People with driveways parking on the street

We had one like this on our street, drive would probably fit 3 cars, they had 2 but only ever parked one on the drive despite parking on the street being limited. They even spread their bins across both sides to make it look like another wouldn’t fit rather than put them in a row, or use their bin store!! Everyone hated him.

Thankfully his wife kicked him out and her new bloke parks both cars on the drive like a normal person.

And it’s your attitude that makes life unnecessarily difficult!

NC as we’ve told this story to everyone we know.
Retired, able bodied couple in our road have two cars and a driveway that can fit four, easily. For some reason the woman of that couple likes to park her car in a little “lay-by” area of our street opposite their house, even when there’s loads of room on their drive.
When we were having building work done last year, we had a skip on our (small) drive for a few months so parked our car in that little area where our neighbour likes to park - it’s public road, not designated to anyone. We rarely moved the car as we both wfh and use our other car for nipping out and about most of the time.

Our neighbour was outraged about this and said we were “morally wrong” to hog the space and not let others park there. She and her husband came round and had a go about it on a few occasions.
a) we literally didn’t have space on our drive but had to park somewhere b) they didn’t need the space, they just preferred (for some unknown reason) to park there rather than their own driveway. Some people are just inexplicably illogical and bonkers about parking! Yanbu.

It's annoying but are they doing anything wrong? We used to live in a terrace with street parking and some households had 2 or 3 cars, some not used that often. That annoyed me.

Me, DH and ds live with my parents who have a large drive for 2 cars.
Dh parks on the street.
My dad and mum are elderly and my dad has cancer.
My dad has lots of hospital appointments and it was a nightmare having to call DH if he was wfh to move thr car again as parents were off out again.
Asked NDN if they didn't mind that we were parked outside there's (legally it's a public parking spot) and they don't mind. I do hope people don't think we're being dicks by doing this but it's only for my parents sake and ease and God forbid anything happened to either of them, then an ambulance can park on the drive with ease.

I'm not sure if that's what your neighbours are doing but not everyone who does it is being a prat.

Depending on where the driveway is, Maybe they don’t want to see a vehicle in close proximity when they look out if their living room window. I know I wouldn’t

It's more than likely because cars parked either side make it tricky to get out. Hard to see left and right perhaps and hard to swing out?

Or maybe the drive is subsiding a bit because it wasn't laid well and they are keeping the weight off it?

Or maybe their car has an oil leak and they don't want it on the drive for long?

Or maybe they are finding having the car on the drive is blocking out light or the view from their window?

What ever it is i agree it might be annoying, but if the parking is in that short supply that you're having to park 'streets away' then one car less occasionally isn't going to make a difference.

Only if there is not a dropped kerb.

You can park across your own dropped kerb. See exception 2 of the Traffic Management Act 2004

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2004/18/section/86/2005-06-30?timeline=true

86Prohibition of parking at dropped footways etc.
(1)In a special enforcement area a vehicle must not be parked on the carriageway adjacent to a footway, cycle track or verge where—
(a)the footway, cycle track or verge has been lowered to meet the level of the carriageway for the purpose of—
(i)assisting pedestrians crossing the carriageway,
(ii)assisting cyclists entering or leaving the carriageway, or
(iii)assisting vehicles entering or leaving the carriageway across the footway, cycle track or verge; or
(b)the carriageway has, for a purpose within paragraph (a)(i) to (iii), been raised to meet the level of the footway, cycle track or verge.
This is subject to the following exceptions.
(2)The first exception is where the vehicle is parked wholly within a designated parking place or any other part of the carriageway where parking is specifically authorised.
A “designated parking place” means a parking place designated by order under section 6, 9, 32(1)(b) or 45 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 (c. 27).
(3)The second exception is where the vehicle is parked outside residential premises by or with the consent (but not consent given for reward) of the occupier of the premises.
This exception does not apply in the case of a shared driveway.

Are they being blocked in by people parking over their drive? Not on the double yellows side, but directly outside the drive

I can't believe people are suggesting you ask to use their drive. It's annoying but they aren't doing anything wrong and aren't mandated to park on their drive.

Actually you can if there's no car on it.

Would you actually knock on the door of someone who is behaving entirely legally (albeit annoyingly) and say "I expect you to move your car"?
If you spoke to me like that, it wouldn't shame me, I'd think you were very rude and make me more likely to behave in a petty way.

I wonder what theyd say if you asked if you can use their drive seeings they prefer to park on the road....being heavily pregnant etc.....

I don't have a car.

Loads of car owners park their vehicles in my street.

Think I'll drop a little note on all the windscreens asking them to park near their own houses.

And if you came around with that attitude I'd buy another bloody car and park it outside your house forever.

This happened to one of DH’s friends. He just parked on their driveway. They never said a word, but he’s a big chap. I wouldn’t be such a cf but it is aggravating. We’ve got a drive but we’re in the centre of town and people are always parking right up to our drive, overhanging it or parking directly opposite which makes it hard to be able to see clearly when you’re backing out so it could be that. I hated it when the kids were little in their car seats, backing out slowly and trying to look in three directions at once.

How are they deliberately preventing the OP from parking on the street? Presumably a lot of people are parking on the street, not just them. I can see it both ways - my last house, if I parked on the drive then I got blocked in by the people on the street who decided they were entitled to park across my drive. Now my drive is narrower, and (a) I cannot open the door wide enough to get in and out due to disability and (b) if I am on my drive I have the move the car every time I go out in the mobility scooter. Whilst I can apprecaite the OP's point, on street parking is not a right.

100% this! ^

Being blocked in, obviously. Several people already pointed this out.

Yep, that poster was wrong. You CAN park across your own dropped kerb. There is no law against it. Although, if it's directly opposite someone else's driveway, it's a bit of a twatty thing to do, as you will make it hard for them to get their car in and out. If you have a driveway that is empty, PARK ON IT!

What reason co7ld that be? They’re just lazy, and If they’re not capable of getting in and out of their drive then they shouldn’t be driving!

Are they renting it out on ParkMyCar or ParkInMyDrive or whatever it's called?

"You can't even park across your own driveway if the kerb is dropped."

I'm not so sure about this bit. As long as you have the permission of the occupier of the premises (ie yourself in this situation) then you can block your own driveway.

I'd go round there, heavily pregnant, and say that if they weren't going to use their drive to park in, will they let you park there? Tell them that once you've had the baby you will expect them to move their car to enable you to park outside your home rather than in adjoining streets. I'd shame them into behaving reasonably.