To report a lorry driver for parking in a residential street?

[NoMarymary]

Residential estate with normal parking (driveways/garages) but lots of additional cars which end up parked on the road and in one of several lay-bys which are dotted about.

For the last couple of months one of the residents parks a huge great big articulated lorry in one of these lay-bys taking 3-4 car spaces and making even more cars park in the road, which is already full of cars.

Is he allowed to do this? WIBU to phone his company and complain? Would the local police step in? Apart from the cars everywhere it's dangerous when kids try to cross the road behind it as they can't see (little school attached to the estate). It's also a bloody eyesore.

[maddy68]

Provided the lorry is taxed he can park anywhere he likes on a street unless parking restrictions are in place.

[NoMarymary]

He's parked there from 6 pm to 8 am. It's not a lorry park.

[MrsBertMacklin]

No, the police won't step in unless he's causing an obstruction and highly unlikely his employer will care.

Have you checked your house deed/lease covenants? Assuming your estate is on unadopted/private roads and are managed privately, there may be rules and regulations forbidding commercial vehicles.

If there is, the managing agent might contact the property owner and highlight the rules. If he ignores their letter though in reality it will be very difficult and costly for them to do anything to enforce the rules.

Have you tried knocking on their door and explaining the problem as you see it - or speaking to other neighbours to see if you can rally together and ask him to move?

[Slowdownsally]

OP - yes, you could phone his company as most freight and haulage companies don't allow their vehicles to be parked on public streets over night due to their insurance.

It's very odd that he's doing it and I would guess that he shouldn't be.

If it is his own vehicle/company, it might be more difficult to deal with though.

[BoneyBackJefferson]

Its not illegal as long as he is parking with the flow of traffic and has his lights on. (from memory)

[scousadelic]

It may not be illegal but the company might not be aware and may ask him to park somewhere else if you complain

[Cornflakesnmilk]

In London, you can park a lorry on a residential street unless there are restrictions with regards to permits/size of bay etc or there is an overnight weight ban in place. This is denoted by small signs on the lamp posts of the particular roads and generally affects lorries over 5 tonnes.

[NoMarymary]

The roads have been adopted by the local council.

I will phone the company tomorrow.

[SauvignonBlanche]

YABU to start 3 different threads about this.

[tallulah]

I once complained to the local paper about a Norbert Detressangle lorry being left in a layby every weekend. Lorry driver was outraged that I'd complained and couldn't see why he was being totally unreasonable, and the police were totally disinterested.

It makes me angry that you can't leave your car anywhere these days without paying a small fortune, but you can dump a bloody great lorry wherever you like and the authorities turn a blind eye.

[NoMarymary]

What?

[MrsBertMacklin]

Have you tried talking to your neighbour?

[rightguard]

You need to contact the traffic commissioner. They are using the road as an operating centre and they need permission for this which I doubt the tc would have authorised.

[OwlCapone]

YABU to start 3 different threads about this.

She didn't. Bizarrely, the OP of the threads complaining about a flat bed van is a different one.

[SauvignonBlanche]

My mistake, I apologise.

[NoMarymary]

Lots of bastard lorries parking where they shouldn't then

Never heard of a traffic commissioner but I will certainly contact one.

[helenenemo]

YABU to complain. Years ago someone complained to my dad's work about him parking on our road. The company didn't care one jot as he was doing nothing wrong.

[OttiliaVonBCup]

Some of these responses are funny.
YABU because my did always did it or Wahhh! Where should my brother park then.

Well, ever considered that daddy or DB might be wrong too?

Anyway, even motorway parking lots separate lorries and cars.

[EvansOvalPiesYumYum]

Do I understand this correctly?

1. The driver is a resident
2. His vehicle is taxed, MOT'd and insured (as far as you know)
3. He is parked in a lay-by (therefore, it appears, safely, and not actually causing an obstruction of any kind)

Is his chosen parking spot a council-owned public space? If so, then he is legally entitled to park there. It doesn't seem as though he's operating business dealings from that spot, from the hours you've provided, sounds as though he parks when he gets home in the evening, then leaves again to go to work in the morning. Probably much the same as any other member of your family or your neighbouring residents.

If he were using a privately-owned spot, or parking in someone's driveway, then that would be a different matter entirely. But it seems not to be the case here?

[NoMarymary]

He is inconveniencing the residents as they can't park in the layby. If he is there after 9 am which is around twice a week it's dangerous for the children crossing to the school. Generally he starts at 8 but not always.

If it is reasonable or legal for lorries to park in residential areas why aren't there dozens of lorries parked along residential streets? If their insurance companies allow this that would be the case. The fact that so few are seen is a reason I think there must be some reason they don't all park here.

[NoMarymary]

There are cars parked both sides of the road now because of the lorry. Ill phone the company. I think the driver is just too lazy to take it back to the depot and drive home from there. I can't see the company thinking this is ok if it's broken into.

[TheCunnyFunt]

DP says that if the driver has an O licence (Operators licence) for that address then yes he can legally park there. BUT if he doesn't have an OL then he can't park there. DP isn't allowed to bring his work lorry (just a 7.5 tonne) home because the OL isn't registered at this address.

Basically, anything bigger than a 3.5 tonne vehicle (so a transit van size) needs an Operators licence registered to the address that it parks at overnight.

[KatieKaye]

Check your deeds - if the "layby" is part of the communal areas belonging to all the residents it may be the case that the parking of commercial vehicles is forbidden - this is very common in housing estates. Often the case with parking spaces for residents but I' not sure if this is the case with your "layby"

However, if the layby is part of an adopted road, then it sounds as if your only hope would be if the driver was parking dangerously, e.g. obscuring sight lines - that sort of thing.

Is there a residents' association you could speak to?

[pullingmyhairout2]

My husband is a lorry driver so may be able to advise.
In the windscreen there should be a blue disc (like a tax disc) called an o license. On there it should say where the lorry is meant to be parked up overnight. Which should be the company's depot address.
If its not the same as the address he's going into you can contact vosa or the local traffic commissioners office.

[NoMarymary]

However if the HGVs are over 7.5 tonnes they require an operators licence which states that the vehicle should be garaged overnight either at its operating centre, or as a visitor to another operating centre or at an approved lorry park

BINGO.

From the local council website which ties in with what you nice people say!
The lorry is way over 7.5 tonnes

I'll have a look in the cab tomorrow