Aibu about parking & new neighbours

[Parkingshmarking]

Nc for this. Newish neighbours in house opposite ours. The have a driveway with room for 2 cars, mine only has room for 1. Ds1 home from Uni for Christmas & his car is parked on the street outside our house, opposite theirs. Also Ds2 girlfriend here sometimes & her car also parked on the street outside. Notes were left on both cars last week by neighbours saying 'do not park outside our house'. Yesterday Ds1 had friends over so his car + 2 others parked on street. When I left hot work at 4pm neighbour was outside waiting for me, cue rant about cars & how I'm being 'disrespectful' not telling my son & any visitors not to park there. Felt very intimidated & was actually dreading coming home from work last night in case he was waiting for me. Having a tough time generally atm & feeling a bit emotional & vulnerable. Moved here a few years ago to escape a violent ex-p & just want to live a quiet life & not feel intimidated or worried to leave my home. Aibu?

No, there aren't any double yellow lines anywhere on the road Thumbwitch. Everyone that lives on my street park on their own drive, it's just when they have visitors that they park on the road, sometimes opposite my drive making it impossible to get out.

one would assume, if your road is that narrow, that there are double yellow lines up one side of it.

Not at all. The whole of our estate has roads barely wide enough for 2 cars to pass, and the only yellow lines are at a couple of corners where parking is dangerous because it restricts visibility.

We all just park sensibly. Most of the road parks on our side, and about 3/4 of the way down, people park on the opposite side. I've no idea why, but it's been like that since I moved here 26 years ago.

He didn't express his view - he ordered the OP not to do something perfectly legal. The suggestions of calling the police were not to moan about the parking but because of the resulting threats and harassment - or should women just accept this behaviour when a big man tries to intimidate them, kowtow to his demands and just know their (submissive) place?

^This

I'm not sure about this one. A bloke on my street routinely parks his large works van across from my drive, in a barely-legal fashion in that it often cuts across my opposite neighbour's very narrow dropped kerb. It inconveniences them far more than it does me, and I don't do anything other than whinge about why the selfish fucker doesn't park it outside his own house. I'm wittering here, but my point is that I routinely detour to enter the street from the opposite end so that I can more easily swing into my own driveway without holding up other drivers by doing multiple shuffles to get it through the gates.
It hadn't occurred to me to leave a note, but on the other hand if he parked just a metre or two further up there'd be no problem. Can you maybe ask if parking in a different position would help? You're not going to volunteer to ban them from the street altogether, which might be what he's after, but it can't hurt neighbourly relations to be willing to look for a workabloe solution.

Ah well, different counties/ councils have different rules about double yellow lines I guess!
In my road, with people parked on one side, there is only room for one car or ambulance or fire engine to get through, not enough for 2 cars to pass. Someone would have to pull over. It's also a dead end though, which might make the difference for having the double yellows, don't know.

Seems crazy to have such narrow roads and no parking restrictions though because, as we all know, some people are just twats and park without any thought for anyone else!

Although the other difference is that on my road, not everyone had a driveway as such. In fact, most houses had just enough space to create hard standing for one car, sideways on, in front of their house, sacrificing any garden for it.

Not connected to this post - but another example of parking CFery.
On a Kindle + don't know how to post diagrams - so will do my best with a description.
Private house, with a long driveway at the side of the house - would take at least two vehicles.
At the end of the driveway there is white line - indicates not to block access to and from driveway.
On the road, just after the white line, there is a marked, disabled bay. All good, so far.
Then, after the marked Disabled bay, the house owner has acquired several cones - which he linked together with string - making another parking space.
When he was challenged on this - response was that space was for the visiting District Nurse.
Cones weren't there long!
The household had one vehicle.
Was informed he was caught and charged with vandalizing vehicles.

I'm guessing that the cars are meaning he has to drive on/off in a way that isn't his preference.

We've got one of these tossers who owns the garage next to us who likes to only drive in forwards from the right. He could drive in forwards from the left, or approach from the right and reverse, but he just doesn't WANT to. So in a street with not much parking he expects spaces for two cars to be left unused for his convenience.

He got told to get to fuck.

When I was at university, some friends lived in a flat above a shop which had its own parking space at the back, which was at the end of the slightly curved rough 'drive' behind the row of shops and houses.

