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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to get so angry about people blocking my drive?

30 replies

SeymoreButts · 12/09/2011 10:10

Next door have been having an extension built in their garden for the last 8 weeks and the builders often park big white vans overhanging my drive. I have to ask them to move because I can't get in or out. When they move they block the neighbours drive instead (why didn't they do that in the first place, it's their extension??) which is directly to my right. It's a narrow road and cars are parked all around so I have to pull out of the drive very gingerly because I can't see much until I'm in the road. This morning a mini nearly whacked me from the right, between the bend in the road, the big van and her small car I didn't know she was there. Thankfully she didn't hit me.

I came back later on to find my drive COMPLETELY blocked with tree branches. I ended up parking several streets away. My neighbour (on the other side) is having lots of trees chopped down and it seemed like a good idea to put the branches over my drive, they have even put a handy traffic cone over it too. For a brief period, I considered picking a tree branch and attacking the van, bald Britney style. Why does no one ever ask if it's ok to stop me using my own driveway? Why am I so rage filled about it?

OP posts:

Tanif · 12/09/2011 10:13

We get the same on our drive. It's a big double drive with a detatched double garage at the bottom which would seem to clearly indicate to people that it's OUR FUCKING DRIVE. But no. The neighbours frequently park on it and seem huffy when asked to move, they also get their guests to park in/across it, usually blocking both of our cars in. It's wonderful, isn't it?

If I were you, and the brances weren't too heavy, I'd dump them onto your neighbour's front lawn. Could you get one of those steel pole thingummies that you put up when you're out and drop down when you come home to block your drive from idiots parking on it?

Sirzy · 12/09/2011 10:16

I know it's frustrating but as it's just for a short while, and they do move when asked then I would grin and bear it.

My neighbour has a lot of visitors so my drive is often partly blocked, but when asked they always move so it's no biggy IMO. I have learnt to be good at wiggling on and off the drive though!

Mumsnut · 12/09/2011 10:20

I would park across the bottom of your own drive in the short term, then they can't and you won't get blocked in.

ThePrisonerOfAzkaban · 12/09/2011 10:32

I agree mums nut, I've had this before, parking was a nightmare at my last house and people would park over my drive, or park on the drive! And with cars ethier side of the entrance it was hard to see clearly out.

I started to park at the end of my dive with a bit of car poking out onto the road, no footpath though to block. My neighbours soon got the point. And with the issue of people parking on my drive (you could fit 3cars on it but in a row so you couldn't get pasted). At first I'd block it in, if it was their when I got back. But they would just leave it till I went out again, in the end I got the council to tow it away, never saw the car again

Original poster

SeymoreButts · 12/09/2011 10:33

Maybe I should pinch the traffic cone and use it over the drive in future! We're moving out in 6 weeks so I should just try to relax about it, I think my main beef is no one ever asks! If they did I would be fine with it.

OP posts:

Original poster

SeymoreButts · 12/09/2011 10:36

I didn't think about asking the council to tow away, can you do that if they are just blocking the drive, as opposed to on it? There have been cars parked over the drive that don't belong to the neighbours before. There are shops at the end of our road and I think people park over my drive rather than pay to use the car park...

OP posts:

diddl · 12/09/2011 10:37

"I came back later on to find my drive COMPLETELY blocked with tree branches."

I may be wrong, but I have an idea that you shouldn´t be blocked in, but blocking you out doesn´t matter.

My Dad sometimes complains & people say "well there´s no car in the drive".

So he tells them to look at the end of the drive & have a good guess as to what he might keep in his garage

Thepoweroforangeknickers · 12/09/2011 10:43

Some people are just too flipping ignorant. Is it not illegal to obstruct a driveway in England? I know it is in Scotland - and the police will book someone.

You are definitely NBU.

Sn0wGoose · 12/09/2011 10:50

If they'd blocked my drive with their trees, I'd have parked my car on their drive :o

Sn0wGoose · 12/09/2011 10:55

I found this online, btw:

Traffic Management Act 2004 updates - It is illegal to block a dropped curb driveway wether there is a car on it or not unless you have permission of the resident.

86Prohibition of parking at dropped footways etc. E+W.(1)In a special enforcement area a vehicle must not be parked on the carriageway adjacent to a footway, cycle track or verge where?.
(a)the footway, cycle track or verge has been lowered to meet the level of the carriageway for the purpose of?.
(i)assisting pedestrians crossing the carriageway,.
(ii)assisting cyclists entering or leaving the carriageway, or.
(iii)assisting vehicles entering or leaving the carriageway across the footway, cycle track or verge; or.
(b)the carriageway has, for a purpose within paragraph (a)(i) to (iii), been raised to meet the level of the footway, cycle track or verge..
This is subject to the following exceptions.
(2)The first exception is where the vehicle is parked wholly within a designated parking place or any other part of the carriageway where parking is specifically authorised..
A ?designated parking place? means a parking place designated by order under section 6, 9, 32(1)(b) or 45 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 (c. 27).
(3)The second exception is where the vehicle is parked outside residential premises by or with the consent (but not consent given for reward) of the occupier of the premises..
This exception does not apply in the case of a shared driveway.
(4)The third exception is where the vehicle is being used for fire brigade, ambulance or police purposes..
(5)The fourth exception is where?.
(a)the vehicle is being used for the purposes of delivering goods to, or collecting goods from, any premises, or is being loaded from or unloaded to any premises,.
(b)the delivery, collection, loading or unloading cannot reasonably be carried out in relation to those premises without the v

cookcleanerchaufferetc · 12/09/2011 11:04

Have you got an old kids bike that yu could leave at the bottom of the drive?

