Antisocial behaviour - parking - they think they are entitled to do this and nobody has done anything to stop them

[Nobodybothers]

Our neighbour used a covered up ebike or motorbike to block the parking space in front of their house.

Every day, at late night, their EV car would swap with the bike and they probably took the bike inside, as it's nowhere to be seen. Every morning, they took the bike out again to block the space when they drove away with their car. Since it's one of the two parking spots between two driveways, it became natural that they just have one of these two spots, as their bike is parked in parallel to the curb such so it's impossible to park another car despite the massive length of space.

It's a street with no parking restrictions and there's no patrol around. They have a door camera so neighbours are deterred to openly move the bike.

They've been doing this for three weeks in a row.

I've tried to report to the council online and by phone. But nothing has been done. AI seems to think there's very little legal ground for the council to do much.

How could they just claim the space to theirs when the elderly come home finding no space in the street and having to park elsewhere? How could this be allowed to carry on?

Your elderly neighbours need a blue badge and then a blue badge space...

They may not be granted one, though, as many councils are very unsympathetic to elderly people who - they would see it - are just 'normal' in their frailty and mobility issues owing to being elderly, rather than as a result of a specific quantifiable named disability.

I agree that with EV cars becoming the law in ten years time (new ones anyway)

This is going to become more and more of a problem for some people

You can charge publicly but it's really expensive and if done on a regular basis a pain (depending on your driving)

But then people will want to charge cheaply and easily at home

But if you don't own a parking space you are not guaranteed a spot

Maybe a note left on the bike could be an idea (they will not know which neighbours to blame)

@Nobodybothers , Is the bike taking the space of two vehicles?

Something like ~...bike...~( ~ = dropped kerb,...=empty space)

I'd get some strong people to shift the bike.

It is especially annoying when certain owners of sturdy bikes - motorbikes especially - expect them to be able to take up the space of a cart when it comes to scenarios like this; but then, on another occasion, when it suits them better, they'll quite happily 'create' a space on a pavement or tiny scrap of land.

Many of them do the same when in out on the road: expect to be treated just like other road users when that suits them (as they should, of course); but when they want to force their way through a line of traffic, dangerously undertake/overtake or ignore a red light, they see it as their absolute right, purely because they're smaller than a car.

The elderly couple do have a blue badge. They can park in the blue badge bay on the street. But often they are occupied by other blue badge owners. I never asked them if they applied for a bay in front of their house. I can only imagine it's been declined for whatever reason.

The point is, you shouldn't buy a EV car scheming to make a fool of all your neighbours who have the same right as you. Yes, it's legal, but it's utterly self centered. I have yet seen others with EV cars in the neighborhood do the same. Others can manage. If you can't, get a normal car. It's just social protocol respecting others, even though inconveniencing yourself to some extent.

We can't all behave the same way, otherwise that would be a society filled with distrust and selfishness. In the end, it's double standard. They want others respect theirs, but not the other way round.

So far, nobody did anything for three weeks. I just think nobody wants to be seen in the camera interfering.

Doesn’t sound illegal but I agree very annoying. Also, who could be arsed with that shite every time you wanted to park a car.

Of it's an ebike then can you not just lift it onto the pavement? If it's a motorbike and it's taxed then they can park then legally - but I agree it's bloody annoying as they are basically using the communal space as their own private space. Just because they have an EV doesn't give them the right to a space outside their house.

Surely a bike isn't as big as a car?

Buy or borrow a cargo bike and park next to it if you can lock it so people don't just move it.

The motorbike truck is quite clever of them. But annoying. Can you wait until they move the bike and move your car into the space?

I saw them twice after 10pm, driving to the spot and moving the bike out of the way at the same time. Not sure if the come home late daily or dare not to do this until late night to avoid being seen.

Yes, it's pathetic and annoying!

It's one of the two spots along the kurb between two drive-ways. So only two cars length space. When the bike takes half of the one, nobody else can use that one spot, unless you want to being recorded moving their bike out of the way.

Couldn't tell what kind of vehicle as it's fully covered and fixed down somehow. I couldn't even pull the cover up to see the numberplate

All I can think is to run out as fast as possible and park there when they go to switch - is one of them coming out of the house to switch them while the other one parks/leaves?

If I could bring myself to do that, I would rather keep it simple just moving their bike out of the way (sideways closer to the middle between two cars) and park there before they could do anything. Thanks though. This idea did make me grin. 😁

Move it along a bit so there is space for a car, put a note to say you moved it a bit and could they leave it at the end of the parking space to leave a car length

My FIL used to work with a man whose wife would stand in 'their' space in the road outside their house repeatedly sweeping it with a yard brush - the entire time whilst he was out with the car, from the second he started the engine and drove off until he returned and pulled back in - just so that nobody else could have the space.

It wasn't even like finding a space somewhere close by on the street was difficult; she was just furiously protecting 'their' special space!

In OP's situation, you just know the selfish neighbour would go full-on DARVO and vociferously blame OP or anybody else for being sneaky and devious when they know that they always 'need' that space; with no irony or remotest whiff of why they were forced into that action in the first place.

@BrezhnevsLuxuriantEyebrows you are right. They CANNOT be corrected.

@chirrupybird , DH just told me, the other day, he saw some neighbour moved their bike down towards the white line in front the rear drive way a little, so another car can use the space. The minute he walked away, that neighbour got out of their house and moved the bike back to the middle of the spot. Utterly pathetic and entitled.

Sounds like they need to move it and then immediately get a car in

I’m imagining you or a neighbour running out in a dressing gown at 10pm while another rams the car in quickly 🤣

if only one person lived there it’s definitely possible! Unless their partner is at home waiting which makes it harder!

Seems like a clever solution to me. Perfectly legal.

People today are selfish and entitled, but unfortunately, if they're following the law, nothing will be done. But manners and courtesy are long gone.

I live in a house where three families including mine share a private parking courtyard. You should see the amount of people who steal our two PRIVATE spaces. One of our neighbours regularly does, despite having his own two spaces (he just has too many people visiting), and strange people visiting other neighbours (who don't own the courtyard) also take our spaces. People simple don't care anymore.

And there's still nothing we can do!

Pick it up and move it. What's the problem?

Is it actually fixed to the road? If not, surely a couple of you could get together and see if you can lift the whole thing?