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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

People with driveways parking on the street

232 replies

Hellskitchen24 · 24/01/2025 14:05

I live in a long row of terraces. Most roads are terraced here, as I live in a fairly working class town. This means that the only people with driveways are the end of the terraces. I live a few doors down from the end.

My neighbour has in the last 6 months or so decided to mostly stop using their driveway. It’s a relatively fit retired couple. They probably only use the car a handful of times per week, and instead park it on the road outside our houses. They’ve got this thing now where on the odd occasion they do have it on their drive, as soon as the person moves from the space outside our house, they are up and put their car on it. Even if that’s at the crack of dawn; I’ve seen them peering out at the window at 6:30am, on the rare occasion I’ve got that space and I leave for work. They will be loitering by the door waiting for me to leave.

I don’t quite understand the logic. They are only one of two houses on the street with two dedicated parking spaces, with a perfectly wide accessible drive. I get back quite late at night from work and have to park several streets away when I’m heavily pregnant. So admittedly it does wind me up a bit seeing their empty driveway while all the other residents struggle to park. I know legally they are doing nothing wrong at all. But would I be unreasonable to put a note through their door asking them to possibly use their perfectly accessible driveway to free up more space for the majority who don’t have off road parking?

OP posts:
icouldholditwithacobweb · 24/01/2025 14:11

Or you could just ask them if you could use their driveway since you're heavily pregnant and struggling and they deliberately prevent you from parking on the street.

Dandylione · 24/01/2025 14:11

This is one of those things where it is totally understandable that you're annoyed but you really can't do anything about it. We have a neighbour with three cars (and nobody on our road has a driveway). It's vaguely irritating that they take up a lot of the spaces but there it is.

MumChp · 24/01/2025 14:09

They are legally doing nothing wrong? Why the note?

LittleRedRidingHoody · 24/01/2025 14:09

I'd assume someone blocked them in once or twice and they're making sure they can always get out!

THisbackwithavengeance · 24/01/2025 14:08

I would ask them face to face if they needed any help guiding their car into their drive given that they are lucky enough to have a drive to park and that you are surprised they choose to park on the street given the congestion.

DustyLee123 · 24/01/2025 14:07

I wouldn’t bother with a note. Like you say, they aren’t doing anything wrong , they are just selfish.
i wonder if they get parked in, and that’s why?

Drollie · 24/01/2025 14:07

Do people block them in?