to think that if you can't park your car without blocking the path, it's not a safe place to park?

[Thurlow]

I maybe BU. I don't drive. But after nearly half a dozen scrambles around cars in the pissing rain with no raincoat or rain cover for the pushchair I'm in the mood to be U.

But if you park the car on the road with two wheels on the path/kerb and you end up blocking 90% of the path so your car is enough off the road - that's still not a good place to park, is it?

Couple of instances of me having to take the pushchair onto the road to get around a car, couple of instances of having to go over someone's front lawn to get past. And that's a skinny little stroller. God knows what someone in a wheelchair or with a double buggy would've had to do.

That's shit parking, isn't it?

Yes it is very poor parking and mighty inconsiderate. I can't stand it when people block the footpath with their vehicles. We have a couple of neighbours who park on what is their drive bu it crosses the footpath, and instead of pulling further forward or staying further down the drive, they park straight across the pavement. It does my head in!

Are you me? Yup - it is an offence to obstruct the pavement. Not to PARK on the pavement but to park so as to block others.

The community police have tried to stop patents at my local school. You may as well shout at the moon. The ignorance is something else. The police have done random checks, the headmaster has written to parents but they still do it. Last week it was sports day and I had to walk in a 60 mile an hour country lane with my pram. I left a note on the windscreen of one car (all four wheels over the entire pavement) and lifted all the windscreen wipers on the others, just in the hope that the owners would think a little more about their car when driving off than they did when they parked it.

I'm always tempted by notes. Little pre-written notes that thank them kindly for blocking the path. They can't all be emergency stops to deal with a crisis, after all.

But if I started with those notes I'd probably descend to notes about not parking at the end of the road so you block the crossing, and please cut your hedge so it's not blocking the whole path, and then I'd never stop...

... Also there are roads very close with no restriction on parking. I know as I live on one. All empty cos these imbeciles are too lazy and selfish to walk a whole minute.

Phew - there - feels better already

Well, I went through a phase of producing sticky labels (the sort you put on envelopes) that said something not very polite like, "Please don't park on the pavement" and if I found a car parked on the pavement, I'd stick one on the offside wing mirror and run away.....

Now I've been thinking about producing labels to get people to put their wheelie bins away instead of leaving them in the garage forecourt. It's a space that leads to their back garden gates so they have no excuse not to put them away.

Have little pre-written notes as suggested by Thurlow.
"I accidentally scratched your car trying to get my pushchair/child's scooter/wheelchair past. Maybe you could park more thoughtfully next time - perhaps on the road".

Yep, shit parking. I once or twice had problems getting a pushchair into our own house with a bloody car on the pavement outside - stopped trying not to scratch the damn things.

I did once write 'Pavements are for people' in the mud on the bonnet of a van.

Well done happy!

Quiet - On a bad day I have been tempted to scratch the car But no matter how badly parked it is I reckon that still counts as worse - it could be criminal damage, whereas shit parking it just shit parking.

I try and remember that not everyone is able to find time to park well or to cut back their front hedges but... no. Just no. I can't believe there are that many people in our town who could possibly have those problems!

I considered affixing huge spikes to the side of my pushchair to redesign a few paint jobs, alas they would have been an issue with the children...

This happens a lot near to school. I park on the road further away from congestion but most of the other cars park half on the road.

I know why. It's a tight road. If all the cars park all on the road it makes it very hard to drive through and people have had their car scraped or their wing mirror broken.

I did once write 'Pavements are for people' in the mud on the bonnet of a van.

I think there may be a market for spiked chariot style wheels for pushchairs....

"I know why. It's a tight road. If all the cars park all on the road it makes it very hard to drive through and people have had their car scraped or their wing mirror broken. People are selfish."

Loving the idea of spikes!

I'm sure it must be annoying when small towns just don't have the road space for all the cars people own know. But it doesn't mean you just block the sodding path!

D'you know, I expected to get flamed for this thread

About 3 years ago, I saw DP coming back from dropping DS off at school (walking, we only live round the corner). He was chatting to another dad doing the same, when they appeared to say something to a woman who was getting into a car parked on the pavement leaving very little room to get by, not even room for a pram.

DP came in and said he and the other block had commented on the parking and the woman replied that they were only having a go at her because she was female. DP is grumpy at anyone who parks badly like that round here because of the numbers who do walk. I know he'd comment on a bloke's parking.

I live near a school and this kind of parking used to happen everyday.

I regularly had to walk in the road with my 3 year old after picking her up from school as there was no room on the pavement due to all the badly parked cars.

One day I had to pull my daughter out of the way as a car parked on the pavement reversed, didn't see us and nearly ran my DD over, I dread to think what would have happened if I hadn't reacted quickly. That was the final straw. I rang the council and told them what had happened and within a few weeks they fitted a camera and started issuing fines.

We still get the odd badly parked car but it's miles better than it used to be.

My newish neighbour has been parking like a twat since he moved in.
He parks his van so it's half in his drive, pavement and the nose if it's in the road. Then his other cars are half on the pavement.

He doesn't like people walking near his house, neither does his wife and kids.

Yanbu. I hate having to take the kids out into the road. It's often tradesmen but then I think it's the responsibility of the home owner to get them to park properly.

He doesn't like people walking near his house?

I kicked a car rather hard when it started to pull off the pavement. right next to dd's feet. both hands were taken up with children so that was th only option of preventing an accident.

I ddi not care about wing mirrors or of the pushchair caught a car door as I went past if they had left so little room and the alternative was walk in the traffic. car doors can be mended, small children cannot.

Ooh - now here's an idea. How about a note saying 'sorry I damaged your car trying to get my buggy/wheelchair past as you were parked on the pavement'. BUT you haven't actually damaged the car, you just leave selfish bastard looking for a long time.... He he ... Childish moi?!