to think that if you live near a city centre you should expect this

[mileend2bermondsey]

I currently live about 10 miles from a big city which I work in. To save money on parking in the city centre at on average 8gbp per day I drive to the outskirts of the city, park on the closest street that does not have yellow lines and walk just over a mile into work. I was chatting to a friend about it who said I was lucky my car has been nicked (dodgy area) then goes on to say she'd be fuming if commuters parked on her street. My opinon is that if you chose to live on one of the first streets without parking restrictions, there are bound to be people who will park there to save money, same with living near a train station. I used to live in a terrace opposite a shopping precinct, during business hours you couldn't park on the street for love nor money. It was part and parcel of living in that particular location, I got on with it until I could move and consider such factors when moving since. I certainly wouldnt blame the drivers or key their cars over such a 'slight' as my friend thinks may happen.

As is "get a house with a drive then" or "you knew it was like that when you moved there". I have read several threads in the last day or so where people are struggling to find any rental property at all, let alone pick and choose.

YABU

If if you choose to live 10 miles away from the city centre in which you choose to work, then you should expect to have to factor the cost of parking or park and ride into your budget.

Wow. I'm shocked that some people think it's fine to key or throw dog shit at a car parked legally outside their house.

OP YANBU

YANBU. I have no off-street parking and we only have restrictions for two hours a day (which actually has made a huge difference) and I STILL don't think you're being unreasonable. Even though I have the audacity to swear in my head at people who have the cheek to park outside my house .

We could do with a bit more live and let live on this thread. So long as you're not parking inconsiderately (and no, I don't believe by parking on this street she is being inconsiderate), then keep on!

nameinlights So you should put your toddler in a buggy to cross the road to get to your car?

Of course, that's not completely impossible, but if it's a busy road, you have lots of bags/shopping, and a toddler with no road sense at all, it's pretty inconvenient.

We live near a train station, because DH commutes on the train, so we chose the house for that reason.

I tend to feel that if you are a daily train commuter, you need to find a house within walking distance of the train station, or else get the bus, cycle to the station, or pay for the station car park (which is closer than our house, and always has spaces). You should not be relying on free on-street parking.

So funnily enough since we were getting to the "park 3 streets away" situation some days coming home from work and/or on a Saturday (we are also within walking distance of the town centre, though not as close as a paid car park that again always has spaces), a resident's parking scheme was introduced.

The special snowflakes are exactly like the OP - happy to walk a bit further but not happy to pay for a facility they can get for free by inconveniencing someone else. In our case, they may find it easy to walk a bit further when on their way to work, but I don't find it easy to walk a bit further with two DCs and lots of bags.

I personally do not feel I have an absolute right to park outside my house but I'm happy to pay to increase my chances of doing so. I also don't feel it's my right to park on the actual street where we live, but it's definitely safer with small DCs.

So all happy now we have residents parking. I can park somewhere that I can get the DCs in the house safely, when bringing them home from nursery, and somewhere closer than B&Q when nipping there on a Saturday, with the heavy gardening stuff.

The only people that aren't happy are those that used to park outside our house every day to get the train to work, and those that also used to park outside our house for 3 solid weeks to go on holiday.

Residents can start parking restrictions and prevent all day parking in their street, for s charge by the council.

I would rather walk and park further away so do so and am happy to walk a mile and a half to shops etc.

If there are no restrictions then if residents don't like commuters, shoppers or tourists parking in their street they have options

Until then I will continue to park further away and walk

There is a car park actually on the beach for people visiting it, but people still park in our bay of 15 spaces for 48 flats and walk over just to save one whole pound.

Park in the car park and walk over for the cost of just one pound, then.

All the people whinging in this thread about people parking on "their" street sound utterly ridiculous.

This happens here all the time. When it becomes a nusience the residents appeal to the council and more regs are brought in meaning residents have to pay £100 a year to park outside their houses but at least they can.

I also think every new house that is built should have off road parking for two cars, that way new builds would not contribute to parking issues within residential areas.

I had friends who dug out their cellar to convert into parking/garage for two vehicles. This meant their town centre house had parking right under their house

Yeah, it's the "special snowflake" attitude that annoys me, rather than the actual inconvenience.

If you want to go to a certain place and use the facilities there, then why do you think you shouldn't have to pay to park your own car in the provided car park like every other fucker has to?

It's the sort of thing my dad would have done; driven around for half an hour first to find a free space outside someone's house no matter how much he was inconveniencing the residents- or indeed, himself. Just to save a couple of quid. It's a deeply unattractive personality trait.

It's your car. Parking it should be your problem.

If your street is clogged up with commuters' cars and you don't have a driveway then your house was probably cheaper for those reasons. If you don't want these issues then live somewhere else. They go hand in hand with living near the sea / in a city / near a train station. You can't have it both ways.

I guess you're not being unreasonable in that what you are doing is legal.

But it is a pain for residents, particularly when parking restrictions have often changed leading to their road becoming a car park. If too many people do the same as you then they will probably end up with residents only parking, and the problem get's moved on to somewhere else.

And having residents parking is a pain when you live there because of the constant faffing for visitor permits etc.

So by you being tight and not wanting to pay to park, you are inconveniencing other people. The attitude of 'suck it up' is pure selfishness.

Just because you can do something doesn't always make it morally right.

But it's up to you if you feel fine about inconveniencing people to save money .

