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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Inconsiderate parking

207 replies

DeborahDowner · 09/09/2018 19:36

Is there anyone on here who could explain to me why you would consider parking up in front of someone’s home nearish to an airport, for any old length of time, rather than paying for long stay or taking public transport?

Will anyone admit to doing this IRL? Please enlighten me. Honestly I’m all ears as I’d never, ever consider doing this to you and I’m trying to understand the thought process.

I don’t think I AIBU but I would love to hear the flip side of why people would think it’s ok to do this...

—i may have a flyparker outside our home (again)—

OP posts:
Blobfishlady · 09/09/2018 20:50

Well, it must be cheaper or they wouldn’t do it. Unless they do it just to piss you off.

Original poster
DeborahDowner · 09/09/2018 21:00

Maybe they do do it just to piss us off, my entire street is outraged. We aren’t even that close to the airport- it’s only been a problem more recently- it wouldn’t have crossed our minds that this would be something we’d have to deal eh when we bought our house a decade ago.

It does seem to be individuals rather than airport companies parking people’s cars as we see them walking off with cases. There is a particular thread on a particular money saving website which tells these people of this “savvy trick”. Hmm

We had one that was left for 5 months recently- wasn’t taxed, it was reported & the council said it had to remain in situ for 3 months past its tax expiry before they’d tow it away.Hmm It literally had a bramble that had grown over it this summer. Guy casually rocked up with a rolly suitcase (caught on neighbours cctv) last week, removed the bramble and drove it off! Hope he had a nice fine when he got home.

OP posts:
Original poster
DeborahDowner · 09/09/2018 21:01

*to clairify, the tax ran out while it was parked there and remained so

OP posts:
Marie0 · 09/09/2018 21:03

My friend did this to reduce car parking fees at the airport, but she had asked the resident beforehand and had permission, so not cheeky like your case.

I think people do it to save on paring fees

Firsttimer1234 · 09/09/2018 21:03

This would send me loopy. I just think it's bad manners. If you can afford a holiday, you can afford parking.

Firsttimer1234 · 09/09/2018 21:04

A van one did this at my FILs house. After two and a half weeks he phoned the police and said that he thought it had been abandoned. It got towed!

puguin86 · 09/09/2018 21:08

Not that I am in any way condoning it but near where I live the local residents started vandalising the cars

I've heard it's put people off parking there now

BIWI · 09/09/2018 21:10

@ivykaty44

BIWI resident parking is really cheap storage for cars, it’s rarely more than £3 per day

Yes, but before the introduction of residents' parking it would have been free to park on your own street.

Plus, you have to pay for each car you have. And if you have more than one, our council charges a lot more for the second car. Then you have to pay for people who are visiting you for them to have a daily permit.

If you're having building work done, you have to pay for permits for all those vans outside your house. Or for the man from British Gas or British Telecom/02 who come for an appointment.

And certain boroughs in London (Wandsworth is one) limit you to a certain number of permits a year, so this can massively restrict your ability to have visitors/friends come to stay.

LeroyJenkins · 09/09/2018 21:13

Its a legal parking spot on a public road

How is this cheeky?

BIWI · 09/09/2018 21:14

A quick Google shows that if I were to go away from tomorrow morning, from 9.00 am, for a week - returning next Monday to collect my car at 9.00 am, this would cost me £93 . If there was a free alternative, then why wouldn't I?

(By the way, we don't do this - we get taxis from home to the airport, which costs us about £50 each way, but I can understand why other people would)

Original poster
DeborahDowner · 09/09/2018 21:14

@firsttimer1234. Exactly that. We bake in the cost of parking or transport to our holidays, why wouldn’t you!

Also- These are not inexpensive cars that are being left, either. The 5 month one was a lovely 15 plate Audi, and the one currently out my living room window is an 18 plate BMW and it looks to be a very high spec. So not only can they afford holidays, they can afford very, very nice cars!!! But just not long stay parking, apparently. It just feels like they are cheap and take this opportunity at others’ expense.

There are many ways to do this without resorting to this! I wonder how many of you are being pedantic because it’s “a legal right to park on the highway” - are you actually doing this in real life? Really? Because you CAN, are you? Or are you just fighting a hypothetical corner?

OP posts:
Scientistic · 09/09/2018 21:15

I am in agreement with the op. Unless extenuating circs, I think it is pretty cheeky.

