It's a parking one.........

[LissJas]

We live in a very small village. We have a village square where there are parking spaces, some short term (30 mins) and some with no time restrictions. There is also parking available on each side of the roads leading off the main square. There are terraced houses opening directly onto the pavement on each side too. Most village households have two cars and parking is an absolutely bloody nightmare. Normally every space crammed at every point, you have to drive round and round until someone leaves like a bloody busy car park.

My dd's car has been parked on the road outside a terraced house for a few weeks (driven around every so often by me and DP as she isn't home at the moment). There are cars in front and behind her taking all the available space up, same on the other side of the road.

I went to move it today, drove it to the shops and back and then when I returned the space I'd driven out of was still free! So I re-parked. A woman then approached my car, I opened the window and she basically had a go at me for parking there. She said the neighbours are furious, they've had the police out, the council out, they thought it was an abandoned car (it's been driven regularly!). She said it's taxed, insured and MOT'd (like I hadn't known?!) BUT to be aware that they had run these checks, like it was a threat. Like the car is now on their wavelength so I should be aware. She then said that I was parked in front of someone's house and depriving them of their parking space. There are no allocated spaces within the square at all, it's a first come, first served situation. She was very accusatory, rude and patronising. I have no idea why she was getting involved, she isn't one of the neighbours. She was quite aggressive, kept going on about how upset they were as if I should just say "Oh, sorry, I'll move immediately." There was nowhere to move to!

I was quite shocked but I pointed out that I was parked perfectly legally, with a legally roadworthy car and that no-one has an allocated space outside their house. My house is in the village and I can't park outside it!! That's just the way things are, it's a pain but the fact is that anyone can park anywhere. She muttered something about only telling me then said "I think you should be more gracious," before storming off.

So AIBU or was she??

As already asked why aren't you parking it in front of your house?

If you are not, it's because it would annoy you that you could never park in front of yours, so I get you'd be as frustrated if someone did to you what you are doing to these residents.

Agree with previous poster - it’s not unreasonable but it is extremely inconsiderate.

She can park it there if she can find a space, which she did

Just because you can do something doesn't mean that your should do it.

It would be better to move it about so you are parked in front of different houses rather than leave it outside one house for "a few weeks". It would be far more considerate.

As already asked why aren't you parking it in front of your house?

She said in the OP that she can't get a space outside her own house.

I think as soon as a space outside your house is available that you park it there. It's taking the piss a bit to store an unused car outside someone's house for months.

OP why don't you just do the nice thing and move the car? If it's upsetting people them help them out by moving by it.

maybe the people parking outside ops house are being unreasonable, and the people parking outside their house, and the ones outside that persons house... where does it stop?

Sorry I think YABU. Obviously it's perfectly legal for you to park there but I would be trying to park it in different places every so often. I wouldn't expect to always be able to park outside my house but to never be able to because of one car always being there would be frustrating. I just think it's a bit selfish.

Sounds as though you'll eventually get controlled parking, in which case you probably won't be able to have 3 cars anymore. (Assuming you have 3, but it sounds as though you do).
Can you park in front of your house most of the time?

Because when the OP moves the car it will be annoying someone else! It is literally a no win situation so I would do what suits me OP.

I'm confused. Where do people think OP should move the car to?

It's legal and your technically doing nothing wrong but if I'm honest it would bug me if it was sat outside my house for weeks. Why is it not parked at your house?

Why are so many people asking why it’s not parked outside the OP’s house when it says in the OP that she can’t get parked outside it?

Why do you have three cars for a two person household? That seems really excessive.

Where does your daughter normally live and park?

Perfectly legal but what's the point of your DD having a car she doesn't use? That's what's annoying..

Why do you have three cars for a two person household?

I'm not sure the OP says they have 3 cars but it's 3 cars for 3 people (although the DD is away). One each. Hardly excessive in a village which probably doesn't have the transport links of a city.

Hmm, you all talk a lot of sense. I'll go out this morning and move it to....somewhere else. My instinct is to knock on the door with a bottle of wine/chocolates and apologise, but that would be weird and I think they would shoot me down in flames anyway 😂

Yes, we have three cars. One for DP who works full time across multiple locations, often two in one day, so he needs total flexibility with his transport.

I have one for my day to day life, school runs, shopping, etc. My school run is an hour's round trip driving, for context. I WFH.

Then dd has hers. It was a 17th birthday present. She's at boarding school so only back infrequently unless it's holidays.

Thanks for the replies :) It's nice to have a sense of perspective. I'll update when I find somewhere else to park! Of course the other consideration is the safety of the car. We've had a few nasty crimes recently, our charity shop was broken into and £300 taken. People really can be arseholes. I mean, a charity shop??

The car isn't amazing, it's a 2016 plate Seat, but I still need to consider the security.

That’s a good update, I think for the sake of neighbourly relations I’d move it too. Whilst you’re not technically doing anything wrong, it sounds like you’re out of step with the spirit of how parking works in your area.

I read OPs update as being slightly lighthearted?

Realistically, wherever you move to will be in front of someone else’s house.

It is incredibly convenient to be able to park outside your own house - that’s why houses with drives cost more.

If no one has a drive then everyone has to park where they can legally.

I read your original post as that it would be unusual for you to return from a trip to find the same space empty that you had vacated - so surely the car is moving regularly?

OP I don’t think you have done anything wrong - just people are batshit about the 12ft of kerb space outside their home.

why dont you do what people have suggested and wait until there is a space outside your own home and park it there, then it's not bothering anyone else when it's there for weeks unused

Because then the OPs and her DH’s cars would be parked outside shouty woman’s instead. It makes no difference.

Car culture tho ‘ . Buying a 17 yo who is hardly ever at home her own car, when you have no off-street parking.., it’s never going to get any better, is it?

Blouse - agree. The initial arrangement was that it lived at her father's house but he lives an hour away so she wasn't getting to drive it very much.

After Christmas U6 get on-site parking at school too so 🤞it won't be too much of an issue for long.

If you have 3 cars I think you're taking the piss and should rent a garage to park DD's in, personally.

You know there's very limited parking so to use 3 spaces is unreasonable.

Hell - no garages to rent around here at all. Can't go further because of the obvious logistics.