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?

Birdseed is quite a good idea. And if you happened to accidentally drop some nails whilst passing, well, that would be a shame you didn’t manage to clear them all up...

my husband rushed home and parked behind the ambulance, blocking the new neighbours driveway.

Here's the the thing the ambulance didn't block your neighbours in your husband did. I get it's stressful and he just wanted to rush in and see you both but 20 mins to move the car when you know someone is waiting is a bit different.

Yes they could have been more understanding but you have no idea what they were late for or missed as a consequence. I would try and smooth over a bit before escalating it up to the council etc

You and neighbour need to go round together. Explain ambulance driver didn't let dh know the first time they knocked as baby was fitting so it wasn't the time. Say you're sorry (fingers crossed behind back!) for any inconvenience caused. Ask politely if they can stop parking in the lay by / turning spot as it means you have to reverse for half a mile which isn't safe.

If they don't agree do the bird seed and reverse using their drive every time. And call the council about yellow lines. They're absolute knobs!

I wouldn't apologise for not moving my car whilst my child was having a fit.

It was perfectly clear that there was a medical emergency going on. They need to take a look at themselves.

Whilst you are getting this sorted, your NDN and you both need to park there at every available opportunity.

The space in the highway has been put there for a reason. It can therefore be considered an unlawful obstruction. There doesn't need to be parking restrictions to commit the offence

Look at this explanation

netpol.org/resources/common-criminal-offences/

Have i got thus right they werent blocked by the ambulance but by your dh's car? Blocked by ambulance they are twats blocked by your dh not so much. If its the first not sure what you can do if its the second you should grovel.

I don't understand how you can't reverse into your driveaway if you can reverse out. Then you could drive down the lane the right way when you leave?

Your neighbours are clearly complete cunts but it'll be a lot easier to change your behaviour than theirs.

I don't understand how you can't reverse into your driveaway if you can reverse out.

You can drive down a narrow alleyway or road, but if there is no turning room you will have to reverse back if you want to leave. OP’s driveway is at the very end of the long narrow road - they drive straight in, not turn in. There’s a diagram up thread.

When they are out, thwack their cars with a fucking huge plank of wood. Then deny all knowledge and say it much have been a delivery driver as they couldn't manouvre.....

Throw bird seed all over their cars!

but seriously, check your deeds. It may be that the spot is offically a turning bay and not for parking. In which case, the whole 'we can park where we want' will not be valid.

To the posters saying it was ok that they were mad cause it was the DH'S car not the ambulance blocking the way. If your child was having a fit would you want to leave them to move the car straight away? And in any case the neighbours have no idea why the ambulance was there. The driver of the car could have been undergoing medical treatment. Someone could have been resuscitated, someone could have just died. A little compassion wouldn't have gone amiss surely. You could understand been annoyed for a short time but to carry it on into this petty parking dispute is over the top.

I would turn in her drive. Leave the gates open. Your neighbours are being unreasonable arsewipes. I would never approach an ambulance asking them to move. I’m horrified some people think it’s ok

Park in their drive.

@InfiniteSheldon absolutely should not need to grovel to my neighbours, yes it was my husbands car blocking their driveway.. but he rushed home knowing an ambulance had been called to our baby.. he obviously wasn't thinking about anything other than seeing our child, I would never expect anyone to grovel to me if an ambulance giving someone medical attention interrupted my day in anyway.. he didn't know the ambulance had arrived, he couldn't get on the drive way so what should he of done? Reversed all the way back to park at the end not actually knowing it his child was ok or not?
My neighbours stopped me getting to a hospital appointment a few weeks back because they had an ambulance and fire engine blocking the whole road for an hour and a half.. should they grovel to me? I'd never let that happen.. I'd never even let them know I was inconvenienced by it!

I have however said earlier I will begrudging say sorry to them, purely to try and resolve the problem but I certainly won't be grovelling,

@AnAC12UCOinanOCG there's no way of turning in the road without the turning point so in order to reverse into my drive I'd have to reverse all the way down the lane, which is no different to reversing all the way down the lane to get off my drive.. doesn't solve anything,

Surely it has to remain clear for Emergency Vehicles? I would enquire about this, and i would park your cars overnight in the area preventing them parking there in the morning.

..maybe get yourself a road sign off a cock crossed out with a flashing light ontop .

I would have thought that the council would have something to say. My friend is a senior lawyer in a LA and has commented on the 'illegality' of people parking in the turning space in her cul de sac (different LA).

Seems like your nice neighbour needs to leave their car there so you can use their driveway to turn in.

Definitely contact the appropriate council department for advice.

While your neighbour is away can you park so you block in the colleagues cars?

I'd be tempted to park in front of the 2 cars so they have to knock every single morning and then take a good 20-30 minutes to get dressed to move the car. It would probably only escalate it though so you'd be better off talking to them and seeing if you could sort it out amicably.

I think I'd be considering letting their car tyres down under cover of darkness and hopefully they'll get the hint. But. You can't reason with arse holes and these people sound like they are (arseholes) from what you've told us about them.

This is really sad. People are such massive twats. I've just read an article about a boy dying at centre parcs this week and people trying to still use the swimming pool and slides around his poor mother cradling him dying and then they were demanding refunds etc...seems like a similar type of people to your horrible neighbours OP. Where did this breed of self centred entitled twats come from?! OP I'd honestly just keep ignoring it they'll soon get bored of this 6am dance they're doing with their cars. I'd also use their drive to turn round or park over it if they keep being twats.