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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To get fucked off with people parking on my drive / blocking access to it

55 replies

amoney · 01/10/2011 22:23

And then when I confront said people and ask them to please move, in a friendly, polite way, I get a mouthful of abuse / get told I am being unreasonable and or awkward, it all gets turned back on me as if I am in the wrong for asking them to move and not block my access in the future. I mean wtf, am I living in some strange new world where manners and private space no longer count! I am very rapidly losing patience and don't trust my response if it keeps happening. I know there are more important things in life but where had common decency gone?

Aibu or just growing into a grumpy old lady, a bit of perspective needed please Grin

OP posts:
Meteorite · 01/10/2011 22:31

YANBU. Don't rise to their rude remarks either, just wait for them to leave :)

YellowDave · 01/10/2011 22:31

Need more info really - not unreasonable to get cross in this situation but it kmay not be that obvious if it is your drive...

FormbyDoula · 01/10/2011 22:32

YANBU but you are being grumpy Wink

People block my drive all the time to go to the shop across the road - it is not bumper-to-bumper parked though, they could park about four yards further back, not block my drive but then they would have to walk about 10 more steps and that seems out of the question.

I have actually been putting the kids in the car ie about to reverse out of the drive and had people stop, block the drive and then say 'I'll only be a minute' when I protest!

Quintessentialist · 01/10/2011 22:34

I sometimes block my neighbours drive. If somebody has parked RIGHT outside my house, and I have already driven up and down the road looking for somewhere to park, and found nowhere, I sometimes block him in.
I assume he is at work. He cycles to work and is normally home 7 pm. I usually move my car as soon as I notice "my" spot outside our house, or another spot is empty, so he wont see it and feel bothered about it.

fit2drop · 01/10/2011 22:34

If there is a dropped curb to your drive anyone parking there is actually committing an offence "obstruction".
Im not sure if you can have the car towed away at the owners expense, but the police certainly can.

Its annoying and very bad mannered, I have a drive at the back of my house , 2 large gates and a polite sign asking people to leave clear as access needed 24/7

Customers from the nearby Sainsbury frequently park there as its a short walk over a green to the shop, whereas there is a fecking huge car park which they cannot be arsed to find a spot in.
Makes me very cross.

so NO YANBU.

Firawla · 01/10/2011 22:36

yanbu it is out of order if they are blocking you in and for them to behave as though its you with the problem is even more rude

rimmerfleadick · 01/10/2011 22:41

fit2drop

only if it denies access to the highway, not property.

springydaffs · 01/10/2011 22:49

I'm a bit of a hitler about people not blocking my drive or, even, parking too close so I struggle to get out and have to do a 58-point turn. I back into the drive - paranoid about backing out and running over somebody little

fit2drop · 01/10/2011 22:58

rimmerfleadick
Oh

still a bugger though innit[ grin]

MrsJasonBourne · 01/10/2011 22:59

Not in quite the same league but we live in a small cul de sac and we regularly get people turning round in it. Seems to be the local place to swing your car round. They frequently use the driveway if they can't turn round in the road. It does my head in, I think someone's come round.

One day I was coming home and the car in front of me turned into my road. Didn't recognise it and yep, it was spinning round. The woman saw me coming and obviously assumed I was also turning round and backed into my driveway and then waved me past her. I thumped the horn and gave my best 'out!' hand motion and she glared at me and drove off, although she had to get round me cos I wasn't moving out of her way.

Am thinking of putting a sign up that says 'Private property. Fuck off.'

42day · 01/10/2011 23:03

People always park too close making it very difficult to get in and out of our drive but they just don't realise it I think. YANBU but I blame the planners who are allowed to continually get away with drawing up plans which make parking a nightmare whether on residential streets or in hospital or shopping centre etc car parks. When is anyone in a position to make a difference going to realise that car ownership has increased and using public transport is not always feasible due to cost or route or whatever and stop adding to this continual problem.

t0lk13n · 01/10/2011 23:03

My drive used to be blocked by 'school runs people'...I used to write a polite note saying they were stopping a disabled child from going to school...eventually did the trick! [ My son was indeed diabled and unable to get o school on time if blocked in!] Especially when I telephoned the school and asked them to write to parents in their news letter to consider the neighbours!

