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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To be getting really irate at people blocking us in our own driveway all the time!

24 replies

weirdbird · 05/08/2007 19:29

I really don't understand why they do it, nearly everyone on our road has a driveway, there is always acres of parking space on the road.

So why the F* do they keep parking across our driveway and blocking our car in!!!!

and its an obvious driveway with posts & gates...

I really don't know what to do, but it is driving me batty, even more so when I was due anyday.

It just makes no sense to me that you would block someone in when the road is free either side, 2 metres difference and really no effort not to do it!!!!!

Can ANYONE explain the logic of this to me?

OP posts:

Carbonel · 05/08/2007 20:15

Don't know why they do it - just selfish / thoughless I guess.

Could you park across your driveway yourslef on the road - that would stop them doing it and you would still be able to get your car out etc

Or if it is really bad you could call the police to say you were blocked in and they would locate the owner and ask them to move, always good if you have a screaming baby that needs to get to the docs or something - I doubt the same person would do it again

Elasticwoman · 05/08/2007 20:20

I once phoned the police to say some one was blocking me in my own drive, and they were less than sympathetic!

I once challenged some one who parked across our drive and he was quite rude and pompous, but never did it again.

Can't imagine why people do it, as I would never purposely do so.

MaureenMLove · 05/08/2007 20:26

My neighbours friends do exactly the same thing to us. Its just so annoying. How about getting the number for your local traffic wardens? They might be able to help. They love slapping a ticket on people and I believe it is illegal to block someone in!

backtobasics · 05/08/2007 20:43

Why don't you get one of those signs saying 'keep driveway clear' or get a white line painted across the drive entrance?

StripeyKnickersSpottySocks · 05/08/2007 21:10

This happens to me a bit, not as muc as it used to though as we now have a white line painted. But it was one hell of a battle with the council (5 years) to get the line painted.

I do tell people off who park blocking me. Peopel always say "oh I was only 2minutes". But no use when I can't get in my drive or am late for work, etc".

If I can't get in my drive because of someone I now park at a right angle from the offending car, right behind or infront of them. It means blocking the pavement and half the road but it traps them in, than I go and have a cup of tea and wait for the police to turn up

bonkerz · 05/08/2007 21:15

we have the smae at our house. We park in our back yard and if someone parks on road directly opposite it is impossible to get the car out of the drive (brickwall either side of drive and tight squeeze so even 80 point turns not effective!) No matter how many times its pointed out it never changes!

pinkteddy · 05/08/2007 22:17

This happens to us often. So much so that I phoned the council to ask if there was anything I could do about it. They were very helpful and gave me the number of the dept that issue parking tickets. Also the out of hours number! They said just to call and someone would be around to issue a penalty notice. Would you believe since I've had the numbers, no-one has done it!!

BracingAir · 05/08/2007 22:28

i once made supper for a friend who just had a baby. The road was full of driveways and I wanted to keep an eye on my dc's while i took thet stuff from my car to their house. The only slot in sight of my friends house was.....in front of her neighbours drive. They had a people carrier and videos on their window sill, so i figured the neighbour would understand.

Boy did my friend get a mouthful...and the neighbour wasnt even going out. I told the neighbour, please dont be angry at my friend, i was the one who was inconsiderate.... etc.

On my way home on the next street soemone clipped my mirror. Felt like payback!

alicet · 06/08/2007 09:50

YANBU. This would drive me NUTS!!! It annoys me enough when our neighbours daughters boyfriends do this and we don't even need to get out! Totally unneccesary when there is loads of space on the other side of the road!

If I needed to do this for a couple of minutes in an emergency or situation where I didn't think it would cause a problem I would leave a note on my windscreen explaingin where I was in case the person I was blocking in needed to get out in a burry. Not sure I ever have done it though!

bigcar · 06/08/2007 10:09

We live opposite a school, people are always parking over my drive, and my neighbours, its often the only space left, because normally the other side of the road is double parked. They also feel the need to drive down the road at about 30mph even though its a small cul de sac with barely room to breathe at 3.15pm, never mind all the children coming out of school crossing the road!
The school constantly send out letters about parking but it changes nothing. It did help when a couple of my neighbours who couldnt get on their drives just left their cars in the road, completely blocking everyone in! Not always the best move though, caused a few rows! The best thing like other posters have said is to get the number for the parking wardens, works a treat, but you do have to constantly ring every time, they wont just make it part of their round iykwim.
It is not illegal to block someones drive if it is empty, you can only call if they have blocked your car in.

BettySpaghetti · 06/08/2007 10:16

This happens to us frequently too.

Theres a a track to our house/garage that we share with 3 other houses. from the road you can clearly see that the track/driveway leads to houses and you can see the cars down there but people still park across it.

Even more irritating are the drivers/cars that park halfway or three-quarters the way across the track/drive as if that makes it OK ??!!

I'm afraid I now resort to leaving sarcastic notes on their windscreens along the lines of "Congratulations! You have successfully blocked the access to not only 1, but 4 houses!! Please do not park here "

evenhope · 06/08/2007 10:29

We get this all the time. Mostly it's next door's endless visitors. Really bugs me because when I go to visit someone I always check with them that I'm not in the way and I stopped my mum from parking where she was blocking somebodys space when she came here.

We've got flats opposite. Their car park is on the side of the building so everyone who moves in and all their visitors park on the road, level with the front door. This is directly opposite my driveway, and the road is so narrow (a car on each side would almost touch) that we then can't get the car out.