Initially, none of my friends had a car, but the course that two of them were on necessitated fairly long weekly commutes for field practice sessions, so one of them managed to borrow an old runaround from a family member. Naturally, she parked it in the space that belonged to the flat (was actually on its property). The shop staff all lived very nearby and walked to work, none of her flatmates had cars and they often benefited from its use, so no complaints at all there.

Soon after she'd started parking there, an old man with a garage adjacent to the 'drive', just before my friends' space at the end, collared her, informing that she was in his access space - not a parking spot - and that she mustn't park there again.

Never a shrinking violet, she explained that it was her space to use and, as it was beyond his garage, he had no reason to ever drive that far. She checked with the shop owner who confirmed that the space was absolutely hers to use.

The man protested that it was impossible for him to reverse out of his garage without using her space for manoeuvring. This was rubbish - it was a little tight, as for everybody parking along the 'drive', and lovely though it would be to sweep right in and out in one deft move in an ideal world, this wasn't possible for any users of the 'drive'.

He clearly did have adequate room for manoeuvre and we pointed out to him that, if he swung in from a slightly different direction and reversed in instead, it would have been really easy with loads of room to move.

Nope, he 'preferred' to drive in and reverse out as that's what he'd always done. As far as he was concerned, my friend was expected to permanently forego the use of her own parking space so that he could use it to compensate for his own lack of driving ability and manoeuvre into his garage in his most preferred, convenient way.

He also ludicrously claimed that he should take full precedence as it was his house where he, you know, lived. I'm not sure what he thought a flat was or, for that matter, why a business owner should have less moral right to park on their own property anyway.

My friend was a petite, delicate, demure-looking woman - 18 or 19 but her face could easily have been mistaken for 14 - which quite possibly figured in his decision to try to intimidate her into giving up her parking space. He swiftly discovered that appearances can be very deceptive indeed

Exactly the same here SausageRoll, expects to swing in effortlessly in a narrow street. Threatened legal action...I'm still waiting!

Parking causes so much hassle! We have one on our street who literally can't get his car on or off his driveway if anyone park (legally) anyone near it because his driving/parking skills are terrible. The people that his wife asked nicely not to park close to their drive generally don't. The people he ranted and screamed at park there deliberately. Especially when he's not on the drive as it's more of an issue (maybe an offence?) to block a car onto a driveway than off.

We also have one CF'er family who have a driveway that takes 4 cars comfortably, 6 cars if you are super organised and careful. There are 12 on street spaces. They have 4 cars. Despite having a huge back garden area they have cemented a basketball hoop into their driveway and park all 4 cars on the street. Legal, but fucking rude and inconsiderate imo.

Haha @statistically that made me laugh. The problem would appear to be that he prefers to reverse into his driveway & the position of the parked cars makes that more difficult, but not impossible. We are at the top of a circle so it's 6 & half whichever way you enter - my suggestion of entering the street from the other end is not a detour!! I think he just likes to intimidate me but its not going to work. My anxiety is through the roof but I have told him if he persists in harassing me I'll call the police - not about the parking per se but about his attempts to intimidate me. Notably he has not spoken to either of my sons who are both 6ft+ or my male ndn who also has 2 cars & parks one on the road

Meh. I get slightly annoyed at cars parked opposite my drive outside neighbours because it means I have to do a few manoeuvres to get car on my drive instead of just driving straight on.
Same as when someone parks right outside our drive means I can't swing out left (the only way out) without a bit of a 3 point turn.
However- I recognise that I do not control the street parking and just get on with it.
It's a street- just because all 3 cars happen to belong to op (or friends) doesn't matter. What would he do if 3 random people kept parking there?

Exactly the same here SausageRoll, expects to swing in effortlessly in a narrow street. Threatened legal action...I'm still waiting!

Baffling, isn't it?! Which law do they actually think you've broken - a magical one that extends unlimited rights to bad and/or selfish drivers (and them only)?

They're like 3-year-olds* who think that whatever they want they have an automatic right to, because they want it. Interesting how they think this law of 'I want' was specifically put on the statute books only for their sole benefit and that it doesn't apply to anybody else having their preferences - or often even being allowed their basic legal rights.

