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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to park in this street?

119 replies

ashmts · 03/02/2015 18:23

Parking thread. I work in a hospital in a residential area of a large town. Parking is terrible, the main car park is for visitors only and has a limit of 4 hours. There are smaller car parks for people with permits (only staff who work between sites or are on call) or one car park for all staff with about 30 spaces which are full well before I start work.

The only option is to park in one of the streets nearby. For the past couple of months I've been parking in a cul de sac which has 6 spaces in the middle for cars. Every house also has a driveway and obviously by parking in the space I never block anyone's. Today I left work to find a note on my windscreen from a resident saying the spaces are for the use of residents only, not staff of the hospital.

So, what do I do? I do understand it would be annoying but it's a public road and I need to park somewhere. Before I could drive I had to get two trains and a bus to and from work (an hour and a half each way) so I'm not going to stop driving to work.

OP posts:
Fugacity · 03/02/2015 21:20

Clearly Pip and Dinah don't appreciate what it is like to live in a street that is a magnet for parking. I am happy to explain without being called a twat, etc.

EdSheeran · 03/02/2015 21:25

"I think when encountering a scarcity of parking, you simply have to pay for parking, use public transport or car pool. Don't expect local residents to be charitable."

It's not about the local residents being charitable. You do not own the space outside of your house. Not sure why people struggle to understand this.

Pipbin · 03/02/2015 21:32

Fuga
I have sat at the end of my road for 30 minutes waiting for a nearby theatre to kick out so I could park walking distance from my own house.
I have driven round in tears just wanting to park anywhere near my house.
I once lived in a house for 3 years where I think I only once parked in my own road. There, anything within a 5 minutes walk of your house was considered to be good going.

I know plenty about living in a street that is a magnet for parking thanks, but I still wouldn't have parked like a twat to stop others parking.

Fugacity · 03/02/2015 21:48

In the case of my street, external parkers are from a local business park, which is a 2 minute walk away. The businesses actually provide free parking in council multi-story 5 minutes walk away.

The rational behind being twattish is to encourage employees to park in the places designated by their employers. And it works.

I am fully aware of my rights with regard to parking near my property (none) but I also know how to legally protect my interests, and consequently discourage those who are too lazy to walk an extra 5 minutes.

We could apply for permit parking or hour-restricted parking, but decided that this was not great. We decided to go the passive aggressive route as a trial and find that this actually does the trick.

BrianButterfield · 03/02/2015 21:57

You do realise people are allowed to be lazy if they want? It's perfectly legal. Who made you the lazy police?

Fugacity · 03/02/2015 21:59

They are allowed to be lazy, but local residents are also allowed to park on the street even if they have a drive.

sharonthewaspandthewineywall · 03/02/2015 22:03

Local residents are as allowed to park outside their house as non locals. That's the bottom line however passive aggressive you choose to be

Pipbin · 03/02/2015 22:05

All the houses I lived in with parking problems had residents parking permits. Worth having and only cost £35 a year. It didn't create anymore spaces so there still wasn't enough space for residents but it did help stop people parking there on their way to work or the town.
Oh, and these were all houses with no off street parking anywhere on the street. We all had no choice but to park on the road.

My house now is the first one I've lived in with off street parking. It is a luxury. So long as people don't block my drive I give not a shit how people park.

ACSlater · 03/02/2015 22:05

I live in a cul de sac near a school and I have to admit that repeat offenders get bumper to bumpered. Tends to put people off for a while. Also always parking in the same place if possible. Irrelevant of if it blocks the road or not.

I understand people need to get to work or what have you but they are not my priority

Fugacity · 03/02/2015 22:06

I guess that possession is 9/10th of the law.

bimbobaggins · 03/02/2015 22:18

[ashmts] are you parking near the RAh? If these are not private spaces then i would continue to park there. Hospital parking is a disgrace for both patients and staff.

DurpDurp · 03/02/2015 22:30

If it's public parking, which it sounds like it is then you should continue to park there. I wouldn't worry about the note. I'd pop something one the dashboard that looks like a camera - something with a blinky red Light.

If it were a private road there would be signs. If you want to double check what about phoning the council or finding a local ticket warden or the community police (not sure of proper terms)

PurpleCrazyHorse · 03/02/2015 22:33

I used to do the same at the hospital I worked at. Not eligible for a permit (lived too close) but needed to drive so I could drop/pick up DD from CMers. Therefore not able to park on site at all as it's all permitted.

I parked on a residential street (not in the residents parking zone) and parked 9/10 times on the side with the large driveways (so not on the side where the houses didn't have much off-street parking). My car was taxed, insured and parked considerately. I once had a couple of notes on my windscreen, but legally there was nothing they could do so I just removed it and binned it at home.

Felt a bit sorry for the residents but they need to petition the council for residents parking if they want it to just be residents only.

DurpDurp · 03/02/2015 22:36

BTW my parents live in a road that's similar to the one in the OPs description - the local workers grab all the spots in the daytime since the council introduced residents parking in other roads. It's really irritating but it's not the workers fault. We moan about the situation but we don't blame the people for parking there.

