I am puzzled.
A couple of months ago we moved to a small village outside Bath. It is a tiny little place with a single track road going in and out. It is about half a mile to the main road on the outskirts of Bath in one direction and about 2 miles or so to the other main road.
There is almost no traffic which is very nice after London...except between 7.30 and 9 in the morning when it turns into the M1. Everyone who lives to the south of the city and doesn't want to queue on the main road cuts down the little roads and through the village. The village council did a census and there was something ridiculous like 300 cars in the space of half an hour - ridiculous bearing in mind more than one car an hour is a major event for the rest of the day.
I have no issue with this - I would probably do it myself so this isn't a case of me standing on the edge of the village with a pitchfork shouting "Getorf my laaaand!" I go out in the opposite direction at 7.45 to take DS to nursery in the next village two days a week. It takes about 15 minutes to go 2 miles because I am going against the flow of traffic which means I am the one who has to squeeze into the hedge or siderows. I stopped over 20 times this morning.
What I do have a massive problem with is the attitude of a large number of the school run mums. It is presumably obvious to them that the very few people who are going the opposite way must live locally as no-one in their right mind would try to use it as a cut-through going that way. Every day, at least two of these women shake their heads at me as I sit in the hedge waiting for them to pass, as though I am being terribly unreasonable and inconveniencing them by leaving my house. This morning it was three.
The other day a mum refused to reverse into a passing space about 3 feet behind her even tthough the car behind reversed to give her room, so I finished up having to actually get off the road and into a shallow ditch, whereupon she shouted at me and waved her arms about.
This morning I had more mouthing and arm waving from someone who I was letting past.
Am I missing something here? Is it unreasonable of me to actually leave my house on a necessary journey while these women wish to use the road?
And before I get jumped on for generalising, it is not all of the women, and yes, it is absolutely limited to women with school-age children in the car. The bulk of the rest of the traffic is made up of local business guys in vans and they are always polite and thank me, or look apologetic.
I am seriously considering adopting an "I'm not moving" police tomorrow. I might take a book to read and get it out during a who has to reverse stand-off. Or I might wind my window down and tell everyone I pass that the road is closed and I have had to turn round and come back.
Grr!
AIBU?
to drive through my own village?
TandB · 17/02/2011 20:55
Hello - I must live fairly near to you - well at least rurally outside of Bath and our house is on a single lane.
If I were you I would simply refuse to reverse - you've got more time than them if they're doing a school-run.
I've had it where some-one is literally 2 metres away from a pulling over point and they won't reverse as don't want to get their car muddy/or can't reverse where as I'd have to reverse for 0.5 miles. So now I just sit there and wait. Tis quite fun 
And people shouldn't drive down single track lanes if they don't/won't reverse.
Can't meet in a layby near me - our nearest ones seem to be in constant use by people having affairs.
Yes Mr Silver van - I can see that woman's head going down on you at 3pm every thursday afternoon as can my small children 
But people who can't reverse shouldn't drive down narrow lanes - tis madness.
Gosh can you tell this is a bugbear of mine 
Actually an old boyfriend always used to smile and wave at people who were aggressive drivers as he reasoned it freaked them out as they thought he was a friend
This reply has been deleted
Message withdrawn at poster's request.
Are you totally sure that you are not gong the wrong way down a one-way street? 
Am quite tempted to write down his registration number and call the police - non-emergency number obviously
We also get the hunt round here every other Wednesday but I don't mind stopping for them [Jilly Cooper reverie]
WhatsWrongWithYou Thu 17-Feb-11 21:05:00
"There's a woman in our village who loves on a narrow lane and famously refuses to reverse.
She once gave me the finger."
Oh, just a cracking typo Changes your whole post totally 
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If only it was R C-B - don't think he drives a grubby silver van though
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