Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

Can't Park on my own Drive!!

237 replies

TwinkleTwinkleLittleCat · 07/07/2023 17:48

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!

OP posts:
HermioneKipper · 08/07/2023 16:56

TwinkleTwinkleLittleCat · 08/07/2023 14:24

@HermioneKipper bought the rubber ramps to make it easier to get up the kerb, to save damaging my tyres 😆
Same reason that everyone else around here bought ramps I guess.

Did that not get your mind working?! Hmmm I wonder why I need to buy something to put on the kerb to stop me damaging my tyres?!

Im genuinely gobsmacked it then wouldn’t occur to you that you’re not actually meant to be going up the kerbs 🤣🤣

Sn1859 · 08/07/2023 18:21

GeriatricMumma · 07/07/2023 17:56

Someone has told them....

Pissed anyone off??

I'm confused about the driveway, is it a long driveway or are you using the drive and a paved area?

Not necessarily. Our council estate managers regularly drive around checking parking etc. I am surprised they’ve got away with it for 20 years!

Sn1859 · 08/07/2023 18:26

TwinkleTwinkleLittleCat · 08/07/2023 11:35

@HermioneKipper
I have been out speaking to the gentleman who parks outside my house, said to him I will now probably try and park there rather than on my garden and told him why. His face fell and said he understood but now he would have to park in the next street.
I jokingly said he could park in my garden😀 he is such a lovely old man he said he's bewildered about it all.
As from today I'm parking in the street unless DH is not at home and I will use the drive

Unless you own that parking space he can actually park where he likes so if he’s there there’s not much you can do. I would be glad they’ve sent you a letter and not put a bollard there to stop you driving over the kerb. That’s what my council does, without warning.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Driving & parking
Gazelda · 08/07/2023 18:41

I'm still not picturing this. Are you saying that the ramps were left permanently in the road so you could get on and off your garden? Surely that means they were blocking the space from being used by any other car?

And now you've told your opposite gentleman neighbour that you're going to be parking on the street from now on. He said he understood and that he'd need to use another street. Please tell me that you didn't give gentleman neighbour the impression he couldn't park outside your house any more? That is a public space, anyone can use. It's not reserved for you or visitors to your house.

Maybe I'm misunderstanding, but you are sounding like the ultimate parking CF.

Trillie · 08/07/2023 18:48

You didn’t realise that you aren’t allowed to drive on the pavement where pedestrians walk? What did you think pavements are for?

PeskyPotato · 08/07/2023 18:56

TwinkleTwinkleLittleCat · 07/07/2023 22:29

This is what all the kerbs in my area are like....

Probably because council can't run the cleaning machine down your road because of all the illegal ramps!

LimeMango · 08/07/2023 19:05

Wow. Just pay for a dropped kerb. The entitlement of some car drivers is astounding.

Davros · 08/07/2023 19:06

Where I live you wouldn't get permission to extend your dropped curb or use your front "garden" for parking. I hope you got permission for the bit you already have

exaltedwombat · 08/07/2023 19:13

Do you leave the rubber ramps in position permanently? If so, keep them in the car and only use them when driving in or out. A nuisance, but it should get the council off your back.
Are you claiming the road parking space in front of the second space as your personal property? I see how that might rile the neighbours!

user1497207191 · 08/07/2023 19:16

Other people can also legally park across your unofficial drive, so you run the risk of not being able to get in/out of your drive and nothing you can do about it because they're not parking illegally.

PrtScn · 08/07/2023 19:47

Has anyone recently had a driveway done and got a dropped kerb? I applied to get a dropped kerb when I did my driveway. The council must have come out to inspect as everyone on the street then got a letter saying that they had to apply for a section 184. The entire street had illegal dropped kerbs. Anyway the council happened to be retarmacing the main road in the village around the same time so converted the entire pavemment for free, only had to pay for the section 184. Saved me a couple of grand as they have to re-enforce the pavement.

