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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Another parking thread - parking in people's drives if you visit

33 replies

voluptuagoodshag · 22/10/2014 09:59

I'm just curious about this and wondered what was considered rude. If you are visiting friends who have obvious space in their drive do you park in it or on the road?

Personally I wouldn't park in it if I knew the space was about to be used by their DP coming home or similar but if I knew that the space was available for the duration of my visit and the alternative was to block up the street or pay for a ticket then I'd assume it was ok, and ask whoever I was visiting if it was ok.

Similarly I always ask visitors to park in the drive. We have a lot of space but the road we are on is very narrow and parking in it causes congestion so I feel guilty if visitors park in it when we have plenty space.

OP posts:
AlpacaYourThings · 22/10/2014 10:00

I would ask, I wouldn't just park in someone's drive unless it was my DM etc.

AmserGwin · 22/10/2014 10:01

Yes of course I would park in their drive. I could easily move if anyone wanted to get on or off, I wouldn't think twice about it

AmserGwin · 22/10/2014 10:01

On their drive not in

VileStatistyx · 22/10/2014 10:02

If I was visiting someone as an invited guest then yes, I would use their drive. It has never occurred to me that this might be a problem. I assume that if people have a preference, they will state it. Have I been pissing people off for years? Grin

Contraryish · 22/10/2014 10:03

I'm a crap parker so would take the easier option, whichever that was!

JoandMax · 22/10/2014 10:05

I would park in their drive then ask if that was ok when I got to the door. I'd never think a visitor was rude if they parked in my drive either!

OddBoots · 22/10/2014 10:06

It had never occurred to me to park on someone's drive if visiting and no-one parks on ours (although they do park across it even if it's empty) but a friend said the other day how odd she found it that she has a drive but no visitors park in it, they park up the road instead. I might take to asking before I visit people in future.

LegsOfSteel · 22/10/2014 10:07

Generally I find people park on the street even if there's loads of space in the drive. And even if it means parking badly on the road (eg, half on the pavement).
I park in the drive if it looks easy to get out of again. But not if they have nice new looking mono blocking as I'd worry the car would suddenly have an oil leak on their driveway.

Original poster
voluptuagoodshag · 22/10/2014 10:09

Interesting. I get so many folk just parking in the street when they visit it made me wonder. Especially when they come in blustering about how far they had to park from my house so they didn't block anyone in. They then look equally flustered when I say it's ok to park in the drive

OP posts:
Sunnymeg · 23/10/2014 13:06

If we are expecting visitors, we will park our cars on the road and leave the driveway clear for our visitors to park on.

Middleagedmotheroftwo · 23/10/2014 13:11

Why don't you tell your visitors to park on your drive? Surely you only have to tell them once, and they'll know for ever that it's OK by you?

BettyFocker · 23/10/2014 13:14

When my friend visits she always parks on the drive if it's empty. It's never crossed my mind that she should do anything else. Otherwise she'd be parking far up the road and walking for no reason. I'd never see it as rude.

HappyYoni · 23/10/2014 13:25

My friends aren't posh enough to have drives Grin but if they did I would park in them, unless they looked like they'd be a bugger to get out of!

Caboodle · 23/10/2014 13:28

YANBU - I would park on their drive and move if necessary so the inconvenience is to me / possibly my friends and not to other road users.

FyreFly · 23/10/2014 14:39

If someone I'm visiting has a drive I park on it. Never had any problems so far... I thought it was standard?

BadRoly · 23/10/2014 14:42

We have double yellows outside our house and a big drive so most people park on our drive.

dexter73 · 23/10/2014 16:38

I always park on someones drive if I visit them. Never realised it was an issue.

r2d2ismyidealman · 23/10/2014 16:45

Embarrassingly, most people visiting my house, friends and tradesmen, park outside my neighbours' house. I don't know why. Family park outside our house. No one uses the spare free space in the drive. It bugs me but I don't say anything. I park in drives or directly outside the house where I'm visiting. I don't know if there is a rule about this but I do think it's weird when someone parks outside of my house and isn't visiting me. I find I keep looking out at the car.

Original poster
voluptuagoodshag · 23/10/2014 17:02

I'm always telling folk to park in drive. Plenty space to turn around and drive out again too so no reason not to. It's also double gated so if you can drive in and straight out again. Drives me nuts (pardon the pun). Makes it sound like I have a huge house, I don't. Entire front garden now just one big drive hence the room.

OP posts:
getdownshep · 23/10/2014 17:48

I text my mobile hairdresser to tell her to park on my drive as when she came for the first time she parked up the road and dragged her stuff down to my house!
I live near a college and the road is packed by 9am so I always tell visitors to park on my drive.
Its first come first served though as only one spare spaceGrin

tallulah · 23/10/2014 19:00

I wish our opposite neighbour's constant visitors would park on their drive instead of constantly trying to park in front of our house or next door.

offtoseethewizard64 · 23/10/2014 19:35

We have a driveway that fits 3 cars, side by side, if you park properly. I never understand why people who visit park on the road/pavement when they could park on our drive.

Bodicea · 23/10/2014 20:46

This is such a British predicament!!!
It does feel unnatural to park on someone else's derive. We just had our drive extended to fit three cars as as we are in a corner the have no bit of pavement outside our house to park on. Visitors wod park either in front of next door or in front of the house opposite ( with busybody elderly lady who would come out and shout at them for daring to park in front of her house). Anyway unless I tell them they still won't park on our drive. So I do always make a point of telling people to park on our drive before they get here!!!

Bodicea · 23/10/2014 20:47

Please excuse shocking spelling!!!!

Hoppinggreen · 23/10/2014 20:51

We have a large driveway and you can park up to 4 cars there And not block anyone in ( it's L shaped) but apart from my Mum nobody parks in it!!!
I always comment " you could have parked n the driveway" and they say " we didn't want to block you in" but they wouldn't have!!! In laws in particular drive me nuts because they park on the grass instead so they are " out of the way"
We live on a cul de sac so I suppose it doesn't matter that guests aren't on the driveway but it baffles me.