Can't Park on my own Drive!!

[TwinkleTwinkleLittleCat]

Let me set the scene, we are a 2 car family, car parking on the street is awful. One side of the road is mainly double yellow lines and most houses have 2 or 3 cars.
We are terraced houses but each have a front driveway and garden.
Half our driveway has a dropped kerb so one car can easily get on the drive.
The other car (mine) can also fit in the front, but I use rubber ramps to get up the kerb. Have done this for 20 years .
Today I had a letter from the council telling me I should not park on my own drive as I am damaging the kerb every time I go over it, and the ramps cannot be used as they might harm another vehicle.
I'm fuming!

Sorry - I’m with the council

If you want to use that part of your garden as a drive then you need to apply for a dropped kerb.

@DustyLee123 Omg😮

Our council won't even put bollards outside the local school to stop parents parking on the grass verges. It is chaos, especially when it's raining and muddy. As there have been no accidents they won't do anything.

We have the equivalent of one space with a dropped kerb but can park three cars.

We only ever drive across the dropped kerb.

We've also only ever had 2 cars parked there - we only have one, second is when we have guests.

First car in reverses at an angle to use the space that doesn't have dropped kerb, then the second car reverses in at the space with the dropped kerb.

If we ever had three cars we'd do the reverse at an angle twice, with the last car reversing in straight.

Could you do that? Reverse at an angle?

Here's a very basic diagram for those who asked, sorry I can't draw!

Apply to highways to extend the dropped kerb

Pay to have your dropped kerb extended.

You are damaging the pavement by continually driving over it. I can’t believe you’ve got away with it for 20 years.

Just get your kerb dropped properly. Job done.

Your name is very apt

Of course she shouldn't ignore it

are the ramps there permanently though wouldnt that blocksomeone parking

ive never seen them

Yeh you can't use the ramp, it's illegal. You need to apply for an extension to your existing dropped kerb.

Thanks OP.

So, is it possible for the first car arriving to drive on via the dropped kerb and pull across to the section without the dropped kerb, meaning the 2nd car get then drive on and park?

If this is possible, you can still park 2 cars off-road without the extended dropped kerb. However, you have to accept people can and will park on the road in front of the car that isn’t in front of the dropped kerb.

With this scenario, the car parked not in front of the dropped kerb wouldn’t be able to exit without moving the other car first. Is that what you don’t want to have to do? Is it that you want both cars to be able to exit or access the driveway independently? Because the only way you can have this is if you have an extended dropped kerb.

What’s your real concern? Is it that you do t want to pay for extending the dropped kerb? Is it that you do t want to play Tetris but get both cars on and off independently of each other? Is it that others are doing what you did and haven’t been stopped yet?

Loads of people have parking for more than one car, but only a single access way. Loads of people have to shunt cars around in order to get the right one out….it’s pretty normal. Even very large houses often only have a single access point and have to shunt cars about. It’s just one of those things. The fact you can get 2 off road is far better than most have. And if actually you won’t be able to get a 2nd off road, we’ll you’re not really worse off if actually you only really have 1 off road space.

@whynotwhatknot ramps aren't permanent. I've moved them now.
They are easily available on line, they weigh a ton!

Just use the dropped kerb and reverse at an angle!!! It's not hard.

Honest. I've got really good at it.

No need to apply for permission. No need to pay for a dropped kerb.

If your DH gets back first he'll simply need to move while you park in the space more suited for your car. Then he can reverse in after you.

We bought a house with half only dropped but sold as off road parking.

We paid for the full drop kerb to be extended. It’s not just the kerb affected but the footpath too.

@CaptainSeven this is what we are going to do from now on. Or I will park where the ramps were but that would mean the man across the road won't be able to park there as he has no dropped kerbs so normally parks outside ours which is fine.

If she ignores it then they can just install bollards just in front of her garden/driveway to stop her. Our council do it in front of unofficial driveways and places where people were driving over the kerbs. Like this. There’s loads of them near me.

Why wouldn’t they accept this? The only thing they care about is making sure you only drive across the pavement on the dropped kerb section. Once the car is on your land, you can do whatever you want.

How utterly ridiculous, the council must be full of jobsworths.

Using ramps to access a private parking area cannot possible damage pavements. Look at all the cars that are parked actually on pavements blocking the way for parents with pushchairs and disabled people in wheelchairs. The peevish council should focus their silly attention on these inconsiderate parkers damaging precious pavements.

Its a finable offence and some councils after sending you a formal letter will then fine you £1000

You're an absolute pisstaker.

I had the same thing in a previous house of mine- neighbours complained. It was ridiculous, because I would park up on my concrete front garden (no drop curb) and my flat mate would park across and block me in. Or vice versa.

Once I got the letter and stopped being able to use the front garden, it meant we had to take up two precious parking spaces in our road (obviously one could technically be the one across my front garden).

Whoever complained, shot themselves in the foot because rather than my car being off the road and freeing up a space, it meant I would take a space in the road instead

Hah they did that round our way too as a car was using the pedestrian bit to drive across but there's a car still been parking there for years
I think it slips in the side behind the bollards.

YABU

Get a dropped kerb. You've been caught. Those plastic things annoy me. They get in the way. I don't blame the council for getting in contact with you.

Well, that was very naive of you.