Who is bu? A parking one

[Parkthecar]

I'll try to explain this clearly. I'm going to try not to identify which one I am.

There is a row of 3 houses. They are housing association. They are set within a fenced off area and set back from the road. Each house has a driveway for two cars, then at the top of the driveways there is a large tarmac area before another area with trees and plants, then a main road.

The tarmac area isn't officially for parking, but there is enough room for two or three cars, and still enough room for cars to reverse on/off the driveways. Contractors always park there when carrying out repairs.

Joan lives in house 1 with grown up dc, Deirdre lives in house 2 with her husband (her dc have moved out) and Pam lives in house 3 with her two small dc and husband.

They've all lived in harmony for years. Joan only had one car and Pam only had one car. Deirdre had two cars but her dc lived with her and had cars too. Deirdres son bought and sold cars meaning Deirdre would often leave cars on the tarmac area sometimes not moving for months. The other neighbours only used the tarmac area occasionally for visitors.

Years on and things have changed. Deirdre's dc have moved out. Pams husband has acquired a car and a work van, and Joan's dc have grown up and got their own cars. This means Deirdres house has two vehicles but the others have 3 each. Plus Joan's grown up dc often have their boyfriends and girlfriends to stay.

Pam and Joan have now started using the tarmac area regularly to park. At times Joan will have two cars on her drive, two squeezed onto the tarmac and one in the side road.

Deirdre didn't like this as she felt she was blocked in and reported her neighbours. In her defence she lives in the middle. She on one occasion asked Joan's son to move his car as she said she couldn't reverse off her drive. Perhaps not very politely. Joan's son ignored her.

Now the HA told her they won't get involved with the parking but have told Deirdre to stop harassing Joan.

Deirdre is complaining that she's blocked in and that it looks unsightly, she thinks Pams husbands van blocks her view too.

Recently Deirdres dad has been staying and has been parking his camper van on the tarmac. Joans daughter then asked him to move it as he was in her space. Deirdre says it isn't her space and now another argument has kicked off.

Pam seems to think that they can all use the tarmac providing that they are considerate to each other and that it is first come first served.

To make matters worse Fred from the side road has decided he doesn't want anyone parking in the side road opposite his house as now he can't get off his drive, he's fell out with Joan too now and has started reporting any workmen who park there.

Who is in the wrong here?

[ceebie]

People have to be able to get off their own drives.
First come first served on the tarmac area. But only if no-one is blocking anyone in.
Obviously.

[MelB1992]

Sorry this made me laugh - love a good parking wars thread!

Pam seems the only reasonable one.

Deirdre is a bit bit cheeky to complain considering she had 4 cars at one point and her DS would leave them for months. Joan's son should have just moved his car to avoid being seen as petty. Ultimately if you are given 2 spaces then you should only probably be parking 2 cars so they need to all live with it if they are going to have 3 or more each.

So OP, which one are you?

[RainbowsAndUnicorns5]

Bloody hell thats like a SATS maths problem

[SouthWesterlyWinds]

Who owns the tarmac on the deeds/land registry? They should be the ones to clear this up. Either you all come up with the agreement that you have the drive plus one space on the tarmac, or you all gets bicycles or you then have to contact the council for residents parking only/double yellows. It won't affect the people who park on their drives but it will clear the side road plus will allow residents to leave their drives without having to knock around the neighbours.

And the neighbour whose son is ignoring and blocking the neighbours in is being unreasonable. Whilst it probably is legal for them to park there, they are not considering their neighbours. If you really want to push the point home, park your cars on the tarmac and leave your drives free. That should push the point home about not blocking in.

[DailyFaily]

I agree with Pam - if the tarmac belongs to no one then it's free for anyone, as long as they're not blocking someone else in. It would be ideal if people could be fair about it but ultimately it's first come, first served. Same goes for Fred - if it's genuinely stopping him from getting off his drive (rather than just making a bit more difficult) then he has every reason to complain.

[NynaevesSister]

Pam is. You're Pam aren't you OP?

