Neighbours and parking

[rainbowheart]

I've lived on the same street for 20 years, buying my childhood home when my parents sold it.
The house is down a narrowish lane and I'm the very end house. There's a pull in which makes it easier for myself and my neighbours to get off of our drives.
For as long as I've know there's always been an agreement that people will avoid parking in the pull in wherever possible, because if 2 cars are parked there it's very difficult for me and my neighbour to get out, we have to reverse about half a mile down the lane if we cant turn in the turning point. It only effects our 2 houses, everyone else can exit their drives fine.
Sometimes it's unavoidable and that's fine, if people are having lots of guests over etc, workmen to their houses.. things happen.
The house next to my neighbours house was sold 3 months back.. new people moved in. My neighbour explain the parking situation and they said it was no problem. And for the first few months everything was as it had always been,
One day my baby took ill and I had to call an ambulance.. the ambulance parked on the lane in-front of my house blocking my neighbour, my husband rushed home and parked behind the ambulance, blocking the new neighbours driveway.
The new neighbours knocked the door asking for the car to move, the ambulance driver explained baby was poorly and asked if they could just hold fire and she'd get my husband to move the car. 10 mins later she knocked again the ambulance driver apologised and said she'd get it moved,
My husband went to move the car and the new neighbour said it's about time she was going to be late.
There's a lot of old people who live down our lane and ambulances are fairly common, when it happens, especially further down the lane, everyone is blocked in, never have I moaned in that situation, even when it's meant I've been late or missed appointments, surly that ambulance is likely to be far more important than anything I need to do at that time,
Since the day I called the ambulance the new neighbours now park both their cars in the pull in, leaving their driveway empty I feel this is really petty and pathetic. I've knocked and asked if they could park at least one car on their drive as before, the woman said she's entitled to park her car wherever she likes, obviously she is.. but would you not also be considerate of your neighbours?
For the last 2 weeks 2 cars arrive every morning at 6am, they move their cars from the pull in and the other cars park there.. the 2 drivers get into the van with the difficult neighbour and I assume go to work, she parks her car on her drive.. when they get home from work the 2 cars go and the move both their cars to the pull in so the turning point always has 2 cars parked in it, day and night.

What are you views on this situation? As I've said I do get she can park her car wherever she likes, I just don't understand why they insist on making it difficult. I don't know if I'm just being touchy because it all started when my baby was poorly and maybe I'm being too emotional about it? Any ideas on how to resolve it?

Place a handful of nails infront of each tyre. Pick them up again once they've changed cars over!

In the meantime, could you and affected neighbour park in the pull in yourself?

Would next doors let you turn in their drive so you can reverse into yours? Because unless you can find someway of getting them to voluntarily stop being twats, anything to do with banning parking in the turning spot is going to cause you and normal neighbour problems too

Have you checked your deeds? They may include details of how the pull-in is used or that it is not to be used for parking. They are being twats.

Or, type up a little letter saying something like

"Dear neighbours, we have noticed that ever since an ambulance for my child had to block to road for 10 minutes, we have been subject to a campaign to block us in and make turning impossibly. Explain the situation of swapping cars etc. The turning point is needed to ensure both houses have safe access to their drives and are able to turn as reversing down the length of the lane is a hazard. Please could the owners of these vehicles stop parking in a turning point. It is not a parking spot."

Post it to the whole street. Embarrass them

Can some mysterious large rocks appear? Enough to stop them parking but not in the way enough to stop turning?

So they have work colleagues leave their cars in the turning spot. I would probably discreetly puncture their tyres every 3-5 days, obviously denying any knowledge.
See how that works.

Indeed contacting the LA with photos is a good idea.

@Lulualla good idea too.

I wouldn't apologize understand any circumstances.

They sound very pretty.

For the last 2 weeks 2 cars arrive every morning at 6am, they move their cars from the pull in and the other cars park there..

Ugh, you’ll probably have to be nice to them to resolve it but I would be just as upset as you.

Can you knock again and ask very politely if the situation with the work van is temporary or permanent? Because if it is likely to be a permanent situation that the turning point is in constant use for parking, your neighbour and yourself will need to speak to the council about getting at least one space designated as a no parking zone as it’s dangerous to reverse the whole length of the drive.

If they say yes, permanent and we can do as we please, perhaps ask if they’d in that case be able to leave their gates open so you can use their drive as a turning point...

Can you get some wheel clamps?

Stick a tiny sign up saying cars parked here will be clamped and then do it. Then go on holiday.

I wouldn't be apologising to them but would speak to them about it and ask that parking there stops. Failing that, I'd damage whatever car parks there - every time. Obviously don't get caught but bullies like this often only react to one thing and that's people standing up to them.

Tempting as it is to slash their tyres, etc - and quite well earned by them - I do like to stay on the right side of the law, so...

First port of call has to be to talk to them in a nice and neighbourly way.

