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AIBU?

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Parking issues

111 replies

pollypocke · 09/04/2024 18:50

Hi all,

For a bit of context, I live on a row of 6 town houses (double fronted terraces) there are another 6 on the opposite side. The lady who lives on the end house on the opposite side has a driveway, no other houses have driveways apart from the end ones. There is a concrete bollard to mark where her driveway starts so no one can block it by parking over the driveway. My OH has a work van (not huge) and one night parked it outside of her house and about a meter away from the concrete bollard. She came over and knocked on our door and asked my OH to move his van because she couldn't see the road coming out of her driveway. He did the first time she asked as he was being polite but when he parked there again she came knocking again and asked him to reverse back away from the concrete bollard so she'd be able to see better. Bear in mind there is limited parking on our street and if OH had reversed he'd be taking up 2 spaces which hardly seems fair given the lady has her own driveway.
Anyway, my OH refused to move his van the second time but was very polite and just said he didn't want to take up 2 spaces. She went off in a huff and was clearly annoyed.

So now, she parks her own car outside of her house but just far enough away from the concrete bollard that no one else can park in front of her and her partner still parks on their drive. Their drive is big enough for 3 cars and originally they always parked their cars on the drive.

My OH wasn't malicious or mardy, he simply said if there was no other space on the street then he'd carry on parking the way he has because he's not done anything wrong but this seems to have not been good enough so she's made sure he can't park there by parking her own car there even though she has her own drive.

AIBU to think this is a bit much, considering my OH wasn't breaking any rules and was parked perfectly legally

YABU - He should just take up 2 spaces so she has more space to see

OP posts:
pollypocke · 10/04/2024 18:21

outsidethemug · 10/04/2024 18:17

It's a pain in the arse having to pull out into traffic when your view is obstructed but I also thought that it was just part of driving and that vans had a right to be there to be honest! Surprised if that's not the case

You and me both! But apparently my OH should park away from our little residential estate and risk his van being stolen, vandalised or damaged because he can't keep an eye on it and have to have a nice little 1 hour walk home after he finishes work

OP posts:
outsidethemug · 10/04/2024 18:17

It's a pain in the arse having to pull out into traffic when your view is obstructed but I also thought that it was just part of driving and that vans had a right to be there to be honest! Surprised if that's not the case

Londonrach1 · 10/04/2024 18:16

Work vans restrict views. I have struggled before. They shouldn't be parked in a residential idea. Although it's legal for him to park on the road, moyally he shouldn't as he could cause an accident due to restricted view. Yabu.

ButWhatAboutTheBees · 10/04/2024 18:13

pollypocke · 10/04/2024 18:04

It's all opinion though isn't it, I suppose morally as well. Everyone has their own views. Just because mine aren't the same as yours doesn't make mine wrong and yours right, in my opinion :)

You asked AIBU

You've been almost unanimously told you are but you refuse to accept it

DisappearingGirl · 10/04/2024 18:10

she was 'sick of looking at it' and asked when he was moving it

Well that's different and she's definitely being unreasonable in that situation! Likewise a previous poster's description of her non-driver mum popping up like a meercat to check for vans made me lol.

I still think it would be courteous not to park where he's blocking her visibility though.

ItIsEverywhere · 10/04/2024 18:06

There is a road near me that has legal parking outside a row of shops, so vehicles are always changing, but it is very awkward to see if anything is coming without starting to cross. Vans make it worse because they stick out and up even further; just have to take the manoeuvre even more slowly.
Given that your neighbour has actually pointed out the difficulty the van causes, it would be nice to respect it.

pollypocke · 10/04/2024 18:04

ButWhatAboutTheBees · 10/04/2024 17:58

Ahh doubling down on you being in the right despite multiple posters telling you you're wrong

It's all opinion though isn't it, I suppose morally as well. Everyone has their own views. Just because mine aren't the same as yours doesn't make mine wrong and yours right, in my opinion :)

OP posts:
ButWhatAboutTheBees · 10/04/2024 17:58

Ahh doubling down on you being in the right despite multiple posters telling you you're wrong

INeedAnotherName · 10/04/2024 17:57

Yeah I'll start writing down all the reg plates of every car owner I see parked at an inconvenience to someone else and take it to the council or police, I'm sure they've budgeted for that!
If they are parked dangerously, ie obstructing visibility at junctions then yes, you should report. It's illegal for them to do it and you could literally save somebody's life by doing it.

pollypocke · 10/04/2024 17:55

This reply has been deleted

This has been deleted by MNHQ for breaking our Talk Guidelines.

