Was my friend BU about this person parking over her driveway?

[cantbebotheredtoday]

I went to visit my friend the other day, call her H. As I was coming up to her house I noticed a car was half over her driveway, so as my friends car was parked in the driveway I had to park half in and half out her driveway, the back of my car was sticking out onto the road since the other car was blocking me from getting into the free space in her driveway.

Anyway, as I was getting out my car, a woman with her daughter (she had just picked her up from school and that's why she had parked there) came up to me, looking quite flustered and said "I'm really sorry, I'm just moving." I just replied it's okay as I hate confrontation and she had apologised.

I get to my friends door and H comes to the door and was like, "look at that woman parked over my drive" I told her she had apologised, H then proceeded to go up to the woman and say, "could you watch where you are parking in future as people can't get in and out my driveway" the woman replied that she had said sorry and H then said, "that's not the point, it's my driveway!" And stormed away. The woman then apologised again.

I'm just wondering if I am being unreasonable in thinking my friend was being a bit unreasonable. The woman had apologised and was affronted, I just think my friend over reacted but maybe I'm wrong. Personally unless I needed out of my driveway, it's not something I would get upset or worked up about. But I also wouldn't park over someone's driveway, partially or not.

Thoughts?

[moosesormeece]

As a one off it was a bit of an overreaction, but if she lives near a school I bet she gets this all the time and is thoroughly sick of it.

[OpportunityKnocks]

Your friend probably has this every school day. So she is not being unreasonable

[Ithinkmycatisevil]

It is really annoying when people park over your drive way. I park on a raid with drives every day for work and am really conscious of never parking over someone's.

If it happens all the time I can see why your friend was annoyed.

[CluedoAddict]

The woman parking there was unreasonable and so were you for parking sticking out into the road. Your friend was not unreasonable. It's infuriating to have someone block your drive.

[alittlequinnie]

Yup I live by a school and a church and at the moment they are rebuilding the school - ever single fucking day there is somebody stopping me from getting in and out of my garage - pisses me right off.

Yesterday i got back and there is a big truck parked over my garage - nobody in sight. I had to walk onto the buliding site to find somebody to move it.

I totally utterly fucking lost it - blaring on the horn and screaming at them for being a fucking idiot and parking over the garage - the poitn is - it's a driveway and not for parking over.

no need for sorry if the stupid cow had looked and properly parked in the first place.

Bet your friend gets it day after day after day.

[WorraLiberty]

When you say your car was sticking out into the road, does that mean it was blocking the pavement/path?

Either way, your friend wasn't being unreasonable.

You can't just park where you like as long as you say 'sorry'.

[Bogiesaremyonlyfriend]

Not unreasonable at all. You can't just say sorry and expect everything to be ok. What if your friend had had an emergency. People need telling it's not ok sometimes or they'll just repeat the behaviour saying sorry when caught out!

[cantbebotheredtoday]

There is no path or pavement on her side of the street, it goes directly from road to her driveway so I was partially sticking out on to the road. I moved it as soon as the woman moved and there was no where else to park since it was school time and there's always loads of cars parked on her street for the school run.

[HotpotLawyer]

Yes, her response to that one incident was disproportionate and aggressive, but as others have said it probably happens all the time.

You were BVU to park sticking out of her drive, presumably blocking the pavement for buggies or wheelchair users?

Why didn’t you just find a place on the road?

[Barrenfieldoffucks]

But she hadn't apologised to the owner of the driveway, had she. The woman wasn't to know that, but you did.

It must be really bloody irritating having that happen regularly, in surprised you seem more supportive of this random, inconsiderate woman than your actual friend.

[HotpotLawyer]

X posted.

[HolesinTheSoles]

The problem is each parent thinks "oh it's only for fifteen minutes" but if you live near the school you get it all the time and it's bloody annoying. There were times I couldn't get to work on time because of someone blocking my drive.

[MRex]

The woman parking was irresponsible and rude to block a drive. Your friend was perfectly reasonable to tell her off for it, it must be infuriating living near a school where selfish people behave like this. "Sorry" wouldn't help if your friend urgently needed to get somewhere.

[Skincaresos]

Is this a reverse? Of course your friend was not being unreasonable. How is okay to block someone's drive just because you say sorry?!? What a selfish woman. You were also unreasonable for parking sticking out, find somewhere more considerate to park.

[NataliaOsipova]

H wasn’t unreasonable at all; just making a point in a direct fashion. More effective to do so at the time than to stew over it later!

[eurochick]

The friend was NU to get pissy. The other woman was VU to park over her drive.

[AlwaysCheddar]

I get it happens constantly so your friend was not being unreasonable.

[DingDongDenny]

I really don't think the woman's apology was worth anything. You apologise when you make a mistake - she parked there deliberately, knowing there was a good chance she would inconveniance someone. She deserved a bollocking

[GreatDuckCookery6211]

Would you have left your car with it sticking out OP had the woman not moved or did you know she was going to?

I don’t blame your friend tbh. I imagine she has this happen on a regular basis and it would become annoying I bet.

[ourkidmolly]

You wouldn't be feeling so reasonable and forgiving if someone had bashed into your car as it was hanging out on the road. That's a bit daft isn't it?

[100Birds]

I used to live on a road by a secondary school and yes it was infuriating being blocked in all the time. They also used to block the dropped curbs so when I walked down the road with a buggy to get my daughter from the primary school which was further away, I found it very difficult to get through!

I definitely lost my temper a few times! I don’t think your friend wbu

[cantbebotheredtoday]

@Skincaresos what's a reverse? Find somewhere more considerate to park!? There was no where else, her street is packed during school run times so there was no where else, I moved my car as soon as the woman moved and I could pull into the empty space in the drive and I wasn't blocking a pavement. If that were the case I would have sat and waited for the woman to move.

[AnneElliott]

I don't think your friend was BU. I used to live opposite a secondary school and people parking on or over my drive was incredibly annoying.

People used to think saying 'sorry' made it ok, but when it's several people each day doing it, it is frustrating!

I used to have to go full on banshee to get people to move, as otherwise they would tell me 'they'd be leaving in 10 mins'.

[LL83]

The woman knew fine well she was parked on someone's drive so her apology is insincere. She was embarrassed she actually came face to face with someone wanting to use the drive way but she didn't actually care.

I would be annoyed, and parent should have apologised again rather than saying "I apologised" again shows not actually sorry.

[cantbebotheredtoday]

It's a quiet cul de sac. I would have been surprised had anyone hit my car but yes, I would have been livid.