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

[eastegg]

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?

Yeah there's legal, and there's understood, and there's being a dick.

No way would I park over an obvious drive. I might mutter but I wouldnt block it.

That's a dick move.

God OP does it really fucking matter?

Well I'm gonna have to agree to disagree with those who think that an area of gravel at the front of a house, with no dropped kerb, is an obvious drive, or any kind of drive. You are never going to persuade me of that.

There's absolutely no way I would block a car in on an obvious drive, and I've never parked over a dropped kerb in decades of driving, a lot of it in busy residential London streets.

Does it really fucking matter the last poster just asked. It wasn't me that started shouting in the street about it. But being shouted at by a resident of a street I visit every week and have a close connection with does matter, yes.

Funny how I've parked in that street on and off for 10 years without a problem. A diy white line appears on the road and suddenly I turn into a belligerent dick apparently.

You noted in your OP that parking in the street has become noticeably more busy recently. If you’ve noticed it, you can be certain the residents have too.

Whatever the legality of this situation, I think it’s a case of whether this is a hill you really want to die on.

Frankly, for me the answer would be no. I just couldn’t be bothered with my blood pressure spiking twice a day for something I didn’t need to do.To you, clearly, the answer is yes. In which case I imagine it won’t be the last time you and she exchange words.

You do have an odd relationship with this road, it’s place in your life and enjoyment of nursery school.

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.

Well I'm gonna have to agree to disagree with those who think that an area of gravel at the front of a house, with no dropped kerb, is an obvious drive, or any kind of drive. You are never going to persuade me of that.

You’ve said yourself that it would be a driveway if it had a dropped kerb-I would stop parking over it.

You said yourself it would be a driveway expect no drop curb. Yes its true you can park next to non dropped curves - I would not have thought it OK to park on a white line at that time of day though. The bit that gets me is that you say it would be a driveway except for a dropped curve but yet you still intend to park in front of it. Not what I would do.

I'd love to see a Venn Diagram of people who think OP shouldn't park there simply because there's a white line (which I think we all accept now has no legal status) and people who think that parent and child parking places can be used by anyone irrespective of child situation.

I’d throw it out from the start “collaborate”. I think despite the wonky line why bother with the ag of parking there, yet I also think P&C spaces are bollocks

Our council take a really dim view of people using their front garden as a drive with no dropped kerb in place, in fact two of the houses down our road tried it on and the council came in and put wooden posts on the grass verges to stop them driving onto their gravelled bits!

Neighbours pulled out the posts to get on their “drive” and were slapped with fines/damages. I think there was an ongoing dispute as it took forever before the dropped kerb was finally put in place .

SugarPlumLairy2 sounds very similar to my council! We have several unscrupulous developers who have tried this trick when converting houses to flats.