (on your part). Ignore DRLs (which as I've stated before I'm happy to see and wish all cars had them). I'm talking about parking lights. One click on the headlight stalk.

Imagine, if you will, a black 1995 Ford Fiesta. It's dusk and the driver takes a trip from Newbury to Hungerford along the A4. He decides it's not dark enough for headlights so only turns the lights one click, which turns on the parking lights (you have referred to them as sidelights). While I don't think this is illegal, as previously stated elsewhere in this thread, I think the highway code advises it's not the correct use of parking lights.

By switching on the parking lights the Fiesta the driver has illuminated the dimmest light known to man, akin to the torch you pull out of the drawer in a power cut, whose batteries are 20 years old. Striking a match would generate a brighter light.

Now imagine you, driving in your new automatic car in the opposite direction and you're stuck behind a car doing 50 miles per hour. I guess you car has auto-headlights, which will be on. You want to go faster and when the road straightens and is clear up ahead (no oncoming headlights) you initiate an overtake, being extra-careful as it really is nearly dark now.

Halfway through the manoeuver up ahead you see the outline of the Fiesta & the dim parking lights and have to quickly decide whether to complete the overtake or abort. It's made tricky because trying to judge the oncoming vehicle's speed is very difficult indeed.

And this is what I mean about accidents, and I bet some have happened as a result of this scenario. If the Fiesta had its headlights on there would be no doubt there was an oncoming vehicle and the overtake wouldn't even have begun.

I have been in this situation many, many times over the years and is why I'm glad that DRLs have become law, and why people driving with their parking lights on infuriates me.

If it's dark enough for light just turn the switch one more time and put your headlights on.

My car doesn't have DRLs and I actually tend to drive with my headlights on all the time now. If it helps other road users spot me then personally I don't see the harm.

Apologies for the lengthy post but hopefully that's made my point clear. If you still think I'm an idiot then perhaps you'll let know using kinder terms, being a friendly forum and all that.

You should have specified it was cars at night driving with only sidelights on.
I have been in that situation before where someone is oncoming with only sidelights but as a highly respected member of the VW community (not my words, Claude, the words of a web forum) I am an observant car driver so would spot the dimmest lights known to man.
Only because I look out for things like that.

I let my auto lights sort themselves out - having my lights on in the day makes me feel like I'm driving a Volvo and my name is Dorothy or Agnes.

Let me put it another way, we had all those things as well back then, but we had the added 'bonus' of world wars too.

I just thought of something I do that is probably quite annoying to other people. When I pull up behind a stationary car and I see it has rear parking sensors sometimes I make sure I get so close that it makes it beep in the car. You can tell because the car in front edges forwards slightly then stops. As do I.

It's childish and borne out of jealousy but sometimes I just can't help myself.

Well Claude, that is a new game to play. I have never thought of that. And you took motormad to task for his choice
of language!. If you start a thread on "silly games one plays", I wonder if you will get so many responders.

You forgot when it's raining.

Rear parking sensors only activate when the car is in reverse.

Most of mine covered in posts above especially the variously mentioned forms of ant-social behaviour.
One more I might add (and I think it has been discussed on here before) bloody light aircraft doing aerobatics over my garden nearly every sunny day when I want to relax out there.
If I made that much noise on my bike in a residential area I would have Mr. Plod chasing me in no time!

I assume you missed out the word, "most", "some" or "many" because I know for a fact that not "all" do

Of course.

Steady on Blake, this thread is supposed to be about annoying things in the Newbury area. Or else the next thing we will be hearing about will be self managed allotments in Outer Mongolia !!

How about the Chinnook's who do low level flying at 23.30 !!!!!!!!!!

Something that really winds me up is fat children. At an age when kids are supposed to be outdoors burining off all their energy, they just seem to be scoffing crisps and sweets and growing bigger and bigger. Nince times out of ten it's poor parenting (rubbish diet etc) as opposed to any genetic/health factors!

The next door neighbour's cat sh!tting in my garden, generally after I have spent time pruning it and making it look as good as I can. This almost makes me want to return the favour in the neighbour's garden, maybe one day.

Road works delaying my journey, especially when (like Ecchinswell Road) the road has been "closed" but there are no "workmen," (or if there are they're not working).

People parking on the forecourt of the petrol station and then spending ages doing their shopping inside. (Or, people who have to sit and prune themselves when they get back in the car, just get out of the way!)

The Falkland surgery. You have to wait the best part of a month for an appointment, even if you need an emergency, and almost always the nosey receptionist insist on knowing what is wrong so she can determine how important it is!

People that slow to a crawl going over cattle grids (eg Bury's Bank Road). You'll be ok going a bit quicker!

Shop assistants who pounce on you the moment you enter the store, especially the ones who say "can I help at all?" the moment you step through the shop door. Argh!

You prune your next door neigbour's cat?

I appreciate the Health Service is in bits right now, but we've never been very well served in Newbury, 'service wise' certainly. Move to a new hospital and the 'bloods' service times were actually cut! All this queueing, very 3rd world, presumably we have to wait for the Missionary to arrive!

I'm not sure they are called sidelights any more. A "sidelight" bulb not working for MoT is failed as a front or rear marker light not working.

No problem with St Mary's surgery but the delays getting an appointment to see the doctor.... Just look at what is often sitting in the waiting room and there is the reason for the doctors having the workload that they do.
Emergency, no problem and followed by an xray at the local West Berks, no appointment needed, in and out in 45 mins max.

If my wipers which are also automatic, are going constantly for a given period/distance/time the lights are turned on.
A light drizzle does not need headlights on lol

I was using the word "rain" in the generally accepted sense of continuous large drops of water falling from the sky, thereby reducing visibility. This can happen during daylight hours sometimes.

Well rain is technically an incorrect term, it would be precipitation if we are being all brody.
And as I said, on most cars with automatic headlights if the rain is heavy enough to have the wipes on constantly most cars will turn their headlights on. Again back to the point, regardless of which - if you can't see the car what good are headlights going to do you?

The statement 'Newbury traffic is as bad as it was before the bypass.' No it isn't.

This forum forgetting who I am every few days, forcing me to log in, again.

Party whips in district and parish council decision making. Not keen on them at the national level either.

The WBC parking charges that reset the 'clock' at 6pm. Park at the library at 5.55, change your library books and leave at 6.05 - charge £2!

Council consultations - window dressing that pretends to take people's views into account.

Mr Swift-Hook! Do I get a prize?