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AIBU?

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Original poster

Another effing parking thread!

67 replies

LivinOnAChair · 21/10/2016 08:59

Woke up to a note shoved under our windscreen wiper this morning telling us that we are not to park in the street?! Surely they can't dictate this?

We live in a cul de sac and everyone else up the street parks similarly to us. Our garages and drive are round the corner and quite a walk carrying a baby in a car seat along with bag and possible shopping so I tend to park outside the house (the 'visitors spots' are not marked as such and the house wasn't sold to us with allocated street parking etc so assuming it's a free for all). Our drive is regularly blocked by neighbours round the corner but we can't do much about it unless we are blocked on...
Partner parked his car in bay yesterday and when me and DS came home from baby group yesterday drive was blocked so I parked in the street (very slightly up curb as road is narrow and people up the street had wagons coming and going as they are having garden landscaped). I would have moved the car later on but partner works shifts and I can't (and am not prepared to) leave DS in the house while I move it once workmen were finished.

Is it me? AIBU? Can they really dictate to us that we can not park on a public highway and must 'follow suit' of other residents (whatever that means)?

Another effing parking thread!
OP posts:
SantasLittleMonkeyButler · 21/10/2016 09:39

A lot of the new build townhouses around here have parking spaces like this - entirely separate from their actual house. The roads also have lots of parking problems as people prefer to park outside their actual house for convenience. I've no idea why developers still think these layouts are better than the traditional driveway leading to the house scenario Confused.

OP - it sounds as though you need to be putting notes on the cars blocking your driveway. Parking one of your cars on one side of the road seems fair enough. However parking on both sides of what you describe as a "narrow road" does not. I'm sure my neighbours would find that annoying too. I understand the people selfishly blocking your drive are causing the issue but are you sure it's not a tit-for-tat? i.e. them thinking "well, if they don't use their drive anyway we may aswell block it."?

charlestonchaplin · 21/10/2016 09:40

Except the main reason she doesn't use her drive is the distance from her house. Other people blocking her drive is a side issue and, I suspect, a convenient excuse.

The position of the drive is awkward, I agree, but everyone parking on the road is a nightmare for visitors to the road, and you all knew the set-up before buying/renting.

Arfarfanarf · 21/10/2016 09:41

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

SleepFreeZone · 21/10/2016 09:41

I'm on the fence as my neighbour does the same and me and DP are often Hmm that he has a double driveway totally clear and the parks his huge green van and Merc on the road. We wouldn't start a neighbour dispute over it though as the road is free for him to park there and I just get irritated because it's ugly and unnecessary.

EwanWhosearmy · 21/10/2016 09:46

TBH I can see why they are annoyed. Quite a few houses on our street have had drives built and each one takes 2 spaces off the road (full width of house). There are now no "spare" spaces at all so when visitors arrive there is chaos.

House 3 doors down had a drive built to stop people parking outside their house. They never use it and just park over it, which is fine. Except that every weekend they have visitors who choose to park on the street and take another space from those of us who don't have drives.

The most recent drive to be constructed has coincided with people moving into a previously unoccupied property so now there literally isn't enough space and the new person is regularly parking in our NDNs disabled bay, because the person who now can't park in front of their house because of the new drive is parking outside his house.

KitKat1985 · 21/10/2016 09:47

Hmm, I can see both sides on this one. Ideally I would say that you do need to use your driveway / garage whenever possible as I can understand why your neighbours will get miffed if they can't get in the visitors bays because you and your partner have parked there despite having a garage and driveway. I appreciate it's less convenient but you knew where the garage / drive was when you bought the house so have to deal with it really. However I can understand why you may have to occasionally park on the street if your driveway is blocked (which isn't acceptable either). Can you leave a polite note at the end of your drive asking for people to leave space when parking for you to access your drive?

SantasLittleMonkeyButler · 21/10/2016 09:49

Going back to your excellent diagram OP (I love a parking thread with a good diagram Grin), is there a fence or wall along the far side of your driveway?

Could you get a sign made saying "private property, strictly no parking, access to driveway needed 24/7" type of thing? And then fix it to the fence/wall.

Andrewofgg · 21/10/2016 09:49

I used to keep a laminated page in the car saying Sorry to take a street space by someone has blocked my drive until the drive-blocker cleared off - for good, they don't have car-parks six feet under!

londonrach · 21/10/2016 09:53

Can see it from both sides. You do have a garage and space so should park there, you need to leave your own note of the car blocking your driveway, visitor spaces are just that for visitors so people can come and go. You shouldnt block them. Wish we had visitor spaces here...its just one space per house....makes for fun parking!!!! I could fill pmn for parking rows i see whilst feeding dd.

