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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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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:

Hurr1cane · 04/02/2015 05:43

We used to live on a road 5 minutes away from the hospital, one of the only roads near to it that didn't have permit parking. we all had large drives.

The council tried to make the street permit holders only but we petitioned against it because we knew nurses parked there in order to not have to pay a fortune to park at work.

We won. The nurses and doctors can still park there.

We appreciated the jobs that hospital staff do and in my opinion everyone should.

TedAndLola · 04/02/2015 08:53

*I just think if you've driven into a little cul-de-sac and there are a small number of parking bays it's well known they are private.

Clearly this is not the case. However where I live, it's just kind of known... thoughout the whole town/borough.*

Maybe it is a regional thing but it's definitely not known in London, or the home county I live in now. If there's no sign, it's fair game. I don't know how people can be expected to know that spaces on the public highway are private, unless there's a sign!

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 charity, since local residents don't own the bit of road in front of their house.

OnceUponATimeAgain · 04/02/2015 09:04

If its not marked CLEARLY that its private, then its not, and you can park there, i dont give a flying fuck if you're a resident or not

yes you can be pissed off if you cannot find somewhere to park near where you live - but thats tough and you dont have the right to stop other people parking there just because you live there - you dont have more rights!

We should stop building offices etc without enough parking to 'encourage people not to drive' - thats a shit policy, and pisses everyone off

Stinkle · 04/02/2015 09:13

I'd definitely speak to the council

I wouldn't assume that because it's not marked, it's not private. I live in a private road, but it's not marked as such.

Round the corner from me there's a street which is public, but half way along the street there are 5 houses built at right angle to the Main Street and they have a layby with a parking space owned by each house. It's not marked or numbered.

If it's a small parking bay within a small cul de sac I would always assume they're private than assume they're public. On the actual road, yes, but parking bays I'd assume were private.

HereIAm20 · 04/02/2015 09:50

It is possible that the spaces are allocated to houses in their deeds and are private. However if you can park in the street and there are no yellow lines or signs restricting parking do that instead. They will have to lump it. They know what their house is close to when they bought it. It's like buying a house close to a pub or football stadium and complaining about noise or parking.

Andrewofgg · 04/02/2015 10:00

In the Fifties in London new office development was only allowed if it had car parking. Later if you wanted to extend or improve it there was a condition to close the car park!

OnceUponATimeAgain · 04/02/2015 10:03

You must be able to reasonably see an area is private, or how can it be enforced?

Bue · 04/02/2015 10:52

I never fail to be bewildered by people who choose to live in an urban/busy area, then complain incessantly about people parking on the public road. Especially when they may already have a drive anyway! Presumably they knew there were no parking restrictions outside when they bought/rented the house? The idea that this is special parking for the residents/ guests/visitors/tradesmen is unbelievable. Selfish twattishness of the highest order.

I say this as someone who also have to park on residential roads for work and have seen everything from notes to people trying to place cones outside their houses (I'm always tempted to remove those.) Yet I also live on a road that is something of a parking mecca and it doesn't bother me. A public road is for everyone, unless otherwise stated.

Hurr1cane that's lovely!

MissPhonic · 04/02/2015 11:56

We can't win! People complain that there aren't enough doctors and nurses and then try to stop them from parking near their place of work.

Hospitals barely have enough parking for patients, staff are generally left to fend for themselves. Being a dr is not the cushy job people imagine it to be. In a couple of years when I qualify, I will have to base DP somewhere where he can get work and then commute to whatever hospital I am placed at. I don't have good transport links where I live and commuting would take twice the time as driving (anyone want a even more tired dr treating them?).

I hate this horrible mentality that if someone parks near your house it is fair game to damage their car. I just can't understand a world where this even crosses your mind. I have suffered from anxiety in the past, and the thought of my car (that I have no choice but to run on a veeeeery limited income) being damaged sends my anxiety into overdrive.

TedAndLola · 04/02/2015 12:12

Anyone who damages a legally parked car because it's inconvenient to them is scum. When they know the car's owner is a hospital worker they are double scum.

Original poster

ashmts · 05/02/2015 17:59

Update - I parked near the loading bay yesterday and got a ticket so decided to go back to the same street today. I parked next to the kerb to try to avoid pissing anyone off (perfectly legal parking, no lines, not blocking a driveway, plenty space to drive past me) and got another note - 'I reiterate, this is not a public car park, find somewhere else to leave your car'.

While I was reading it one of the residents came out. He said he had seen me taking notes off my windscreen and was someone leaving them? Then he said it was a public road, I'm legally parked and to continue using the bays if I need to. Now I don't know what to do.

OP posts:

IKnewYou · 05/02/2015 18:04

Can you call the community police person and ask them to have a word with the residents. It might not work but surely it worth a try. If not then just leave your own note on your car saying that it's a public road and that you will continue to park there and that if they have any issues about it to please contact the police or council.

Pipbin · 05/02/2015 18:16

Good to hear that some residents are understanding.
I would leave a note on your car yourself expaining that you have every legal right to park there and if the note leaver feels otherwise then they are welcome to contact the council or police.

Pipbin · 05/02/2015 18:17

I didn't notice WhoKnew's message. Great minds eh.

SnakesandKnives · 05/02/2015 18:18

Clearly not all residents are against you and it seems very likely you are allowed to park there or surely the one you spoke to would have said so! I'd do what Iknew suggests and continue to park there. can you post a Google maps link to the street in question? Interested to have a look!

IKnewYou · 05/02/2015 22:03

Pipbin great minds indeed .

FringeDivision · 05/02/2015 22:29

I would check with the council just in case they are owned by residents and you end up getting towed.

TRexingInAsda · 05/02/2015 22:34

You need to man up or woman up, whichever applies. It's a public road, and even someone who lives there has told you so. Put a note on your own windscreen to the effect of "DO NOT LEAVE ANY MORE NOTES ON MY CAR. THIS IS A PUBLIC ROAD". Unless they present you with a certificate of ownership, they can piss off.

whatawhoppa · 05/02/2015 22:54

Ask the guy if he has any idea who put the note on to the car. Then go to that house and tell them should they touch your car again the police will be having a word. Cheeky cowards

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