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AIBU?

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Original poster

My NDN and Parking

288 replies

MrsDylanBlue · 28/05/2018 21:58

My NDN moved in a few months ago, I have seen them in the street and almost forced them to say hello - fine whatever I respect the fact they may want to keep themselves to themselves.

We have no ORP and it is an issue in our road and we get people from neighbouring streets also parking here.

NDN have a very tiny driveway which they sometimes park one of their three cars on (I have a small car and DH has a car but is only here on weekends).

When the NDN drive is empty (it’s a drop curb with no gate) we have always parked over it as sometimes there is just nowhere else to park.

Outside our houses (they are semi detached) there is enough space for two cars on the road, quite often they have taken to not leaving me enough room to fit my car on (and not block my elderly neighbours in the other side) and then moved forward when someone else has arrived home so monopolising all the off road parking directly outside the houses.

Last weekend DH parked slightly over their drive and they left a shitty note on his car. He went round and spoke to the lady and said just knock don’t leave a note and please could you just leave my wife enough space to park in the week, after all we have one car you have three.

This weekend they have taken up all the parking directly outside the houses meaning I have had to trek up and down the road with my weeks shopping and when we went Kayacking it was not greatly convinuent carrying them down the road to put on the roof of the car.

Do I go round again and appeal to their better nature or do I start parking my car in the middle of the two spaces to make a point - starting a potential war which I will probably lose as I have less cars than them Grin

OP posts:
keyboardkate · 28/05/2018 23:06

In time driveways will be so much bigger than the actual houses. There is no other solution.

Too many cars, too few bicycles lol.

Lesson to all, if you are buying a property make sure your driveway will accommodate all your car parking needs. If it doesn't, you have no right to a space on the public road, nor do you have rights to park across another person's driveway, even if you have done so historically.

We need drones big enough to pick us up from our front doors and drop us off. That's next. LOL

Teggun · 28/05/2018 23:06

I read and understood exactly what you had written. But you still seem to think the 2 requests are of equal merit but they're not. Nothing to do with being illegal.

Original poster
MrsDylanBlue · 28/05/2018 23:06

He was over the drop not over the driveway. He arrived home late at night and all three of their cars were on the road.

OP posts:
Mummyduck10 · 28/05/2018 23:07

Sorry I hope nobody thinks my reply was encouraging the op to block the drive it is very inconsiderate regardless of legality.

StealthNinjaMum · 28/05/2018 23:08

Sorry you lost any sympathy I had when you said it's not a crime parking in front of an empty driveway. If I lived next door to someone like you I would love to hog all the spaces to piss you off but I'm not confrontational so would probably start a mumsnet thread about you instead.

Original poster
MrsDylanBlue · 28/05/2018 23:08

We aren’t blocking a drive Hmm

OP posts:
overnightangel · 28/05/2018 23:09

@MrsDylanBlue
You’re in the wrong
Take it on the chin and stop acting so entitled

Teggun · 28/05/2018 23:10

So, the only time you or your husband have ever parked the slightest bit over their drive was this one occasion when it was a minute amount over the dropped kerb, not over their drive .....?

breadsticker · 28/05/2018 23:11

As pp are saying. You can’t park across a dropped kerb by law (I’ve phoned the police and they’ve come out after asking if it’s dropped kerb for a random van blocking my drive once)
But either way it’s just plain rude to park across someone’s drive if they say no.
Just because the previous neighbours were ok with it doesn’t mean the new neighbours have to be.

ObiJuanKenobi · 28/05/2018 23:11

On the plus side OP you may feature on ParkLikeACunt.com - it's always nice to receive recognition for our actions Star

keyboardkate · 28/05/2018 23:12

Sorry OP, you said when NDN's driveway is empty that you park over it.

What happens when they return and cannot get into their drive?

I am getting a spidey feeling that there is bad blood brewing. But there always is with parking wars!

Original poster
MrsDylanBlue · 28/05/2018 23:12

Well they have only been here two months ....

OP posts:
SimonBridges · 28/05/2018 23:14

First.
When the NDN drive is empty (it’s a drop curb with no gate) we have always parked over it as sometimes there is just nowhere else to park.

Then
We aren’t blocking a drive

Which is it then?

Original poster
MrsDylanBlue · 28/05/2018 23:14

We went and spoke to them and apologised.

He arrived home late at night with his kids and parked over the drop kerb.

All their cars were on the road.

It’s fine it will be a war because we have not parked there since and won’t but taking up two spaces to save another family member a space is also shitty.