Twats!

Still, you are moving soon - block their driveway with your removals lorry!

diddl · 12/09/2011 11:04

"Traffic Management Act 2004 updates - It is illegal to block a dropped curb driveway wether there is a car on it or not unless you have permission of the resident."

Looks as if I was wrong then.

Common sense-who´d a think it?

diddl · 12/09/2011 11:05

"who´d a think it?"

CoffeeDog · 12/09/2011 11:16

We live very close to a a school (well 2 schools on same site) EVERY day there is a car parked accross my drive somtimes two... but it's 'ok as they will only be a minute as just dropping kids off...' EVERY BLOODY DAY... I have to walk daughter to school then get back and drive twins to nursery (4miles away hence car needed).

Dosnt help as the school's have sent all parents a map of the local area and apprentley they have allocated MY road as a one way street.... so as i go the other way i also get abuse most mornings as according to the 4x4 mum's ' its a fu**ing one way street'.
I asked the school why they did this they said it was to ease traffic if they can get the parents to drive in and out the same way... If i go the other way it easily add's 10-15minutes to my journey
In 2yrs... the the twins will be at school and my blood pressure will be normal in the mornings again.... Oh and dont even get me started about the parents who empty they car of sweetwrappers/bottles on the grass verge outside my house....

blackeyedsusan · 12/09/2011 11:39

tanif one word.... SUNCREAM apply it to your children 's hands liberally and direct them to get distracted as they pass the car that is illegally parked on your drive. put up a small notice saying you accept no responsibility for damage... like the supermarkets do.

beatrixkitto · 12/09/2011 11:59

I recently had the same problem with a car blocking my driveway, I had just returned from the supermarket to find someone parked over the dropped kerb.

I called the police emergency number 101 and they said it is an offence to park over a dropped kerb only if a car is being blocked from a public highway, if there is no car on the driveway there is nothing the police could do.

LydiaWickham · 12/09/2011 12:14

Go round tonight and have a word with your neighbours, tell them that while you are happy to put up with a bit of noise and mess for their extension they really need to tell their builders to stop blocking your drive.

I'd also tell them that they might want to mention to the builders that you know of other people who are considering having work done to their properties, but due to their lack of consideration for the rest of the people in the street you'll be advising your friends to use other companies instead, regardless of how good a job they do. (That can be a white lie, but the realisation that behaving badly round neighbours is bad publicity might stop them doing it to the next road they work on).

Original poster

SeymoreButts · 14/09/2011 14:15

Sorry, I've only just seen all these replies! Thanks for all the helpful advice. I did ask my neighbour if she could stop them parking vans either side of my drive, that way I don't have to dice with death just to get off the drive....

Am about the consent given for a reward part, it's good to know you can't go round bribing people into letting you block their drive!

OP posts:

limitedperiodonly · 14/09/2011 15:00

I think my main beef is no one ever asks! If they did I would be fine with it.

Same as me. Why can't people ask, tell you how long it'll be going on for and apologise in advance for inconvenience?

Instead, I go steaming round there in fury at their stupidity and then they get all hurt and mumble about not liking confrontation.

Neither do I. But I'm up for it

plupervert · 14/09/2011 15:35

Don't for heaven's sake forget to organise the parking suspension for outside your house when you move!

If you could see your way clear to extending the period of the suspension.... on the one hand, it's only money; on the other, it would feel amazing.

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 14/09/2011 15:45

Another variation on blackeyedsusan's suncream suggestion is laundry detergent, applied liberally to side windows and front and rear windshields. It is so thick and soapy it is an absolute bugger to wash off, but does no damage to the vehicle.

I should say I haven't tried this myself, but read about another mumsnetter doing this, and then watching in stitches as the driver carried out bucket after bucket of water to wash the soap off.

mumofbumblebea · 14/09/2011 15:50

happens to us. our garage and drive are on a court at the back of the houses. there are three garages and drives owned by three seperate houses. there is enough space to park two cars on each drive. so what do the neighbours do if they have somebody visiting and a third car to accommodate? park on the quiet road at the front of the houses where there is ample space? of course not! they bloody park behind my car and then go out so i cant get hold of them to ask them to move it! i would definitely call the police!

mumofbumblebea · 14/09/2011 15:56

love the detergent idea!

Fimbo · 14/09/2011 16:01

We have the only double driveway in the street, which makes all in sundry think they can block it, use it to turn on etc. The best was the neighbour's daughter across the way from us, she parks on an angle in front of their garage and then reverses back at speed across into our driveway to turn. Thankfully putting the wheelie bins out in front of the drive, she eventually took the hint. She almost hit ds coming out of the drive on his bike one day too as he wasn't expecting something at speed to come hurtling out of nowhere, you kind of hope you would be safe on your own driveway.

tallulah · 14/09/2011 16:27

People used to block our drive too, and the worst offenders were the people next door. I got home one day to find they were having their heating changed and their builders had laid all the pipes out on our drive.

Every time we went to go out we had to wait for them to move their car/van- why the hell should you? We were very pleased when they moved away.

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