You're lovely! Luckily he's never had any issues and always gets parked up on our street 😃

OP posts:
pollypocke · 10/04/2024 17:54

Well the council should care where they park seeing as though they own the majority of the houses. If my OH, multiple HA drivers and my neighbour parking their taxi there are all being selfish then it's a huge coincidence we all live so close together!
Has anyone stopped to ask whether she's just one of those people who are funny about parking spaces? She complained when my OH parked his van opposite her house (no impact on her drive or her life) over Christmas break (2 weeks) because she was 'sick of looking at it' and asked when he was moving it 🙃 I think she just has a problem with people parking anything that's not a car around our streets, even if it' doesn't impact her or anyone else

OP posts:
DiamondArtists · 10/04/2024 17:53

This reply has been deleted

This has been deleted by MNHQ for breaking our Talk Guidelines.

pollypocke · 10/04/2024 17:49

Ah see im northern, we're a more robust breed! 🤣 I'm joking, you seem to be getting quite annoyed with me though so perhaps we should agree to disagree 😁

OP posts:
fieldsofbutterflies · 10/04/2024 17:49

pollypocke · 10/04/2024 17:48

Also, something to note! Most of the houses around us are HA, ours is owned but a lot of the time we have HA vans parked all over the road, including where my OH parks, does she ever ask them to move? They continue to park there if she does so the council clearly don't see an issue and they own the bloody house and driveway!

So because they're shit, selfish parkers, it's okay for your DH to be one too?

DisappearingGirl · 10/04/2024 17:49

I live in a similar sounding area OP and I can see both sides.

There are quite a few vans round here and they have to park somewhere and yes it sounds like your DH is legally allowed to park there.

However it's awful having to inch out when you just can't see what's coming. The other day there was a van parked next to the junction at the bottom of my road so the visibility was non-existent. I inched, inched, inched out, was about to pull out properly when a car came flying down the hill - I braked hard and narrowly avoided a collision. He slowed and glared back at me. I glared back at him and raised my hands in a way that hopefully said "What did you expect me to do?" I mean yes it was his right of way, but surely he could see me inching out and was aware that there was no way I could see him?

On balance I'd agree that the neighbour has asked your DH not to park there, not to be an arse, but because she genuinely can't get out of her drive safely.

ButWhatAboutTheBees · 10/04/2024 17:49

Being HA doesn't mean the council care where they park 🤷‍♀️

BetterLuckTomorrow · 10/04/2024 17:48

pollypocke · 10/04/2024 17:45

Where do you live???? I live in a very populated area, with most people having to park on the street with very limited spaces. There are far too many cars for our tiny residential roads, it's something that isn't going to change overnight.
Even to get to my home, I have to drive by a mini roundabout with cars parked next to the bloody thing.
Maybe we should just up sticks and move to the middle of nowhere 🤣

I live and drive in London, including rush hour on an almost daily basis. I’ve never pulled out of a roundabout where my view wasn’t clear because I’ve no desire to risk killing or seriously injuring myself or others.

pollypocke · 10/04/2024 17:48

Also, something to note! Most of the houses around us are HA, ours is owned but a lot of the time we have HA vans parked all over the road, including where my OH parks, does she ever ask them to move? They continue to park there if she does so the council clearly don't see an issue and they own the bloody house and driveway!

OP posts:
fieldsofbutterflies · 10/04/2024 17:47

If you saw the road you'd see what I mean, it's a long straight road, she can see the road before she even passes OH's van

That's completely irrelevant, though, because she still needs to be able to check again in case a child (or dog/cat) has run into the road in the meantime.

pollypocke · 10/04/2024 17:46

Needanewnamebeingwatched · 10/04/2024 17:43

You could always park on her drive

That's a fantastic idea! I'd love a driveway!

OP posts:
pollypocke · 10/04/2024 17:45

BetterLuckTomorrow · 10/04/2024 17:43

The amount of times I've had to pull out of junctions/roundabouts and driveways when there's been an obstructed view is almost every time I go out!

This suggests that you don’t have an accurate perception of what is or isn’t safe when it comes to driving. You really shouldn’t be pulling out onto a roundabout if your view is obstructed.

Where do you live???? I live in a very populated area, with most people having to park on the street with very limited spaces. There are far too many cars for our tiny residential roads, it's something that isn't going to change overnight.
Even to get to my home, I have to drive by a mini roundabout with cars parked next to the bloody thing.
Maybe we should just up sticks and move to the middle of nowhere 🤣

OP posts:
Needanewnamebeingwatched · 10/04/2024 17:43

You could always park on her drive

BetterLuckTomorrow · 10/04/2024 17:43

The amount of times I've had to pull out of junctions/roundabouts and driveways when there's been an obstructed view is almost every time I go out!

This suggests that you don’t have an accurate perception of what is or isn’t safe when it comes to driving. You really shouldn’t be pulling out onto a roundabout if your view is obstructed.

Laurama91 · 10/04/2024 17:43

Where i live people complain about how people park on the main road. It's 40 mph and people say they can't. There is a hatched area that no one ever parks on. Both the police and council have said its enough visibility and doesn't need changing. I assume this is the same for you. The bollard was purposely put a set distance which will be enough.

pollypocke · 10/04/2024 17:43

ButWhatAboutTheBees · 10/04/2024 17:36

Ah one of those OPs
OP: AIBU?
PP: Yes. Very
OP: You're wrong and I'm going to be more unreasonable

He was already asked once not to park there. Continuing to do so was a dick move

He would take up two spaces regardless with how you've described it

Do you have a car? Maybe you should swap spaces with him if you do, so when he comes back you move the car.

The lady may have been involved in a crash before due to restricted visibility and be more cautious. Regardless SHE feels unsafe driving off because her vision is lacking. You and your OH should respect that

I'm very stubborn! 😂😂

OP posts: