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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

White line but no dropped kerb, anyone else had this?

85 replies

eastegg · 08/08/2019 22:39

Long time mner but first time on AIBU. Basically I'm pretty sure I'm not but wanted to vent!

Parking outside my child's nursery is in an unrestricted residential road. I don't always drive but sometimes have to. Been going there for the best part of 10 years and have 2 years to go. Never had much trouble parking but it's got busier recently.

I sometimes park in front of a house which recently had a white line appear in front of what would be a driveway if it had a dropped kerb. But no dropped kerb. The white line is different from the ones you normally get with a dropped kerb; a bit thinner and much nearer the kerb. I've been ignoring it because there's no dropped kerb.

Today I was later picking up than normal. When I came back to my car owner of house in question took me to task over parking outside her house. Said she'd paid for a dropped kerb and is just waiting. Did I have no respect etc. Did I want to see her 'authorisation ' whatever that means. I said it's not a dropped kerb and how was I supposed to know what the council have promised her. Think I was a bit too soft at one point and said 'now I know you're getting a dropped kerb...' although I don't think I finished the sentence. Generally though I stood up for myself, and didn't apologise. She ended up shouting and swearing as she got back into her car.

Grrr. Her entitled attitude has really got to me. At one point she said 'I don't want to see your car again ' like I was a naughty child. I'm also annoyed that she was distracting me while my wayward toddler was on the pavement next to a busy road.

I almost certain she hasn't got a leg to stand on. I want to park there again but don't want confrontation and don't want to spoil what have been 10 happy years going to nursery.

Anyone had similar?

OP posts:
PawPawNoodle · 08/08/2019 22:48

Was it a H bar? If so there doesn't need to be a dropped kerb to be enforceable. YABU either way to be so belligerent and have intentions of parking there again given you know there is a white line.

AiryFairyMum · 08/08/2019 22:51

Why do you want to keep parking there? She's paid to have her kerb dropped, there's a white line. Just park somewhere else.

fedup21 · 08/08/2019 22:52

Are you parking over the exit for her car to the road?

AnastasiaVonBeaverhausen · 08/08/2019 22:54

Are you parking in front of her drive?

Deelish75 · 08/08/2019 23:21

I would contact the council and find out what’s really going on. I thought it was illegal to drive across the pavement if the curb wasn’t dropped so how is she getting her car into the driveway?

Original poster
eastegg · 09/08/2019 05:17

Thanks for the replies.

Just to reiterate, there is no dropped kerb at the moment.

As deelish points out, it is illegal to drive over the pavement where the kerb isn't dropped, so surely it can't be the case that there is any enforceable no parking rule anywhere where the kerb isn't dropped and there are no other restrictions?

There's a car with a cover over it on her 'drive' which always seems to be there. She was in another car, presumably wanting to park where I was because she couldn't have got on where the car with the cover is.

Polpot, what makes you think a white lin is enforceable on it's own? I've looked carefully and everything I've read says they are only advisory, pointing out where there is a dropped kerb, which here there isn't. As I said it's also very different in appearance to an H bar.

Don't see how I'm being belligerent. The space is sometimes the only one. I thought I'd made it clear I was in two minds about parking there again. Why should I give in to her demands if it's a safe and legal space?

OP posts:
onanothertrain · 09/08/2019 06:28

In my council they put paint marks on the road and pavement when they have authorised your application for a dropped kerb. However they don't tell you when they are coming to do the work and just turn up. I presume they wouldn't be able to do the work if there was a car parked but not sure if they could tow it away.

MotherTime3 · 09/08/2019 06:46

As above, it sounds like the white line is to mark out the area for work, so parking there would not be allowed. I’d be annoyed if I thought my work would be delayed by someone parking there. If parking isn’t much of an issue, why do you want to park there again?

VivaLeBeaver · 09/08/2019 06:47

Sounds like she's painted the line herself. You can buy the tarmac spray paint from amazon. I would ring/email the council and ask if the line is official. It's really hard to get a H bar painted outside your drive. We fought for a long time to get them outside our row of houses. We are close to a shop and people are always blocking the drive. Neighbour had a number of applications turned down and it was only when I wrote and said I was on call for life and death situations that they did it.

Saying that if someone has a drive whether or not they have a dropped kerb/white line I think it's a bit shitty to park over the drive. I get they shouldn't be using it if it's not a dropped kerb but I still think it's bad. If she didn't use the drive she would park that car in the street all the time and there would be less parking anyway. But I'm sat on the fence if the car on the drive is always under a cover and she's not actually needing entry/exit.

If you have a white line nobody can park there, not even the house owner. I would get a ticket if I parked on the line outside my house. So if you think she was planning to park there herself then that would wind me up. White lines aren't a private reservation system especially if she's sprayed it herself.

