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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ignore this woman and carry on parking there?

92 replies

SozNotSorry · 18/01/2019 17:07

Name changed for this, but I am a regular poster.

I work in mornings as a TA at a local primary school. Unfortunately the school car park isn't big enough for everyone, so some of us have to park on the roads outside because obviously the teachers take priority and are there before us in the mornings. I usually park in the same spot, just out of habit really but am always considerate.

Today as I left work an elderly lady who lives in the propertyI park outside came out and rudely told me that she was sick of me parking outside her home, and that because of me delivery drivers had trouble finding her home (WTF). She then said that if I did it again she'd ring the police and tell them my car was abandoned and get it towed away (again WTF?!). There was another car parked behind me that I'd never seen before in my life and she told that I needed to tell the owner of that car to do the same (a final WTF?)

I was a bit taken a back. Not that it's relevant, but it's an affluent area where all properties have ample off road parking, so it's not like I'm taking up a valuableparking space. I'm parked legally, I'm fully taxed and MOT'd so the police wouldn't want to know, and how the fuck am I supposed to know who the other car belonged to?!

AIBU to just carry on parking there?

OP posts:
pootleposeyperkin · 18/01/2019 17:26

Ignore it

SillySallySingsSongs · 18/01/2019 17:27

I'll be honest any other type of stereotyping- racist, sexist etc I wouldn't stand for

How nice that you have a hierachy of discrimination and prejudices. Hmm

PurpleDaisies · 18/01/2019 17:32

I suppose I could PurpleDaisies. But I really wouldn't dream of going out and telling someone that they couldn't park outside my house, and I live in a terrace with no driveway!

Me neither, but I still think it’s nice to be nice and (assuming it’s not tricky to park) it wouldn’t be a big issue to park in the other side of the road now and again.

To be honest, someone telling me not to park somewhere would make me want to keep parking there. I’m a big grump though.

CuppaTeaAndAJammieDodger · 18/01/2019 17:32

Has this myself with an older lady who waited for me to be temporarily blocked in by a bin van before confronting me (so no escape). Had my 5yo DD in the car with me and she absolutely screamed at me, I mean the amount of anger she clearly felt was totally disproportionate. I just ended up staring at her in bemusement until she eventually stopped, at which stage I said to her I thought she should spend her time on something more productive than shouting at people who had every right to be there.

I didn't stop parking there and I had to regularly stop DD from exclaiming loudly whenever we saw her "look mummy - there's that mean old lady!" (she may have succeeded sometimes 😳).

Might be worth getting a dash cam that takes pictures when the car's parked if it's hit/tampered with - just in case.

WiltedDaffs · 18/01/2019 17:33

Ignore her. If your car is taxed/MOT’d/insured and not causing an obstruction, then the police will do nothing.

Abandoned cars get dealt with by the council and don’t get towed immediately, they stick a notice on the car and tow a week later.

She can make as many phone calls as she likes but she’ll just be wasting everyones time.

theworldistoosmall · 18/01/2019 17:33

If she comes back suggest that she puts in the delivery notes to drivers incapable of finding her address. To look for your car Grin

If she carries on suggest she contacts the council to make the road private only and she can not only tell people to not park. She can also pay for the upkeep of the road, pipes, lights etc along with her neighbours. The several thousand a year will be worth it to keep randomers off the public road who are currently parking legally.

SlowNorris · 18/01/2019 17:35

Does she mean you parking there blocks delivery drivers? Or maybe obscures their view of her door number (if it’s on the front gate)?

Not sure what her age or assumed wealth has to do with it.

marycodie · 18/01/2019 17:35

And not directly opposite her drive on a narrow road meaning she can't get in/out without a 50 point turn.
I have a marked out public parking bay opposite my drive on a narrow road. I often have to do a 9 point turn to get in or out. Comes with the territory, shrug.

Sweetpea55 · 18/01/2019 17:37

At my previous home I lived across the road from a lady in her early 70's
The kirb outside her house curved inwards looking like a layby
but wasn't. The counc confirmed it was a short stop area
People would park there quite often and she would get really upset about it. If the vehicle was there for any length of time she admitted she walk around the house crying until they had gone.