OP posts:
Yucka · 28/05/2018 23:15

I'm probably completely missing the point here, but wasn't OP mainly annoyed that the neighbours are blocking three on-road parking spaces with two of their cars, then moving them when the third car arrives home?

Leaving aside the one-off episode of naughty drive blocking by OP's husband, neighbours 'reserving' spaces like that would really piss me off, as it ruins the 'first home, first served' system that usually operates in places with shitty parking.

What are your options re parking permits? Can you approach the council? Is their house bigger, so they'd be allowed more cars if the council did bring resident parking in?

Original poster
MrsDylanBlue · 28/05/2018 23:15

Always parked over the drop.

OP posts:
keyboardkate · 28/05/2018 23:16

Thread is a bit confusing really. But I'm not bothered, it ain't my road nor my driveway either. Sayonara.

ObiJuanKenobi · 28/05/2018 23:16

Can't make it any clearer than this diagram.
As for the rest of the road - first come first served. You have no greater right to park outside your home than any other person in a MOT and taxed vehicle. Your neighbours can go and buy 50 cars and fill the whole neighbourhood with their vehicles if they fancy whether they've lived there for 50 years or moved in last night.

My NDN and Parking
Original poster
MrsDylanBlue · 28/05/2018 23:17

Our house is bigger.

It’s £30 a year per car I think and a max of two cars permits per household.

OP posts:
Teggun · 28/05/2018 23:19

So, to re-write your OP, you have new neighbours who moved in 2 months ago. Your DH parked his car slightly across the dropped kerb and the neighbours left him a note asking him not to do this. You and your DH got the hump because a) they put a note rather than speak to you and b) they objected to something the old neighbours let you do for 13 years . So your DH took the opportunity to go and tell them not to leave notes and that he would refrain from parking over their drive if they would leave a space for you ....

Yogeybear89 · 28/05/2018 23:20

Just park you car literally before the drop kerb.
Then they can't leave a shitty note!
Vultures are back out tonight OP!
If they actually that bothered if you park over dropped kerb they can go to the council and get them to paint a white line there, neighbours over road from me had to do it as people kept parking over it and blocking them.
I have a drive so have no problems luckily enough.
Or other option is knock ya garden wall/fence down and contact council for a drop kerb and create ya own drive,
Good luck

RavenLG · 28/05/2018 23:22

Its not really a drive as such and everyone who has ever lived there has rarely used it as it’s tiny and narrow and difficult to get a car on it without over hanging the pavement.

But maybe they could use it - rather than parking outside our house.

So is it a drive or is it not? Is it tiny and hard to use and cars overhang, or is it a drive you demand they use? Perhaps they don't like blocking the pavement as they are considerate to pushchair / wheelchair users? Perhaps as you say it's difficult for them to park their car and get in and out so they don't use it!

I very much get a sense of "This is a local street for local people vibe' .. "We've lived here for all this time, 13 year our ndn let us park over their drive" ..

foxedupfox · 28/05/2018 23:23

If they get home before you and see a space outside your house they're hardly going to be like "uh oh better leave that Space for OP let's go and park a few streets away" are they 🙄 where I live is back to back on street parking and yes it's annoying but it's just luck if you even get a space in your road let alone outside your house.

Original poster
MrsDylanBlue · 28/05/2018 23:23

He asked them to come and speak to us not leave a note and he apologised, explained previous arrangements and we should not have assumed and asked them where possible if they could leave a small space outside our house for my car (rather than take up two spaces and move that car to accommodate their second and third cars).

OP posts:
Hygge · 28/05/2018 23:25

To be fair to the OP, someone did say that her neighbours want to use the drive they paid for when they bought the house and she only said they rented in reply to that but said herself it doesn't matter to her that they rent and not own, that's not her issue.

Even so, annoying as it is for you OP, they don't have to use the drive if they dont want to, they can park anywhere on the street just like everybody else and still have every right to request their driveway isn't blocked. If it's first come first served when it comes to parking, it's awful but there's not a lot you can really do if they get there first.

Also don't you have two cars? You've said your car (my car) and your DH's car (his car), even though he is only there at weekends, but then you said he told them you only have one car to their three.

I think you might have to take the moral high ground OP, park considerately when you can (not in the middle of the houses so they can't park and never over their drive even if they're not parked in it), for the sake of neighbourly relations and not being the awkward person proving a point.

Perhaps speak to the neighbours at the other side and ask if they'd mind you slightly blocking their drive for a very short time, just while you unload shopping as long as you move immediately after unloading if you can't park directly outside your house.

It's still a pain but at least you might not have to carry lots of shopping up the street, you only have to move the car and walk back after unloading.