Parking - asked to move by neighbour for sleeping children

[thelionsleeps]

We have a house with parking for 4 cars but all cars have to move for each other as the driveway is in one line.

We have 2 cars and I would say 99% of the time we park both our cars on the driveway but very rarely will need to park one on the road (public parking) when we know we need to get the other car out early in the morning or if we have people visiting but need to use one of our cars.

Tomorrow we go away and my husband wanted to get petrol later tonight for his car so moved my car outside our neighbours so he could get his car out after our children are asleep. Lots of public parking outside on the road although past 7ish you may need to park further up the road or round the corner. There was a knock on the door from a different neighbour about 8.30 asking us to move our car as he had just arrived home and his 2 children were asleep (5 & 1) and he wanted the space - he has no off road parking.

It was in the middle of us putting our 3 young children down for the night (including 2 under 1) but as we were running late tonight we were only just about to get in the bath. We did move the car but it seemed a bit cheeky to me. I know I wouldn't have asked if I had arrived home and was in the same position and would have just woken the children up (as annoying as that would be). I don't want them to think we will do this every time they need the space or were we just being neighbourly? Aibu to think we won't move again if asked?

[DesolateWaist]

If a drive way is that important to people buy or rent a house with one
Oh if only it was that simple.
This is like when people complain about neighbours having noisy parties, 'don't live in a semi then.'

In many parts of the country having a drive is prohibitively expensive. You can easily spend over a million in London without having a drive.

[Lweji]

You can easily spend over a million in London without having a drive.

It depends where you want to live. It's always a trade off.

[ItWentInMyEye]

I think yabu. You helped make his life a tiny bit easier, which is what we should all do. It didn't seem to massively inconvenience you. You might have to ask him a favour and he (hopefully) won't forget you helped him out and reciprocate.

[user1471428758]

"Personally, I would like to fine people like you for irresponsible parking; you have extensive private parking available but because you are too lazy to swap cars round for access you think it is all right to occupy public parking spaces needed by people without places to use."

Me too. OP, people like you make my life a bloody misery and if the option was there to report you/them to the council I'd do it every damn time you were too lazy to use your own facilities. I live on a street of maisonettes and while each house of two maisonettes has a drive, only the downstairs flats are entitled to use them because they belong to downstairs. I live in an upstairs flat, and I often can't park anywhere near my flat, or even on my street, because of people like you. The people who have just moved out of next door were just like you - they had two cars and two work vans, and because they were too bloody lazy to shuffle them about on their (extensive) driveway, they got left in the street, taking up four spaces.

Oh, and for the genius who says why are people bothered about parking five minutes away - I'm disabled. It's bad enough having to struggle up steps on crutches without adding a five minute walk - which I can't do anyway.

[randomsabreuse]

It's not always about laziness. If there's space for 2 vehicles on a long thin drive (or a car in front of a garage) effectively that is one space because it is highly likely that the first one back will be the first one away. Ignoring the economic cost of fuel, dpf replacement, reduced life of cars the 3-5 minutes idling/manoeuvring the cars has a substantial environmental cost if it happens every day - particularly the local air quality which might well be a consideration for those with children...

I have spent plenty of time with expensive residents' permits where I'd be struggling to get a spot in the right zone - as soon as the car wasn't absolutely essential to my life it went - I shopped by bus/tube.

Our current house has space for 4 cars/3 vans - the only time we park on the street is if we are expecting several trades at the same time or too many visitors - which is part of why we chose this house over one with a long thin drive - knowing with DH's job that he will frequently need urgent access to his car when I've got home after him.

[kali110]

Not surprised op hasn't been back!
Can't believe you asked who was being unreasonable.
4 spaces on the drive yet you want to park on the road and take a space away from neighbours who don't have one because it's more convenient to you

[CharlieSierra]

Horribly selfish, definitely YABU. It's the mentality of an absolute arsehole to do this without considering what it actually means to have to park in the next street or round the corner. It's bad enough when it just can't be helped and all the nearer spaces have gone, but when it's your actual neighbours who could see the impact if they just took their heads out of their arses it incenses me.

[Chinnychinnychin]

This is a reverse, yes?

[thelionsleeps]

Wow I obviously wbu! Although we only park on street maybe once every couple of months when people stay or one of us needs to get out early we obviously were at fault. I admit there is some back history with this neighbour parking over driveways and other non related stuff but iwbu.

