Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

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:
Collaborate · 15/10/2015 09:49

This has nothing to do with Tesco. The thought that you could sue them over this is nonsense.

However, even though you are not allowed to impede someone's access to the road, in practice if an irate shopper calls the police, all the police will do is turn up an hour later, laugh at the shopper for being so rude, and explain to them that because your H has now gone to the pub with his car keys they'll have to wait until he gets back before he can move his car, and to avoid this problem in future they should avoid trespassing.

Trespassing is not a crime, although conspiracy to trespass is.

tibbawyrots · 15/10/2015 09:52

No advice but just to say that I love YARBURGH!

RaptorInaPorkPieHat · 15/10/2015 09:56

YARBURGH! Grin

I think you need to fashion something like this, with a sign inside saying 'free Tesco parking'.

AIBU to be fed up of people using my drive as a car park for the shop opposite?
BinToHellAndBack · 15/10/2015 12:55

I think you need a penguin bollard which stays down until someone parks in your driveway. When they go into the shop you put it back up, lock it, and pretend to be out!

Doesn't really solve the problem but it would be entertaining Grin

FelineLou · 15/10/2015 13:46

+You could get a remote control droppost and keep control in car. Cost a bit but security is there then.

TalkinPeece · 15/10/2015 14:16

I still say the wheelbarrow - quick, easy, aesthetic

chumbler · 15/10/2015 15:20

Yarburgh. Speak to tesco and agree with cones idea

TheExMotherInLaw · 15/10/2015 22:11

I think the idea of phoning or going across to Tesco with reg number every time, and getting them to put out a customer call will very soon make Tesco realise there is a problem, and that you have made it their problem!

Justgetknitting · 15/10/2015 22:23

My blood is boiling from the memory when I had people do this ALL the time, but for me it was from parents who were dropping their DC off at a local nursery... At first I calmly asked the nursery to ask the parents, this stopped some l, then I asked the parents who did this one actually thought this was completely reasonable as it was raining (really, ok I get you don't want to get wet it is a pain with a chikd but is it really reasonable to block someone on their own drive in! When their is a car park 2 minutes walk away) I was actually told that I was being very unreasonable to want to leave or park on my driveway and that I should have just parked on the road or wait thirty minutes!! one day I came home to want to park on my drive (the very cheek of it) and I blocked the idiot/ repeat offender in... I went and had a very long bath and after this no-one ever parked on my drive again :) it did take me nearly a year to get to that stage :)

NationMcKinley · 15/10/2015 22:36

Yarburgh.

Wankers

woodwaj · 15/10/2015 22:46

I can't stop giggling at the yarburgh. I'm waking up the baby Grin

But it's a defo yarburgh from me. I'd tweet or Facebook Tesco

TheCatsMother99 · 15/10/2015 22:52

I think calling tesco and asking them to call out the car reg over the tannoy, asking the owner to go to customer services, would be a good idea. Hopefully tesco will be happy to oblige.

thewavesofthesea · 15/10/2015 23:19

Yarburgh.

giggling uncontrollably at Yarburgh
point of thread missed

Leafitout · 15/10/2015 23:22

It's so annoying I feel your pain. Good idea to do the tesco tannoy. I live near a school with a dropped curb. Two car driveway outside the house. Parents constantly park up on the drive. When I ask them to please move from my drive way this is the response " you bloody bastard bitch" or " what is your problem I'm going to be five minutes" or " shut up you, don't talk to me" then they walk off and leave the car still on my drive way. Best one was " your only picking on me because I'm not white you stupid bastard bitch"!! A couple of grown men have told me they will come back for me!
If I had my way I would chain the bloody drive off.

knickernicker · 15/10/2015 23:24

If you tweet Tesco they reply and attempt to resolve the issue immediately. They have to because it's on a public forum.

SistersOfPercy · 15/10/2015 23:25

Yarburgh sounds like it should be a small seaside town in Norfolk.

MissEeerie · 15/10/2015 23:30

I have this problem with my neighbour. She has her own driveway but uses mine for her friends and neither her or her friends seem to understand why I get pissed off. You should see her face when I park on it! Stupid entitled bitch!

AllThatGlistensIs · 15/10/2015 23:35

Yarburgh OP!

I'm now fancying cheese and crackers....

Fatmomma99 · 15/10/2015 23:51

Yarburgh (also wanted to join in with this).

Agree with contacting Tesco - they should be responsible neighbours and tannoy people who have parked illegally. Whether they are or not remains to be seen.

I would put a mirror up in your living room, facing outwards. It's dark early now. Let them be dazzled by their own glare as they drive onto your drive.

I've been musing about myself as I've read through the thread. I'm afraid I'm often an inconsiderate parker, and am def guilty of thinking "I'll just be 2 mins" or "I only want to purchase 1 item from this shop". I hope I'm never a cunt, but I am often selfish and entitled. However, I have never deliberately blocked a dropped kerb (although have def parked right up to the edge of one). I may have performed maneuvers (word auto spell corrected by my master machine, but not sure it's right! Should there not be an "o" somewhere????) in people's drives, but I have NEVER parked in one.

It's rude beyond belief. Your home is your castle. Defend it against uninvited twats!

SistersOfPercy · 16/10/2015 00:02

I wouldnt be putting a mirror up personally, a dazzled driver crashing through the living room window doesn't really help the situation.

ChiefInspectorBarnaby · 16/10/2015 02:58

Shit on their bonnet.

DiscoDiva70 · 16/10/2015 03:59

You could take a pic of the cheeky bastards car in your driveway, then when the owner returns inform them that you have their car details and if they park there again you will inform the police because they haven't listened to your request to keep off their property!

DiscoDiva70 · 16/10/2015 04:02

Your property!

I must be getting confused as these twats obviously think your property is theirs!

Senpai · 16/10/2015 05:08

They sell car boots on Amazon. Wink

Put it on their cars and refuse to remove it for a set amount of time unless they pay a fee for parking there.

Not sure of the legality of all that, but as long as you don't damage their car, I don't think there's much they can really do. I heard of a guy who closed his driveway gates and kept a man's car in there for a couple weeks, the police couldn't do anything.

Collaborate · 16/10/2015 07:33

Senpai it's actually a crime to do that these days.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19782680

leafitout is there any way in which you could surreptitiously video these parents and upload their foul language to YouTube? Public shaming may put them off.

Swipe left for the next trending thread