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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To think that people should park on their drives if they have one?!

169 replies

Singsongsung · 16/08/2015 08:28

Ok. It's a parking AIBU so I'm bracing myself...
I live on a cul-de-sac, they layout of which means that parking is pretty limited. There are several people who regularly park on the road when they have decent drives (easily big enough for 2 or 3 cars). This means that whenever we have visitors they have nowhere to park and end up parking on another road entirely (probably irritating the hell out of the people who live there!).
I don't understand at all why anyone would choose to park on the road and leave their driveway empty?
AIBU? (Dons hard hat and braces herself)...

OP posts:

FryOneFatManic · 16/08/2015 11:23

Nosynora Sun 16-Aug-15 10:41:25
I have a shared drive which we used to park in but the ndn complained to the council and apparently shared drives have to be kept clear for access and by law now one should park in them !!
So we all fight for parking space on the road whilst the drive with space for 3 cars sits empty

The council does not have responsibility for shared drives. What happens with your shared drive will be in the deeds to your house.

If the shared drive is to be kept clear, for example, that will be in a covenant in the deeds, there's no law saying shared drives can't be parked on.

Check exactly what your deeds say.

Original poster

Singsongsung · 16/08/2015 11:27

Suck- They park in the road all the time. All the time. With or without visitors. On the rare occasions when they have a visitor the visitor will immediately be able to park on their drive because they never use it. Their visitors will never have the inconvenience of walking from the next road in whatever weather as their drive is always, always available.

And they don't use their drives for another purpose. They just stand their, ever empty.

OP posts:

fredfredgeorgejnr · 16/08/2015 11:32

Ask the council to introduce a permit scheme, soon put a stop to it.

SuckMySquallop · 16/08/2015 11:37

OP - still dont see WTF it has to do with you.

They aren't blocking you or inconveniencing you, they aren't breaking any laws and have as much right to park on the road as anyone.

They do not have to justify their parking habits to you or anyone so long as they park within the confines of the law, even if it is "selfish" etc. Either grow a spine and complain to them in public rather than on a forum, if not, live and let live.

Original poster

Singsongsung · 16/08/2015 11:40

Calm yourself there Suck!

It only causes me inconvenience should I have the audacity to have visitors over. Several neighbours have complained over the years and things have improved for a while but soon slip back.

As people have said, they're not breaking the law but they are being selfish by entirely hogging the road completely unnecessarily.

OP posts:

SuckMySquallop · 16/08/2015 11:44

You can do exactly the same and park out there and save your drive space for your visitors.

Whether you do or don't, that's your choice. YAVVBU to criticise your neighbours for their habits.

Why do you find it hard to accept they are not doing anything wrong and certainly don't owe your guests nothing at all? Who died and made you the street parking fairy? That in itself is telling....

Anyway, I'm calm - you're the one with the issue since its your thread. Enjoy

SantasLittleMonkeyButler · 16/08/2015 11:45

We don't have drives, whoever built our road & the next decided to make a cul-de-sac with parking bays in the middle. 12 houses, 12 bays. Plus another 2 or 3 spots you can squeeze a car into if need be. Apart from being "Residents Only" the spaces are not designated.

We have one neighbour living in a two bedroom house, just him & his partner, who take up 4 spaces. Two "everyday cars", one "performance car" that sounds like an aeroplane starting up & is used about once a quarter and a motorbike. All in proper spaces - never is the squish in spots. And if he comes back & can't park one of his vehicles in one of "his" spaces he parks so close to whoever else is in that space that they are entirely blocked in.

Moral of the story, selfish cunts live everywhere. And just because something's not illegal doesn't make it the right thing to do.

Original poster

Singsongsung · 16/08/2015 11:47

Suck- that's my point! I can't because the bloody road is already full (and always shall be!). I am particularly cheesed off today, for example as we have visitors coming (including the aforementioned disabled friend) and absolutely no hope of them parking anywhere close.

OP posts:

bodenbiscuit · 16/08/2015 11:49

I do this sometimes, and the only reason I do is to prevent arseholes from parking over my drive, which they frequently do. What I tend to do though is park over my own drive as far as possible.

SuckMySquallop · 16/08/2015 11:51

Tough shit really OP.

I'm sure your neighbours move their cars at some point in the day (go shopping etc etc) - whether that coincides with you being around to nab a spot and free up your drive, I don't know.

I feel for you, but alas, selfish or not, your neighbour is not doing anything wrong at all and your visitors are not "entitled" or owed a space just because they are coming to see you.

Its a public road and fair game for all. That is the brutal reality. Hope they get a space elsewhere.

DurhamDurham · 16/08/2015 11:52

Could you move your car from your own drive to let your disabled friend park on it and then put it back when she's gone? Not ideal but it might be a solution.

MrsJorahMormont · 16/08/2015 11:53

YANBU OP. It's twattish taking up street space when you have a driveway, especially if you live on a narrow street. It also puts other people off using their drive if there is a car parked opposite when they are trying to get out.