JacquesHammer · 18/01/2019 17:38

To be honest I’d just park a little further down.

It’s obviously making her anxious. Or she might just be unpleasant.

Either way I wouldn’t feel good about continuing to park where it upset someone.

Butterymuffin · 18/01/2019 17:38

The police are not going to be dashing round to deal with an 'abandoned' car, and even if they eventually arrive they'll check the details and see it isn't. Just tell her to go ahead, with a cheery smile.

Chloemol · 18/01/2019 17:40

Just carry on parking there. I deal with this sort of stuff. As long as you are not causing an obstruction the police won’t be able to do anything. Any driver has the right to park on any highway unless lines denote you can’t. If she has a go at you again just point her in the direction of the Highway Code and the various Highway Acts

Rudgie47 · 18/01/2019 17:42

I'd move it to a different place everyday because you know whats going to happen don't you? Shes going to damage your car.

WorraLiberty · 18/01/2019 17:44

Either way I wouldn’t feel good about continuing to park where it upset someone.

I wouldn't feel good about indulging this woman's dickish behaviour though.

Besides, someone else is bound to park there anyway.

Original poster
SozNotSorry · 18/01/2019 17:46

I think the delivery driver argument was an excuse. It didn't really make sense thinking about it, she was just ranting and saying how they were having to drive up and down the road looking for her home. Her anger was completley out of proportion, I can't imagine ever getting that worked up over something so trivial.

OP posts:
ehohtinkywinky · 18/01/2019 17:46

I think had she said relatives park there normally and can't etc I would understand more, her reasons sound a bit off but I agree with PP ... Mix it up so you're not inconveniencing the same person.

ZogTheOrangeDragon · 18/01/2019 17:46

She would really annoy me but if possible, I would park elsewhere. I’d be worried about damage to my car even though you are completely in the right to park there.

70isaLimitNotaTarget · 18/01/2019 17:48

and that because of me delivery drivers had trouble finding her home

Unless all the houses have names not numbers, I'm sure the Delivery driver is quite capable of counting
"I'm looking for No 67 , there's 63....65.. aah yes"

CrabbyPatty · 18/01/2019 17:48

@SillySallySingsSongs that was me highlighting you have a point! I don't want to derail the thread and go on about it any further.

WeaselsRising · 18/01/2019 17:50

You said in your OP that you usually park in the same spot, and that is probably what is upsetting her. I'm aware people can't claim the road, public highway yadda yadda, but now that you know it's upsetting her could you not just vary where you park? The same car turning up day after day gets very irritating. ( we live in commuter central Sad)

I'm not saying don't park there ever again but perhaps you could park there occasionally rather than all the time.

summersoonplease · 18/01/2019 17:51

Tell her bollox!! Some people are only happy when they are giving other people shit!

Original poster
SozNotSorry · 18/01/2019 17:52

But I'm not inconveniencing her, I'm parked legally and safely. I also don't have a clue what she thinks I'm going to do about the other car?

OP posts:
PurpleDaisies · 18/01/2019 17:53

Is there space on the road to vary where you’re parking?

WeaselsRising · 18/01/2019 17:53

Her anger was completely out of proportion she's got herself a little more wound up every day and then just lost it. We have elderly neighbours and have lived elsewhere with elderly neighbours. They get very upset about this sort of thing.

BejamNostalgia · 18/01/2019 17:54

The police wouldn’t do anything and legally she is in the wrong. But I do feel a sneaking bit of sympathy for her. I live near a school and TBH between pick up and drop off, bad staff parking etc, it is a pain.

If she is elderly, she may well have a point because gig economy drivers are frequently unhelpful with deliveries if they haven’t been able to park close by, and being elderly she may well need them to be able to park up properly to bring parcels and bags in.

Given that she is elderly I would probably not continue to park there. Most of the rest of the houses probably don’t even have people in them all day.

It would be a bit bloody minded to keep parking there if there are other options, just to make a point.