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AIBU?

Neighbours, driveways and stupid police.

257 replies

montysma1 · 09/09/2012 21:01

My driveway entrance is double width, leading into my largely monoblocked driveway, which extends to the full width of my house. The entrance and the driveway are accessed over the pavement which has a lowered kerb.

I am plagued by cars doing 3 point turns, either mounting the pavement (best case ) or more commonly, crossing the pavement and driving squarely right into my monoblocked garden as part of their turn. Its annoying when randopm cars do it.

More annoyingly, a woman who comes daily to a house 3 down from ours (I think she might be the granny and might be child caring), uses our driveways habitually for all her turns, and I mean, all 4 wheels in my garden, (head lights beaming into our living room if its dark). Tonight i actually had to sit in the road way waiting for her to reverse out ouf my drive before I could get in to park on it! She actaully drices right past the driveway of the house she is going into (as it is narrow), manouvers in my garden and drives back down the street to park at the house she is going into!

Phoned the police tonight who say this is neither a criminal or civil offence. They are sending a community officer tomorrow to assuage my ranting, although, I did point out thats its not me who is doing it, so why not visit her?

AIBU to phone thenm back and point out that they are talking crap and that the law seems to state "that it is an offence to drive a vehicle over a pavement unless to gain access to private property" As she is not gaining access to my property, nor has she permission to , then surely it is an offence to mount the pavemnt at my house let alone drive right over it onto my property.

My children play in the garden, and know nopt to even so much as oput a toe out onto the pavement. but they cant even be safe in their own garden as according to the police, its perfectly fine for random cars to swing in at speed, reverse and leave again. they said i should phone back if a car hits one of them!

OP posts:
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Pippinintherain · 09/09/2012 21:03

How annoying!

Can you get gates so no-one can access your drive?

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SeventhEverything · 09/09/2012 21:03

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TooTiredToBeCreative · 09/09/2012 21:04

Second the suggestion to put in gates or a chain!

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TheMonster · 09/09/2012 21:05

Gates or bollards.

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StinkyPig · 09/09/2012 21:05

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soverylucky · 09/09/2012 21:06

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BlackberryIce · 09/09/2012 21:06

Why are the police stupid??

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KenHomsDadsWoksDead · 09/09/2012 21:06

Can you gate it, or fence it, or put one of those foldy-lock-down bollard things on it? It's annoying, but I don't see what else you can do to stop it - if it's in a convenient place to turn, then people will.

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ChasedByBees · 09/09/2012 21:06

Next time she does it, knock on her window and tell her she's making your garden unsafe for your children and you want her to stop. She probably will. If you can't get her, go and speak to your neighbours directly. Most people can be reasonable once they realise how they impact others although if that were really true this would be a very boring board

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SauvignonBlanche · 09/09/2012 21:08

I agree, if you're that bothered, get a gate.
I wouldn't have called the police!

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TyrannoWearsGoldKnickers · 09/09/2012 21:08

I'm actually boggling at the fact you've phoned the police about this. What an extraordinary over-reaction. And why 'rant' at the poor sod who answered your call?

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IwishIwasmoreorganised · 09/09/2012 21:09

We've got one of these

Cheaper than gates and should do the job!

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FredFredGeorge · 09/09/2012 21:09

If it has a carriage crossing - which presumably it does if you use it for your cars and legally installed the dropped kerb - then it's not an offence to drive over it. And the on your part is purely a civil offence, if there's any offence at all, and I doubt that.

Put posts up, or CHILL OUT.

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NorbertDentressangle · 09/09/2012 21:09

Stick some big plant pots across half of it so the entrance is only the width of a car like all the other driveways.

But, most importantly, don't lose any sleep over it.

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TwoIfBySea · 09/09/2012 21:09

Oh I love a good parking thread!

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Tuttutitlookslikerain · 09/09/2012 21:09

I can see why you are annoyed. Could you get one or two of those poles that lock into place and fold down to stop them? I know you shouldn't have to, but it would stop your children being at risk from being run over.

When the PCSO comes tomorrow, ask him to go to the house and ask the granny to stop doing it. If she doesn't play tit for tat and start using the other house's drive to turn in, they'll soon get the message!

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kellestar · 09/09/2012 21:09

MiL has this problem. They put a gate up, one of those that a third is a small gate and two thirds a big one, she also put a sign saying private property.

Until people got the message, it was a faff that annoyed all visitors as we had to stop in a busy lane, open the gate, drive in, close the gate.

Now she just leaves the smaller gate across the drive, it's tight if your pulling in, but you can't do a turn.

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Clytaemnestra · 09/09/2012 21:09

Why did you wait? I would have blocked her in. Not an offense to block someone in to your own driveway, especially if they weren't invited. :)

Put a low chain on. Couple of weeks of doing it will be a pain, but would hopefully be enough to break her off the habit.

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Clytaemnestra · 09/09/2012 21:09

Of, not off

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soverylucky · 09/09/2012 21:11

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UnexpectedItemInShaggingArea · 09/09/2012 21:11

Agree, why not just talk to her? The police have real problems to deal with.

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SlightlySuperiorPeasant · 09/09/2012 21:13

Chain, fence, fancy automatic bollards...

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Mintyy · 09/09/2012 21:13

What did the woman say when you mentioned it to her?

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ThreadWatcher · 09/09/2012 21:15

I agree with Clytaemnestra

Why did you wait for her?
Put a chain or rocks in the way?

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IwishIwasmoreorganised · 09/09/2012 21:19

Rocks in the way would be a real pita to be fair!

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