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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To park in front of people's houses?

150 replies

MsMarvel · 18/05/2017 07:53

This always seems to crop up from he point of view of the homeowners (and generally are told are unreasonable...) But never seen it from the point of view of the driver.

I travel for work, and am often in small towns / villages. The sort that have quite an expensive car park, and lots of residential streets.

To save money I generally park on the residential streets and walk back into the centre. Today I'm on a street that is very much dropped kerbs for drives, and small sections of raised pavement in front of each house.

BUT

There are no lines or markings, I am perfectly entitled to park here.

AIBU to do it anyway knowing that I am probably pissing people off? I will be gone by around 3.

OP posts:

DancingLedge · 18/05/2017 08:07

I have a neighbour who puts notes on cars like yours, telling them to use a car park.
I remove the notes, because they are being ridiculous. It's a public road, no parking restrictions, so ,as long as not blocking any drive, park where you like.
It,',s an incredibly entitled attitude that says 'this bit of road is mine, even though I don't own it'.

Having said that, if there's a choice to park by a wall, rather than right by a house, I would take that,out of courtesy.

LostSight · 18/05/2017 08:10

I would do the same. If you are legally parked, then nobody has a right to get wound up. I know they do, but that is their problem, not mine.

sooperdooper · 18/05/2017 08:11

Yanbu to park there and people who leave notes or get generally upset about cars parked in streets with no restrictions and not on a dropped kerb need to get out more

Sirzy · 18/05/2017 08:12

As long as their are no restrictions and your not blocking drives then no reason you can't park there.

Can you not claim back car parking from your employer?

PigletWasPoohsFriend · 18/05/2017 08:12

As long as you aren't parking in front of the dropped curbs then you are ok.

Spudlet · 18/05/2017 08:13

There's always going to be someone who'll complain about anything you do! I will be going out with my toddler in a bit and I can guarantee that some people will be annoyed no matter what I do. If he walks, people will moan that he's in the way. If I put him in the pushchair, there's bound to be someone who complains that it's too big. If I put him in the sling, someone is bound to think that I'm stunting his development by not letting him walk... that's just how some people are.

So as long as you aren't blocking a driveway, carry on. Because if you try to live your life without annoying anyone in any way at all you'd never leave the house. Which would undoubtedly annoy someone...!

LoisWilkersonsLastNerve · 18/05/2017 08:17

Yanbu. I hate these entitled twats who think they own the street. As long as you aren't blocking a drive and parked legally.

PanGalaticGargleBlaster · 18/05/2017 08:35

hate these entitled twats who think they own the street. As long as you aren't blocking a drive and parked legally

This argument gets a bit tiresome though when your street ends up being used as a free park and ride scheme. I used to live relatively near to a station and many folk used to dump their car in the morning and hop on the train into town. Virtually every day some selfish twat would park across someone's drive preventing them getting to work, every week there was another story of damage to a wing mirror or bodywork because someone hastily parked without due care because they were late for their train.

charlestonchaplin · 18/05/2017 08:36

This is not a problem for me. We have plenty of driveway space and people rarely park in front of my home. However, it could be argued that in areas where houses are fairly closely packed together (many urban and suburban areas), on-street parking should be for those who have business in the immediate vicinity. Extra residents cars, visitors to the residents and businesses, tradesmen and other service providers.

Some residential neighbourhoods are more suitable and some are less suitable to be used as a general car park. It may be legal to do so but that doesn't make it morally right. The law doesn't generally involve itself with the minutiae of people's lives, so legal thresholds are often high and not any sort of measure of decent behaviour.

Huldra · 18/05/2017 08:47

Yanbu to park legally.

It would be incredibly hard to visit people, for work or socially, if you couldn't park outside someone's house at some point.

WayfaringStranger · 18/05/2017 08:50

YANBU but if everyone does it, it does make the road unsafe for all road users, both in vehicles and on foot. Plus, on MN the people who do this always park safely and considerately. Yet, where I live, many commuters park like total wankers. FWIW, it's not on my road, so I have no beef but in the surrounding roads, it's crazy and dangerous. I'm sure they all think "oh one more car won't matter, it's a public road" but when it becomes an extended station car park, it becomes unsafe. I couldn't give a fuck what it looks like but there is a safety element.

hellhasnofurylikeahungrywoman · 18/05/2017 08:53

When I get home from a difficult night shift I must confess I do feel a little pissed off if I have to park 3 streets away and lug all my stuff home but I would never comment on it because it is a public road with no restrictions. I am far more likely to be pissed off by people who take up one and a half spaces meaning that less cars can park in our street.

