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AIBU?

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Original poster

It's a parking one..

58 replies

JoelyJoe · 24/06/2025 00:45

Near where I live is a residential street with a small rank of shops.
Opposite the shops is a long parking bay (enough for about 8 cars), and some houses, set back from the road. I'm pretty sure the bay exists to service the shops.
One of the houses has created a drive / parking space for their car, in front of their house. The car faces towards the pavement and parking bay, and they have to cross both to access the road. They have put up a load of (unofficial) no parking signs, and have effectively dropped the kerb themselves by putting some plastic wedges across.
Inevitably they keep getting blocked in because they are trying to prevent people from parking in the bay in front of their car, but it's a public parking bay! I'm sure they have no right to annex it to access their space.
When people park in front, the house/car owners get very abusive, shouting at drivers to move and threatening to clamp them. Surely they can't. They don't own the bay, and shouldn't be parking behind a kerb that hasn't been officially blocked anyway.
I've been tempted to risk parking in front of them myself, when it's the only bay available. But I'm worried they would key my car!
Who is being unreasonable?
YABU - these people gave a right to park near their home.
YANBU - you can't just annex part of a public parking bay as unofficial access to where you want to put your car

OP posts:
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Raindancer411 · 25/06/2025 09:20

As others have said, just drop a message to the LA and let they argue if it’s allowed or not. The LA will put a stop to it if it’s not allowed

OnTheBoardwalk · 25/06/2025 09:12

@IfYouPutASausageInItItsNotAViennetta my friend had to do a fault claim on her insurance as there was no proof who the ramps belonged to.

IfYouPutASausageInItItsNotAViennetta · 25/06/2025 01:15

OnTheBoardwalk · 24/06/2025 21:00

A friend got her car damaged by someone who put plastic ramps on a main road. She didn’t see them in the dark and damaged her tires. She saw them sideways on but couldn’t swerve round them in time. She wasn’t impressed

report them, they'll never get council permission for an official dropped kerb there

Edited

Yes, they're very dangerous - the length that they'd need to be to provide an angle to make it worthwhile actually having them (as opposed to just bumping up the kerb) means that they would protrude some way into the road, far more than just the gutter bit at the edge, and serve as obstacles for unwitting drivers to crash into.

Incidentally, I wonder if anybody has ever successfully sued a homeowner for leaving a ramp hazard in the public road adjacent to their home and causing damage to their vehicle?

OnTheBoardwalk · 24/06/2025 21:00

A friend got her car damaged by someone who put plastic ramps on a main road. She didn’t see them in the dark and damaged her tires. She saw them sideways on but couldn’t swerve round them in time. She wasn’t impressed

report them, they'll never get council permission for an official dropped kerb there

notatinydancer · 24/06/2025 20:54

10/10 for the diagram ✅

ArtTheClownIsNotAMime · 24/06/2025 20:49

They'll give up soon when they realise nobody is going to keep the space free for them.

suburburban · 24/06/2025 20:47

Yanbu

they have to have planning permission to access their drive and drive over the kerb and pay to drop the kerb

Subbyhubby · 24/06/2025 20:39

wow, that’s brazen, but then again Russia did this recently with Ukraine, and they seem to have got off reasonably lightly so fair try, I guess.
they would be pretty stupid to key your car if you park there as it would obviously be them and whoever’s car got keyed would know where they live.
has it been reported to the council?

Comefromaway · 24/06/2025 20:34

HeddaGarbled · 24/06/2025 20:12

I’m on my own then, feeling sympathy for the resident? All those drivers who want to park right outside the shops rather than park down the road and walk a little bit no matter how much it inconveniences the residents.

It is likely to inconvenience far more residents if they park away from the designated parking for the shops.

Justlovedogs · 24/06/2025 20:19

HeddaGarbled · 24/06/2025 20:12

I’m on my own then, feeling sympathy for the resident? All those drivers who want to park right outside the shops rather than park down the road and walk a little bit no matter how much it inconveniences the residents.

But they (presumably) bought or rented the house opposite the shops, knowing that parking would likely be a problem? And anyway, it is irrelevant as they still can't randomly claim a section of kerb on the other side of the public footpath to their front garden as their own?

HeddaGarbled · 24/06/2025 20:12

I’m on my own then, feeling sympathy for the resident? All those drivers who want to park right outside the shops rather than park down the road and walk a little bit no matter how much it inconveniences the residents.

labradorservant · 24/06/2025 19:18

Near us someone decided to do an illegal
drive. The council have put concrete bollards up on
the path to stop them using it. Could happen here….

ShowOfHands · 24/06/2025 19:00

I am a teacher and 4 doors up from the school there is a house which opens directly onto pavement. Every day, twice a day, people obviously park along this road to drop off and collect their teenagers. The house in question has no parking signs on the front of it and the very irate owner comes out and shouts at people regularly. They also complain to the school. The school has been there far longer than the house...

Ireallycantthinkofagoodone · 24/06/2025 18:53

I was just wondering how the house owners get their cars onto the road? Do they all have to park on the main road itself? I guess they must.

InMyOpenOnion · 24/06/2025 18:09

I strongly suspect they wouldn't get permission for that parking space, so they're trying to do it without informing the council.

Sparticle · 24/06/2025 14:16

Great diagram OP!

I agree with PPs - definitely report. And then come back and update us all obviously as I’d like to know how long it takes for those plastic things and the signs to disappear 😁

Nannydoodles · 24/06/2025 14:11

I would report to the highways dept too. What if the other houses all follow and do the same? There would be nowhere for shoppers to park.
Do they have allocated parking anywhere else or at the back of the houses? Must be a blooming nightmare to live there though.
Also fab drawing!

Shoth · 24/06/2025 14:06

Report it to the council. Ask the shop owners to do the same. I wouldn’t risk my car though

ukathleticscoach · 24/06/2025 14:02

'Near where I live is a residential street with a small rank of shops.'

'It affects me when I want to use those shops and there is nowhere to park.'

Walk to the shops!

Or just park there and point out the law if they don't like it

littlemousebigcheese · 24/06/2025 13:58

I’m sure the shops are probably reporting it as it’ll be driving everyone mad!

GasPanic · 24/06/2025 13:34

MadamCholetsbonnet · 24/06/2025 13:30

Am I the only one who doesn’t understand what the “plastic wedges” are?

Probably.

They are bits of plastic in a wedge shape that you place in the road next to the curb.

They act as a ramp to help you drive up the curb if the curb has not been dropped.

Search "curb wedges" on Amazon.

MadamCholetsbonnet · 24/06/2025 13:30

Am I the only one who doesn’t understand what the “plastic wedges” are?

Tabitha005 · 24/06/2025 13:16

The homeowner must be in a constant state of panic/anger over his determination to protect his self-appointed right-of-way. I'd definitely report him before he has a heart attack and costs the NHS a lot of money. You'd be performing a public service, ultimately 😁

Seawolves · 24/06/2025 13:06

I am just here to congratulate you on a fab diagram!

Figcherry · 24/06/2025 12:44

I love the car on the right which looks like a stretch limo. 😂