Momagain1 · 03/02/2015 22:46

Sucks for people who can't park outside their house but if they own driveways what's the real problem?

The problem is, they generally expect to have guests, workers, or others who shouldnt have to walk bocks when coming to their house.

soverylucky · 03/02/2015 22:52

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Scholes34 · 03/02/2015 22:54

I used to have a commute of over an hour and got through loads and loads of books. I miss that now that have a short cycle ride to work.

It's inevitable living so close to a hospital that there'll be parking on the streets by staff, patients and visitors. YANBU and you're doing nothing wrong.

70isaLimitNotaTarget · 03/02/2015 22:55

WRT "the hospital should do something about the parking situayions" they won't.

The Trust I work for (I'm not hospital based but Polyclinics and Health Centres are just as bad, especially near train/underground stations) wants it's staff to use public transport as much as possible. But that doesn't help if I have to go and cover another clinic maybe 6 miles away .

When a new building went up, the issue of parking was raised, very limited. Someone (in planning I assume) worked out there were X number of spaces (on street parking) available. Until the yellow lines came in. And the Residents Parking.
One street is notorious for cars being damaged, blocked in by residents, tyres let down.
Residents seem to assume that Staff Car Park = All Staff Can Park There.
It doesn't. They have key fobs for the barriers, not even can get them.

And the number of times residents or patients park in the very clearly marked staff parking at other sites.........Hmm

Pipbin · 03/02/2015 23:24

But 70, this action of damaging and blocking in cars is justified so that someone can park on the road should they or someone else they know want to, even though they have a driveway and it's a public road.

70isaLimitNotaTarget · 03/02/2015 23:32

Not many driveways on this road, I've never parked there, I go further up to a road where there's only houses on one side.

I know people who have had cars damaged.
The residents were aware the Clinic was going to be built there, and even if there were objections, it would still go ahead.
They reap the benefit of it being nearby though. I can appreciate they aren't happy with the extra traffic (from patients too not just staff)

If they go forward with the proposed extended opening times for GPs 8am-8pm 7 days a week (that the Press keep going on about) .............shit will hit the fan.

Original poster
ashmts · 03/02/2015 23:37

Bimbo Yup. It really is, I'm going to phone the council to check they definitely are public before I go back.

Cheers everyone, feel better for that.

OP posts:
Pipbin · 03/02/2015 23:46

70 - you know my tongue was very firmly in my cheek there don't you?

70isaLimitNotaTarget · 03/02/2015 23:59

Pipbin Grin I know.

Actually, I was talking to someone who lived in the same street as my DC Primary and I said "What would happen if every resident parked on-road for a week - in front of their drives naturally so no-one could sneakily use the drives". It might clear the inevitible school traffic scrum?

He had a very evil glint in his eye, I've no idea if they did it Wink

LilMissSunshine9 · 04/02/2015 00:04

I don't understand people's mentality sometimes. If you own a house with no driveway and your road is a public highway it does not mean you have an automatic right to be able to park in front of your house for those who have moaned about this tough luck if you have to park a block away. If parking right by your house is that important to you then buy a house with a driveway and if you can't afford to that you have to compromise that you will not always be able to park infront of it.

Also someone said in a post that they have a driveway but people who come visit cannot park outside on the public highway because other people are taking up the space. Again tough luck, unless you own the driveway and a clearly signposted bay then you have no more right to demand the space outside your house to be kept free for guests.

whatawhoppa · 04/02/2015 01:42

People who get territorial over 'their' space make me laugh. Public road, no lines, park where you can. If it's in front of your house, bonus. If not, unlucky.
I live on a terrace row. Its very narrow, chocka down both sides. 3 bays one side, 3 bays on the other side. Both at opposite ends. I live in the middle of the row, but park on the end outside a empty house, not in a bay. This gives my neighbours on either side a guaranteed space with no arguments, because I like to think im considerate.
Most ppl park in the same place daily. I went out the other week for 30 mins,returned to find a car where I usually park, so parked elsewhere. No problem. Same thing happened two nights running last week. Its a woman from over the rd. So I purposely parked in a bay outside her house and left it there all weekend. The bay is not private, its anyones. She knocked on my door to moan I had taken her space.I pointed out everyone parks where they can, as I found when she parked where I would normally park. She was all, but someone parked in my space so I had to.
I told her politely, I will continue to park where I usually park, but after you had the brass to knock on my door, if I come back to your car there again, I will park in that bay daily. I wouldnt mind, her car looks like a rollerskate, she could park it in her living room without taking the door off Grin
I dont mind where I park, on the end, over the road, round the corner etc, and I dont consider it my space.I have never expected to park in front of my house, even when the row is empty during the day and there's only me, I will park at the end. She just annoyed me that day because it was very cold, sleet snow wind and I had do a dash with a 10month old in the car seat.
Did I mention that we literally park beside each other. Im outside her house across the rd. Our cars have a 1car gap between. But she neeeeeeeeeds it on her side of the rd.