WIBU to put a note on this car?

[JammyGem]

Our street is really bad for parking - it's very tight and narrow and difficult to get a space. The last few weeks the same car has parked outside our house. There are no designated spaces or permits, so although it's annoying as it means sometimes we have to park a couple streets over if there's no space, it's just one of those things.

However, this car always parks halfway up onto the pavement. I understand that the street is narrow, and everyone wants to avoid getting their car scratched, but they are the only ones to do this. There is enough room to get the pram past it on the street, but often they park right in front of our gate so there's hardly any room to manoeuvre the pram out of the gate onto the street iyswim. A couple of times I've bumped into their car (thankfully with my body rather than the pram) and I'm worried I'll scratch it. Plus it's just plain annoying.

I could assemble the pram on the street and then carry DD to it, but to be honest I just don't want to do that as it's really inconvenient.

WIBU to put a note on the car? I don't know who it belongs to, or even if they live on this street, as I never seem to catch them. I was thinking something along the lines of: "Hi, please be mindful of how much of the pavement you take up when parking - it makes it difficult to get our pram out of the gate and I'm worried about damaging your car! JammyGem @ [housenumber]"

Is that rude?

[viques]

PS I like the diagram scribble. I see it as a symbolic representation of your anger and frustration at this mindless cf and their entitled and or inconsiderate parking.



[Please ignore the unfortunate s on the end of wheelchair in my previous post.]

[Greenglassteacup]

I’d leave out the mindful part

[ChristineTime]

Y'all very polite in these notes you're suggesting.

As I said, I would just scratch it to fuck.

But if I was going to leave a note I'd say "Your parking on the pavement means prams and wheelchairs can't get through. I've notified the Council"

[MrsTerryPratchett]

I think committing criminal damage on someone's property when you have no idea about the circumstances of the person and you haven't actually asked them is a dick move.

Thankfully the OP sounds a lot less of an arsehole than some posters.

[BikeRunSki]

I listed to have pre-written post it notes in my changing bag that said “please leave room for wheelchairs and prams”. One repeat offender eventually got the message.

[BikeRunSki]

“Listed” = “used to”.

[ChippingInLowCarbing]

Jesus there are some nasty people on MN. WTAF would you deliberately scratch dent someone’s car when you could simply point out that they’re being a bit inconsiderate?

OP definitely fine to leave a note, I’d go with MrsTerryPratchet’s wording though.

[Vanhi]

A couple of times I've bumped into their car (thankfully with my body rather than the pram) and I'm worried I'll scratch it. Plus it's just plain annoying.

Why are you worried? Just make sure you give the car a good whack with something hard and sharp. And report it to 101 (actually appropriate in these circumstances) and say it is obstructing the pavement and your access. People can park where they like if it's legal, this isn't legal.

[SchadenfreudePersonified]

A DIAGRAM!!!

< over-excited>

Is lovely! Thank you!

Re: the person parking. They are wankers - it's not just you who will be inconvenienced, it will also be others. As viques has said, it will cause an obstruction for people who are blind/partially sighted, and for people who use wheelchairs or walking frames. MANY people.

I would be tempted to "accidentally" scratch the car. (But I would probably chicken out)

However there are suggestions for notes here that I would use rather than your conciliatory one. They don't deserve niceness.

[MyDcAreMarvel]

Do people taking about parking enforcement not realise it’s perfectly legal in the vast majority of areas?

[katewhinesalot]

I wouldn't mention bumping it with your pram. Just anonymously tell them they're blocking too much of the pavement and people are struggling to get by with their pushchairs and wheelchair users would struggle. And call the council. That way if you do accidentally (ahem) bump it if they continue parking like prats, it won't be your name/address.

[ChristineTime]

@MrsTerryPratchett What "circumstances" would lead them to park like a cock?

Whatever's going on in the man's (obviously it's going to be a man) life is irrelevant to the OP.

[Drum2018]

I wouldn't be so polite. I'd say 'In order for your car not to get accidentally damaged by passing buggies or wheelchairs, it would be best if you didn't park on the pavement'. That way you're not necessarily identifiable if you don't want to be.

[Vanhi]

Do people taking about parking enforcement not realise it’s perfectly legal in the vast majority of areas?

Not if you block access, which this driver is doing.

[ChristineTime]

@ChippingInLowCarbing The owner knows they're being inconsiderate and acting illegally, it's not up to people like OP (you know people just going about their business without impeding anyone else) to "simply point out" that the owner is being a twat.
The owner took a calculated risk when parking on the pavement to look after their own interests ahead of everyone else (esp. disabled people and pram users).

[steff13]

I would leave the note, and I wouldn't bother being careful not to scratch the car with the stroller, or the gate for that matter.

[Vanhi]

WTAF would you deliberately scratch dent someone’s car when you could simply point out that they’re being a bit inconsiderate?

Because if you park like an inconsiderate twat you deserve a sharp reminder. Circumstances my elbow. They're doing this repeatedly.

[JinglingHellsBells]

In some places, parking on the pavement is an offence as it puts pedestrians at risk. If the car is causing an obstruction contact your local police and have a chat.

[user27495824]

This used to really annoy me, until I moved onto a street of Victorian terraces with not enough parking. Other roads in our area have a permit system, but ours is too small to do it. Those that DON'T park on the pavement are likely to obstruct the road. The council are aware of it and have told is we need to park on the road. It means me having to walk my pram on the road everyday. When visitors who don't live here don't park on the pavement it can cause obstructions. Just want to offer the other side because the car owner probably thinks they are being considerate.

[whattodowith]

YANBU, I want to do this to a car a few doors up. I have had to walk in the road with my pram to get past it a fair few times. It’s a huge people carrier, they park it on the pavement so a person without a pram couldn’t even walk past. They have a driveway but choose to do this instead. I hate them.

[LightDrizzle]

Yes please do this, - but very politely. This can cause me to have to do huge detours with DD2 who now has a massive, heavy motorised wheelchair that can't safely roll up or down normal kerbs. When people either park alongside dropped kerbs or obstruct the pavement, we have to reverse or turn around if there's room, and go back to the last dropped kerb, and in the case of a car obstructing the pavement, go on the road itself until the next dropped kerb, as the pavement isn't passable. It's no fun.

[Waggily]

I had this once. We lived on a very narrow street so had to park partly on the curb but someone parked a foot from my front door. I put a note on saying I couldn’t access my house with the pram (or even just me really!) and a very apologetic lady came to say she didn’t realise Quite how far over she’d parked.

[Scorpiovenus]

A note is far better then a big scratch that is for sure so not unreasonable

[Lulualla]

I just used to let my buggy scratch their cars. It was a choice between scratching their cars or going onto the road, so I scratched all the cars.

[ChristineTime]

@Lulualla Good for you