Standing in a parking space....

[TantrumsAndBalloons]

I may be totally irrational about this. But that is because where I live there's no off street parking. There's 2 restaurants at the end of the road, a shop, and a garage so it generally takes a LONG time to find somewhere to park.
I knew this when I moved in. I have lived there for 4 years and although its a bit aggravating at times, I can live with it.

However.... Last night I turned into my street and saw a parking space right outside my house
This is very rare. It's like a tiny little miracle.

There was a person standing in the space. So I rolled down my window and very politely asked them to move so I could park.

She said "no I am saving the space for my husband"

So I asked her where her husband was and she said that was 5 minutes away but he asked to find a space because she was meeting him for dinner and the table was booked for 7pm.

Really???? 5 minutes away? And you are standing in a space, stopping people from parking?

WIBU to say, actually I don't care. I live on the street. Your DH is 5 minutes away and you cannot "hold a parking space?

Because that's what I did. And she refused to move. Then her DH came along and I explained to him why his wife was screaming at me and he said "don't worry we will find another space"

Do people actually think its ok to do this?
Am I missing something, is it ok to stand in a parking space for 10 minutes??

But that would be outside my own house, not yours!

I've stood (wobbly) in a disabled space (cos I can't really walk and have a blue badge) waiting for dh to turn (other people blocking entrance making it impossible to park - he's not a very good reverse Parker!). 2 people asked me to move. Neither had a disabled card for parking.

Apart from this scenario, yanbu. You can't reserve spaces! I did it as a previous cursory check (yes Tesco Silverburn Glasgow I'm looking at you!) showed 50% of cars in disabled spaces displayed no accreditation!

You see, if her dh had been actually on the street and turning round or something. but he was 5 bloody minutes away.

I have only seen it happen once, the bloke was standing there for a good five minutes. I can't fathom why anyone could think it's acceptable apart from the standard removal lorry or very ill person. For dinner, no!

Even if he was turning around its tough! First come first serve. Except for disabled space example etc

Haha I did this today! We needed to pack up our car to go away and I'd been cheated out of a space on our road yesterday (someone pulled in behind me whilst I was trying to reverse park) and i'd ended up parking two streets away. This morning when a space became available, I went and stood in it whilst DH went to get our car, I felt a bit stupid but didn't want to have to double park whilst we pack the car... I wouldn't have moved if you'd shouted at me either!!

Though, on my street, lots of people put cones in the space outside their house, all day. Apart from it being near their house not yours, this is no different and is common practice.

I absolutely 100% would've drove at her with my hand on the horn.

If she didn't move I would've blocked the space so her dh couldn't park either then I would sit for hours mning or maybe even having a nap.

Anyone who thinks standing in a space is acceptable is a bit of a nob.

And people ask why I live in the country and love out of town shopping malls and big Supermarkets?

Agree Enorma. There is no valid reason really. An ambulance would double park, removal men/skips you can put cones out and a sign saying please do not park here we have removal men etc and hope that people respect that (if they don't its tough really, annoying but tough. I'm sure most wouldn't bother to go to the lengths of stopping removing cones and parking after reading).

I can't actually fathom why someone would be so entitled as to 'claim' a space on a public road.

Even if you think you have good reason how would you know the driver that can't have the space because you are standing in it like a lemon doesn't have a superior need?

YANBU its rediculous that some people feel they have the right to do this, happened to us once DH had to drive away cause the mad possibly drunk, idiot man started swearing and banging on the car for asking him to move

It's threads like these that really brings my attention to the amount of loons out there!!

I've never encountered anything like this in my puff.

One woman did that to me. I was puzzled at first why this person was standing in the spot, and I thought maybe she did not see she was in a parking spot. I rolled down the window saying, 'excuse me, I want to park" - she said I am saving this spot for our friends who are driving around the block. WTF?? I did not move and may have honked until her husband told her to move (he could see I was not going to give up). This kind of thing will lead to some serious road rage here in the states.
And its always women doing this, I have never seen a man do this.

The other thing people do here is place lawn chair or cones in parking spaces where they have cleared the snow. I can understand this a bit more, if you have spent a few hours shoveling snow off your car and clearing a space, you don't want someone else to come along and use it.

Hahahahha! Hilarious! She is complete loon!

You did very well not to jump out and twat her after she swore at you.... take 10 points. [winks]

Omg she sounds like a loon!

Its a nightmare living on a busy street we used to and it was permit parking and still a pita, more so as we lived opposite a school...

We deliberately bought a house with a driveway but its in a cup due sac and some people are incapable of parking consideraterly and we either can't get in or they block the driveway so we can't get out.

Dp works rather antisocial hours and started knocking on the owners of certain cars when they did this, after a few 2am calls to get them to move they stopped doing it! We did ask them politely numerous times first before resorting to knocking and asking them.

YANBU

It's ok if it's for a removal van or something like that bit it's not on otherwise. Glad you told her.

I nearly did this this morning. Have been trying to get a space near enough my house to change over the kids' carseats for days. Just missed it yesterday when my neighbours (who have a drive but 1 car and 2 vans, grr) pipped me to the post. Glad I didn't now

YANBU, it's ridiculous behaviour. She really stood there for 5 whole minutes? Idiotic.

There was a story in our local paper a few months ago. A woman was run over for standing in a space. She had "reserved" the space near a restaurant for her elderly parents and had apparently turned away 4 drivers from parking before the next one decided to call her bluff. There is obviously no justification for deliberately running someone over but I thought it was a stupid (and very selfish) thing to do. It wasn't as if they were just coming either, I think she'd been there a good 10 minutes.

Yanbu :)

Dh has asked me to save a space he had spotted whilst in a car park.
I told him to Jeff off.
It conjured up an image of Gandulf (lotr), slamming his staff down and proclaiming 'you shall not pass!'.
If I'd had my brolly I may have given it a go....

I think I would turned music v loud and driven right up to her (very slowly) with full beam on and waited it out. Picture her screaming whilst you sing along.

I'd let her have the space but clamp the bastards car while they were out enjoying their meal. Then totally deny it was me.