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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

AIBU to be fed up of people using my drive as a car park for the shop opposite?

179 replies

SweetTeaVodka · 14/10/2015 18:07

I live in a terrace directly opposite the a local convenience store of a larger national supermarket. The shop has a large car park directly behind it and a bus stop directly out front. We have people park on our often empty drive to pop across to the shop on occasion (happens once or twice a month), and more often to pull up along the dropped curb.

The parking along the dropped curb doesn't really bother me, but the driving right up onto our driveway does. Especially in the evening/dark rainy days when my whole lounge is lit up by their bloody lights. Poor DD gets excited because she thinks one of her grandparents or aunts has come to visit, and my anxiety disorder means I get a bit on edge in case it's guests I'm not expecting.

Today it has been pissing it down all evening. Three times this afternoon we have had people stop on our drive and go across to Tesco, the third lot was a carful of very noisy young people (typing that makes me feel old) who looked quite taken aback when I opened my front door and informed them that they seemed to have mistaken my drive for the shop car park (I was very wound up by this point and did swear a bit).

I don't think it actually saves much time or saves them from getting that wet when you account for the amount of time you generally have to spent waiting to be able to safely cross the road to the shop, compared to walking round from the car park at the back to the front.

AIBU to a) think it's actually quite rude to park on someone's driveway if you are not a resident or visitor of the property;

b) complain at the people who do this;

and c) considering blocking my drive with plastic cones and a passive aggressive sign and/or complaining to the shop manager about their customers

I accept that I may be U to get so riled by this and it is probably due to my anxiety issues, but I am home alone with toddler DD until DH gets home from work this evening and I needed to vent.

OP posts:
eddielizzard · 14/10/2015 18:55

i would complain and get them to pay for whatever measures you decide to install. it would wind me up

overthemill · 14/10/2015 18:57

I would talk to council and Tesco. They wouldn't want you inconvenienced and I ha dd seen signs in a co-op about thoughtless parking by customers. It's rubbish for you. If in the meantime you could do something eg put wheelie bins across? Though massive inconvenience for you

Crabbitface · 14/10/2015 18:57

Yeah Tesco might stump up for aforementioned bollard.

cranberryx · 14/10/2015 19:00

You need a penguin bollard Grin

SaucyJack · 14/10/2015 19:01

On your actual driveway as in over your clearly marked boundary?

WTF? I'm fuming for you. Please have me round for a cuppa next time I have The Rage and need an excuse.

Qwertybynature · 14/10/2015 19:03

Get a security light installed and a private parking only sign on your drive.

Or buy a clamp and start rattling the chains when they park up?

YADNBU. (can we change it to Yarburgh now Grin)

SweetTeaVodka · 14/10/2015 19:06

Foolssilver, driveway is only the length of one car, currently empty as DH is at work. Being that the driveway is short, people who do this are basically stopping with the bonnet of their car in front of my lounge window and can see all the way into my living room (and watch the tv) if my blinds are open enough - it's quite intrusive.

I remember the penguin bollards, and cheering the OP of those posts on. Sadly I think they are out of my budget (and DH would say no).

I think I will try the planter or cones approach and see how that goes. Thinking a planter is less likely to be mucked about with by people (I recall my friends drunken fascination with cones all to well).

I am very tempted to add a passive aggressive sign to it, or perhaps just aggressive aggressive, but I think that's just because I'm so wound up by it tonight I'm spoiling for a fight. I've never known it to happen this much in one afternoon/evening, it's always been a now and again thing.

If it wasn't still pissing it down I'd go out and move the bin to the middle of the drive, but I'm already in my pjs and don't fancy getting soggy.

OP posts:
Crabbitface · 14/10/2015 19:08

I remember the penguin bollards, and cheering the OP of those posts on. Sadly I think they are out of my budget (and DH would say no).

See if Tesco will pay for them.

apinchofsugar · 14/10/2015 19:10

YANBU

I would be fuming. I was going to suggest a lockable fold down bollard, but the penguins ones suggested above are fab!

PuppyMonkey · 14/10/2015 19:11

I'm struggling to understand the driveway situation if I'm honest. We need a diagram. Grin

But definitely Yarburgh anyway.

Wolfiefan · 14/10/2015 19:12

See I'm a bitch. I'd see if I can buy a stinger!
Grin

MissEeerie · 14/10/2015 19:14

YANBU!

InternalMonologue · 14/10/2015 19:14

Yarburgh.

That would drive me potty - partially because it would annoy me anyway, but mostly because it would send DP incandescent with rage every time it happened and I'd have to live with that.

The planter or cones option would be a bit of a pita, if you or your DH need to move it every time he goes in our out of the drive, but possibly a price worth paying.

stardusty5 · 14/10/2015 19:14

That's appalling!

Yarburgh!

lampshady · 14/10/2015 19:21

Every time someone did that I'd be forced to manouvere my friendly neighbourhood tank over the drive and block them in.

I'd bloody love a tank.

SweetTeaVodka · 14/10/2015 19:21

The planter or cones option would be a bit of a pita, if you or your DH need to move it every time he goes in our out of the drive, but possibly a price worth paying.

Definitely a PITA, but possibly better for my blood pressure! Also not sure how practical anything like that or bollards/gates/chains would be in terms of being able to stop safely/without causing an obstruction, especially if the bus is stopped.

Puppy, I will happily provide a diagram just as soon as I work out how to make one on my phone.

OP posts:
tiredvommachine · 14/10/2015 19:22

Yarburgh!

Wolfiefan · 14/10/2015 19:22

I'd really bloody love a tank. Fecking awesome!

slithytove · 14/10/2015 19:24

Harbour Gh!

(What yarburgh autocorrects to)

Really made me laugh Grin

lastuseraccount123 · 14/10/2015 19:26

YARBURGH

Needle · 14/10/2015 19:29

SweetTeaVodka YANBU at all, we used to have a very similar problem - there are a lot of nightclubs about 300yds away from our house and we used to get a string of people (very few of whom looked fit to drive) parking on our drive every Friday / Saturday from about 11pm till about 9 the following morning, it used to drive me mad because my own car would be blocked in. I think it was basically just because we're in central London and no one wants to pay for parking.

anyway , what we did was to get a length of chain and two hooks, then we attached one end to the wall on one side of the drive, with ring on the far side so that the chain could be pulled across a bit like the rope at a club door. It felt a bit nimby doing it, but it did stop scroungers using our driveway all night. It's cheaper than putting in bollards!

SweetTeaVodka · 14/10/2015 19:33

Decided it was easier to draw you a diagram and photograph it, Puppy. I don't think my attempt to illustrate the strip of gravel between our drive and the neighbours came out very clearly though.

AIBU to be fed up of people using my drive as a car park for the shop opposite?
OP posts:
TheDowagerCuntess · 14/10/2015 19:35

The brass neck of some people is amazing - I would never dare park in someone else's drive - and then to be genuinely Shock when you take umbrage, is just incredible. What planet are these people on.

SweetTeaVodka · 14/10/2015 19:36

Also, my diagram is obviously not to scale. The bus stops here do actually accommodate buses, which are not smaller than the average car!

OP posts:
CuffsAndCollar · 14/10/2015 19:39

Yarburgh!

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