I wish I could find out who owns the block and get it stopped.

Tommy · 06/08/2007 10:30

I think, if they are blocking your car in, you can call the police who wil tow them away. That happened to my friend - very satisfying.

The biggest problem we have is when they park across the drive so that we can't get in and creating more of a congestion problem in the street!

I live near a school to and often have parents who park there and say "I'll only be a couple of minutes - just picking up my child from school"

Er.. yes - I would like to pick up my child from school but I can't get out of my own drive

clutteredup · 06/08/2007 10:44

we share a driveway with our neighbours and their friend often park acroos the entrance to ours, its more than obvious it access to ours and it would be quite easy to pull up past the entrance and park there. i t annoys me but mostly they don't stay long but one day i was late for the school run, piling kids into car as neighbours friend pulls right up in my way, i pointed out that i needed to get out and i was in a hurry, she said 'i won't be long' in a 'i need to have my car here right now what's your problem' - i was 40 weeks at the time so i pointed out that she needn't be rude and i needed to get out now, and it was my driveway thank you - ok a bit mouthy but she was rude first. anyway she continued to go to next doors door for her business and moved the car eventually. next i know my neighbours husband who is a policeman was on my doorstep asking what happened as said friend had called later and was 'so upset she was in tears because i had been so unreasonable'!!!!!! WTF !!!!!! as a rersult my neighbour didn't talk to me for ages and it was really awkward.....AIBU or was it all her fault for parking in my driveway....wtf are htese people on. all she need was to pull up 2 metres to be out of my way.
sorry rant over in reply to OP
NO YOU ARE NOT BEING UNREASONABLE [GRIN]

evenhope · 06/08/2007 11:03

I posted at the time because I was so incensed, but recently one of next doors friends parked completely across my driveway as I was reversing out of it. I think it was another of these "I'm only going to be a minute" scenarios. I was very inclined to keep going and just reverse into the side of her car... (had I been in DH's truck I think I would have done).

Original poster

weirdbird · 06/08/2007 11:40

See I am so tempted these days to just keep reversing out and sod whoever has blocked me in, our car is dying and will soon be going to the scrap heap in the sky.

We did put a sign up, but it made no difference.

I would be more understanding if this was a really busy road or there was a severe lack of parking space, but it is often practically deserted, I think thats partly why it makes me as mad as it does, cause there really is NO justification at all.

One women made a half hearted apology once and I refused it, told her it wasn't good enough, there was no reason to park there.

OP posts:

sweetcherrypie · 06/08/2007 11:59

My mum lives right near a football stadium and they all park in her road. Everyone gets so annoyed becuase alot don't have driveways so often they can't even park in their own road. Those who do have driveways often get cars parked so they can't get out properly.

A friend once had her locks super clued because she parked in a road that alot of office workers park in. I guess the residents get very fed up with it. Super gluing a cars locks isn't probably the best way to go about things...

mumfor1standfinaltime · 06/08/2007 12:12

I would block them in if they did this to me.
Buy a tank and trample their car.
Hire a skip and put it next to their car. A real Jeremy Beadle moment.

Failing that just scrape things down the side of their car, walk extra close to it with the buggy.

prettybird · 06/08/2007 12:12

it's not quite the same, but on a cycle route to wrok, a car used to keep n parking acorss the dropped kerb, where the cycle path went from the road on to the pavement. No excuse - it was clearly makred and there were white hash markings on either side.

I took to stopping and lifting up both wind screen wipers and occasionally pushing the side mirrors in. No damage - but inconvenient for the driver as he/she would have to re-set them before driving off. Made me feel better that they were haivng to share in my incovnenince!

Original poster

weirdbird · 06/08/2007 13:15

Mumfor1

Sadly I now DO spend my time plotting the demise of those foolish enough to keep doing this, your suggestions arnt a million miles from a lot of them!

The problem with blocking them in, is we only have the one car and they already have that blocked in our driveway...

I do go out and speak to someone if I see them, but still have enough of a life left not to spend hours watching to make sure I do catch them!

OP posts:

SweetyDarling · 06/08/2007 13:39

Could you buy a can of white paint and add your own DIY white line?

Carbonel · 06/08/2007 17:50

Yes - preferably over the car parked blocking you in [evil cackle emoticon]

RubyRioja · 06/08/2007 17:59

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

fiddlemama · 06/08/2007 18:24

I quite understand your exasperation at being blocked into your driveway. We live in an ex farmhouse a little way out of a pretty village in a particularly beautiful area of the north yorkshire countryside and from the end of our drive there is a pretty nice view of a local landmark.
We are constantly having people stop their cars, blocking the drive, while they get out to admire the view or take photographs.
All this is fair enough as I am not one of those people who begrudges anyone a share in what I am lucky enough to enjoy everyday of my life but when I arrive at the end of the drive (it's 3/4 mile long) to exit, they often expect me to wait while they complete their shots and some get very annoyed if I insist (owing to pressing engagement) that they move first and let me out and then resume their photography.
Once, an elderly couple decided to picnic in their car at the top of the drive and when I pulled up and asked (quite politely) if they would move for a moment and let me out they actually said they would move when they were finished eating and they wouldn't be more than 1/2 hour or so!!!!! When I told them that I had to pick my child up from school they put their picnic away with so much grimacing and huffing and puffing that I drove away feeling really quite guilty that I had disrupted their meal!!!!

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