Parking (with picture)

[EvilTwins]

I run a business which in school hours delivers a post-16 course to a group of 16 & 17 year olds. It’s state funded and whilst we’re not on a school site, we are part of a (virtual) School. I have a studio near the town centre where I live. 3 doors down is a guy who runs a garage. He parks his cars (some of which he’s fixing, some of which he’s selling) all down the street. I’ve asked him a number of times not to park in front of my building - I need a clear emergency exit and disabled access. He consistently parked in front of my exit up until about February, then stopped but this morning I found two cars blocking both my main door and emergency access. I left a note (I couldn’t see him) and about 10 mins later he hammerd on my door and was very aggressive. Luckily none of the students had arrived at that point. So what can I do? AIBU to be really pissed off with him?

I contacted the police because he was aggressive. I did the same on February. They have taken action. He’s moved the car that was blocking the door. His other 14 cars are still in the street but they’re not blocking my entrance so I’m not making a fuss.

If there's a dropped kerb, then he probably is in the wrong.

Sirzy that’s a bit uncalled for. I’m not a PITA at all. No one else has an issue with me. Plenty have an issue with him.

Parking normally on the street is fine.

It isn't fine, however, when you are running a business. You can't just use a public road as an extension of your commercial premises, which is what he is doing by parking his vehicles there. Especially when those vehicles are causing an obstruction or are a nuisance to residents or users of other premises.

The council may have byelaws preventing this sort of thing, so it would be worth contacting them to find out.

It seems to me that there are 3 separate issues:

1. You need to contact the local council to clarify whether the dropped kerb indicates parking restrictions, and if so ask them to put up legally enforceable signage/ road markings. If there aren't any road parking restrictions, I can't see how you'd stop people parking outside your building.

2. It sounds as though the local council need to investigate whether this man's business is operating within local bylaws. He probably isn't.

3. You're right to call the police on someone who behaves in a threatening or aggressive manner towards you.