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?

[TotallySpies17]

Some people on this thread with late houses and drives sound rather spoilt and entitled. Actually you (and I, as I fall in this category) are privileged and it's a good thing to remember that, especially when there are small things we can do to make the lives of others a bit easier/ more convenient

[TotallySpies17]

*large not late!!

[treaclesoda]

If no one on the street has a drive then it's first come first served, fair enough (although basic manners should dictate that people don't, for example, always park their van outside a neighbours house because they don't want to have to look at it from their own living room window)

I think the inconsiderate aspect is having adequate private parking facilities yet not wanting to use them, and being annoyed that someone who doesn't have private parking facilities has asked if they could use the parking space instead.

[randomsabreuse]

Is a long thin drive with "space" for 4 cars actually adequate parking for 2 cars? Or us it parking for 1 car with access to that space that can be blocked when convenient. If access was unimportant and we could just drop the car into a car sized hole parking everywhere would be so easy - it's the getting in and out that is difficult!

If the drive would have 2 spaces for unrelated cars but you parked lazily YABU but otherwise not.

[TheAnswerIsYes]

YANBU

I think it was very nice of you to put yourself out and move your car. I would have said no to him. You are entitled to park on the public highway and if the neighbour wants to be guaranteed to be able to park outside his house then he should have a drive installed.

[JudyCoolibar]

No-one denies OP is entitled to park on the road. But, TheAnswer, don't you think that sometimes the need to be considerate might override legal entitlement, particularly when realistically it doesn't inconvenience you in any way?

[larrygrylls]

Yanbu,

Road is public space. You have small children and only use the road occasionally.

As for entitlement, I think that if you don't have a drive it is extremely entitled to think you have some priority right to public parking.

[RandomName9]

We have a driveway with space for 2 cars, we have 2 cars, as does 99% of the houses on our road.. Meaning we have space to park but only space for 1 visitor as most of the road is drop curb. When our neighbours have visitors we let them park across our drive (making 3 spaces) & vice versa. When we go away they can use our drive. It's just called being courteous. At our last house people parked on the street when they had driveways (we didn't) & I usually had to walk 2/3 streets with my son in a car seat plus shopping!! OP was being unfair but I think this was more about the neighbour than the actual favour being asked!

[AgentPineapple]

I think until you have been in the position where you don't have a drive and have to deal with having to park one or more street away from your house, you really don't understand how annoying, inconvenient and how discourteous it is for people with drive ways to take up valuable parking space on the roads. It may seem like a small thing to you but it really isn't.

[QuintessentialShadow]

So, please explain why your husband could not position the car going out first adequately on the drive so he could just drive out and get petrol? Why did he have to be on the road?

And, why, if both your cars where home, could your husband not move the car? Why was it relevant that you were bathing your kids?
Or, wait, let me guess, he had taken the bus to the petrol station to buy a tin of petrol?

[Tapandgo]

The public highway is everybody's space and because you have a space in front of your house it doesn't mean you own it. People with driveways can also park on the road wherever they like within the law.
We mall try to be courteous to our neighbours needs - but if this request was a one off, it's fine. If there is an undercurrent of 'you must park in your driveway' it's not fine.

[BlueFolly]

It may seem like a small thing to you but it really isn't.

Err, yes it is. Can't understand why people get so get up. Take a chill pill.

[LondonDove]

The amount of neighbours with dropped kerbs and paved front yards who don't park on them on my road is crazy. We saw one have a beautiful brick off-street parking area put in last summer and all she does is park across the dropped kerb. So her visitors park outside our house. As do all the adult children of the other people with dropped kerb but empty spaces. They often have two cars for the household but they all park on the street. I frequently have to park on the next street and get small children and shopping inside safely in all weathers. Wish I had the money to get my front garden dug out and kerb sorted so they could piss off and park elsewhere.

[ShelaghTurner]

This is my pet hate, people who have driveways but don't use them. I live in a road which is overcrowded. Sorry, we couldn't afford a driveway (🙄FFS). So do my parents and Ive lost count of the number of times I've been to visit them and had to abandon it because there's nowhere to park.

Yes it's legal to park on the road but fuckwitted behaviour if you have a driveway and choose not to sully it with actual vehicles. No sympathy from me.

[ShelaghTurner]

Today 20:31 BlueFolly

It may seem like a small thing to you but it really isn't.

Err, yes it is. Can't understand why people get so get up. Take a chill pill.

Er no it isn't a small thing. Sorry you find it hard to understand why. Maybe you need to ease off the chill pills a bit.

[MaddyHatter]

are the cars different?

DH & I both have a car that is 'ours' (mine is full of the kids crap, lol), but they're both a similar size, so if one is blocked in, we just shuffle the kids car seats and take whichever one we can get out at that time.

[BlueFolly]

I'd love a chill pill right now .

I haven't had parking at the last 2 of my houses. At my current house I sometimes have to park up to half a mile away. If I was the type of person who thought this kind of thing was a big deal, I would have prioritised a driveway when buying a house.

[Mycraneisfixed]

It was nice of you to move your car to let the neighbours park there so they could carry their sleeping kids in and put them to bed without getting a hernia.
I'm sure you realise by now that it was the right thing to do.

[kali110]

BlueFolly yes because EVERYONE has a choice where they live don't they
Always the same on these threads, why didn't you move to a different place yadda yadda...
Not everybody has a choice.

[TotallySpies17]

I think it was very nice of you to put yourself out and move your car. I would have said no to him. You are entitled to park on the public highway and if the neighbour wants to be guaranteed to be able to park outside his house then he should have a drive installed.

You sound pleasant!

Having a driveway installed or moving house may not be option.

I can't understand why you'd have said no if had space on your drive. Just because you are not technically breaking the law by parking on the road doesn't mean to have to be an inconsiderate awkward twat to your neighbour.

As I said earlier- privileged people and their entitlement overshadowing being a good neighbour and having a bit of compassion.

[TotallySpies17]

(And once again this isn't the chip on my shoulder talking as I am lucky to have a big house and a big drive - which I park on!)

[treaclesoda]

I'm quite intrigued by the idea of 'you should just have a driveway built'. How do you do that if you live in a terraced house? I always visualise houses with no off street parking as being terraced, because presumably if they are semi detached or detached there would be room at the side of the houses to park.

[user1471428758]

I'm quite intrigued by the idea of 'you should just have a driveway built'. How do you do that if you live in a terraced house?

Well, I think it's quite simple really: those who rely on throwing around their money to make their (usually ridiculous) point generally don't have a) any idea that other peoples' worldviews may be different or b) the critical thinking skills to back up their ill-informed opinions.

No doubt there'll be a whole influx of "well, don't live in a terraced house then, buy a bigger one with a driveway like mine" posts along in a minute to back up this theory :)

[JazzAnnNonMouse]

Yabu and selfish.