Who is BU? (It's a driveway one!)

[Hangingwithmygnomies]

One of my neighbours has just shouted at my husband in the street for using her drive to turn around in. He doesn't use their actual drive but pulls forward to reverse onto the dropped curb part in order to turn. We are on a main road and bus route and it's safer to do this than pull out and 3 point turn. The run in has at least 8 ft before you get to their actual driveway, as it has been built over the public footpath and grass verge that normally runs alongside the footpath, so he doesn't need to go onto their property. She was shouting that it's her property and he has no right to do that. We can't get our own drive put in as we love to near to the corner. He can't use the corner to reverse due to other cars parked before it. She's shouted at us before a few years ago when we had a newborn, he stopped over her drive temporarily for me to get the baby indoors as there was no where to park and it was chucking it down with rain. He moved it straightaway once I was out of the car. I don't believe he has done anything wrong as he doesn't touch their drive and just reverses onto the public part so I think she is BU to shout at him in the street for it but am happy to be told otherwise.

[quote Hangingwithmygnomies]@WaltzingBetty he doesn't do that because it's a very busy main road and is actually (weirdly) safer to drive forward 5ft and reverse, than pull out to 3 point (or however amny point) turns, although he is more than capable to do it, people drive way too fast down our road. Certainly above the speed limit but they won't add bumps as the bus company said they would stop running here. I think if maybe she had been polite in her request, he would resonsider but as she's stood there shouting at him it's got his back up. The only time she has ever spoken to us is to shout at us (twice) about her drive. I don't know if it makes a difference to your point but he doesn't actually cross the footpath - only the 1st square (grass verge) on my diagram.[/quote]
No it makes no difference - his car should not be leaving the road unless entering a property.

Your neighbour is correct - he should not be turning there. I agree that it would have been nice if she'd spoken politely rather than shouted, but I think persisting in turning in this spot when there are clearly multiple other options available simply because 'she's got his back up' is needlessly petty and spiteful.

As an additional point if he's pulling in their forwards and reversing out into the road as you describe he's breaking the Highway Code again and would very likely be liable in the event of a collision - it is certainly not safer to reverse into a main road than to do a 3 point turn regardless of how busy the road is - traffic will wait, and if he performs the manouvre on his return in the evening as I suggested earlier then the road would likely be quieter too.

Your DH doesn't seem to be particularly familiar with the rules of the road, or think they apply to him, which is a bit concerning.

Normally Highways (ie your local authority) are responsible for verges and footpaths. Owners responsibilities start at their front garden.

In this case does she resurface the footpath and driveway from her garden to the road? If not it’s highways and anyone can use it to turn

@Esspee

She is being totally unreasonable unless your husband is driving right inside her driveway (or he is driving a tank). I do however want to correct some misconceptions. She may own the land. I own up to the middle of the road so the pavement, wide grass strip, the dropped kerb area and half the road. I would be really pissed off if someone parked on the grass or blocked my driveway but street parking or turning is fine.

I'm not sure how I would be able to find this out. Out of curiosity, what happens if the road including the bit of road you own needs resurfacing? Do you have to contribute that cost? Would never park over her drive, only the temporary stop over it I mentioned when we had a newborn

@WaltzingBetty I would assume saying he reversed onto the run in i.e his 2 rear wheels, would make it obvious he is not reversing onto the main road, so no need for the snide remarks about being concerned he is unfamiliar with the rules of the road

People do this on my verge all the time. Never crossed my mind to be bothered about it! Yanbu

I don’t think it massively matters if she’s in the right or wrong. She hates it, she’ll continue to have a go at your DH if he keeps doing it. So your DH can either park elsewhere and therefore turn elsewhere, or keep doing it and be shouted at/be annoyed every day.

A neighbour who yelled at you for a pretty minute thing, that you’ve never had a nicer interaction with, is unlikely to be persuaded by whether it’s legal/right/reasonable. She hates it, so your DH can choose pissing her off or changing his habits.

[quote Hangingwithmygnomies]@WaltzingBetty I would assume saying he reversed onto the run in i.e his 2 rear wheels, would make it obvious he is not reversing onto the main road, so no need for the snide remarks about being concerned he is unfamiliar with the rules of the road[/quote]
Ok so he's just picking and choosing which ones apply to him - regardless it doesn't make him driving across the grass verge in front of your neighbours house each day ok. If nothing else he'll damage the grass.