*"But you said we would all get a cake. I don't want one of the tray of completely identical ones, I want that one that Olivia just took. It's not fair - I really wanted that one [although I never expressed a preference before she took it], so I should have it because it's mine - waaaaaaahhhhh!!!!!"

Can he actually get on and off his drive with these cars there? If a car is parked opposite my drive I cannot get on or off it no matter how many manoeuvres I do.

Surely you don't want him hitting one of the cars?

God it's the Bain of my life neighbours and parking , my NDN doesn't like it when I park outside my house even though I have done for many years . Apparently it's awkward if 1 of ds to get in her drive . Anyway cause sick of her moaning and what a quiet life I park further down street , my dh has his car on our drive or we swap over .
Today my other NDN has parked a car blocking our car in on drive I mean whyyy just crap parking . My dh said no big deal not using car this afternoon ( already been out ) but it's not the point if I wanted to go out I'd have to knock and tell him to move. It's just inconsiderate. It annoys me that we try and keep neighbours happy but others don't give it a single thought. It's like some people think they can do what they like .

We also have one CF'er family who have a driveway that takes 4 cars comfortably, 6 cars if you are super organised and careful. There are 12 on street spaces. They have 4 cars. Despite having a huge back garden area they have cemented a basketball hoop into their driveway and park all 4 cars on the street. Legal, but fucking rude and inconsiderate imo.

Why ever do people do this? What would make you spend extra for a house with a big drive - your own guaranteed parking - and then render it impossible to use? Do these people just spend their entire lives looking for ways to assert their dominance and make life more unpleasant for other people - for no reason whatsoever?

In principle, I think it's like the difference between theft and vandalism. Both very wrong and illegal, of course, but the former is done because you want to have the use of something yourself without paying for it and the victim is just collateral damage about which you don't care - which motivation I understand; whereas the latter is done when you have no interest in having something but actively decide to deprive others from the chance of having it either, for no discernible reason.

We had this in our street. We just pointed out that it was a public highway, the cars were parked legally and they didn't have any say or rights about that space. in other words shut TFU

So long as you aren't blocking access to their drive then you are within your rights to park there and not a lot they can do about it.

I'm sorry about your anxiety issues but you know your rights so you can confidently stand up to them. Maybe practise some responses before hand so that they trip of the tongue. Remember that if you sound knowledgeable and assertive, they will have no idea you are all a-quiver inside. Fake it 'til you make it.

You can do this. They have no right to intimidate you and if you feel threatened, then call the police.

Good luck.

The problem would appear to be that he prefers to reverse into his driveway & the position of the parked cars makes that more difficult, but not impossible
Could it be because he can't turn into his drive and it is therefore safer to reverse onto the drive and come out on the road facing forward.

Have you considered that with your family parking there rather than behind your cars, it is making him more dangerous for him. But hey, who cars, as, long as it saves 5 steps into your house for you grown up sons.

But if, as OP says, he could easily come in the other way then he could just reverse from the opposite side. There's no right to have spaces on the opposite side of the road kept free because that's how you prefer to approach or park.

Webuiltthisbuffetonsausageroll my CFP seems to think he's entitled to at least 8 feet (probably more) either side of his already double width (but only containing one car) garage, and that everyone should respect this. Hell no

@swingofthings sarky much?! Boys can walk for miles thanks, as they do every day with our dog. Point missed completely

think he just likes to intimidate me but its not going to work. My anxiety is through the roof but I have told him if he persists in harassing me I'll call the police - not about the parking per se but about his attempts to intimidate me. Notably he has not spoken to either of my sons who are both 6ft+ or my male ndn who also has 2 cars & parks one on the road

He's a bully. Doesn't dare risk a physical confrontation with a large male, but goes after you on your own. What a gem.

I'd call the police anyway and get it on recrod.

My neighbours SIL parks directly across from my drive almost every day causing difficulties for me getting out of my drive as we live on a narrow road. I have politely asked them TWICE if they could park just a few feet away (there is plenty space on the road - even outside their house) but they are inconsiderate arseholes and continue to do it. Yes they are parking legally but they are still inconsiderate arseholes.

I should add that your neighbour is being unreasonable to intimidate or bully you!