If they still persist with harassing you in this way, I'd go for the letter to the whole street and switch to using their drive as a turning circle.

It wasn't the ambulance that blocked the neighbour in though - it was her DH's car, which he had - understandably at the time - parked behind the ambulance blocking the neighbour's drive. Not the ambulance. The neighbour did not complain about the ambulance, she complained about the DH's car.

OP, I would check what the status of that spot is - should it be kept clear to turn in, or is parking permitted? Try the local Council first.

I completely understand why you don't want to change your driveway and nor should you have had to.
The reason I asked if it were possible was because I'm not certain you'll have a good outcome with the sort of people who complained about the ambulance situation and how they've continued since to ensure your parking is made as difficult as possible. I'd worry that if you escalate the situation things could get worse, changing the drive could at least be an option if all else fails.
Would you consider approaching the people who are parking their cars in the space and explaining to them what's behind the request from your neighbours for them to park there and how it impacts your parking. Hopefully they may be decent people who won't want to be part of a vendetta which started over an ambulance and a sick child.

It sounds like the turn in is there on purpose as a turning area. So surely by parking there they are blocking the highway? I would talk to council/pcso and get them on side and see if they can help. I’d think the pcso would take a dim view of their poor parking making you reverse dangerously out of a side road.

Failing that I would use their drive to turn in every single time. They only way they can stop you doing that is by parking in it or paying for penguin bollard.

I really think it's irrelevant whether it was the ambulance or the dh car. They knocked on the door and a paramedic answered at this point surely most people would think to themselves that something serious is happening here and be considerate enough to wait until the ambulance has left or till the owner themselves comes out. Then to decide that you were so inconvenienced for 10 minutes that you are going to virtually block 2 houses driveways is unbelievable. Most nice considerate people would ask their neighbours if everything was ok in this situation not start some pretty parking war.

I would try to speak to neighbour again first and explain how difficult it makes it for you etc.

If nothing changes after that then get council involved/park there yourself. Give them one more opportunity to resolve this.

Absolutely open their gates and use their driveway to turn, when they complain state they have left you no choice and there is no way you can stop this unless they move their car.
Persevere if you have to do it for 2 months just keep at it, they will eventually give in and move their cars. You don't have to be confrontational about it just be honest and say its the only thing you can do.
I would shut their gate though, no need to add fuel to the fire.

Before going to the council - check your deeds - they may state that the unofficial car parking spot is actually a turning circle for you and your neighbours.

If it's not on the feeds it may have been covered in your contracts when you bought. Worth checking with your solicitor( if you didn't keep copies).

Alternatively wait until dark and windolene their windscreen (the opaque stuff you have to buff off) -they'll get fed up having to clean their windscreen daily!!!!

I agree, check your deeds first. TBH, they sound like utter arseholes. I feel sorry for you that they moved in.

Can you park there instead?

Or definitely speak to your local council, point out that it's causing issues. See if you can apply for double yellows with kerb lines, anyone with a blue badge can park on double yellow lines, obviously I don't know if they have a BB but worth bearing in mind.

Well the man came home about an hour ago.. his friends drove off in their cars and he parked in the pull in but the woman wasn't home yet. my neighbour noticed and immediately parked his car in the pull in.
My husband is delighted but I just don't think responding to pettiness with pettiness is going to solve any problems.. I get they want to make a point but it'll just become a stupid game!
My neighbours are going away for the weekend so said they'd leave the car where it is but it isn't inconveniencing the difficult neighbours at all, although it does leave a space on nice neighbours drive that I can turn round in!

I don't want to lower myself to their standards but maybe I have to to make a point
Fuck it - do it!!!
I'd be having some serious strong words with them both.
Fucking assholes.
Why would anyone get annoyed at an ambulance and father needing to block something temporarily in an emergency.
I'm actually fuming on your behalf.
Some people are just cunts. And don't use that word lightly!

From your diagram it’s obvious that the space is purely a turning point. Hopefully the council will back you up in this. Maybe a community support officer might be able to pay them a visit (sometimes they are able to intervene to prevent situations becoming aggressive). Maybe phone no emergency police for advice? It’s not just that they park there, they are using other people to block the space intentionally which works in your favour when you report them!

Maybe put bird seed on the cars that are being left all day? If they keep getting covered in bird shit, they may not want to park there anymore.

I wouldn't bother talking to the Twats about it anymore as it just proves that their attempts to annoy you are working. Just take daily photos of the cars being left, swapped over, and their empty driveway. After a month, either they'll get bored and stop, or you can approach your council with proof of what has been going on. You can request that it's a restricted parking bay, e.g. no parking between 10 and 11 am, which should stop the all day parking at least.

Have a look at the land registry site, you may find that your NDN actually owns the land the layby is in. We just found that our layby opposite is on out land ( not that we would actually state a claim on it though)