to expect someone to see the 'do not block access' signs on an adapted minibus?

[deebeeandboys]

First post on here, hello! :-)

We have a minibus, it's adapted with a ramp at the back, drivers seat turns so my husband can get in and out easily with his powerchair. It's a bit knackered, needs a lot of work to the body, but it's clearly a wheelchair accessible vehicle, not a builders van or something.

We park up on a main road, next to a lowered curb, to fetch the kids from school. We have to drive as we've moved house and the kids have had enough stress over the past 3 years without changing schools again too. Dh often gets out and goes with me, if it's nice. Quite a few times, we've had people park over the lowered curb behind us, but they've noticed the 4 various signs on the doors saying 'please leave 3 metres for access' and given enough space.

Yesterday we parked up a little early, to go to the shops. I nipped back to the minibus on my own to drop something off and noticed someone had parked right up over the lowered curb, too close to get the ramp down. There was another car's length at least empty behind them, so they had deliberately decided to park that close- they could have reversed up a bit to give us space.

Got back with the kids and the car is still there. No room to get dh back in (and he's the only driver).

We waited. All the other parents parked up nearby left. Got fed up, called the local police and they said they'd send someone out.

Just before the police arrived, a couple with a baby came strolling back- staring into the van as they walked past, then proceeded to get into this car- they weren't going to speak to us or apologise.

I have two noise levels- very quiet or very shouty. After 45 minutes standing in the heat waiting for them to come back, I was fuming. I told them we'd called the police, that they'd blocked us in. Their attitude was 'we can park where we like' and 'we made a mistake, but you won't resolve this amicably'. They then pulled out into oncoming traffic and nearly hit a car.

Is it acceptable to knowingly block in what is clearly an accessible minibus? And stand watching from a park (realised after they were the people doing that- maybe waiting for us to leave or something or wondering why we were photographing their car... I nearly went over to the park and yelled out the reg number- dh wouldn't let me ). And then get shirty about the people you've blocked in being upset and pointing out 'mistakes' have consequences?

Policeman suggested we buy cones to put behind the van! Shouldn't have to get that far- what happened to common sense? We don't have an adapted minibus for fun- I doubt they'd swap.

I'm a little bit stressed about other stuff and this has kind of tipped me over the edge.

What's the legality?

I would have gone over to the park and called out, asking if the car parked behind your minibus belonged to anyone there, and nicely asked them to move.

Perhaps they really didn't see the signs, some people don't bother looking at road markings when they're parking, let alone other vehicles. I think if they'd refused to move, or not made it known that it was their car blocking you in after you'd asked, then sauntered over to go home, it would have been massively unreasonable of them. Maybe they really didn't know why you were hanging around your vehicle and not moving and were puzzled, how far away were they standing?

Either way don't blame you for being annoyed, what a pain in the arse.

yanbu to expect this. Yabu to not realise there's twats out there.

I can see how frustrating it is for you, but it is quite possible they just never saw the signs. I don't pay attention to whether cars have baby seats or anything else, and if I'm lost in my own little world, thinking of twenty other things, or trying to get a grumbling DS out of the car seat and in to a pram, I'm not necessarily paying attention to a sticker on someone's car. Unless it's flashing neon and shooting fireworks, I could genuinely just not see it.

Although it sounds like they parked over a lowered kerb, as in a driveway? In which case, all the stickers in the world probably wouldn't make a difference to them parking where they wanted.

It does sound like you were angry and trying to make a point. You could have gone to the park and called out, they could come back, apologised, and they learnt something new that day and you'd have been on your way. Sitting around fuming, calling police without making any attempt to locate the owners first, was never the right way to go about things, despite how annoying it is. Arguing with someone who is ranting and yelling is not really going to achieve anything, so getting in the car and driving away was probably the most sensible thing for them to do.

In fairness though why should the op have to trawl around the park looking for the cars owners, I assume they didn't even know for sure they were there?
Having said that I can see how somebody might unintentionally have blocked your van in. No they didn't need to argue but they should have apologised.

I think it's quite possible that they didn't see the signs, and if they genuinely didn't, then why would they think to say anything to you when they got back?

YABU to assume they deliberately parked that close, and YABU shout at people in the street for what could have been a genuine mistake.

I've done this as I didn't see the sign but I was mortified afterwards when i realised so Yabu to expect everyone will see it but they were twats to not apologise

Echoing what people have said about not seeing the sign:

Sadly the sign probably got lost in the many, many, many signs and small print we are all bombarded with every day. We live in a society where information is shoved in our faces all the time, whether we want it or not, and some of us cope by systematically ignoring it, which does sometimes mean we don't see something we should have seen.