Yeah it's a public road. It doesn't mean op can't be peed off about a succession of random people coming there, likely at strange times of day and night. It doesn't sound like it in op's case but there are places where residents just can't park because of airport parkers. I would imagine when a lot of people moved in it didn't happen, but now with tips being shared online as to how to do it, costs of parking at airports going up etc, it's grown in popularity. So I really think the argument about knowing what you've got yourself in for when living near an airport has its flaws.

Then of course, op can apply to the council and pay for the privilege to park by her own home, which he/she didn't have to when they purchased the house.

I don't think you're being U to be annoyed about it. Not a lot you can do, but not being U.

LeroyJenkins · 09/09/2018 21:17

so, i'm not allowed to park my car anywhere apart from outside my house, or in a 'car park'? If you lived near a station, you would probably be complaining about the commuters, or if you lived near a town, complaining about the shoppers?

Sorry, but that's not how real life works - people park where they can, thats why we have cars, for the convenience

LadyLance · 09/09/2018 21:20

I paid about £65 recently for airport parking for 4 nights- it really can be quite expensive- a taxi from nearby may definitely be cheaper.

If it's really causing a problem you need to talk to the council about getting parking restrictions put in- you may not even need to pay for residents only- some places near me put a two hour limit on parking between 9am-4pm Monday-Friday, for example, so that commuters can't park there but residents can park in the evenings.

I can see why people might do this if it is an option, although personally I'd worry leaving my car on a public road for that long. However, it's probably not just these people causing problems- it sounds like residents are making things worse.

Anyway, speak to the local council and see whether they are willing to do anything.

19lottie82 · 09/09/2018 21:22

You were lucky it wasn’t reported as
abandoned and towed away.

No she wasn’t. For a car to be towed away it must have either no insurance or no tax.

19lottie82 · 09/09/2018 21:26

A van one did this at my FILs house. After two and a half weeks he phoned the
police and said that he thought it had been abandoned. It got towed!

It must have been abandoned then (untaxed and / or uninsured), or causing an obstruction. Legitimate Vehicles don’t just get towed because people “think they’ve been abandoned”.

BIWI · 09/09/2018 21:28

I wonder how many of you are being pedantic because it’s “a legal right to park on the highway” - are you actually doing this in real life? Really? Because you CAN, are you? Or are you just fighting a hypothetical corner?

I've already said we don't do this. But I have been pointing out that it's entirely legal, and legitimate, despite your feelings about it.

PestoSurfissimos · 09/09/2018 21:30

We used to park our car in a residential area within walking distance of the Tube when flying out of Heathrow. It seemed a sensible option to keep costs down.

Ethylred · 09/09/2018 21:31

LTB

Sedona123 · 09/09/2018 21:31

YANBU. It may be legal, but personally I think that if we all go with "treat others how you would like to be treated" then the whole world is a happier place. 😊 I bet that all of the "fly parkers" would be massively pissed off if other people regularly abandoned their cars on their streets for weeks on end.

Original poster
DeborahDowner · 09/09/2018 21:32

We are looking into getting it converted to residents parking, and we are fired up enough about it to pay for it as we are all affected. We are still dealing with the ramifications of delayed bin collections and related vermin. It got so bad you couldn’t even put it in your car to get it to the tip!! All has been reported to the council and they know this is frequent for our road.

As I’ve said everyone who lives here parks considerately knowing how to to allow access for the bin lorry and emergency services. It has genuinely been the fly parkers who have caused our bins to be missed as the lorry can’t make it in. The fly parker in question parked awkwardly on a corner and it’s narrow through- you just can’t get past the driveway opposite (where neighbours are parked off the road). It blocks the whole street off right at the top.

OP posts:
Original poster
DeborahDowner · 09/09/2018 21:40

*To clarify - the specific fly parker in question responsible for the month-long bin sabbatical.

Btw - it was a Lexus RX450h. Confused. Another high end car whose driver couldn’t quite afford long stay parking.

OP posts:
FannyOutOfTheFarawayTree · 09/09/2018 21:44

I’m happy for you that these are the problems in your life.

19lottie82 · 09/09/2018 21:47

Another high end car whose driver
couldn’t quite afford long stay parking.

What makes you think they couldn’t afford to park at the airport?
Maybe by being careful with money in other areas it means that they can afford a nice car.

I could afford to shop at Waitrose if I really wanted to, but I don’t, I shop at Aldi. Do you think I should shop at Waitrose?

thatawkwardsilence · 09/09/2018 21:49

And you couldn't wheel your bins up the road so they could be emptied ?

It's annoying but you are being a CF. I suggest you move to a house with large grounds and mote. One with so much land you can't even see the road.