To wish neighbours would not be so scrupulous about only parking in front of their own house?

[SixImpossible]

Well, not actually the neighbours themselves, but their frequent guests.

We live in a small close, so small that we don't have a turning circle. The whole close is a turning circle. Every house has driveway for one car, some for two cars. There are almost always one or two cars parked on the close as well.

For the houses in the bottom half of the close, leaving involves a careful 2-point turn reversing manoeuvre between the parked cars. Perfectly do-able as long one particular spot is left empty. Unfortunately, that spot is outside a house where the visitors are always scrupulously careful to park only in front of the house they are visiting!

I am the most affected neighbour, because my MPV turns like a bus. The neighbour between us isn't bothered because he has a smaller car. But the place I'd like the visitors to park in is opposite his house.

WIBBU to ask for further neighbour's visitors to park outside nearer neighbour's house?

Why can't you turn in your own drive?

Yes you would be! It's not their fault you drive a bus! (I have one too so I know what a ball ache getting it in and out of the drive can be)

You need to learn to adapt or widen your driveway!

YABU - can you reverse onto your drive so you're in a position to just drive straight out to make it easier ?

Oh sorry I'm going to be very rude but yawn!

Mintyy, if you're not interested, don't bother posting.

None of us can turn in our own drives, nor widen them. The close is vaguely triangular, and all bar the outermost houses need to use the points of the triangle to turn. Including the neighbour's visitors, and including us if we want to reverse into our drive.

Agree that you can't complain if the problem is exacerbated by the size of your own car.

Oh, that was unclear. By using the points of the triangle for turning (imagine a 3-point turn, it describes a triangle) your car passes through a spot opposite one of the points. Either on the way into or on the way out of the point. The neighbours visitors' car generally occupies that spot.

It's your car that's the issue-sorry as I know what a pain parking issues can be. YABU.

If you buy a car that is unsuitable for a narrow street or you can't manoeuvre properly you need to park it elsewhere or buy a smaller car.

Why would you buy a car you struggle to manoeuvre?

Surely you knew what the situation was before you bought the car?

Sounds as if the whole thing is very badly designed. Can you not reverse onto the close?

OK, fair enough point re my car.

But it occurs to me that, if my car struggles, then an emergency vehicle would have even greater difficulty. There has been an ambulance on the close 2 or 3 times in the 8y we have lived here. I'm fairly sure the visitors weren't there either time.

Visitors probably aren't aware of the ins and outs of getting your bus out of the road - on the basis there are no parking restrictions on the road, they will park closest to where they are going. I would do exactly the same. Sorry, but YABU.

can you fit onto your drive by driving in?

If so you can reverse in and then drive out and there wouldn't be a problem?

can you offer to adapt the drive that causes the trouble if you can't adapt your drive?

I don't think you can dictate where anyone parks on a public road with no restrictions.

The close and the driveways are most definitely badly designed for cars. It was not designed for 21stC car ownership! But, also, there are four more cars in the close than there were when we bought our MPV.

I can see why you would wish this, but it would a crackers conversation if you decided to actually ask the neighbour to request all their visitors to park in a different place. So it'll never change even though it is a hassle. Think reversing into your drive is the simplest solution, then you can drive forwards out and problem solved.

The drives are not a problem, and in any case they cannot be further adapted.

I can only reverse onto my drive by using the points to turn in (or a neighbour's drive) and passing through the space outside one neighvour's house. Or by reversing into the close - which I would not do. A blind corner and lots of vehicular obstructions would make it very dangerous for small children playing in the close.

one of lifes bugbears then. Hope your house has other lovely things to make up for it

I think if an emergency vehicle needed access it is fairly likely the neighbours visitors might rush out of their house and move their car. Not very likely to happen for yours, I'm afraid.

I'm sort of with mintyy.

I always open these threads and then think: 'Wah! I can't work out the layout. Can I have a diagram?'

I used to live in the suburbs. I used to have a car. I don't any more because I have really good public transport.

I have to say that if I lived in a house with a short driveway I wouldn't park on it either because I like to have daylight in my living room.

To me, cars live on the road; drivers try to be considerate.

I'm mildly irritated by people who park vans and tall 4x4s outside my house blocking the light to my basement where I spend lots of my time. But I realise I would look like a mad person if I rushed out and confronted them.

And chances are they wouldn't be there and I'd have to leave a note on their windscreen. And that would really make me look unhinged.

I'm also annoyed by people who stand outside my house having loud and protracted mobile phone conversations - especially at or before 8am.

So I just yell obscenities at them from inside.

Because I live in Central London, I don't have to be up for work before then. If you've travelled up from the suburbs for an appointment at the crack of dawn, have a little fucking respect for the natives.

And don't leave your Starbucks cup impaled on my railings.

I must be missing something. Why can't you drive past your drive by 8 foot then whack your car in reverse, and reverse into your drive? I need a diagram please!

How long is the close?

My previous house was on a very steep, narrow terraced street, one end was blocked by a retaining wall, and it was only wide enough for parking on one side. Straight street, no triangle/turning circle at the top.

Built before cars were invented as were the many similar streets round here.

The car owners simply either reversed in - in my case all the way to the top,- or reversed out.

It's not the neighbours fault you bought a car that doesn't manoeuvre easily. And reversing along a terrace of 15 houses or so was no prob after the first couple of weeks, we just got used to it. And as we could only park on one side of the street for two sides of houses, I am exceptionally good at parallel parking in spaces not much longer than my car [brag emoticon]

My car has a crap turning circle and I just have to do a 15 point turn where a normal car could do it in 3. At work I have to turn in one spot and always hope it will be free, but can't really complain if someone has used it! I do feel your pain.