who’s got the pin in their hand?
The general level of rudeness in this block never fails to amaze me. The number of people who are unwilling to say hello or to smile at fellow residents has been high from the moment I moved in. Maybe its just me. That’s fine. Keep yourselves to yourselves. It’s a right you are free to practise. But when you take that anti-social ball and you run with it… that’s when it starts to get annoying.
Someone is puncturing the tyres of bicycles left ‘illegally’ in the stairwell. Whoever you are, get over it you fucking moron. The bikes are staying locked up where they are… if they go outside they’ll getted nicked by one of the many hundreds of local scallys who must know the magic number for the gate.
If it happens again I’ll retaliate.
Hi Siobhan here from flat 11. I serve on the residents committee. Our management company, Crabtree, will from time to time post notices or send letters direct to residents who leave their bikes in the common parts of the building. First and foremost it is a breach of our lease, secondly, it can be a fire hazard and thirdly the “local scally’s” soon get wind of the fact bikes are left unattended and will liberate them at the first opportunity. Bikes should be stored in your own home and nowhere else within the development. I will continue to uphold this rule for the benefit and convenience of ALL residents. However, I can categorically state that it is not the practice of any member of the committee to puncture the tyres of peoples bikes.
I would ask you if you have actually seen someone tampering with your bike? Are you sure you haven’t picked up a tack/nail etc from the street? I am troubled by your threat of retaliation – against what or whom are you going to mete out your revenge???
This development is not as secure as I would like it to be, contractors leave the doors wide open for anyone to walk in, residents randomly buzz in callers even when they don’t know who they are, people off the street ‘surf’ in behind residents to gain access to the building. However, I do agree that there are some anti-social idiots that live at eastside (letting the cats in to shit all over the carpet, playing loud music at all hours, writing obscene comments on the blackboard, leaving rubbish in the common parts etc. etc.) but I would be tempted to think twice before pointing the ugly finger of blame.
I have had a new punch code access fitted to the courtyard door and are chasing my request to have the code on the pedestrian gate changed (I asked for this to be done last summer!)
But the simple solution is for you to keep your bike in your flat!
With the greatest of respect, I know that the repeat puncturing of both mine and another person’s tyres cannot be a coincidence. I pass these scumbags on the stairs, I know what they’ve been up to.
In terms of lugging the thing around on my back, I live on the top floor… I can’t carry that bike upstairs each time I use it without undoing its core benefit – quick and easy convenience. I’m sure that the insurance company would say it constitutes a fire risk. In reality it doesn’t; I prefer to live in a world ruled by the reality of common sense than one hemmed in by the rules and regs of petty bureaucrats.
Crabtree have proved utterly useless in doing anything other than moan about bicycles. Whenever something goes really wrong, they go silent. Your comments seem generally to support this. Perhaps Crabtree can carry the bike up to my flat every time I come home. In the mean time I feel like the sensible thing to do is leave it where is and retaliate by posting dog shit through every door in the complex if it happens again. Deal?
No deal.
Let me make my position clear – I serve as a representative of the residents of this building and my aim is the smooth running and restoration of this building with the funds available. I cannot comment on your dealings with Crabtree without knowing the specifics. What I do know is that over the past six months the level of service we receive from them has fallen below acceptable standards and the directors are to have a meeting shortly to address this issue. If there is anything you would like us to raise on your behalf, please do not hesitate to contact me or any other of the directors.
Rules and regs. can be boring and perhaps seem nonsensical, however, it seems you do appreciate that, for instance, our insurance could be invalidated by a breach of the lease. In the event of something serious happening this could have consequences for every one of us. So whilst my personal view might be that storing bikes in the common parts isn’t really a problem, by agreeing to live here, I have also agreed to abide by the conditions set down not by Crabtree or the residents of this building but by the freeholder within our lease.
If you think you know who is carrying out these acts of criminal damage then you should report the matter to the appropriate authorities. Taking matters into your own hands is not the answer.
Siobhan,
Thank you for your letter (surrogated through Elaine whatsoname), I’ve filed it next to your fatwa. Joke. But in all seriousness, that note is tangible proof of the pettiness, of the bureaucracy and of the facelessness of life in Eastside Academy. If given the choice, frankly I’d rather a burly Crabtree Bicycle Destruction Officer barged into my flat like a Nazi stormtrooper, pummelled my face against the front door and strangled me with my own flaccid inner-tube than receive a jobsworth letter like the one I got yesterday.
Life at Eastside is like working a long double shift in a Chinese government ministry – weighed down by reams of suppressive scraps of paper and the heavy rubber-stamps of a class of humourless life-suckers.
CBDO – bring it on, mother-f****r
Just to set the record straight, I didn’t request that Crabtree circulate this letter to you or anyone else (we all got one) as I don’t know who you are or what flat you live in. It seems you are happy to pour forth behind your veil of anonymity. Perhaps, if you think you are able to contribute something positive to the experience of living at Eastside, we should talk…..you know where I am. However, I have one request, please stop using the abusive language, we are not savages.