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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to want to let down the tyres on neighbour's crappy camper van

44 replies

Washersaurus · 10/05/2007 12:09

We live on a narrow one-way street of victorian terraces with no off-street parking.

Fecking neighbours (whom DH and I affectionately call "the fatties" because we don't know their proper names) already own 2 cars, and have just bought a crappy old camper van that is now left parked on the street all day. So they have 3 cars for 2 of them (no kids btw)

AIBU to think this is just plain selfish? Should I let the tyres down?

OP posts:
hercules1 · 10/05/2007 12:13

Oh I'd love a camper van but we have a big driveway. Now I would be offended normally by your use of the term "fatties" but seeing as I have recently lost 2 stone...

maisemor · 10/05/2007 12:13

I don't understand, are they taking up your parking space? Unless they are parked on the pavement then, I don't understand why this is bugging you?

trice · 10/05/2007 12:17

Why don't you talk to them? If you knew them as people and not as "fatties" they would probably bug you less. Take them round a cake

powder28 · 10/05/2007 12:18

Take them round half a cake and tell them its a diet cake, which means they can have twice as much

WendyWeber · 10/05/2007 12:22

I understand perfectly why it's bugging you, Washersaurus! Parking is tight enough in Victorian terraced streets without someone taking up one space permanently - I get cross when neighbours' kids who live elsewhere leave their cars parked here while they go away for a fortnight so the parents can keep an eye on them - so no, YANBU IMHO

WendyWeber · 10/05/2007 12:22

Well, letting the tyres down wouldn't exactly help the situation but I do understand why you mind!

OrmIrian · 10/05/2007 12:25

I sympathise! We are in a similar situation and whilst anyone and everyone is legally entitled to park in the street, common decency suggests that to own 3 vehicles when there is restricted space is just selfish and inconsiderate. It's the bane of our lives - we don't take the car out on Sunday if we can possibly avoid it or we can't park it again - which makes Monday's school/nursery/work run a total pita.

Chocolatedays · 10/05/2007 12:34

I live on a one way Victorian Terraced street, from next week, we will have two cars and a campervan. Although we have been trying & hoping we do not have kids.

Gulp. I don't think we're that fat.

We pay for residential parking, the road is never that full - why would a neighbour have a problem?

We hear kids (and sometimes parents) screaming night and day, the house of Aussies and Kiwis sometimes party to the early hours and the house up the road sometimes has police raids for suspected drug dealing in the middle of the night. It's just part of terraced housing living.

Why do we have three vehicles? Having failed to concieve for so long and putting our lives on hold hoping it could happen we have decided we need to start living again - we we are doing a few hedonistic things to lift our saddened souls.

Live and let live.

OrmIrian · 10/05/2007 12:37

"the road is never that full - why would a neighbour have a problem? "

They wouldn't in that case I suspect.

Original poster
Washersaurus · 10/05/2007 12:37

I didn't mean to offend anyone with the childish nickname we have given to our neighbours - it stems from us being able to see across the street into their living room in the evenings when they slob out on a sofa each with TV dinners and don't close the curtains!

The problem with the van being parked there is that it is permanently taking up a much needed parking space and forces other residents to park up on the pavement on the other side of the road where they often lose their wing mirrors to passing school buses and vans etc, and it also makes it difficult for people with buggies/prams to get past on the pavement.

I think they are just selfish and lazy and that is why is really bugs me! They have cleaners aswell y'know [jealous emoticon]

OP posts:
Chocolatedays · 10/05/2007 12:38

Washersaurus didn't mention her road was busy either

PeachyChocolateEClair · 10/05/2007 12:41

Let the tyres down and you can be done for criminal damage I would guess?

A bit selfish but if this is their hobby then they haev to park somewhere and it may be all the enjoyment they have in life

Original poster
Washersaurus · 10/05/2007 12:41

It wouldn't have been a very good AIBU if my road was really quiet with no other cars would it?

OP posts:
Original poster
Washersaurus · 10/05/2007 12:42

Peachy: I think they also quite like to eat and drink [tongue in cheek emoticon]

OP posts:
PeachyChocolateEClair · 10/05/2007 12:42

good post chioolatedays and I wish you luck X

Chocolatedays · 10/05/2007 12:43

Washersaurus - could they be sat on thier sofa discussing how that retched family seems to spend so much time sat on their sofa staring out the window .
May be you should get some nice net curtains to twitch (please note I have recently started IVF treatment and am perhaps a little more tetchy that usual.

Hope you join you in the "why don't people understand how hard it is to be a parent rants" one day. Fingers crossed.

BTW do you drive a 4x4?

PeachyChocolateEClair · 10/05/2007 12:44

Lol well don't we all to be honest? God the things you can see through our window- fortunately the place opposite is a care home (extremely narrow 200 year old 1 way street, terrace houses directly on street and we forget curtains too!)

Original poster
Washersaurus · 10/05/2007 12:50

Oooh I've actually got some lovely venetian blinds in my bay window which I now keep fully closed on one side so I don't have to see my neighbours festering on their sofas (and so they don't have to see me perched daintily on mine)

I don't drive at all btw - I feel it would be inappropriate, given we have no off-street parking, to own more than 1 car - unless it became strictly necessary of course.

DH has a BMW (not 4x4) which he uses to get to work and back only - we don't use it at the weekends as we would have nowhere to park it on our return

OP posts:
Original poster
Washersaurus · 10/05/2007 12:54

We are not lazy by the way - DH used to park his car around the corner out of the way as he didn't use it very often, until an OAP bizarrely drove his car at full speed off his drive way and straight into the side of DH's prized vintage SAAB, flipping it over and writing it off!

OP posts:
Original poster
Washersaurus · 10/05/2007 12:55

DH now will NEVER park his car around the corner!!

OP posts:
batters · 10/05/2007 12:56

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
Washersaurus · 10/05/2007 12:56

Chocolatedays - Wishing you the best of luck with the IVF btw

OP posts:
Original poster
Washersaurus · 10/05/2007 13:00

I wouldn't really let the tyres down - I am more likely to post an anonymous post-it under the wiper blade asking politely "Do you really need 3 cars?" so feeble and pathetic am I

OP posts:
Hathor · 10/05/2007 13:00

Suggest you move away from the curtains and practice some neighbourly tolerance. They aren't hurting you are they? If they are legally entitled to park there it is not the same as letting dogs poo on your doorstep or shouting obcenities at 3am in the street and waking you up. Maybe they call you the busybodies?

OrmIrian · 10/05/2007 13:03

Trust me Hathor - if the parking in Washasaurus's street is as difficult as it is in ours, dog poo on the doorstep would be preferable to another car in the street.