Laiste · 18/05/2017 08:54

If you're not blocking a drive then you're ok.

But, especially in the type of st which you describe OP, i think 90% of the time that people moan about the parking is because you're parking so close to the dropped curb that it's hard to get your car in and out of it.

My mums is like this. The street is narrow, there's a school, people park 'legally'. In reality bits of their car hangs over the entrance to the drive and it's impossible to get the car to do a 90 degree bend in a space it's own length to get out and past the parked car.

Obviously the streets the OP always park in are going to be massively wide with massive drives, massive gaps between them and only entitled arses with posh cars living in the houses though. Obviously

TheNaze73 · 18/05/2017 08:55

YANBU.

ShatnersWig · 18/05/2017 09:00

Can you not claim back car parking from your employer? Funniest thing I've read today.

I once parked in a very wide residential street, not in a built up area at all, fairly quiet for four days and got a snotty note on my windscreen. So I made one the size of my windscreen and left it there the next day, having parked in the same spot. It read:

"Public highway. Anyone can park here. You telling me you've never parked in a residential street ever in your entire life and only ever used car parks? I don't think so!"

Carried on parking there for another two weeks. No notes ever again.

HostaFireAndIce · 18/05/2017 09:04

Obviously you are not being unreasonable in parking where you are legally entitled to park.

It is annoying though to live near a station and have your road used as a car park all the time. Yes to the smashed wing mirrors and to

It would be incredibly hard to visit people, for work or socially, if you couldn't park outside someone's house at some point.

yes, it is almost impossible for anyone to visit me socially or for work because there are always dozens of commuters outside my house and there is absolutely nowhere to park!

lavei · 18/05/2017 09:04

As long as you're parked well. I hate driving down my street when cars are parked on the curb on both sides of the road as I have to navigate all the cars just to get in! And if someone is coming in the opposite direction then it can be so frustrating when you can pull in to let them pass.
On the flip side, I kicked off with my neighbour recently when he parked his van on the pavement, meaning I either had push the pram on the road or his grass. I opted for his grass as the road is quite busy and it's on a blind corner and he kicked off with me for damaging his grass!

BollardDodger · 18/05/2017 09:06

Can you not claim back car parking from your employer? Funniest thing I've read today.
Why? If an employer is expecting you to use your car for business purposes, it normal for them to pay expenses such as mileage, parking etc.

Gentlygrowingoldermale · 18/05/2017 09:09

My understanding is the road in front of anyone's house doesn't belong to the house owner but the Highway Authority. Anyone can park there.

If we had a drive and someone parked across it preventing me taking my car out I'd ring 101 and ask for advice. Apparently, regulations regarding parking across a drive are complex.

KinkyAfro · 18/05/2017 09:15

I used to get annoyed when i lived on a road of terraced houses, having to park 3 streets away from home in pissing down rain and carrying stuff boiled my piss. I now live in a semi and it does piss me off when someone parks outside the house meaning one of us has to park outside someone else's or miles away. I know I dont own the road outside the house but it's still annoying

londonrach · 18/05/2017 09:16

Bollard..sadly not in dh case. He doesnt even get mileage petrol money.

KinkyAfro · 18/05/2017 09:16

And I'd be amazed if I was the only one who didn't like it

ChrisPrattsFace · 18/05/2017 09:17

Once at my MILs, i parked over the road, against a fence next to Property A. No dropped kerb - just the road. The owners of Property B came over and asked me to move, because it was 'his road section' (he has one car - on his driveway) and i said no, it was free road and he didn't own it - it was next to PropA house anyways.
He attacked my FIL, lunged in the house and started attacking him.

Equally, i still do it. If i can be away from properties i do, out of courtesy... but if its got no lines or kerbs - go for it,

ShatnersWig · 18/05/2017 09:19

Bollard I work for a charity. I don't get parking paid if I am off site. I have no option to use public transport where I live and if I had to use the car park every day where my main office is it would be costing me the best part of £80 per week when my take home pay is around £300. There are probably hundreds of thousands of people who don't get parking fees or mileage. That only happens if you work in large companies, not medium or small employer of which there are a huge number in the UK.

luckylucky24 · 18/05/2017 09:21

I did it yesterday. Parked on a residential street and walked to town. I exhausted all other options (other than paying) before doing so and make sure I am gone long before 4/5pm for people returning from work. I know some people don't work so may just be out and about for a couple of hours but they can usually still park on their street.

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