Was I BU (or rude) with this note on a car?

[Parkingnotes]

We live close to a town centre where you have to pay for parking, also nearby is a sixth form college without parking, and two doctors surgeries without adequate parking. This results in people using our street as a car park - fine, nothing we can do as it is a public street without any restrictions.
However I do object to people parking on the pavement. It's unnecessary and means people with pushchairs/wheelchairs have to walk in the road. I often put notes on cars which I feel are parked particularly poorly.
Today I came home to find two cars parked on the street both halfway on the pavement, one of right outside my gate. I put the following note on both "Pavements are for people. Please park your car on the road! Thank you."
Polite and to the point, I think. Someone clearly took offence as they scrawled on the back of the note "HOW RUDE!" - I found it on the ground outside my gate, they may have thrown it in the garden and it blown away. Either way, not only a terrible parker but also a litterer!
Am I rude?

Rude wouldn't be the first word that springs to mind.

I think you were reasonable - unless your street, like ours, is so narrow that it is impossible for cars to drive down it (even on the one side) if cars are parked on the road outside. I park half on the pavement and have still had bin lorry leave scrapes down the side...

You were not rude, in fact I think you were quite tame. They were obviously just upset to be called out on their bad parking. Don't think any further on it.

No,I definitely don't think you were rude. On the contrary,I don't think I would have been anywhere near as polite. I get sick to death of cars parking on pavements,forcing pedestrians to walk in the road. As I disabled person,I find this particularly annoying. And don't get me started on cars that park across dropped kerbs......

If I have to struggle past a car half parked on the pavement I take no care at all with my walking stick.

@nanflanders - plenty wide enough for cars to park on the road with room for large vehicles to pass by!

Haha @bourdic, good on you I say!

YANBU. Pavements are indeed for people. It is not acceptable for drivers to compromise the safety of pedestrians, particularly those of restricted mobility, just because they are trying to reduce the chance of their car being damaged.

Sounds to me as though they were irritated to be called on their unreasonable parking. Good for you.

Parking Ban

I’ve seen people manoeuvre buggies and bikes past pavement parked cars and they get scratched as hell. Why people do it when it’s obvious people will have to get past somehow, I don’t know.

Do you really spent your free time writing anonymous notes and wandering up and down the street putting them on cars that you decide are badly parked? Really?

Get a life OP.

Obviously, people would park “properly” if there was adequate parking facilities for the local amenities but unfortunately parking is a massive issue in most towns and people park wherever they can.

Maybe try to spend your time doing something constructive to help? Like writing to your local MP regarding the parking issues? Start a petition? Anything other than acting like the self proclaimed traffic warden.....

I have a daughter in a wheelchair and this sort of inconsiderate parking really gets my back up. Difficulty finding parking in a town is not an adequate reason to block a footpath stopping pedestrians being able to use it safely. Well done OP for creating awareness of this massive problem (in my area anyway!)

Imo it should be illegal to park on the pavement anyway. It restricts access for vulnerable people - babies in prams, elderly and disabled in scooters or wheelchairs, etc.

@wildlingofthewest, yes exactly that but I don't tend to wander, I stride purposefully.
As I said in my OP I don't have an issue with people parking here, my issue is with them parking on the pavement when there is no need. I am well aware of the parking difficulties and yes I have both written to my MP and the local council.

But it doesn’t create awareness. All she’s doing is jumping on her high horse, dropping notes on cars. Do you think the owner of the car really gives a crap what a random anonymous note says? No. It will just serve to annoy them.
As I said, her time would be far better spent doing something constructive here to help the situation. Even a story in the local paper would be a step up from this!
The OP says there are 2 Doctors surgeries near by - how would she feel if one of the cars she decided is “badly parked” hasn’t been left by someone who’s at a Doctors appointment, who’s had some terrible news, who’s then come back to get their car and then finds a shitty note on it?

Oh shut up wildling - don't be so sanctimonious. When did you become parking guru? parking on the pavement is CUNTISH. I hope you are able to get that.

OP - good on you, though IMO you were too tame. .

@wildlingofthewest how would one of the people coming back from the doctors surgeries feel having received terrible news and coming back to find a "shitty" note on it? I imagine they'd feel even more terrible. But why does that excuse them from having to park considerately? How would they feel to learn that having parked on the pavement a pedestrian/wheelchair user had to walk in the road and were involved in an accident?

Thanks @rhythmstix and everyone else who has been supportive.

In our village there was a terrible incident one November where some awful woman with a handbag that had metal corners managed to scrape half a dozen quite expensive cars that were parked up on the pavement of an unlit street. It was the talk of the parish council and the local newspaper. Quite a few angry people shouting at local residents and trying to get the parish council to pay for their damages.

I understand it may have happened the following year as well, but this time it was someone walking their dog on a chain lead.

I don't know what the poorcar owners could do about this...

I thought it was illegal to park on the pavement.
It may be worth checking with the police or the council.
And be very carefull you don't accidentally scratch the car or damage the wing mirror as you squeeze past, especially with one of those nasty sharp pushchairs!.

Yes , a similar thing occurred at a big shopping centre I once visited when a massive 4x4 was sprawled over 2 spaces and someone's key managed to make sustained deep contact with the car chassis....shame .

I know that person! They were at the doctors to waste time because they are too important to use over the counter medication and just HAD to see a doctor right then because they tho were gut they had a pain in their little finger. They would never pay for parking, oh no, why should they? They are far too important for that.

If you can make things up wild, so can I.

In my street literally everyone parks half on the pavement and half on the road - reason being that if even one car parked fully on the road, an emergency vehicle would be unable to get past. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. The one time I decided to park a few streets away, the owner of the house I parked outside of keyed my car. I was fully on the road. I can't prove he did it but he came out of his house and practically growled at me when I parked up (completely legally). When I returned my car was keyed. Parking is a minefield.

If you call the council
They ticket or remove cars blocking the pavement. But I’m in London

Call the council on Monday for advice OP - or check the website.

@smellyoulateralligater unfortunately around here they can't/won't ticket for pavement parking.