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 01/10/2011 23:55

I read an account on here from a mumsnetter who got so incensed with one repeat offender parking across her drive, and coated all his windows in laundry detergent - then sat in her house and watched as he dragged bucket after bucketful of water round to wash the soapy mess off. IIRC this isn't vandalism, as it doesn't damage the car - it is just an utter pain in the arse for the thoughtless driver.

I would do this - but then I am Evil, as my nickname might hint. Grin

Ellefabulosa · 02/10/2011 00:00

Do you live near a school? We had this scenario every day living opposite a school - people seemed to think it was there right to use/ block our drive and then give us a load of abuse if we questioned it. The school did very little about it.

midlandsmumof4 · 02/10/2011 00:10

Posted on another thread about this. Live in a cul-se-sac next door but one to the school entrance. It's a nightmare. Cant get on/off our drive at dropping off/picking up times despite dropped curb and markings. Someone on the other thread actually suggested that houses near to schools should be demolished to make way for carpark. WTF-I was here first. Angry

kelly2000 · 02/10/2011 00:32

Speak you your local council about what the rules are in regards to towing etc. Where I live people can be towed for this sort of behaviour.

Seraphina1 · 02/10/2011 02:44

Hi YANBU!!

I live next to the village school on one side, the church on the other and quite near the local airport. It is a narrow road and cos of the way the drive is (high walls which we cannot change- long story) and the sweep of the road getting out of the drive if someone parks opposite us is a freaking nightmare. So on

Weekdays - twice a day we have the drop off and pick up from school
Funerals
Bellringers
assorted churchy visitors

Weekends - weddings sometimes two on a saturday in the summer
sundays two church services

And thanks very much (you know who you are) dont bother paying for airport parking, park infront of our house for two weeks!!

As for a solution we tried the local council and it was all yada yada- they will probably only do something when there is an accident. Otherwise than that nowt you can do, they are within their rights to park there. I scraped my car on the wall a couple of weeks ago thanks to some totally crappy parking.

rant over :(

Triggles · 02/10/2011 08:02

We get people blocking ours in sometimes and this is even when there is tons of parking available. It's mainly next door and across the street. Next door has an adult daughter who is clueless (I'm still mulling over how she got a driving licence to begin with Hmm) and across the street has tons of people that visit them (big family) and for some reason they always seem to park either directly across from our drive or partly blocking our drive, making it very difficult. Not sure why they can't park slightly one way or the other - just inconsiderate, I suppose.

bluelaguna · 02/10/2011 08:10

OP - put a sign up

Original poster
amoney · 02/10/2011 11:06

Thank you thank you thank you, just nice to know I an not bu.
We live in a permit parking areafor which you have to pay a yearly fee, the offenders are sometimes strangers but lately it has been one particular set of neighbours. just drives me fucking insane, the rudeness of it all and then to tell me to get a life and start being verbally abusive to me just takes the biscuit! I guess though if they act like this and don't see how they think they are in the wrong then I've got no chance have I? A phonecall to the council may be the only solution, but then I also like the idea of your sign mrsjasonbourne

OP posts:
FabbyChic · 02/10/2011 11:13

If they are parking across a dropped kerb then you are not being unreasonable, that is the only time they cannot park across your drive. If you don't have a dropped kerb then you are being unreasonable.

If you have one then when they park their call the police and they will tow it away.

CustardCake · 02/10/2011 11:17

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

brighthair · 02/10/2011 11:20

YANBU
I have a private numbered parking space. People use it, so I have to run round looking for which house has parked in it, and last time got someone who said "how can you prove it's yours?" I pointed out the number and he still said it wasn't mine Angry
I pointed out I was stood holding the keys for he property and if he wanted to see the deeds he was more than welcome
Most common is "I'll move in a minute" - er no, I have only one space, I own it, you'll move now

blackeyedsusan · 02/10/2011 11:25

i am constantly shocked at the total diSREgard for the rules OF parKINg that OCCURnear OUR sCHOOl THere is QPQQLENTY of parkINGjust anOTHER 100 yrds up[ the road.

ps trying to fend a toddler off the ccaps lock key

CristinadellaPizza · 02/10/2011 11:27

The sign has really helped cut down the number of people who park across my dropped kerb. I did speak to a woman once - didn't realise she was a neighbour and she snapped 'I'm only making a phonecall'. Well how the hell am I supposed to know that?

I don't agree that it's the fault of town planners - there are plenty of places to park around here but you have to pay for them. People are too tight to spend £3 a day to park outside the station.