[blublutoo]

Nobody should be blocking anybody into their driveways. It's not nice and certainly isn't neighbourly. I think you are Pam and really I think you should try to stay out of it (if you are Pam).. when complaining about the husbands van, is the van parked on driveway or tarmac?
I think tarmac is first come first served

[Parkthecar]

I don't know who owns the land I can only guess it must be the housing association.

However despite Deirdre making several complaints they won't get involved.

[Buzzardbird]

I can answer this one!

I had this exact same problem at my old address. I lived in number 1 which was the house that had the extra space at the bottom of the drive. Everyone thought it was ok to park there and block us in whenever they felt like it. Tight angle made it impossible to reverse off drive and turn to get down the driveway bit. There is also tonnes of space to park on the road, apart from the fact that you can get four cars on your own drive.

On looking into it legally through the land registry plans, it was found that no-one was allowed to park on it. Next door refused to listen, as he was an arsehole of the highest order, so our solicitor had to write to him and we had to get a 'no parking' put up.

[Parkthecar]

Pams husband parks van on the drive but Pam puts her car on the tarmac in the evening once everyone is home.

You can get on and off all the driveways even with multiple cars on the tarmac, you have to be marginally more careful.

The same with the side road which is actually a public road with no double yellows and no need for permit holders as we're in the middle of nowhere.

[Parkthecar]

Actually I've changed my mind going by Buzzards post. I think Joan has the worst positioning as she's in the corner so couldn't reverse off her drive so she reverses onto it.

[Purplepicnic]

Everyone should use the two spaces on their drive first (sounds like Pam isn't).

Tarmac to be used as overflow on a first come first served basis with everyone parking considerately.

[blublutoo]

so who are you op?

[Parkthecar]

I'm Pam.

My opinion on it is that everyone could utilise the extra space if they were considerate to each other.

[Tiggeryoubastard]

Joan's kids and Dierdre are twats. There's only you OP that isn't.

[snowgirl29]

If you've all got two spaces on the drives, can't Pam park her car on the drive with her DHs van?

Gosh and I thought we had parking wars outside ours!

We have a Deirdre too. God forbid your disabled dad should park out the front of your own home but they can take up half the bloody street with their own fleet of cars

If Pam parked on the drive would that free up more manoeuvring space for the rest of you on the tarmac?

[snowgirl29]

My opinion is that everyone could utilise the extra space if they were considerate to each other

Quite true Pam. But I find that people often get very possessive over car parking spaces that aren't even theirs. .

[Parkthecar]

Pams household has 3 vehicles and Joan's household has 3 vehicles. Deirdres now only has 2.

[snowgirl29]

Sorry Pam. I misread the OP. I never was good at Maths.

[snowgirl29]

If Pam and Joan's household have 3, they need the space more than Deirdre.

But I have a Deirdre, so erm, good luck. I mean that sincerely. they're a bloody nightmare sometimes

[Parkthecar]

Also i Pam has told Deirdre that she's happy to park on the main road in the event that Deirdre has visitors. She's also said that she knows she can't reserve the space so if Deirdre wants to use it and gets there first it's fine. As well as saying that if she was in the way just to knock on or ring and she's move promptly.

Deirdre seems to be able to get on and off her drive when it's her own relatives vehicle sit seems to be only Joan and Pams cars that cause an obstruction.

Pam doesn't think that Joan's dc have any right to reserve the tarmac as their own.

[Parkthecar]

It's ok it's a mad situation

I think if Deirdre and Joan don't be a bit nicer the HA will just get sick of the complaints, stick a no parking sign up which will only pure everyone.

I think we're really lucky to have the space we do.

[snowgirl29]

I don't think Joan's DC have any right to reserve the tarmac as their own either but, my Deidres DH oarks their workvan outside my house to reserve the space outside their own house for their family! .

Like, I said, people get strangely possessive over these spaces. I hope the HA sort the problem out for you all soon. It may sound minor but it can be terribly annoying.

[Frrrrrrippery]

Lol, it was really obvious you were Pam from the OP and think you already know that you are the reasonable one. ,

We need a diagram, Im pretty sure it's a legal requirement to have a diagram on parking threads.

[WhoTheFuckIsSimon]

Deirdre and Joan sound as bad as each other. Pam sounds ok. I hope you're Pam. If not you should be more like Pam.