Why are people so territorial over parking?

[IndigoIgloo]

I was visiting my mother today who has had a lot of problems with her neighbours in the past about parking, etc. It's an over 50's area so lots of the neighbours are elderly and have quite 'busy body' mentalities.

It's all on street parking. No one has allocated spaces. I parked up and was unloading some things from my car when a elderly man pulled up next to me and asked me how long I was going to be.

I was confused as there was a large empty space right behind my car so no issue with not being able to park. I said I'd just arrived so wasn't leaving yet. He said "don't I think he should have the right to park in front of his house?"

I said not really as it's a public road without allocated parking so anyone can park anywhere.

He drove off down the road so I continued unloading my car, looked up and he'd turned round and driven back and was waiting in the road watching me. I ignored him, carried on with what i was doing. Next thing is he's gotten out of his car and come over to ask how long I'm going to take. I said again, I'm not leaving yet.

Again he said he should have the right to park in front of his house. I said ok so park in front of your house?? There is a space RIGHT THERE behind my car, next to his house. He said no, I want to park THERE pointing to where my car was. I told him he was just being difficult. He said I'm 91 and have paid £1400 towards the road being fixed, you can go and park somewhere else.

Then proceeded to tell me how he and the rest of the neighbourhood don't like my mum to which I replied "well that's the real reason you're doing this then isn't it? You wouldn't be so quick to tell your other neighbours guests to move would you?"

I was about to tell him that I'd move elsewhere just so he'd shut up about it but before I could start he called me an ignorant cow so I said if you're going to insult me I'm won't do you any favours and walked off to my mums house.

Watched him from her house and he parked in the space behind my car and reversed into the back of my car while he did it.

But seriously, what is it about parking that sends people nuts like this?! Fair enough if I'd parked on his drive or allocated space but it's literally a roadside and there was plenty of other space available.

A million is quite modest for a house in London, parking or not. I can think of swathes of gorgeous victorian terraces, massive houses with upwards of 7 bedrooms, that cost multiple £mil, that don't have parking. Watch any movie set in London, the houses rarely have drives, unless you're in the outer London suburbs.

Yes that was precisely my point!

It is like this where my daughter lives. I have been moaned at by oldies and also youngsters. Sorry, it's a public road, I will park where I like.

Every few years they get a letter from the police pointing out it is a public road and anyone can park there. Maybe you could have a word with the local community police person.

I do know her neighbours a bit and there are some whose places I won't use, for example her next door neighbour has emphysema so his place is sacred in my eyes. I'm not a complete monster.

I feel the same. I wasn't looking to be difficult. I'd pulled up where there was space enough for two large cars, so still a large space behind me. It was big enough to easily fit his car.

I was unaware that he had claimed that spot of the road as his own when I parked there.

If when I'd parked it had been in the only space left and he then had approached me and said all of that I would have just moved as it's fair enough when he's 91 and would have had to park down the road. Like you said, I'm not a monster. 😂

But as there was a space right behind me, I didn't see what on earth the problem was!

Now I know it's all odd territorial behaviour I'll try to avoid that spot from now on for the sake of keeping the peace for my mum.

Although I'm sure it'll rattle the cage of the person who claims the next space I park in. Really can't win.

Some people are weird, entitled and don't understand the law.

That sort of sums it up.

I kind of do get the issue when there is some sort of agreed "parking system" in place. If the system stops then it can go from harmony to chaos as a result of one change.

I would never buy a place without a drive though. And if I didn't have a drive, I wouldn't have a car I cared about.

It is true that some retired people don't have enough to worry about though. When you have a job you don't have time to worry about who's parking outside your house.

He said he paid towards the road though so does that mean it's a private road? It puts a slightly different complexion on things if it is, although it's still a bit silly to moan about parking outside your house when there's a space a couple of feet further up.

I think it's highly unlikely that he's speaking about everybody else in that entire neighbourhood. Most people are busy with their own lives and don't give their neighbours that amount of headspace. It wouldn't even occur to me to ruminate over whether I liked or disliked them; unless, that is, they were in the habit of behaving like this.

People often try to claim a consensus in the belief that it somehow validates their opinion. It's usually BS.

@Hayliebells just because I live in a tiny road and everyone has a drive way that fits 1 car and some fit 2 (mine fits 1 car so we have 1 on the drive and 1 on the road) and if I have to park somewhere else it puts my car at risk of getting hit.

First post on here.

We live on a quiet road all houses have driveways. Ours is a narrow drive so we have to swap cars around when we need to get in and out, so quite often I will leave mine on the front of our house, not causing any obstructions. However little did I realise that the woman who lives over the way has issues with this, recently coming to light when she tried to barge into my house to have a go at me about it.

I need to give a bit of background info on the woman as I was warned about her when I moved in. An old lady used to live in our house and her carer used to park on the front once a day when she would visit. Woman over the way didn't like it and barged into the house shouting at the carer not to park there. Very sadly woman's husband bad a bad accident, just before we moved in, and a lovely neighbour a few doors p
down, kept her husband alive whilst the air ambulance arrived. She never thanked her, she actually sent her son round to accuse her of stealing her husbands wedding ring. So she isn't a nice person.

Anyway fast forward a few months and her husband is home and needs carers, lots of them. Carers seem to be incapable of walking more than a few meters and would stack their cars on our front, neighbours front, block our drive, but funnily enough they never park on her front or use a space on her driveway. We very nicely asked the senior carer to be more considerate and to pass the message on, things didn't improve and my DH was blocked out so ndn found out who the care company is DH rang them. Great improvement....however one carer has started to intimidate me, not obviously but she is. If I park on the front she will deliberately ram her car onto the pretty high curb and back up to close to me so there is no space to walk between the cars (there is plenty of room on the street), and I have noticed when she pulls up she sits in her car glaring into our house as I'm always in the front bedroom (we're in a bungalow) getting ready. It's making me really anxious and when I see her car I start shaking. I have spoken to the care company again and they said there's nothing they can do about her behaviour as she isn't strictly in work when she's sat outside my house!! This is just because we asked them not to block our driveway. I can't see an end to it and I dread driving up the road in case she is there. The woman and her grown up daughter also stand there glaring into our house but never say anything to my face. My boss, who is also a friend, has told me i need to confront them, very nicely and ask if there is a problem as they focus such a lot on my property. She's right as they are bullies and it's only going to get worse.

Sorry for the long post.....any thought? Plus I'm really just sounding off