Parking free for all, Aibu?

[ribbitTheFrog]

I have a small driveway/parking space in front of my house. Earlier this year I bought a parking permit for my car (as the road is meter parking/residents permits) because it would mean my visitors could use my drive (it's hard to park round here).

A friend of mine got a job near my house, so I said she can use the drive whilst she work, she uses it sometimes, she pops in to say hi, she's very grateful for the parking and has done me a few favours like helping paint some rooms in my house, we're both happy.

But it's turned out some of my neighbours have also been using the parking space, including their lazy kids. I've told them before that the space is often used (though some days it's empty) and asked them not to park in it.

This morning I returned home to find someone had parked there, it's the neighbours daughter who is too lazy to look for a street parking space (which may be hard to find). I can't speak to them now as they seem to have gone shopping/for lunch (I live by the town centre). I have to go out and am heavily pregnant. As I'm likely to lose my street parking space this means I'll have to trek round looking for a space when I return

Am I being an angry pregnant woman or should these people (and other neighbours who just park with no consent) be respecting my instructions not to use my parking space?!

[flanjabelle]

Yanbu at all. Give them hell when you see them op.

[PandaMummyofOne]

I'd have had the car moved myself. Do you know someone with a two truck? Pisses me off here too. Our drive is big enough for our cars, and when we have guests they either park on the drive or across it so they don't block anyone else in.

But three of our fucking neighbours have absolute arsehole, lazy kids who can't bear to walk the extra ten feet it would to not block us in! Sick of having the same fucking argument of move your car, I want to go out/work/park etc.

Wankers!!!

[19lottie82]

no YANBU. Can you not just block them in? They'll soon get the message.

[DorisLessingsCat]

Well, she is completely in the wrong.

But, if I was your neighbour I would be pissed off with your constantly taking up street parking when you have your own drive way, and then enabling a commuter to use your drive while residents find it harder to park because your car is on the drive.

Legally you are doing nothing wrong but I don't find it very neighbourly.

[FieldTrip]

Looking at it from your POV, I'd be inclined to block her in, take a taxi and be out for several hours.

OTOH, I can see Doris' point. I imagine you're commuter friend is a source of constant irritation for them, even though you're doing nothing "wrong"

[AlisonBlunderland]

I'm confused.
You have /need a permit to park your car in this space? Surely that means that it is not your personal space (unilke the drive which is your space which you allow your friend to use)
If it is not your personal space, why do you need permit?
If it is a permit space then anyone else who has a permit can use it.

Or have I got this all wrong?

[AlisonBlunderland]

OK.I've read the OP for the third time, and they are parking in your own space?
Well that is wrong, but I can imagine your neighbours are annoyed by you using a permit space and leaving your drive empty

[Teabagbeforemilk]

Why did you get a permit if you have one car and a drive to park on? How did they even ok that?

I think you are all being unreasonable. You are using 2 parking spaces, where parking is difficult so you and your friend (who doesn't live there) can park for work. Meanwhile they can't park anywhere near.

They shouldn't be parking on your drive, but if you weren't there how do you know she didn't look for a space?

[TimeforaDietCoke]

We struggle with street parking round here too so I agree with PPs that your neighbours might be annoyed with someone else using your drive and you taking up another space. But they are still BU for parking on your drive. A lady on our road does something similar - pays for a street parking permit and parks right next to her completely empty garage (I can see it's empty as the door is always open). That's technically against our parking regulations round here as if you have one off-street parking space and one car, you aren't entitled to a street permit. BTW I'm probably shorter of temper than usual due to being heavily pregnant, hot and exhausted

[AliceAlice1979]

Yanbu - at all.

We live in a very simar situation to you op. We don't have private off street parking ourselves, but a few neighbours do. One lady has taken to always parking on the street. Always right outside our house and leaving her private off street parking free for guests of hers. It's frustrating for me but her right at the end of the day. I'd never dream of using her parking space without asking her first (and never have)

[firesidechat]

I'm a little confused.

You have a drive/designated parking space on your private property which is yours alone and no one else can use and which your friend now uses to park her car on sometimes, with your permission. Other people are now using this space to park their cars.

You also have a parking permit which means you can park anywhere on the road.

Is that correct?

[Icimoi]

Could you clarify the situation, OP? Is the neighbour's daughter parking on your drive or in the designated street parking space outside your house? And is that space designated for you, or is it available for anyone who has a permit? And does the neighbour's daughter have a permit?

[ribbitTheFrog]

Ok, so neighbours are parking on my small driveway. Most of them already have two permits to park in the road, it is their visitors/children who are using my driveway without permission.

I have one permit to park in the road. I can see the point that I should use my driveway space rather than using my permit for street parking, but equally lots of the neighbours have two cars and I have only one.

[ribbitTheFrog]

I can't block the cars in as I'd get a parking ticket....

[AggressiveBunting]

Just get one of those metal post things installed

[FenellaFellorick]

So they are actually parking in your driveway? On your private property?

block them in and make them come and knock, then read them the riot act.

Can you paint your driveway or put a sign saying private property do not park here?

[FenellaFellorick]

x post, you would get a parking ticket for parking at the bottom of your driveway?
big sign or a bollard then, might be the way to go.

[petalunicorn]

They are wrong to park in your space, they are being selfish. They probably don't care though because you are selfish to park on the road when you have a drive. No one is being considerate here.

[AliceAlice1979]

Can you line rubbish bins up behind the car for now? Barricade it in?

[Teabagbeforemilk]

Yes but you are parkimg on the road to that someone who doesn't love there can park on your drive.

[Sianilaa]

YANBU to have a permit and use it when you have guests.

Your neighbours are BVU to park on your drive.

However YABVVVU to leave your drive empty and park on the road and let your commuter friend park on your drive all the time. That is incredibly selfish behaviour when parking is an issue. Use your own drive then nobody else can park on it!

[MangoBiscuit]

ribbet, this sounds very similar to what used to happen when we lived in our old house. We had space on the driveway for one car, and a permit for one (housemate's car) One of the neighbours would often dump their van on our driveway. We'd knock, ask them to move it, which they would, with promises not to do it again. Few days later, same thing. One day they didn't answer the door, and we'd had enough, so we called the police, who told us to park it across the end of the drive, blocking them in if unavoidable, and gave us a reference number in case we got a ticket. Neighbour was late to work the next day, parking ticket was voided, and they didn't park there again.

If you've gotten through all that, I'd suggest you call the police (non-emergency) and ask for advice. Also, perhaps try parking on your drive. Letting people visiting you park there while they're with you I understand, but taking a permit space so a commuter can park for free is a bit mean.

[ribbitTheFrog]

Ok, so how am I selfish for letting my friend use my driveway when most weekdays I'm at work and so not using any spaces in the road? When I get home in the evenings parking isn't an issue as the restrictions have been lifted by then.

The reason I've become aware that the neighbours visitors are using my driveway some days is that I've been working from home at times due to late pregnancy so I've seen them.

The people using the driveway seem to be the neighbours children, who do not live here, their parents have driveways and/or permits for the road.

Now I'm pissed off again as I've just seen someone else has parked on my driveway, a different person used it this morning and my car is still stuck down the road on the street since I went out first thing (when my car had been on the drive). I suspect that these piss takers have been doing this for ages, it's only now that I've been working from home that I've become aware.

[ribbitTheFrog]

Oh and the other reason they'll want to use my drive is that it saves them paying at the meter to park in the road.