To phone council re broken down car next door

[hulahoopar]

His car broke down this morning on the pavement outside our house completely blocking the pavement forcing people to go on the road around it.. Basically blocking my view of the road as I pull out of my drive. We live on a main road and he’s just left it there with a sign saying broken. It’s a big people carrier.

I’ve no idea what to do and maybe I’m a bit thick about it as I’m on my own and have no idea what happens if your car breaks down on the pavement on your way off the drive.
Aibu to ask him what he’s planning to do with it as I’m actually thinking he’s planning on leaving it there for as long as he can get away with it. Or should I give him more time. He’s definitely just left it there and then gone to work another way. FWIW I don’t think he even speaks English from the brief conversations I’ve had with him so he might not even understand me!

@NicePieceOfPlaid I haven’t said I’m being reasonable I have stated facts and disagree with some posts on here. I’ve said I can’t understand why anyone would let a mobility scooter have to cross a main road with non-dropped kerb the other side and the answer seems to be it’s financially driven and perhaps neighbour can’t afford to move the car. I’m too small to be of any use pushing it given the size of the vehicle.

@Eliza9917 I doubt very much anyone sheen called out as it’s over 24 hours but i could be wrong.

@Seeingadistance that is a very good point and one I hadn’t thought of as well thanks

If he doesn't speak much English he's going to have a harder time than most getting help with it.
Maybe he's home trying to contact relatives and friends to help out.
If he needs to pay more for breakdown people to come out he might not be able to.
It's my payday tomorrow and I only have £4 left. Maybe he's in the same boat?
Breaking down is horrible. Don't be THAT neighbour who calls the traffic warden and adds to his burden.
Like pp have said can a few neighbours go round and offer to help push it back on his driveway? Kindness, people. Could be you one day needing help.

I’ve said I can’t understand why anyone would let a mobility scooter have to cross a main road

Still, despite many posts telling you otherwise, you see, to think this is a choice the man has made. As if he did it deliberately to block your view or inconvenience someone on a mobility scooter. Now I don’t know your neighbour, but I would still put money on this being a bigger pita for him than it is for you. He hasn’t deliberately put his car there.

@empmalswa you’ve taken that out of context though, I’ve said after being in here that it’s apparently financially driven the reason the cars still there

If your main concern is the blockage it is causing, why don't you go and knock on his door and help him move it?

If he doesn't speak English you can mime enough so he will know what you mean. Get another neighbour to go with you and you'll have it back on his drive in no time.

How do you write “broken” on the sign as you said he has put in broken English ?

I’m too small to be of any use pushing it given the size of the vehicle.

You speak good English, though, which he doesn't. Assuming that you aren't so small (the size of a mouse) that your voice is inaudible to the human ear, could you not knock on a few doors and ask a few people for five minutes of their time to help? Even if you aren't very strong and none of your neighbours are either, assuming that his drive isn't near-vertical, four or five small-medium people should be able to push a car quite easily together.

One of the problems with the world today is that so many people (apparently with a lot of spare time on their hands, not a lot to fill it and thankfully no concerns in their own lives) are just waiting to complain, criticise and try to steal a 'morally superior' march on people who find themselves in unfortunate circumstances through no fault of their own - instead of just helping.

The car broke down over 24 hours ago and is still causing an obstacle to safe use of the pavement and your visibility when using your drive. Let's be generous and say half an hour would have been plenty to go to the man as soon as he was home, express sympathy for his plight and say/gesture/mime/draw diagram/use Google Translate that you'll ask neighbours to help push it on to his drive, so that it isn't an obstruction and he'll be able to take as much time as he needs to get it sorted and/or get the money for any resulting bills without uncaring neighbours constantly complaining and blaming him for his misfortune - and everybody could have got on with their day without any drama.

I’m sure his English is fine. I’m a little gobsmacked the financial element didn’t occur to you - your world must be very sheltered!

