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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to have got irate with the ignorant shite who blocked my car in?

30 replies

PositiveToBe · 27/01/2011 17:40

We have recently moved to a cul de sac with little parking and we quickly figured out that rather than parking a little walk away from the houses, people block cars in by parking across the parking bays. This was irritating at first because we did not know whose car was whose so had to spend ages knocking on doors but it seems that most people just honk their horns and sooner or later the offender will come out and move their car . Got used to it now so not too much of a problem!

Anyway today, I was off to do the school run (too far to walk before it gets mentioned) and there was a car parked right across mine which I did not recognise. So I honked the horn for a few minutes, then started knocking on doors but no one knew whose car it was. 15 minutes later, old man walks over. I say 'is that you car', 'yes' says he. 'I've been honking my horn for ages now' says I. 'And' says he. So my blood pressure went up to boiling point .

He said that people block cars all the time and he's visitor so whats the problem? I said that anyone with any decency would have left a note on their car to state where they were and he was extremely rude and arrogant and I would call the police next time. He also said he did not hear me honking but he was in the opposite house (the only one I did not knock because there were no lights on) so I would doubt it. I can imagine the old git was watching me and getting a kick out of it!

D H now thinks I went over the top and I have caused trouble with the neighbours . So it was OK for me to be late to pick the DCs up from school and I should not have had a go???

OP posts:

SenoritaViva · 27/01/2011 17:43

I'd have done the same. The 'and?' would have made me boil too.

curlymama · 27/01/2011 17:45

You had every right to have a go.

Tbh, I don't know how you cope with living like that, I would be permenantly stressed!

Original poster

PositiveToBe · 27/01/2011 17:47

Curly - we have no choice at the moment. Only place available to rent when our last place expired! I have no problem with being blocked in (it did take a while to get used to) as long as they move sharpish!

OP posts:

newwave · 27/01/2011 17:56

IMHO you were very very restrained, if I saw that car again I would wedge a nail under the tyre so that when he left he would have a flat after about a couple of miles, he would have no reason to think it was deliberate and would probably think it was just bad luck

ragged · 27/01/2011 18:20

Why not park "a little walk away" yourself? Wouldn't that solve your problem better than running the risk of annoying idiot strangers?

Original poster

PositiveToBe · 27/01/2011 18:40

Err whatever ragged .

OP posts:

southeastastra · 27/01/2011 18:43

blimey what a daft situation to start with. you should all get together and try to come to some arrangement that isn't so odd

Changeisagoodthing · 27/01/2011 18:45

Why would you call the police? They can't do anything- it's not an offence and they ant touch or move cars.

PlanetEarth · 27/01/2011 18:58

I think it is an offence if you're blocking someone in.

To avoid it though, couldn't you just park across your driveway instead of on it?

TrillianAstra · 27/01/2011 18:59

"People block cars all the time".

No they don't. Only morons block the cars of people they don't know.

ModreB · 27/01/2011 19:07

change it is an offence to block access to the public highway, so if a car is parked across your drive, or in such a way that you can't get your vehicle onto the highway it can be towed.

BUT - if a car is parked so that you can't get onto your drive from the highway, this is not an offence.

namechangedofcourse · 27/01/2011 19:09

I'd have let his tyres down. Wanker.

ILoveItWhenYouCallMeBoo · 27/01/2011 19:15

OP this sounds like my culdesac (are you in northern ireland)

it is parking bays and tehy are very badly designed in relation to teh houses. i often have to knock my neighbours doors and ask them to let me out.

i think you were very restrained TBH.

TrillianAstra · 27/01/2011 19:23

If you let down his tyres then when you find him he can't move and you are more stuck than before.

DitaVonCheese · 27/01/2011 19:28

YANBU. Where we lived in London last we did have hardstanding for parking but the kerb wasn't lowered so people were always blocking us in Station was close by so people would park there all cocking day, which would have been fine if I was at work all day but I worked evenings/nights and quite often needed my car in the day. I did occasionally leave shirty notes but obviously they would know where we lived! Wish I'd thought of the nail under the tyre thing ... It's not that bloody hard for people to leave a note telling you where they are. (Honking would drive me mad too.) Move!

DublinMammy · 27/01/2011 19:31

You were very restrained. I might have been tempted to call him a few choice names - some of the ones I have learnt on MN would have worked a treat.

RunawayFishWife · 27/01/2011 19:47

I would have keyed his car

NellieForbush · 27/01/2011 20:54

YANBU - what a bizarre situation, ring the police next time.

Dansmommy · 27/01/2011 20:56

Why such a rude response to ragged? It was a valid suggestion!

ragged · 29/01/2011 16:57

Ta, Dansmommy. .
Apparently I would have been alright to suggest a solution involving criminal damage .

JaneS · 29/01/2011 17:06

You were incredibly restrained.

Can you get on to the council to do anything? Round here we used to have that problem and they've put a regular parking warden on the area - it happens much less now!

lenak · 29/01/2011 17:13

Our neighbor (who has a van, a massive BMW and a Punto in a terraced house with only a hard standing for one car and no drive) used to park across our drive all the time. It really got on DH's nerves although had never massively inconvenienced us.

He did it one night when DH had to go out to work very early the next morning. After being woken at 5am by DH banging on the door and telling him to shift it, he didn't do it overnight again.

alemci · 29/01/2011 17:16

I think it was most inconsiderate of him. he should have left a note. I would hate to have to park so someone else was inconvenienced.

you had to go out and he was causing an obstruction.

VivaLeBeaver · 29/01/2011 17:30

It is an offence to block someone in and I've called the police before for the same. Obviously not 999. But police have taken details of the number plate and whether they've then nipped round to that person's house or rung them up I don't know but someone has come running out their house and moved it quite quickly.

OmniaParatus · 29/01/2011 17:35

If the old man was a visitor, you have not caused trouble with the neighbours, so surely your DH is wrong about that?

I would wait until he visits again, then move your car so that you block him in .

And I do think ragged's suggestion was a good one tbh- if I lived like that I would rather park a walk away than go through that every day- suppose you needed access to your car in an emergency, maybe if one of your DC's was ill and you had to take them to the doctors quickly?

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