I am surprised that henry K missed this!
tinyurl.com/2bhz4bz
Last edited by: Duncan on Tue 5 Oct 10 at 23:23
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It is reported:-
Due to the narrowness of the footpath, the driver was unable to manoeuvre a three point-turn in his dark blue saloon and was forced to drive all the way to the London-bound platform.
"An 80-year-old man from Guildford was arrested and reported for dangerous driving."
South West Trains added: "We were amazed. Luckily no one was injured."
Perhaps the elderly chap had always dreamed of becoming a train driver...
I was in Oxford on Sunday at that time so not aware of this. I note It was not an Esher resident :-). It seems that it tookat least four hours to sort it out- just not good enough me thinks :-(
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Please please tell me... why don't these idiots just stop when they get themselves in a mess... surely thats the logical thing to do?!!
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The answer is in your question H. Idiot / logical.
John
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While I know that this is the daily wail - did he really drive 75 yards on the platform?
Or 75 yards on a footpath to the platform?
Local knowledge should give the answer.
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>> While I know that this is the daily wail - did he really drive 75
>> yards on the platform?
Looking at Google he appears to be on the platform with just the small waiting shelter, that shelter appears to be on top of a bridge over a road... so I reckon 75yds is on the platform... though lord knows where he came from to get onto it in the first place...
I can just see passengers' reaction if I gave them that one as an excuse for a delay!!
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>> While I know that this is the daily wail - did he really drive 75
>> yards on the platform?
>>
>> Or 75 yards on a footpath to the platform?
>>
>> Local knowledge should give the answer.
>>
Judging by this thread it seems that the 75 yards was indeed on a footpath not the platform:-
groups.google.com/group/uk.railway/browse_thread/thread/a94bfacd3545bf75/1fb5e46e5fa0f90b?lnk=raot#1fb5e46e5fa0f90b
So it appears the mail headline is 100% wrong.
Last edited by: spamcan61 on Wed 6 Oct 10 at 20:22
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>>
>> So it appears the mail headline is 100% wrong.
>>
Or not, depending on what hypothesis turns out to be correct.
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>> Please please tell me... why don't these idiots just stop when they get themselves in
>> a mess... surely thats the logical thing to do?!!
>>
I think it is because a high proportion of drivers are incapable of reversing, so they always press on, hoping that there will be a way out.
Then when the path gets narrower, they remember that they don't know how to 3-point turn either, so they go on further.
The one thing no one of any age ever does nowadays is get out and investigate on foot.
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>> I think it is because a high proportion of drivers are incapable of reversing, so
>> they always press on, hoping that there will be a way out.
>> Then when the path gets narrower, they remember that they don't know how to 3-point
>> turn either, so they go on further.
>> The one thing no one of any age ever does nowadays is get out and
>> investigate on foot.
>>
i thought you were reading tony blairs memorandum then............
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Don't be silly, no one has bought it.
John
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>> I think it is because a high proportion of drivers are incapable of reversing, so
>> they always press on, hoping that there will be a way out.
I would suggest that many of us have 'pressed on' when in hind sight it would have been wiser to stop and take stock. Country lanes becoming 'greener', the snow getting deeper, or just lost.
Somebody has suggested why did he not get out and walk to survey, well if it was a footpath it was probably too narrow to open the doors!
I can vividly remember a french village - a circulade- where the steets got narrower and we were hoping for a turning point. In the end it was a tortuous 200m reverse. ( I was not the driver just a passenger).
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>>>> I was in Oxford on Sunday at that time so not aware of this. I>>
Excuses, excuses.
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I will put my Miss Marple hat on and go to the scene of crime and report back.
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Looking at Google Streetview and aerial views it does look like you may be able to access the platform without too much difficulty from the East end of the station.
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I thought he's on the far platform, not the one with the main station building, I can't see any entrances on that side because of the tree covering... or do you think he's on the side with the car park?
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I thought he was on the side with the car park but must admit I didn't double check against the photo in the Mail so maybe I'm talking rubbish.
