Staff cars parked on street with car park left empty

[bestfakesmile]

Opposite my house is a business which has a large car park for staff. However, two particular members of staff always park on the street directly opposite my drive which makes it very difficult for me to get my own car out.
I have approached the staff politely when they've been parking their cars and they have said they won't park on the car park as the tree (think it's a cedar) drops needles on their cars. They variously say the needles have got 'inside' the car and/or damaged paint work
Their cars are both 5 years old but the manager does park his brand new car under the tree every day without any apparent issues.
There are also several spaces on this car park that are not under the tree but they won't park in those either, not sure what the reason could be for that.

I didn't see that the OP was being precious about the road outside her house or asking if it was illegal at all.

Surely she was just asking if anyone could think of a reason why someone might choose to park on a road rather than in a car park. And why they would deliberately park somewhere which inconveniences other people.

Go and speak to the manager! you have tried the nicey nicey way, now you need to escalate it a little

Park where they park.

I would speak to the manager politely, obviously you can't make them use the car park but the manager may be able to persuade them in the interests of keeping locals on side.

Perhaps the manager doesn't mind the needles as either the car is leased/company car rather than actually his or they can afford to get someone to clean it every week to avoid paintwork being damaged

It's a public road, they can park where they like. If they don't park there then maybe someone else will. Cal you reconfigure your drive to make it easier for you? Or are you just bad at manoeuvring?

My work has a car park and if I'm not there early enough to get a 'good' spot I park on the service road where visitors park. The reason is that I was fed up with dings and scratches that were common when I parked in the slightly narrower spaces. Jut a thought?

Our work would appear to have a similar set up - we have a large car park which is often half empty while staff are parked on the road. In our case only management are allowed in the car park. All other staff are told to park on the road to leave enough space for our customers to park.

BrieAndChilli
I'd buy an old banger and accidently reverse into thier cars as you reverse off your driveway. Bet they don't park thier again!

Your insurance must be skyhigh.

Could it be to do with birds crapping on the cars too? My DH parks under trees and the birds seem to poo cement. It's awful to get off the car.

Also the residue that some trees drip an awful residue onto cars. I won't park under one of the trees in my driveway - the residue is sticky and you can notice it after a matter of hours sometimes. It doesn't obscure the windscreen but it's enough to be noticible and annoying.

Is it possible that they arent being accommodating because they think you should be able to get out your drive easily. Some cars have better turning circles and better visibility that others. Perhaps they genuinely can't see the problem.

I'd speak to the business. The individuals may not care that they are irritating you, but they are more likely to take notice if their manager tells them. If it keeps happening after that, keep telling the business.

Campaign for a CPZ. Of course any of your neighbours who haven't got off-street may disagree!

We have a staff car park but lots of people don't use it for various reasons; when it rains there are huge puddles in it, meaning soggy feet when you get in to work, bird poo / leaves etc from the trees, lack of lighting meaning you walk back to your car in the dark in the winter (via those puddles), a coupe have been damaged by footballs from the gardens that back on to it.

There might not be an obvious reason why they are choosing to park on the road instead of the car park, but they probably have their own reasons.

Couple not coupe :)

No clients visiting.
Yesterday one of the cars was parked on the road literally adjacent to and parallel with the car parking space with just the pavement and fence in between, I can't see how the street is better than the car park. Surely on street the car is more likely to be damaged by passing cars/cyclists/pedestrians then any damage that a leaf can do in the car park. Plus I'm pretty sure the leaves have no idea where the boundary is and are free to be blown over it. I'm completely baffled...

Why don't you park on the road at the bottom of your drive?

They have given you the reason why they don't want to park in the staff car park why are you not accepting it?

It can't be any darker than the street as the lamp post is directly on boundary and lights both places equally. As I say there are plenty of places not under the tree. So I am still baffled....

Definitely have a word with the business owner. Along the lines of how you are neighbours and like to foster a good relationship, but a few of his staff are ticking off you and other neighbours, how you've always enjoyed a good relationship with the firm being there but would hate to have to involve the police/council/parking wardens because his staff are being inconsiderate. Ask him to have a word with his staff, wait for a response and take it from there.

Weirdos. I would so much rather park in a car park than on the road where people can ding your car and just drive off. I would also speak to the business and maybe the council to ask whether it is possible to get double yellows opposite or something if it makes it very hard to manouvre off your drive.

I could have written your OP. It drives me mad but unfortunately there isn't anything I can do about it. I just wish sometimes I could understand the logic!!! My office is moving soon so my car won't be moved during the week which will no doubt annoy some of those that normally like to use my space

Perfectlyposed, it is the illogicality of it that gets me, I asked them the reason because I thought there must be one, but the reason they gave does not make sense. One of them used to park his car on the car park for months and now has suddenly decided to park on street along with colleague. Weirdos is right.

They don't have to give you a reason, they're parked legally and it's their choice.

I don't really get this thread. Just go and talk to the Manager and say it is an inconvenience, they will either do something or not. None of us know their set up or their reasonings for parking where they are

Annoying but not much you can do about it except bring it to the attention of their Boss and ask if, in the interests of good neighbourly relations, they could ask their staff to use the designated car park. But no one can make them do it.

You have my sympathy OP as I used to live in a terraced house with on street parking. There was a business directly opposite our house and their staff always parked on the road outside our house meaning we had to park miles down the road. We went into their office and asked if the staff would please use the car park - they said 'no'. So we asked if we could use their car park as clearly they weren't using it - they said 'no' to that too. Sod all we could do about it.

I have now moved to a house with 3 parking spaces side by side which is at the top of a road where the road splits - so very difficult for somone to block us in unless they blatently park on the dropped kerb right across the end of our drive - which hasn't happened yet........

You say it's difficult to get your car out of your drive, difficult is ok.

It's difficult for me to park outside my house every day because the neighbours, quite rightly, park outside their houses.

Difficult; but possible. I don't think you have any cause for complaint against legally parked cars who are not blocking your entrance

Sometimes, the obtuseness of people.

Depending on the width of the road and other factors such as walls, fences, kerbs, parked cars, gates, gate posts, pavement angles, visibility onto the road etc etc etc mean just reversing or driving straight off your drive is not always easy.

If someone parked either directly behind a drive or right up against the dropped kerb and any other factors mentioned above were involved, it might make it awkward and potentially hazardous to get off a driveway.

Again, the OP is not complaining about legally-parked cars or trying to ban them from parking. She is questioning why they choose to park on a road rather than a car park, which is a reasonable question. She is also questioning why, when she approached the parkers in a polite way, they have continued to park in a way which inconveniences residents.

For actual fuck's sake. MN fucking lives for parking threads, yet when one comes along, people get all pissy about it and blame the OP as though thus was some other forum entirely. Have none of you read an MN parking thread?? This is not how it's meant to be!