MagikarpetRide · 21/10/2016 09:53

I like the idea of a large sign saying 'parked here as someone has blocked our drive'.

Also you could print lots of little notes saying 'you have blocked our driveway, please don't do this in future' and put them on the offending car every time. Out do them.

80sMum · 21/10/2016 09:55

"ps even though it seems sensible parking on footpaths isn't legal"

It may well be illegal but on most housing estates built in the last 10 years, it's unavoidable! Unless visitors park on the pavement, there would be insufficient road width for large vehicles and emergency vehicles to gain access. Even large, 4-bedroom new homes are built with tiny driveways, barely big enough to squeeze 2 cars onto them. There is nowhere for visitors to park except in the road - and as the roads constructed are usually ludicrously narrow, parking on the pavement is the only option.

GabsAlot · 21/10/2016 10:01

leave a note on the car blockiing your drive to move

people do this at my sisters-say dont park in front of their house even though its perfectly legal-self entitled twots

Tarrarra · 21/10/2016 10:08

I would be inclined to put a note on your car saying "To the person who left a note on my car, please come and see me at Number 5 and I will explain why I am unable to access my driveway"

RB68 · 21/10/2016 10:09

80'sMum

I agree there is poor planning for parking - and it was a deliberate decision by planning etc to do this to try and force reduced ownership and use of cars - so as I say although it seems sensible its still not legal. But then when you consider the issues it presents for people who are partially sighted/blind, parents with buggies or god forbid double buggies, people in wheel chairs or electric chairs it starts to make sense.

FlyAwayFar · 21/10/2016 10:10

I think if parking is limited on the street AND you have a garage, it is inconsiderate not to use your garage.

Of course, if the drive to your garage is blocked, then you can't. But to make a habit of parking in the street when you have a garage seems rather 'dog in the manger' and a bit thoughtless, even selfish.

eddielizzard · 21/10/2016 10:11

well who the fuck was blocking your drive? they're the ones that should get the note!

Piehunter · 21/10/2016 10:20

It is a public highway, they have no right to ask you to stop parking on the road!! Our previous NDN's came out to ask my parents to move their car as it was in "their space" on the (totally unmarked and public!) road. Annoyingly my conflict hating mother did so.

Some people get a warped sense of ownership over road space that they can do nothing about. There's nothing they can do except send more notes. I would keep the notes in case anything happens to your car, as evidence.

ZoeTurtle · 21/10/2016 10:28

Excellent drawing OP - especially the cars!

I agree with the poster who said to keep a note in your car to put on the windscreen saying "I am parked here as my drive is blocked." Not much they can say to that, is there?

Dogolphin · 21/10/2016 10:28

Phone the council and ask where you can legally park, then follow their rules. Even better if you can get the council advice in writing and dated. If you get more notes and it escalates take them into the police station and ask their advice.

moglovespumpkins · 21/10/2016 10:30

I would put a note on every windscreen stating that in order to safely manouver your car (and baby in car seat) on and off the drive you need people not to block your drive. As you are sure that they wouldn't want you to attempt to get onto your drive and prang somebody's car in the process.

akkakk · 21/10/2016 10:42

"ps even though it seems sensible parking on footpaths isn't legal"

I am pretty sure that it is banned in London, but outside London, unless the council has a bye-law in place it is actually legal...

whether or not it is sensible is another issue, but it can be legal and is in most of the country...

maddening · 21/10/2016 10:54

We need a diagram :)

maddening · 21/10/2016 10:57

See pp says there is on sorry phone won't show it

RhiWrites · 21/10/2016 11:12

Write a letter to your neighbours:

Dear Neighbours,
Yesterday we received a note on our car asking us to please park in our drive not on the street to ensure there's space for everyone. Unfortunately we haven't been able to do this because our drive is frequently blocked.

Please let us know if you have any thoughts on how to resolve this in a neighbourly way? We'll park on our drive going forward as long as it is clear and accessible.

Best wishes,
OP and family

MustDashMoustache · 21/10/2016 11:15

Are you me?! We have this exact same problem. The whole effing street park on the road yet when we do it we get nasty notes on the car.

Our parking space floods frequently and instead of stepping into an ankle deep puddle with small children I will park on the public road. It causes genuine uproar. YANBU OP

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