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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

I know I am a bit but how much?

50 replies

cocopops · 21/11/2012 20:17

This is a neighbour parking issue. I live in a terrace and we have 2 cars. Most of the neighbours have 2 cars and there's a church in the street so lots of coming and goings and cars.

A neighbour who doesn't technically live in our street but at the end of the terrace and who has 2 cars, a garage and lives on a main road with no parking allowed has had a go at me in the past for parking outside my house and not parking right up against the white access line- the reason i do this is that if my second car is parked close to the line, it's a nightmare reversing out of the driveway. These neighbours do not use their garage for either of theirs cars.

Tonight, both of my cars were parked on the road. As I was drying my daughters hair, this husband parked right over my driveway. I know that if a car is not parked in a driveway, it is not illegal to do this. I asked him what he was playing at, as there was a space right outside the side of his house and he called me pathetic and said why did I park both my cars on the road every Wednesday night (i don't always do this).

He said he would continue to park across my driveway if I didn't have a car on it. I eventually got him to move his car by agreeing to move mine onto the driveway but he was really aggressive and demanded to speak to my husband (who is still at work) and said he needed to sit down with us and sort it out. I said that was the last thing my DH needed ( lots of job worries at the moment) and he said no wonder married to me,

Ok- I accept it must be annoying for him to have to park further along the road but given I pay my road tax too and the fact he has a garage and doesn't use it makes me think I am perfectly entitled to leave my driveway free if i want. I think he's being a bit of a hypocrite.

Sorry this is long-'what does the mumsnet jury think. Any advice?

OP posts:
northcountrygirl · 21/11/2012 21:07

It's not 3 spaces though is it? It's 4 - the 2 on the road, the space on the drive and the space across the drive. If space is at a premium (which you say it IS) no wondered he was annoyed with you!

cocopops · 21/11/2012 21:10

If delivery men can't park - they park over the other neighbours' white lines and block them in so I get it in the neck for that too!

OP posts:
witchitagrub · 21/11/2012 21:11

True, northcountrygirl, plus the fact that if the op does use the drive she refuses to park the other car up to the white line thus presumably takes up more space parking than she needs to.

NoraGainesborough · 21/11/2012 21:13

Its not your fault delivery men park illegally. Its not your job to provide then somewhere, unless its a large item that needs carrying in.

You neighbours should be put out because you are having visitors and tbh why not just finishing moving the cars when you were swapping them.

As you say, parking is at a premium. You are being quite selfish.

simplesusan · 21/11/2012 21:15

I think he should use his garage. If he is trying to park 2 cars on the road then he is bu. Tbh why buy a house where you cannot park outside and then have 2 cars?
I see where you are coming from regarding leaving your drive free for visitors.

cocopops · 21/11/2012 21:22

Space was not at a premium tonight though- as I said there was one right outside his house!

And if you park on a white line in front of a driveway with a car in it -you can get a ticket even ifmits YOUR car- happened to a friend of mine who used to live round the corner. So- no question of 4 spaces as none of us in the street ever park second carbon white lines.

Indeed I should have finished moving the cars- I was being lazy.

OP posts:
cocopops · 21/11/2012 21:23

Car on white lines, rather

OP posts:
witchitagrub · 21/11/2012 21:27

Parking up against and parking on white access lines are not the same thing.

Look - you park where you like, within the limits of what is legal because you feel like it. He legslly blocks your drive because he feels like it. You are both as childish and inconsiderate as each other.2

ShipwreckedAndComatose · 21/11/2012 21:29

Technically, if your cars are parked legally in the street then he is in the wrong for parking illegally across a driveway..

But he clearly has a bee somewhere in his bonnet. Might be worth trying to sort ou before it gets worse...

northcountrygirl · 21/11/2012 21:30

I live on a road with parking issues. I have bitter experience of the lengths people will go to if they feel "cheated" out of a parking space. Trust me -I've had 6 years of escalating nightmare neighbour problems which all stem from the fact that I used to park my car (selfishly admittedly - but I was utterly naive) in front of someone elses house.

cocopops · 21/11/2012 21:34

Yes I know withitagrub there is a difference- I was just making that comment in response to the comment that 4 spaces were taken up which was not the case.

Your second comment is a fair assessments of the situation!

OP posts:
cocopops · 21/11/2012 21:42

Sorry to hear that northcountrygirl- how did you resolve matters?

OP posts:
NoraGainesborough · 21/11/2012 21:43

shipwrecked parking over a drive is not always illegal.

OwedToAutumn · 21/11/2012 21:43

I used to live in a little Victorian cottage on a pedestrian only passage way. We could only park around the corner in a little mews street. We were very tight for parking, to the extent that we often had to knock on someone's door, to ask them to move, as they were blocking us in. (And we had our share of knocks at our door as well.)

We never had problems with the neighbours, I think because everyone took the attitude that they wouldn't fall out. In fact, everyone was really jolly, and I would quite miss it, if it weren't for the fact that my family wouldn't fit into it!

sooperdooper · 21/11/2012 21:53

If you'd just parked on your drive in the first place none of this would've happened, you can't complain about where he parks if you want to baggsy the space across your drive when you're not even using it

SoftKittyWarmKitty · 21/11/2012 21:53

You should park one of your cars on your drive and he should park one of his in his garage. Each of you then park your second cars where there's space. Simple.

I live on a terrace street but with no drives, so space really is limited. I quite often have to park quite a way up the road, nowhere near my house, or even round the corner on the next road. On the rare days I actually get to park right outside my house I do a little jig and crack open the champagne Grin. Unfortunately terraces were built before people had numerous cars, so if you live on a street like that you have to accept a degree of 'first come, first served'.

ShipwreckedAndComatose · 21/11/2012 21:54

Ok.. My mistake. Smile

cocopops · 21/11/2012 21:57

Exactly soft kitty- by he's not willing to use his garage! If I cam ever have a sensible non confrontational conversation with this man, I will suggest that we both do as you suggested- simples!

OP posts:
Trills · 21/11/2012 21:58

I pay my road tax too

This is entirely irrelevant. Please stop using it in any argument whatsoever.

DitaVonCheese · 21/11/2012 21:59

At the risk of sounding like my mum, can't you just ignore him parking over your drive? He'll probably get bored if it doesn't get a rise out of you.

sooperdooper · 21/11/2012 22:01

You can't really complain about him not using his garage when you weren't using your drive

cocopops · 21/11/2012 22:03

Yes but he never ever uses his garage-I use my drive 99% of the time.

OP posts:
cocopops · 21/11/2012 22:05

Trills- why is that argument irrelevant. -I pay to be able to park on the road so have every right as he does- think its a relevant point?

OP posts:
Fairyegg · 21/11/2012 22:05

You should use your drive, I think your being pretty selfish not to. Ideally he should use his garage, but most people use garages to store stuff in nowadays , do you know if he can even get his car in his garage?

pictish · 21/11/2012 22:07

You are boith as bad as each other regarding the parking. Neither of you trumps the other. You both want it all your own way.
He however, loses major points for being an aggressive, rude, sexist arsehole about it. So you win.
Go round with dh and say you want to talk about it calmly. Then take it from there. My advice for what it's worth. You'll all feel much better.

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