If your street is clogged up with commuters' cars and you don't have a driveway then your house was probably cheaper for those reasons.

It's pretty common for a (Victorian) station to be surrounded by (Victorian) houses that have no driveways at all, nor any front gardens that can be paved over and contribute to global warming used as driveways. That's what the area round our house/station is like. Britain expanded the railways long before it expanded car use.

Even though the housing is mixed in terms of size, any homes near a station are going to attract a premium anyway.

"If your street is clogged up with commuters' cars and you don't have a driveway then your house was probably cheaper for those reasons. If you don't want these issues then live somewhere else."

Yes. Because life is filled with housing choices. Let's not blink at making life worse for people who live in cheap housing.

I enjoy holidaying in France for various reasons, one bring free parking and free electric in some villages, so you visit, stay and spend your money in the local shops.

The free electric is always an added bonus and a free overnight stay so you can have a meal in the town centre and a drink of wine then sleep and move on in the morning.

UK is obsessed with charging and fining motorists for placing there cars on a bit of tarmac, £80 fines for being five minutes over etc. All very unfriendly

Such a predictable thread, they always go the same way.

On one side you have the the people who think they own the road outside of their house and expect the right to park on it.
On the other side you have the people who want to park legally wherever they choose to, for whatever reason they have.

It doesn't matter whether you think its good to do, or anti-social, or unfair. Nobody cares, its just your opinion. If the cars are taxed and insured and properly parked, its just tough tits if they are parked outside you house. There is nothing you can do and you need to get the hell over it.

It's your car. Parking it should be your problem.

Yes. And she has solved her problem in a legal and normal way.

YANBU. As long as you park legally, safely and aren't inconveniencing residents by parking too close to a dropped kerb or on a pavement for example then park where you like. The clue is in the name - public highway. Why on earth would anyone want to pay hundreds of pounds a month to pay to park when you don't need to?

Those of you that advocate keying cars, letting down tyres and throwing shit on vehicles just because they've dared to park in a public road are twats.

There are solutions, but solutions often mean change and people don't like change

YABU if that means that people can't park near their own house - the streets are filled with commuter cars. If it is a regular thing I don't think you should do it - at least park not right on the edge of the restrictions - so people living there can park too. One or two extra cars in an area probably isn't too bad ...hundreds all trying to get a space on the edge/round a railway station is.
Even my parents have this problem - they live 30 miles away from a biggish city - their tiny railway station has free parking for 30 cars - should be ample for the area - except it is cheaper for commuters to park there and get the train. It is always full to overflowing, the cars spread all up the streets - the local pub has a small car park and they have had to put a barrier on - the live in landlord couldn't park! If anyone local wants to use the train they have to catch a bus there. If they do start charging it will have to be a fair sum to stop the commuters - and the locals will suffer again.

In London when I lived there the restrictions just moved further and further out...so it would be possible to move somewhere surrounded by no restrictions, no problems parking - to find the restrictions moved closer and you did start getting a problem.
And residents parking can be so restrictive. I was temporary 'homeless' (staying with friends- long story). I couldn't get a residents or even visitors permit because I wasn't on the tenancy. I could pay for on street parking (not cheap) but for a maximum of 2hrs and I had to go and put my money in at 8.30am every morning (if I was working late shift) then find another bay two hours later... So if I could I would leave my car a couple of miles away (bus journey, not near a tube) on the edge of the restrictions. I went to visit the same friends a year or so later for a few days and found the restriction free area had moved even further away...
And I even understand why it is hard to get residents parking...because people take the piss.
I used to live somewhere and had a residents permit - the rules there were more lax and every adult in a household (whether they had a car or not, whether they were on a tenancy or not ) could get one for one registration number - didn't matter who the car owner was or where they lived. Lots of shared houses, so lots of adults. People without cars sold theirs to commuters for the year (cost £60-70 pa iirc - you could sell them for hundreds)...so even with a permit there was never anywhere to park - I was paying for the privilege of being able to park half a mile away after driving round for ages to find a space sometimes...

OP have you tried the parkopedia app? You may well be able to find a cheaper car park to use, particularly as you are happy to walk a mile or so to work.

YANBU. Is it unreasonable to park somewhere because it's outside someone else's house? What sense does that make? And FWIW, I can very rarely park outside my house and frequently have to park on the next street, but since I don't actually own the street I consider I have no right to complain. Unlike the t**t down the road who left a snotty note on my windscreen saying that could I move my car as he liked to park outside his own house. To which I could have replied, yes, ideally so would I, but there's no effing free spaces.

I live in a Victorian terrace near a station. We have off road parking although only 5 houses on our Rd of approx 100 houses do and often twats park over the entrance meaning we can't use it anyway

I don't mind people parking on our road to go to the station or shop. I do mind people who park like they've never driven before. So many people insist on parking over the drop curbs, taking up two spaces, parking so close to people's boots they can't get into them etc etc. Everyone would be more tolerant if people thought a little bit of others.

YANBU. No one has an automatic right to park outside their house so you are not stealing anyone's space. Anyone living on the outskirts of a city/near an airport/near the beach/near a stadium will have an unusually high number of non residents parking near their house, but unless the local authority acts to prevent it, it is just part and parcel of living in these places.

FWIW I have been on the receiving end when we lived in a terraced street near the town centre. parking was a nightmare but we chose that house so we chose to accept the parking issue.