You said in you're OP that you were happy to be corrected if you were being unreasonable - I've made constructive suggestions for several ways in which you could avoid upsetting your neighbour who is a carer for her sick husband, pointed out that legally you're on shaky ground if you cause damage, and that you're breaking the Highway Code, so yes you are technically wrong.

You're persisting in your view that you're right on the basis that your 'back is up' because she shouted. If you're using ego and pettiness as justification to continue upsetting your neighbour and disregarding the rules of the road then crack on - but at least be honest about your motivations. Otherwise why wouldn't you simply turn elsewhere?

@NoSquirrels

I don’t think it massively matters if she’s in the right or wrong. She hates it, she’ll continue to have a go at your DH if he keeps doing it. So your DH can either park elsewhere and therefore turn elsewhere, or keep doing it and be shouted at/be annoyed every day.

A neighbour who yelled at you for a pretty minute thing, that you’ve never had a nicer interaction with, is unlikely to be persuaded by whether it’s legal/right/reasonable. She hates it, so your DH can choose pissing her off or changing his habits.

Totally agree. There's way to much focus on being 'right' rather than being decent here

As I said to a woman once who was haranging me for parking near her house - is this public or private road? Answer : Public I just said if she could show me the deeds and payment for the piece of public road I parked on to show it was hers I would be happy to concede to her right to part there not me

So long as you are not within her drive area its fine.

Ironically we DO have a private road and we have a small patch of grass and enough driveway for 2 cars side by side and we have had to put logs on the grass as not only to cheeky fuckers come down our road for a neb they then turn on my feckin lawn. There is a whole fucking 2 car drive way to turn on. So long as they are not grinding the gravel I am good - far better than the bloody lawn

@WaltzingBetty actually I have just spoken to him about what a pp said regarding it could be causing distress to the man, it's not something I had considered. For what it's worth, I don't disagree with you, sadly my husband can be a stubborn sod and needs time to calm down in order to see the rationale but I think I'd be pissed off to be shouted down in the street over something that most seem to think is not unreasonable, so I stand by opinion she was rude for that. It's the first time she has raised this particular thing as an issue. The last time was an objection to being stopped over her drive for 2 minutes while I got my son out in his carrier. Our next door but one neighbour, very occassionally parks across her drive so I didn't think she would mind for 2 minutes, clearly I was wrong. Your last comment regarding him not being familiar with the rules of the road wasn't warranted at all. I merely asked you if it made a difference that he didn't cross the actual footpath and you then said about reversing onto a main road, which he doesn't do. I will get him to try and find somewhere else to turn around, purely to keep the peace.

@WaltzingBetty just for a little clarity, the grass is no longer there in front of her drive, it's all concrete run in or whatever it's called. The grass verge was dug up in front of their house when they had the driveway put in. Grass verge only remains in front of houses with no drive

You can download from the land registry I think it is £3, it will show the boundary of her land.

I highly doubt she owns the footpath or the area where the grass verge used to be in front of her drive, most people don't. She probably thinks she does as she paid the council for the dropped curb installation.

This cost is just for the work the council have to do to drop the curb, it is not payment for extra land.

Agree with prev poster, get a copy of the title on land reg showing what she owns.

I bought the land that goes from my house to the road - including a dropped kerb. I do not allow anyone to reverse or park on my drive because it it my property - I have a bollard - but not a penquin. Perhaps your neighbour feels she owns the land and your DH has no right to use it in any way?

She may have paid for the dropped kerb but she doesn’t own the land, she merely has a right if access over it. Your DH is perfectly within his rights to drive on council owned land. You could always contact the planning department and ask them to confirm this in writing?

He may not but if others are doing it and it is like ours, I can see she would get upset and attack whichever driver was there at the time regardless. Perhaps he could find another turning place for a while.

I had to smile one day when a white van driver backed into the wall opposite, having already run out of pavement to reverse over. They do that to us too. Man got out and rushed to the back of the van, threw his hands up, got back in and drove off.