Irony is:
The gap between idea and experience
The lived reality of someone else's idea
The way to deal with stupid bureaucracy in your head with a sense of humour
Or all of the above with a snigger because you watched it fail knowing you couldn't stop it if you tried. And you tried to be heard. And now they're looking foolish
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I live in close proximity to houses worth £750k which are also close to schools that house near to some 1000 4-11 yr olds. We are mostly working families. You can imagine the busy drop off and pick up times. Some people have to rely on their cars to drop multiple children to different classes and schools before they go to work. It's really stressful.
Homeowners of the expensive houses got on a massive 'save our verges' petition and basically blocked all parking along the road (no matter that they never swept a single leaf ever, and the grass is still as dead). There was never anything other then 'get away from my house' behind 'save our verges'.
And this is on an avenue that has a busy park and play park opposite the big houses, that those people wanted to be part of their space, but never really wanted it to be a public space.
And the parking now is 3/4 car spaces on a two lane road, which means traffic has to stop and wait for oncoming traffic. Along a busy route between a city centre and a uni and a hospital.
Parents who would park, get the older children to school and take toddlers to the playpark now have to trawl to leave their cars.
Not to mention the people who lost their jobs because they could not longer get to work on time.
Fast forward, city council has created floodlighting in the park opposite those big houses for tennis winter and summer round.
And those homeowners made massive claims to the council about environmental damage by the building of tennis court over grass. The self same grass they couldn't be arsed to look after right upon their 'verges'
And they expect that floodlighting 24/7 and the associated parking problems to cause some uproar in the community never mind what they did!!!!!
Carbon emissions; increased. Grass health; not. Parking worsened; yes. House prices protected; not. Anyone care anymore? No. Initial assertion 'i care about the road (my house price) i live on. Fnaaark You proved yourselves out of that lie.
Upshot is:
Used to have to watch people 8.30 - 9.15 park outside the house. And again 14.50 - 15.30. Otherwise a land of peace and quiet. Now. Need to apply for and pay for a permit to park on the roadside, and that's not a given either and the community hates me and so does the council.
The belief was 'i'm the moral crusader here', truth was revealed, and now they wish they'd never started it all. Ironic isn't it?