Realistically can anything be done to stop parents parking across driveway?

[Lefmry]

I live on the same street as a school. Every single day someone blocks our driveway and I’m at a point now where I’m getting super fed up of it! 😩 It is mostly the same woman, who on multiple occasions has been asked to stop but it’s like it falls on deaf ears and she feels entitled somehow to still park there.

I wouldn’t actually mind but my eldest has severe additional needs and will NOT walk any distance from the car to the house so it’s super important we are parked on the drive, which isn’t possible when she (or someone else) has swanned off to stand at the school gates to wait for her child. I mean, not like I need an excuse really, it’s my drive and I should be able to use it. The time the drive is blocked is ALWAYS when I’m getting back from picking up my son from school.

Realistically if I were to go in to the school with number plates, especially this one woman, is there anything they can do? Or anything anybody else can do? Sorry I know there’s worse problems to have but I’ve just had a baby 4 weeks a go, have a 20 month old, along with my eldest with ASD, I am trying my damn hardest every day and sick of arseholes making life even harder.

That's seems a good idea putting the sign up and then if she continues photo on local Facebook page- naming and shaming the driver.

Op- can you put blocks on the pavement, if grass verge, I know around the school I work resident do that to stop parents parking on their parts. Not sure if that is correct though.

Its the sort of thing that can lead to 'a breach of the peace' so the Police and Local Authority can take action the trick is to get them to do it.

One possibility is to get in touch with the Local Authority disability team, as its the same person all the time there may be some issues over 'Hate Crime' that could be used as a stick to beat the offender with

This.

@Lefmry when she’s there, phone the police 101 and report a current incident. If they’ve nothing else to do they might attend.

especially as it’s recurring you also need to report it to the traffic wardens, who in our area are managed by the county council.

if you have an argument and either party “is offended or threatened” then they may press charges for unreasonable behaviour. Don’t poke the wasps nest and end up in trouble.

if the traffic wardens don’t attend, (ours were too busy for 50 minutes!) you can report it to the police community team and they’ll give them a nudge!

…. I’ve been through the process recently and that’s what I was told.

Our school names and shames with photos of cars parked inconsiderably (with visible reg plates) in the weekly newsletter

I love this idea!

Stink bombs from the joke shop. Set it off as you leave to pick DS up. Legal, but unpleasant for anybody parking nearby.

Put some cones outside your house.

Unless its a disabled parking space outside your home, the fact you have a child with issues, means nothing.

but call your council, councillors, pcso, school. They do action these issues.

your councillor gets paid to action complaints

On the note theme - do some laminated signs with a picture of the car blocking your drive, including rego, and a message of your choosing eg this vehicle is parking illegally and is preventing a disabled child accessing their home.

Zip tie multiple copies to the school fence.

I find these situations mind boggling, I mean who are these entitled people who park either across or even on other people's drives. I wouldn't dream of doing anything like it.

As per PP's, I would report to school, most schools raise it in news letters and if you complain enough maybe they would speak to the parent involved.

Park across your own driveway to block her, or, if you are out, get a friendly neighbour to do so who is willing to move their car when you need access. After a few weeks of this the selfish woman will move on. I also like the idea of putting your bins out across your drive entrance to block her parking there-though it'll mean you will have to move them to get in/out too...

There are a few disabled people in our village. The council painted disabled parking spot in front of each house, whether they had dropped kerbs or not. It’s illegal to park in front of dropped kerbs, blocking wheelchair access. Report to the police every time , assuming you have dropped kerbs

Someone parked blocking the pedestrian access to our church one December night a couple of winters ago to access an event at a neighbouring property. We had young people's activities on that night and this car made access very difficult. The leader of our activity printed off an polite objection to the parking on a laser printer, put it on the windscreen and then sprayed it with water (it was minus 5 that evening so removing it would have been a struggle at 10pm - I went out at 6.30 and my car was frozen and I had to clear it again at 9.30 to come home).

well any update OP? Did your husband manage to have a word with her.

I can suggest a few words I learnt while serving as a stoker in the Merchant Navy

Put a note on her car explaining you have a 4 week old baby, 20 month old & child with additional needs & so need to park on your drive at any given time & would appreciate it if she doesn't block your driveway. If that doesn't work let her tyres down every time she parks there.

We often have people parking across our driveway too, I think mostly out of laziness rather than lack of space tbh.

Check with your local council as they might be able to issue fines or something (I'm sure it varies from area to area), otherwise contact police (obviously non-emergency number).

I don't get the attitude of letting down someone's tyres if they are blocking you in. Yes it inconveniences them but it also inconveniences you because they are then parked there far longer.

Can you buy two cones and put them in front of your drive before you leave to deter the person who is parking there? It would still be a little inconvenient as you'll have to both place them and move them but it will be a lot less inconvenient than the current situation.

A strategically positioned sprinkler would do the trick.

Hi everyone, a few things have happened since I posted this. First being a couple days after she blocked a friend of mine in on my drive for maybe 20+ minutes and said friend had a very stern word with her. It stopped for a few days but she was soon back out there again.

During my partners annual leave she actually parked in front of our drive even when there was CLEAR space elsewhere, including the front of our house, literally 6 feet in front of her. I stood up the window and gestured to her as if to say why are you parking there when there is clearly space in front of you? She moved her car forward but still was blocking 25% of drive. My partners blood was boiling at this point and he could totally now see how this woman had been driving me crazy over the past few weeks.

The next day she parked in front of our drive when picking up her child an hour after school had finished (assuming she was at some after school club) and the entire street was empty, yet she still chose to park in front of my drive. Partner actually rang school on this day and told them what keeps happening and that the woman was currently out there as they spoke and someone came out and spoke to her.

Ever since she hasn’t done it, I’m not holding my breath as it’s only been a short while but fingers crossed!!! Thanks again for the many, many comments of support and suggestions!

Long may that contribute op... Was starting to sound like she was deliberately trying to make your life difficult not just being thoughtless and selfish!

The cheeky F actually parked over your drive while there was clear space?? Breathtaking.

This would tip me over the edge - I think I’d have to follow her home to see where she lived so I could park my car over her drive every day to see if the penny dropped.

Had someone park in front of our drive blocking me in for 2.5 hours, I had an appointment to meet a friend (not local) and had to cancel. The owner came back to finding around 50 very sticky labels on her windows. She said ‘oh I didn’t notice your car’, it’s bright red!
Police were useless, but at least I felt good knowing it would take a good few hours to take them off and hopefully she’d never want to park in front of anyone’s driveway.