Thankfully we have nice considerate neighbours on the whole.

5madthings · 16/08/2015 11:53

We sometimes do this, generally so our littlest can play in the driveway/front garden she can use her scooter etc as she can't in the back garden. We always put it in the driveway overnight and thete is a spot on the corner of our cul De sac where thete is space for the car or we Park it across our driveway where no one else would Park anyway.

Skeppers · 16/08/2015 11:55

I think this sort of behaviour just highlights a general culture of selfish, entitled twattishness and lack of thought or consideration for others which pervades our society these days. Parking is just the tip of the iceberg. And the worst thing is, the idea of 'do unto others as they would to you' has backfired because most people (and I've often felt like this myself) think 'well, if everyone else takes the piss, why shouldn't I?'= more twattish behaviour. It's a vicious circle and it makes me sad.

LaLyra · 16/08/2015 11:55

The people in the corner house in our street do this and it annoys the crap out of me. 8 houses, 5 with drives, 12 on street parking spots so not a lot of on street parking. They are one of the houses with a drive, their drive is massive, you can get at least 4 cars on their drive (previous owners used to get 5 cars on it - 3 teenage/grown up lads and their parents with a car each) as is their garden (relevant to the moan), but they've put two basketball hoops up on the drive and park their 3 cars on the street. Legal, but utterly selfish.

They then did nothing, but moan when my MIL moved in with us for a while when I was ill as she was using one of the parking spots!

SophiePen · 16/08/2015 11:56

Yes in theory if someone has a drive that can be used it seems selfish and thoughtless not to use it while others have no choice but to use the road and then can't get a space.

Some of our neighbours have drives, most of them use them - or at least park across them, freeing up space for other people.

One side can't use theirs as it's ridiculously tight and they wouldn't be able to exit the vehicle - fair enough.

There's a couple along the road who have an enormous motorhome and regularly put cones on the road to save their space, which makes me really angry and I have been known to assume they were left behind by mistake by some company digging up the road, and put them back on the pavement, and park there (that was genuinely what I thought, till I saw the woman actually going and putting them on the road).

I don't know or speak to these people, but I silently hate them .

If you want a motorhome then wait till you have somewhere of your own to put it. They also have huge England flags in their back garden on sticks. This makes me hate them even more.

Original poster

Singsongsung · 16/08/2015 11:56

Yes Durham. That's what we will do. It's what we always do and as I walk back up the road, noting all the empty driveways, it will, once again piss me off that I'm doing it!

The nature of our, rather bizarre, layout is that I can't park in front of my own driveway at all. The cul-de-sac isn't set out to enable me to do that.

OP posts:

SophiePen · 16/08/2015 12:03

Also, I've asked the council if they will designate it a permit road but they told me the issue arises every year and is always shouted down by residents

I've asked them to at least come and paint some proper spaces on the road so that you don't get people parking like utter tw*ts in a space that could hold two or three cars if used properly.

We'll see what transpires in the spring.

nhkamptz · 16/08/2015 12:18

I'd be annoyed too, but sadly it's their right and not much you can do about it.

DrHarleenFrancesQuinzel · 16/08/2015 12:19

I dont park on my drive as its a slope which is rather steep and Im convinced it was the reason why my handbreak kept losing it's ability in my old car. I park on the road blocking my drive anyway so not where someone else could park.

UrethraFranklin1 · 16/08/2015 12:53

It's one of those things that yes, ideally they should, however for whatever reason they don't, and there is nothing you can do about it. So best all round to try and get over it, even though its annoying.

We park both cars on our drive, NDN park outside our house right up to the entrance and make it difficult for us to get out easily. But they can, and they do, so I live with it and let go. What else can you do?

Mamiof3 · 16/08/2015 13:16

My neighbour has a 3 car house hold plus a van. Now parking one car on the road, that's fine, can't get worked up about it, but he has a 2 car drive which he NEVER USES

zazzie · 16/08/2015 13:29

We can squeeze two cars on but tend to put only dh's car on as it is easier to manage ds on an empty drive when you are on your own.

RedCrayons · 16/08/2015 13:34

This is the second thread today I've read and thought 'when did I start that one'.

I have two neighbours with perfectly decent drives who park on the road. We live in a cul de sac too do there's no room for visitors as well.

I get the 'you can park where you like' but what about a bit of consideration for others. And God forbid if you park in 'their' spot. Mr Angry Neighbour will block you in so you can't get out.

mileend2bermondsey · 16/08/2015 13:43

A lot of posters are saying they don't use the drive because there is a car in the garage. Surely you just put one on the drive and one in the garage? if you really need to use the one in garage first you just swap them around no? Thats was standard practice in my childhood neighborhood. No cars on the street until all us kids grew up and started driving; then it was impossible to park anywhere.

My granparents have a like 4 car length driveway and a garage. They never, ever use it as it is incredibily narrow. My gran has probelms walking etc and needs the car door open very wide and assistance to get in to it, which cannot be done on the narrow driveway.

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