Op just use google translate to ask if he needs help to push it back in. It’s that simple 🤦‍♀️

How do you write “broken” on the sign as you said he has put in broken English ?

Presumably 'knreBo' or something like that. These forriners, eh....?

OP I actually don't think YABU. If he's only half off his drive but it's actually posing a danger to pedestrians then I'd be doing all I can to move my car (I'm assuming you're not on a giant hill).

I have a big car and am a small weak person and would be knocking on neighbours and playing charades to ask for their help if needed.

The car literally needs pushed back by 1m if it's not actually on the road yet and that would provide enough space for the oath the be useable again.

So in the circumstances you've described I do feel he's being unreasonable to not try and rally people to help him push.

Also.....assuming he has the internet (he may not have the internet- but for the purposes of this I'll assume he has access to the internet) you can Google translate sentences- "could you please help me push my car back 1m" from his native language to English to show to neighbours if needed.

Do you know any rugby players op?

@WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll your post rings of superiority if you ask me. And is pretty long for someone apparently not concerned with what goes on in other people’s lives.

@hulahoopar

My wife’s Japanese 4x4, with a reputation for “bulletproof reliability”, broke down in the close I live in, this summer. A narrow road where most people park slightly up on the pavement, yet our car was 30 cm from the kerb, at an angle, unable to move.

We spoke to people, told them the situation, asked for help from people we knew well, I managed to get it onto the side in a better position with the help of next door but one

This chap may feel he can do none of the above due to his language issues.

As a result, isn’t it worth thinking of ways how you could help him, instead of punishing him for something totally out of his control?!

I’m sorry that it inconveniences you and your DCs, but you don’t live on an island with a moat - you have neighbours, and every so often things will go wrong - it’s what being neighbourly is all about, getting someone back on their feet etc with a wave, a cheer, a push, a help.

Re the “he can’t afford to move it” - we could afford it for what it’s worth, but it took a tow truck company until the next day to remove it to the gearbox specialist. So again, worth withholding judgement here.

@alfie190

That’s great that you could get someone out. That’s YOUR experience.

In my experience living close to London, it’s not that easy. It took me a day - does that make me unreasonable?

I don’t get people who huff and shrug for a DAYS inconvenience, people who expect their entire lives to be surrounded by an impenetrable bubble.

We live next to people! Those people are unpredictable. Given a reasonable period of time, most people want to solve their problems - I can bet you he wants his car back and moving again .

My clutch broke when I was parking. The car was half in, half out the bay and the car needed to be moved forward and then back to get it in the space properly because it rolled into a dodgy position when the cable snapped.

Luckily DP was at home and did it (it's a fiesta) as I wouldn't have been able to do it (I did try) due to all the manoeuvring. If he hadn't have been at home I'd have knocked on a couple of neighbours doors until I found someone in to come and help me do it.

They all would have too, as they aren't dicks.

Doesn’t seem unreasonable to me if he had to get to work. Offer to help push it back into his drive or another safe spot when he gets home.

@Eliza9917 you’re right maybe he’ll come and ask me soon.

Actually if it is forcing pedestrians onto a main road then it needs to get sorted asap, especially if the pavement is on a route for school children. It's a obviously a safety issue.

OP you sound like a horrible person, Poor guys car has broken down, he may not be able to push it back in himself if its a big people carrier, he may be arranging a tow after work...you are just some sad little curtain twitcher!...and P.S if you cannot get out your drive safely because of the obstruction then I suggest you stop driving, its no diffetent from emerging from a junction that has parked cars on it.

Bleedin hell give him a break! Of course he's left it and gone to work. What did you expect him to do? And while he's at work he will be trying to make arrangements to get it fixed.

hulahoopar Thu 29-Nov-18 13:57:53
@Eliza9917 you’re right maybe he’ll come and ask me soon.

Ok, so you're obviously winding everyone up here then.

Op there is something called operation snap

You take a photograph of the car and send it to the police

If he’s breaking the law they will deal with it