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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

It's a parking one!

53 replies

99percentchocolate · 26/09/2015 10:42

Neighbours have a gardener over doing some work at the moment. DP is out doing the food shop and due back any moment so no car on the drive. Despite neighbours having a drive and there being another two he could park on, gardener has parked right in the middle of my drive and is sitting outside neighbours house shouting and swearing loudly down the phone.
Aibu to phone DP up and tell him to park behind this guy (just about enough room) and block him in? DP will be dropping me off to work in an hour and I don't want to risk switching places with the car and then being blocked in (as has happened before)
Kind of lighthearted. Kind of not.

OP posts:
Sparklingbrook · 26/09/2015 11:41

He might well be the sort that doesn't mind squeezing past and scraping cars. Be v careful.

RedMapleLeaf · 26/09/2015 11:44

Sorry Blush I just don't understand the motive of blocking him in. It's only going to escalate the problem (with a man who is already in a bad mood) and increase the risk of your property being damaged.

Is it just to teach him a lesson??

I'm not one for avoiding confrontation but this seems hardly a battle worth picking.

Sparklingbrook · 26/09/2015 11:46

I agree Red. I hope the consequences that are dealt with are worth the aggro.

SteamPunkGoth · 26/09/2015 11:47

I'd block him in without hesitation. Couldn't give a shit about approaching and asking someone to move. Don't park on my drive. End of.

Sparklingbrook · 26/09/2015 11:49

Well you might give a shit if he scrapes down the side of your car and drives off.

SteamPunkGoth · 26/09/2015 11:50

People won't risk it to their own cars. I live near a train station Hmm

RedMapleLeaf · 26/09/2015 11:51

They appear to be committing an offence in blocking this car in.

Sparklingbrook · 26/09/2015 11:52

He's a gardener, I was imagining a works van type of thing. Might be a brand new Merc though I guess.

RedMapleLeaf · 26/09/2015 11:53

www.askthe.police.uk/content/Q441.htm Have I understood that correctly?

SteamPunkGoth · 26/09/2015 11:54

People park horrendously. It's the complete lack of respect that annoys me more.

Sparklingbrook · 26/09/2015 11:57

I think if I was hormonal and pregnant I would just do whatever was required to avoid stressful confrontations TBH.

RedMapleLeaf · 26/09/2015 12:01

People park horrendously I agree.

It's the complete lack of respect that annoys me more. I don't always make this conclusion though. It could be that they were unaware, or they were having a terrible day and weren't concentrating or they were out of options and made the best decision they could. Or perhaps they're getting too old to drive or they're ill and not making the best of decisions. Or perhaps they were told to park there.

Thatrabbittrickedme · 26/09/2015 12:03

I love a parking thread, but in this case OP you should just have asked him to move the car (waved at him to get his attention if he was on the phone, then ask politely). Anything else is unreasonable I think. If he'd refused to move after being asked, blocking him in would have been appropriate but you didnt even ask Hmm

Spectre8 · 26/09/2015 12:15

Agree with Thatrabbittrickedme behave like the adult you are instead of doing something so flipping childish, really don't get people on here sometimes. They just advocate such childish actions over stuff that really isn't a big deal.

BigChocFrenzy · 26/09/2015 12:22

< sticks popcorn in the microwave >
I think the OP said the builder parked on their drive and she asked him to move, but he was yelling on his phone at someone and ignored her

RedMapleLeaf · 26/09/2015 12:27

Tried to ask him to move but he was too busy shouting at somebody down the phone to "fecking shut up". I'm not sure from this whether she did ask him to move and whether he heard her.

Wasn't actually going to block him in before, tempted to now as Karma for speaking to somebody like that on the phone. This just doesn't make sense at all.

BigChocFrenzy · 26/09/2015 12:41

Maybe the OP can tell us whether "tried to ask him" meant she spoke and was ignored, or whether she didn't speak at all.

Andrewofgg · 26/09/2015 12:44

OP Please keep us updated!

MicklePickle · 26/09/2015 12:48

Op you need to get a life grip. Yes it is rude to park on your drive but you asked him to move while he was on the phone - maybe he didn't hear. Sounds like his phone call was pretty fraught so how the hell do you know he hasn't got a major issue going on and now you are just going to wind it up further. And of course your first thought was to gloat on here.

I wish I had this much time on my hands to be so petty and get annoyed by something so trivial.

Oh and sorry if I sound snappy - I'm heavily pregnant too and seems that's an excuse for this sort of behaviour.

PurpleDaisies · 26/09/2015 12:50

I'm confused by the statement they there are plenty of other drives he could have parked on. Do people park on other people's drives now?

I wouldn't block him in. As others have said is it really worth the potential damage to the car? I'd have knocked on the car window until I got his attention and told him to move. If he refused I'd have spoken to the neighbour and asked them to tell him not to park there. I think community police officers will deal with parking disputes (an old neighbour was a right grump about people parking anywhere near her house and we occasionally had visits from police asking what the situation was-this was a long time ago so it might have changed now).

ProjectPerfect · 26/09/2015 12:50

If block him in - who the hell parks on someone else's drive?!

TenForward82 · 26/09/2015 12:50

pickle

Biscuit
MicklePickle · 26/09/2015 12:55

My first biscuit! Thanks Grin

Squishyeyeballs · 26/09/2015 13:04

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Sparklingbrook · 26/09/2015 13:20

Nobody is flaming anybody.

OP says they are hormonal and pregnant, so IMO needs to keep calm and not be having stressful confrontations with the neighbour's gardener. Especially as he seems a ranty sort.

She's now gone to work, so hopefully shouty gardener is long gone and her DP parked as normal when he returned.