A parking one - annoying note

[jellybean99]

Another parking one for you… A rant really.

I really try to be considerate when I park, always think of what my driving instructor told me, parking safely and legally.

I visit my parents regularly. They live on a quiet street. Everyone has driveways, but majority park on the street. I always take care to not park too near to someone’s driveway in case they do want to use it, and not to double park as to cause a squeeze.

Sometimes I park in a part / strip off the road that’s between two driveways. In theory you could fit two cars there but in practise it’s not wise because in that situation both cars would be too close to the driveways.

I parked there today and got a note on my car asking me to park to the end of this strip so two cars could fit there!

Bear in mind I don’t know these people, so I wouldn’t know they’d be fine with my parking their car too close to their driveway, OR they’d be happy with me parking too close to their neighbours driveway? Bear in mind they also have a driveway and there was other spaces on the street.

Also If my car was hit by someone coming out of their drive when I was parked right up to it I wouldn’t have a leg to stand on insurance wise?

Never had problems parking there before so was a bit baffled so checked zoopla and they moved in fairly recently.

Really irritated me 😂

For those who think a note on a car is shitty by default, can I ask why? I've left notes on cars saying pretty much exactly the same as in the OP just to let the driver know that there is room and nobody will mind squeezing in because I'm not sure of the alternative? I'd be happy to adjust my parking to accommodate resident in the OP's situation and a note wouldn't bother me.

Sounds perfectly reasonable to me. It's not a snotty note demanding that you not park there at all; just asking you (presumably) nicely not to take two spaces for only one car.

It is very weird if nobody uses their drives, though. Although it's perfectly legal for them to do that, I think it's really not on to have a dropped kerb to allow you access, which then takes away a potential parking space on the street, but then never use it anyway.

Depends on the drives @TheHangingGardensOfBasildon - on my parents' road of 1930s three bed semis the drives are hardly big enough for modern cars. My Kia Sportage (i.e. possibly the most mundane car imaginable!) just about fits in lengthwise and I only dare try because my parents moved the pillar to widen the entrance. Most people park on the road.

Not a reason to hog rare parking spaces or block drives. You have to park like this in front of my house, otherwise I cant get off my drive. I have had several chats to people about it.

Yep its annoying you're taking up two spaces, it's common sense

I don't squeeze my car up to the edge of people's driveways because I don't like it when people do this on my driveway. I dislike reversing out while having an eye on a car that's right up to my driveway and slightly blocking my view. I couldn't care less if I take two spaces (they're not spaces) and nobody has ever left me a note but if they did I'd feel sorry for them for wasting their time and crack on with my life.

If people are parking on a public highway they can park however they bloody want as long as they are parking legally. The road does not belong to the residents whose houses are adjacent to it and they have no right to any say as to how people park.

If you can fit 2 cars in then it is a bit cheeky to take 2 spaces
There is no in theory / in reality about it. You would be over their dropped kerb or not.

Most people can get out a drive if the car is not actually blocking the drive.

There's the law and there's being neighbourly. OP has said she doesn't want to piss off her parents' neighbours, which is a perfectly justifiable stance. Sometimes we need to do a little more than the bare legal minimum to rub along nicely together.

Couldn't you park up to the dropped kerb near your parents' house? Or even on their driveway :) That would avoid causing any parking wars with neighbours.

It's rude to take up two spaces. As long as you don't block a drive then park up to the edge.

Fair enough in situations like that - although you'd think people would adapt like your parents did, where possible.

Some people quite cheerfully never bother cutting back a hedge or moving a post when it would allow them to actually use their own drive!

Maybe they feel sorry for you for apparently not being able to reverse IN to your drive - to the extent that you have to take two spaces (they're still spaces as most people can understand, even if they aren't marked) to mitigate your lack of driving competence?

True, it doesn't belong to them - just as it doesn't belong to anybody else... but are you one of those people who go through life being angry and taking an "I know my rights" stance when other people are just trying to be friendly and give you some basic common sense tips that help everybody out - ones which you appear not to know?

Just park to the end of the strip but without going over the edge of the driveway. Then it's up to the disgruntled note-giver to decide if they can park as well without going over the other drive.

I think I might have to start my own WhatsApp parking group as the house opposite do my head in !!

There is just about enough parking for houses without driveways in my road and the house opposite has a driveway big enough for 3 cars, but they park outside their house taking up a space. I have no clue why. They sometimes even park on their drive when unloading stuff from their car & then move in back onto the road. I came home the other day to find no spaces outside & was tempted to park on their drive !!

The drives are all rather steeply sloped either up or down depending on the side of the road. I assume people find it a bit faffy reversing up or down.

Maybe they do, maybe they don't. The point is - I don't give a fuck.

I prefer people not to park up next to my driveway but they still do it. Some probably prefer me not to take up two (imaginary) spaces, but I still do it. And the world keeps on turning.

Nice person you are....🙄.

It doesn't take anything to be considerate to your fellow man. Leave space for others as you never know when one day you could be looking for a parking spot.

Fair enough, I suppose, if that's the kind of attitude you have... but I'm baffled by your use of 'imaginary spaces' - surely you don't have to have somebody mark things out for you to be able to visualise their capacity? Do you find the concept of a double bed for two people unfathomable, unless somebody has drawn a line down the middle of it for you?

You must have been lucky so far, if people only get annoyed and complain about your selfishness in taking two spaces (i.e. sufficient room in which two standard-sized parked cars will fit) - I've lived places where you'd come back to a different kind of damage to your car every day until you finally stopped parking selfishly.

I'm considerate to the people (like me and the OP) who don't want cars parking up next to their driveway. You may disagree, but my point is - I don't waste time worrying about it.

I'm sorry to hear you've lived in such awful places.

Spaces that aren't marked out really are just an assumption. Whereas a double bed literally spells out in the name that it's for two people. You think an area of land like that is right for two cars and I think it's right for one car and for people to have space and visibility to exit their driveways. I guess we're different. It doesn't bother me because life is too short.

Very selfish to take up two spaces. You definitely deserved the note. It's all on street parking here and the amount of people that need to take up two spaces is infuriating.