I think many people have a habit of just not noticing signs in general, simply because there are so many of them! If you pick up any modern appliance, it will often some small print on it somewhere, such as "Warning - sharp point". When people learn to drive, some of them have to be trained to actually notice speed limit signs amongst all the urban clutter, shop fronts, and huge adverts.

Also, many stickers in vehicle windows say things we'd rather not see, such "Yes I do own the road" or "Princess of pinkness on board" or "Discount on AA membership" or "If you can read this, you're close enough to kiss my arse", so we train ourselves not to look at them.

TBH, I think YABU, no need to shout & i am sure it wasn't done deliberately & even if it was I'm not sure it is a police matter - you could have got in, moved it forward & problem solved!

Sorry, missed the part about him being the only driver but maybe it is something for you to consider learning in order to make your lives easier in future.

well they said it was an accident, had a young baby themselves who was probably a distraction and then moved.

I can see it would be frustrating but why go in all shouty especially if there is a baby there

Or even just learning how to jump in and move the car a few feet!

No need to shout? After they'd been waiting 45 minutes in this heat?

Every need to shout. It is really bloody clear that it was an adapted vehicle.

How could they have got in? Their access was blocked and the driver is disabled and so couldn't get in the minibus.

RedHelen, have you even read the OP at all?

Having a baby doesn't give other the people some sort of 'get out' clause ffs.

I am someone who reads everything in front of me whether I mean to or not. But lots of people don't. (Including my dh. - he never knows where toilets are in pubs, what's on different floors in a department store or what time the museum closes.)

So I think it is quite possible that they didn't realise they had blocked you in. But the correct response is "oh god - I'm so sorry - we didn't see the signs."

YoutheCat, do you really think they actually saw the sign, thought stuff it we're more important and parked there anyway? We don't know that. We do know that there was a playground next to the car, and the OP didn't bother to shout out and ask if anyone owned the vehicle. A quick call out would probably have saved her the 45 minute wait in the heat and any need to get shouty.

Yes I do, from their attitude when they sauntered back from the park, after having seen the OP and her family waiting for 40 minutes.

Why should she have to go looking for some berk who has blocked their access?

Because sometimes people aren't always the evil twats that everyone on MN likes to make them out to be. People are human, they make mistakes, they don't read every sign put in front of them.

I'll never understand why people like to froth and bother and make life harder for themselves. Sometimes actually communicating with people means that everyone can just get on with their lives, sometimes a little wiser, sometimes a little embarassed, but ultimately with an awful lot less stress and rage. Whole internet forums like MN have made a business out of providing a forum for people to vent their anger and frustrations about the petty incidents in life that they believe someone has done them wrong, most of which could be avoided if people bothered to actually talk to one another.

after having seen the OP and her family waiting for 40 minutes

Perhaps they genuinely had no idea why they were waiting around. If OP had just gone and asked the people in the park if it was anyone's car she'd have avoided the whole thing. Perhaps a stern "thank you, but you should really read the signs on peoples' vehicles to avoid this sort of situation" as they were moving would have been better received than a shouty rant, and would have elicited an apology.

People see what suits them.

My friend has a free standing pole and and two poles, safety barriers thing she has to put up at the back of hers,

as she often finds that people have ignored all the many signs, explaining room needs to be left for the lift, even at school where people know her, they are such entitled cunts idiots.

it locks onto her tail gate(the garage rigged it) before she had it so it could be locked on, people were so shit they moved it.

now there is a large orange and white stripy triangle, sticking out with reflectors, her brother made it for about £20, from bits off ebay.

you have to unlock her back doors to lift it off,

she has come back to find a dog poo bag hung on it when she parked in London.

How had they seen them waiting for 40 minutes?

How do you know they saw the sign?

could you have moved your vehicle forward a bit to allow access to the back?

If I make a mistake I apologise for it.

These people don't sound like they cared.

Gallifrey, rtft.

Maybe they would have cared if they hadn't received a mouthful of abuse as soon as they got back to their car.

I wouldn't feel inclined to apologise for a mistake I made if someone started shouting at me.

I would genuinely and sincerely apologise at being told calmly that I had had made a mistake that had had unpleasant consequences for someone else though.

It's sad when people automatically assume the worst of others.

Yiou the cat did you read my second post?