to wake my neighbours up at 6.30 as they parked blocking my drive

[marryj]

I don't actually need my drive now, but I'm pretty annoyed and will be leaving soon but want to make sure they are not blocking it when I'm back this afternoon.

I know its silly but it bugs the hell out of me that they often park over it

I didn't think you could park in front of any drive, isn't there a white line?

On the school pick up loads of driveways,no one can park in front of one.
It doesn't matter where the op's car is.

If they don't see you using the drive they will think you just don't use it. They shouldn't then park across it but it is a little more understandable than them actually blocking you in.

Your idea of popping a note in to say you will be using your drive later sounds the best idea. It will hopefully mean they will move right now and it should make them think twice about doing it again without causing a dispute.

I wouldn't like to leave the gates open, I know its silly but I feel more secure in the house with them closed at night.

Bush I will trim shortly. But its more the folding in of wings that makes it too much Hassel to park on. Should I come into some money I would spend it on widening the drive, sexy I know...

They are parked legally on a public rd you can ask them to move but you can't force them

Yes it would be courteous for them not to park across your empty drive that isn't useable except when you have visitors or something heavy to carry but discourtesy is not illegal

Don't get cross, unless you've already asked them several times not to. But if it's a hassle to use it and you only do so occasionally when you buy something heavy and the gates are usually shut it's hardly surprising they aren't super-vigilant about making sure the gates are clear.

Legally it does matter Marsha. You are not allowed to block a car in but you are allowed, legally, to park over an empty drive. Unless there are road markings. Not that I think you should be able to park over drives! But legally you can.

Yabu, it's not illegal for them to park over a drive if there's no one parked in it, especially if it's a virtually unusable drive.

I'm always having to tell parents on the school pick-up run not to park over my drive. And I do wonder why a couple of houses in my street resolutely refuse to use their own drives.

But I do think it's unreasonable to complain when your car is on the road (not on the drive) and somebody else parks over the drive, especially if you rarely use the drive.

Why not solve the problem by parking your own car across your own drive in future?

You would be very unreasonable to wake someone early in the morning when their car is not impeding you exiting your driveway and they probably think you are quite strange not to use the driveway in the first place

Sorry, OP. I agree with those saying while they haven't been particularly neighbourly, they are not actually breaking any laws.
Blocking you in is not allowed, but blocking you out, however much inconvenience it causes, isn't illegal.

A note through the door sounds like your best bet.

Yabu they are not blocking you in.

Ah I see, all drives have road markings around here, so they are all kept clear. If someone arrives back to a car blocking it, they go mad.

Why don't you mark over your own driveway rather than take up another spot on the street?

it's not illegal for them to park over a drive if there's no one parked in it

I think that is illegal to block someone in but this is not the same as simply a car being on the drive as it get be in the garage. They woj
D still be blocking you in if the driveway is empty but your car is in the garage.

Regardless, it is inconsiderate and nebbish to park over a drive without asking. I never would.

I wouldn't wake them up to tell them I need to drive later, I'd stick a note on their car and, if I knew the house, through the door.

In some places, subject to local law it is against The Traffic Management Act 2004 to park adjacent to a driveway (with or without a car on it) with a dropped kerb. I know that applies in London but I'm not sure where else it has become the case too.

I can't park over my driveway as half of it is adjacent to the driveway the other side of the road and would stop them from using their driveway and I'm not entitled enough to ever park and block someone from accessing their own property.

I think its irrelevant how often I use my driveway, it should never be blocked. There is a garage behind it so no one knows if they might be blocking in a car and really pisses me off the few times a month I come home to find out I can't park on my own driveway. There are plenty of spaces on the road.

I think they know you never use it and that is why.

Maybe start parking on it now and then and they will get the message.

It is actually ok to park on a white line too, there are to notify people and they act as a deterrent, but there's no legal oomph behind them (technical term) as far as I know. At least according to the police in our area (long debates with them about white lines, driveways and all things connected).

I actually think you're being a bit selfish to have a driveway, expect people to keep it clear, barely ever use it and take up a parking space on the street.

I'm being selfish for not wanting access to my property to be blocked?!

You have to be taking the piss

I don't understand: they can park over your driveway but you can't? That doesn't make sense if it is an access issue for a neighbour.

You are in the habit of not using your driveway and most of the street is probably aware of this, hence the parking over it.

You say it's too narrow to use but you do use it to unload things from the car? Sorry, but again I don't understand.

It does sound as if you don't want to use your drive and don't want anyone to park over it either.

As an aside, I thought it was better insurance wise to have a drive and park your car on it?

Katie most of those questions have been answered.

Op I think we all read title thinking your neighbours were blocking you in this morning.

Not partially parked across a drive which you apparently never use which your car isn't even on.

Ffs as I keep saying I do use it! Ocassionly but still they don't know when I need it so I don't think they should ever block it.

I see what people were saying about parking threads, this is ridiculous.

but OP the concept of waking someone up on a Saturday at 6.30am to tell them that ONE DAY you might need to use your drive is a bit cuntish.

the behaviour

No, I don't think they were answered, so I'll rephrase:

I don't understand how it is so narrow that it is "a pain to use" but not so narrow that you can't use it to load/unload things from the car - which generally means you need enough space to open the door fully.

You said that if you parked over the drive it would block access for your neighbours across the road, but they don't seem to have an issue with these people parking over it - so does it block their access or not? If it does, then surely they would be complaining?

You generally get cheaper insurance if you park your car on a drive - what did you tell your insurance company?

As others have said - you don't want to use your driveway and chose to park on the road. There is nothing illegal about parking in front of a drive that does not have a car in it. Your neighbours know you chose to park on the street. Really, there are a couple of easy solutions: you either park on the drive (which is not too narrow when you don't want it to be) or you accept that occasionally other people will park over it, but as you don't use the drive except on rare occasions this isn't normally causing you any inconvenience. And when that happens, you let your neighbours know and ask them to move the car