But I do sympathise with people who live near shops, schools, etc and have to put up with bad parking. I know you say there's nowhere else to park sometimes......there is always somewhere else to park, you may just have to walk further. Where will you park when/if she gets a dropped kerb?

PooWillyBumBum · 09/08/2019 06:53

She hasn’t got a dropped kerb yet, but is parking a car there. Don’t be a dick - just park elsewhere. Who cares about the legalities of it, why piss off a resident - you will need to find another spot anyway.

PullingMySocksUp · 09/08/2019 06:55

It sounds diy and unenforceable but you you really want the argument again?

Collaborate · 09/08/2019 07:08

On H bar has no legal effect. You can park over it. It's just a reminder to drivers that generally if they park there they may be parking over a dropped kerb.

So go ahead and keep parking there to your heart's content (at least until they drop the kerb). In fact given her reaction I'd make a point of doing so.

Tonnerre · 09/08/2019 07:33

Why do you want to keep parking there? She's paid to have her kerb dropped, there's a white line. Just park somewhere else

It's irrelevant that she's allegedly paid to have the kerb dropped if it isn't dropped at the moment. As things stand at the moment the neighbour has no right to drive over the pavement and no right to prevent parking.

SummerInTheVillage · 09/08/2019 07:42

Why be so petty? Just park elsewhere. Living near a school or nursery is a nightmare because of selfish people like you. Show some consideration.

Coulddowithanap · 09/08/2019 07:44

I'd just park somewhere else. Personally I wouldn't park over a driveway, white line or no white line.

newmomof1 · 09/08/2019 07:52

The white line is there so you shouldn't be parking there - that's all there is to it.

You should have apologised and told her you won't park there again.

AnastasiaVonBeaverhausen · 09/08/2019 07:59

To be honest, dropped kerb white line or not, I wouldn't park in front of someone's home where they clearly need access in and out with a car. I don't really care if it's illegal to drive over a kerb, if they have a car "area" and need access to it, it's a bit of a dick move to knowingly park in front of it. Surely regardless of the line, you could see it was an area that they use for access? Just park somewhere else. You say about her attitude being "entitled", but I actually find yours even more so. You're just doing school pick up. You can park anywhere. That's her home.

DCIRozHuntley · 09/08/2019 08:06

I don't really get why you "want to park there again"; that seems an unnecessarily inflammatory response and a curious way of wording it.

Just park elsewhere. Why hack someone off deliberately?

Collaborate · 09/08/2019 08:22

@AnastasiaVonBeaverhausen You must have a nightmare driving somewhere residential, what with you refusing to park outside of someone's house.

Or maybe, just maybe, thinking that all drivers are dicks who have the cheek to park on a public road outside someone's house makes you a bit weird.

Collaborate · 09/08/2019 08:26

Why hack someone off deliberately?

It depends on what is causing someone to be hacked off.

I used to get hacked off at that fashion where people would walk round with their trouser waists round their thighs. Should they have changed what they wore to avoid me getting hacked off?

My neighbour over the road gets hacked off when my inlays come to stay and park on the road outside our house. Should they park elsewhere?

Just because someone doesn't like what you do doesn't mean you should change what you do. That would make you a doormat.

AnastasiaVonBeaverhausen · 09/08/2019 08:27

@Collaborate. Read my post properly. There's a big difference between parking outside someone's house in a residential area and parking in front of where someone clearly needs to get a car out. No, I don't do that because I am respectful of people's homes. And yet surprisingly I still manage to park my car ok. Amazing.

MamaOomMowWow · 09/08/2019 08:35

Sounds like she's painted the line herself. You can buy the tarmac spray paint from amazon. I would ring/email the council and ask if the line is official. It's really hard to get a H bar painted outside your drive.

^ This. I would be gobsmacked if the council put in a H bar line whilst before dropping the kerb.

And as others have said the H bar doesn't have any legal affect itself - it's to draw attention to the dropped kerb (I did actually read the Regs on road markings a while back).

Whatisinaname1 · 09/08/2019 09:08

Until its a dropped kerb it's just a fancy paved garden. If a dropped kerb is done legally around here the council suspend parking and put up notices. The line comes after as it often gets messed up during dropping. It's how you can tell the ones which aren't authorised. Our local fb site often has people pointing those out and reporting them.

I personally wouldn't park there but she's in the wrong by driving over the pavement.

Jeezoh · 09/08/2019 09:25

I’d park there if there was nowhere else as without a dropped kerb, there’s no restriction. If there were other places to park, I’d choose them in the interests of being considerate. But honestly, without a dropped kerb you’re doing nothing wrong.

BlueSkiesLies · 09/08/2019 09:27

You are going out of your way to be a dick. Why? Just don't park there.