Original poster
TwinkleTwinkleLittleCat · 08/07/2023 20:17

I am not claiming any space I don't care who parks outside my house! The gentleman across the road always parks outside mine as he has double yellow lines along his part of the street. He was confused as to why I had to stop parking in my garden so I showed him my letter I'll park round the corner if I have to. I parked my car on my garden to keep it off the streets!

Yes the driveway/paving is legit. Seen the paperwork when we moved, all the correct drainage etc in place.MOst houses round here have done it. Sad really as there are no nice lawns or flowers at the front of houses anymore.

@Trillie even with a dropped kerb you still have to drive over the pavement to get to your property. The only difference is the kerb is flattened.

OP posts:
Trillie · 08/07/2023 20:30

So get a dropped kerb then and stop being a nuisance to pedestrians

ElizaAgainn · 08/07/2023 20:40

SoupDragon · 07/07/2023 17:51

The council is right. You are only allowed to drive over the pavement using the dropped kerb.

Yep....the Council are indeed right on that. From what you say - there isn't enough room for everyone in the road to park two vehicles each on the designated parking bits of the road (bearing in mind the double yellow lines) and so it sounds like you've been taking someone else's parking space by driving over space that isn't yours/hasn't got dropped kerb in order to get onto your front "garden". So it does sound like your house has been using two spaces worth one way or another - when other houses havent got one space worth and need to use one on "your" side of the road.

kayserah · 08/07/2023 21:09

TwinkleTwinkleLittleCat · 08/07/2023 12:03

@Sunshineboo
Good idea😊 Although I know the potholes are continuously reported , they sometimes get a white ring drawn around them and that's it.

get some spray paint and draw some 🍆
around the potholes. They will move quicker

housekermit · 08/07/2023 21:12

For the love of god, it’s ‘curb’ not ‘kerb’.

Takoneko · 08/07/2023 21:20

housekermit · 08/07/2023 21:12

For the love of god, it’s ‘curb’ not ‘kerb’.

Are you in the US? In U.K. English it is kerb. Curb is the American spelling.

MrsTwiggy · 08/07/2023 21:34

Oh crikey. I didn't know this was a thing. There's no dropped kerb outside our house, we've lived here two years and I had no idea it was a problem!! The previous owners presumably drove over it too to get onto the drive, and they'd lived there for thirty odd years. There was certainly a car on the drive when we viewed the house!

I'd had it vaguely in my mind that we should get it dropped one day, but only because it would be easier to drive over... I didn't know it wasn't allowed to drive over one! no idea where we will find the money for this 🤷‍♀️

NerrSnerr · 08/07/2023 21:38

housekermit · 08/07/2023 21:12

For the love of god, it’s ‘curb’ not ‘kerb’.

It really is Kerb in the UK. It's Curb in the USA and Canada.

Dixiechickonhols · 08/07/2023 22:06

housekermit · 08/07/2023 21:12

For the love of god, it’s ‘curb’ not ‘kerb’.

No it’s not it’s Kerb in UK.

housekermit · 08/07/2023 22:19

Wow I’m really sorry (not sarcastic, sounds it!), I’m in the UK and I always thought it was curb. Kerb looks wrong to me too! I stand corrected x

johnd2 · 08/07/2023 22:22

housekermit · 08/07/2023 22:19

Wow I’m really sorry (not sarcastic, sounds it!), I’m in the UK and I always thought it was curb. Kerb looks wrong to me too! I stand corrected x

I thought you said it on purpose to spice up the thread a bit!😂could do with a bit of spelling argument to liven things up

minou123 · 08/07/2023 22:23

housekermit · 08/07/2023 22:19

Wow I’m really sorry (not sarcastic, sounds it!), I’m in the UK and I always thought it was curb. Kerb looks wrong to me too! I stand corrected x

I had the same problrm woth Grey and Gray

Gray is typically the US spelling
Grey is typically the UK spelling

IhearyouClemFandango · 08/07/2023 22:30

How can people still park on the road if you are parked on the front bit? Surely blocking you in?

IhearyouClemFandango · 08/07/2023 22:33

TwinkleTwinkleLittleCat · 07/07/2023 20:35

@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.

How? How could he park where the ramps were without blocking you in or out?