[thelionsleeps]

And although we have 4 spaces we need to juggle the cars as it is all in a line but we can do that.

[wowowowow]

No you weren't. The age of entitlement rears its ugly head again. No-one is entitled to park outside their front door. It's a public street. I can park there all year long if I like - even if I live 300 miles away.

Your neighbours are being unreasonable knocking on your door. They need to pull themselves together.

[inlectorecumbit]

Well OP l am with you so it's a YANBU.
We have 4 cars and a driveway for 4 cars - 2 per row, If l am away very early in the morning ( 6am) the last thing l want to do is move one of the cars that have blocked me in. Both DC's and DH have jobs that involve shifts sometimes arrivin home at 2am. So one car would be parked on the street
This doesn't happen very often but l am well within my rights to do as l pay my taxes the same as everyone else. It is a public road,
OP you did a nice thing but YWNBU to refuse

[AgentPineapple]

"This doesn't happen very often but l am well within my rights to do as l pay my taxes the same as everyone else. It is a public road,
OP you did a nice thing but YWNBU to refuse"

That is a shocking attitude. It's not about entitlement, it's about not being a selfish arse. If you have a drive you should use it, especially when you live in a street where some of your neighbours don't have a drive. So because you can't be arsed moving your own cars, mr neighbour should wake his children (since he can't be too far away from the car and leave one in there) and walk them from another street etc to his house, which OP has parked outside of. I hope no one ever takes exception to your arseyness and keys your car!

[inlectorecumbit]

just loving you comment AgentPinapple. I am sure my neighbours would be more annoyed being woken by the opening and shutting of car doors and starting and stopping of engines especially in winter when the engine would need to run to clear the windows,
DH has just picked himself off the floor from laughing at your comment .
I am just glad that l have very naice neighbours and we don't go around keying each others cars.
Shame you feel this would be a suitable response to parking in the street.

[WamBamThankYouMaam]

"Juggling the cars"

There's 2 of them. Get a grip.

[AgentPineapple]

I don't (and have never) thought it was ok to key someone's car but some might, and I'd rather someone shutting their car door than making me carry my children and shopping further than I had to because someone couldn't be arsed moving their car. I lived with this situation for 7 years in my last house, having to carry my baby and my shopping one sometimes two streets away from my house because they didn't want to swap their own cars around in the drive. It's laziness and ignorance, pure and simple. Btw nice neighbours stop being nice when they have to deal with ignorant people

[user1471428758]

We have 4 cars and a driveway for 4 cars - 2 per row, If l am away very early in the morning ( 6am) the last thing l want to do is move one of the cars that have blocked me in

Oh dear - are your diamond shoes too tight as well?

[inlectorecumbit]

user1471428758 why the nasty comment??

DH and l paid a lot of money to extend the driveway so that we didnt need to park on the street.
I have 2 adults DC's - both working who fully fund their own cars,

So no l don't have diamond shoes, if l had l wouldn't be working quite so bloody hard.
So get off your high horse or that bloody halo around your head will choke you.
Now please stop derailing the OP's thread this is about her not me

[PaulAnkaTheDog]

Oh fuck off user. Totally unnecessary.

[sailawaywithme]

I agree with user. Since when is moving a car some great hardship?

[NotMe321]

No you weren't. The age of entitlement rears its ugly head again. No-one is entitled to park outside their front door. It's a public street. I can park there all year long if I like - even if I live 300 miles away.

No, what is entitled is parking in the street when you don't need to and when you know it will cause difficulties for your neighbours. There is this really peculiar attitude on MN that the only thing that matters is whether something is or is not legal. Sometimes it matters more not to be selfish and inconsiderate.

[Believeitornot]

I despair reading this thread.

What happened to courtesy, manners and consideration for others?

[user1471428758]

Now please stop derailing the OP's thread this is about her not me

Then perhaps you should stop the stealth boast about how many cars you own and how much money you have. Because honestly, it's rather sickening.

[heron98]

No one on our street has a drive. We mainly park outside our own house, but if that spot's taken we park elsewhere and (shock horror) walk a bit.

It's no big deal.

[TotallySpies17]

I can't believe so many people don't think OP is being unreasonable and it's not even about parking on drove/ road. SHE was put out by the neighbours request- that's the U bit!
I can fit 2 cars on my drive and we have 2. If for any reason we park on the street (normally if we've had a guest with a car on the drive), I'd move ours back into the drive and if a situation like OP arose I'd probably even apologise and the move my car.