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Or he came onto the platform at speed, leapt the gap and spun it around on the hand-brake?
John
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Some more info in the local press but not on line so I will type it up later.
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The additional bits of info from the Surrey Comet local newspaper.
The pensioner turned off Lower Green Road and drove down the footpath that leads from SandownPark Race course to the station. Due to the narrowness of the path he could not carry out a three point turn and was forced to squeeze his Saab all the way to the London- bound platform.
It took a recovery vehicle one and a half hours to remove the car.
The car recovery team got the car off the platform by repeating the same journey backwards.
" We basically did an eight point turn and then drove it back along the platform. through the tunnel and pathway again. when the car went through the tunnel there was less than an inch room on each side."
So one aspect of the old guys driving was that he got the width right :-)
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Being of an inquisitive disposition and also living fairly locally, I decided to have a look at the scene of the crime.
So I donned my Miss Marple brogues, my Sherlock Holmes deerstalker and with Monsieur Captain Hastings at my side, orf I went.
There is a fairly wide tarmacked footpath leading off lower Green Road, ascending steadily toward the 'down' platforn. Near the top of the footpath there is a tunnel which passes beneath the railway tracks. the driver coul probably have done a three point turn at this point.
He turned left into the foot tunnel - a very tight fit - and another tight right turn would have brought him onto the 'up' platformn. One can only assume that the poor fella was looking for some exit or turning point. I think the old boy must have been seriously in panic mode by then.
>> >> " We basically did an eight point turn and >>
Note for pedants.
It is not possible to do an eight point turn. Turns using forward and reverse gears where the object is to reverse the direction of the vehicle must be an odd number.
Thanks for writing that up, henry K, I saw the report in the local free rag, but didn't have the energy to write it up.
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We have all missed an important point. The old fella did this WITHOUT the aid of sat nav. He dug his own hole without any assistance. Good for him! :-)
John
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I've just misread the thread title as a tourist promotion, like
"Car drives in the Lake District" or "Motoring in the Pyrenees".
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>>>Note for pedants. Turns using forward and reverse gears where the object is to reverse the direction of the vehicle must be an odd number.<<<<<
Are you sure? Surely a 3 point turn is strictly a misnomer when done on the fly. Shouldn't it be called a 2 point turn?
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>> >>>Note for pedants. .<<<<<
>>
>>
>> Are you sure? >>
That is the best thing about pedantry. It is so often open to debate or contradiction.
tinyurl.com/2a5ahfm
Last edited by: Duncan on Fri 8 Oct 10 at 17:33
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>> >>>Note for pedants. Turns using forward and reverse gears where the object is to reverse
>> the direction of the vehicle must be an odd number.<<<<<
>
>> Are you sure? Surely a 3 point turn is strictly a misnomer when done on
>> the fly. Shouldn't it be called a 2 point turn?
>>
I thought that as well.
So I tried it using a pen and paper.... it does end up as an odd number.
then thinking about it - it has to be...
you are travelling forward;
you reverse
you then continue forwards.
the other option is a handbrake turn.
not easy if you have an electric handbrake....
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>> >> not easy if you have an electric handbrake....
>>
>>
Or are perched on a railway station platform..................
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you are travelling forward;x
you reverse x
you then continue forwards.
I still think that, that is 2 points ie the points x at which you change direction!
but I do accept that 99.99% of the UK population would (erroneously) call it a 3 point turn.
However a hand brake turn raises interesting questions, or is it just a special case of f a U turn.
IIRC driving tests require you to turn the car round in the road using forward and reverse gears when starting from a stationary position.
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"I still think that, that is 2 points ie the points x at which you change direction!"
That's right. You can't include the point in the direction from where you came or where you are headed, otherwise simply driving down the street could be classified as a one-point turn.
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"turn the car round in the road using forward and reverse gears"
Of course, strictly speaking, one turns the car round in the road using the steering wheel.
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Car Drives on Esher Station - Bellboy
