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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

WIBU to leave my drive empty?

103 replies

DotTheCaddy · 26/08/2020 15:48

A friend is driving down to visit me and street parking is a nightmare on my road, so today when a space freed up outside I moved my car off my drive into it so drive would be free for her to park.

Neighbor who has no drive has gotten ratty about it and called out to me that I shouldn't be parking on the road when I have an empty drive.

WIBU?

OP posts:
NikeDeLaSwoosh · 26/08/2020 16:34

You are allowed to park across your own dropped kerb

Highway Code Rule 243 disagrees with you I'm afraid

Quite apart from anything else, how would a Civil Enforcement Officer know that its your house?

Original poster
DotTheCaddy · 26/08/2020 16:34

Love the spell!

OP posts:
nc600 · 26/08/2020 16:40

"I'd have politely told her to go fuck a goat." Hmm

Are people incapable of explaining that it's a one off to their neighbour without telling them to fuck off - or even worse, trying to sound amusing and quirky with "fuck a goat" whatever that means. Boring.

DGRossetti · 26/08/2020 16:40

@NikeDeLaSwoosh

You are allowed to park across your own dropped kerb

Highway Code Rule 243 disagrees with you I'm afraid

Quite apart from anything else, how would a Civil Enforcement Officer know that its your house?

You are aware you have just posted the HC guidance which says exactly what I did ?

Rule 243

DO NOT stop or park:

(blah di blah)
where the kerb has been lowered to help wheelchair users and powered mobility vehicles

That doesn't mean you can't park across your own dropped kerb.

DGRossetti · 26/08/2020 16:41

Are people incapable of explaining that it's a one off to their neighbour without telling them to fuck off - or even worse, trying to sound amusing and quirky with "fuck a goat" whatever that means. Boring.

I think the point is rather why should anyone have to explain anything ? OP is not doing anything that requires permission or agreement.

5foot5 · 26/08/2020 16:42

YANBU.

I have done this. In general parking is not too bad in our road, but we had a bit of a problem last year with one particular neighbour who regularly went away for weekends, weeks, fortnights at a time in their motor home and while they were away left both their other cars parked outside our house rather than putting them back on their own drive. (Grrr don't get me started - would only have taken them 5 minutes at each end of the trip to move their cars)

Now we have a double drive so although it was rather annoying and made it that bit harder to get in and out is wasn't a major inconvenience. However if we were expecting friends over it would be a problem for them to park. Hence, I would try to get home early on a Friday before they went away and park my own car on the road outside the house instead of on the drive, thus reserving the spot for our guest.

LakieLady · 26/08/2020 16:43

Another vote for fuck off.

I park on the road if I can because my drive is steep and it hurts my bad knee getting out on the slope, and unless you creep out at a lot less than walking pace, the front spoiler scrapes on the road surface as you pull out. I used to block the bottom of our drive, but NDN asked me not to as it makes it difficult for her to get out of her drive.

Another neighbour parks her work van and her 4 x 4 pick-up on the road outside her house because neither of them fit on her drive. This means that her partner can't park his tiny Aygo on the drive either, as he goes to work at about 5 am and he can't get out without her moving her vans!

No-one's ever said anything about it.

rwalker · 26/08/2020 16:48

Fuck her off if you did it all the time and left your drive empty may poorly have a point. But not from one incident today .

INeedNewShoes · 26/08/2020 16:50

When I have visitors I ask them to park across my driveway, blocking me in. That way I don’t have to take up a space on our road. I feel sorry for people coming home from work and struggling to park. Having said that, I have no qualms about taking up spaces on the road when I have more visitors as so many of these little 3 bed terraced houses have 3 cars so it’s that that is causing the problem!

If you were my neighbour, it wouldn’t bother me that you’ve done this.

Saz12 · 26/08/2020 16:59

If you never used your drive because you were too lazy to reverse/ whatever then IMO that’s pretty inconsiderate where there’s a shortage of parking. Even though you’ve “every right” to do it.
But so your visitor can park? No, that’s totally fine.
Could you not have just said “NDN, I’m expecting my friend Deirdre so she’s going to park on my drive”. Sorted.

NikeDeLaSwoosh · 26/08/2020 17:00

That doesn't mean you can't park across your own dropped kerb

All dropped kerbs are there to facilitate wheelchair access.

Therefore you cannot block any dropped kerb, including your own.

SissySpacekAteMyHamster · 26/08/2020 17:03

£80 fine here for parking over a dropped kerb, even your own.

ScarMatty · 26/08/2020 17:04

That doesn't mean you can't park across your own dropped kerb.

It is not your dropped kerb.

You pay to get it dropped, but it isn't yours and your don't own it

TSSDNCOP · 26/08/2020 17:04

@FadedRed genius Grin

SoupDragon · 26/08/2020 17:09

Just because you can doesn't mean that you should.

Unless your friend has mobility problems it's a bit dickish.

lyralalala · 26/08/2020 17:10

I think it's pretty off of the neighbour to have a go as a one off.

It does take the piss when people do it excessively though - there's a house in my street with 5 cars that could all fit on their drive (biggest driveway in the street), but they've installed basketball hoops (despite having a massive garden) so park all of their cars on the street. Perfectly legal, but completely inconsiderate to take 5 of 12 spaces when they could easily park on their drive.

Doing it occasionally for deliveries or visitors is not a piss take though.

DGRossetti · 26/08/2020 17:11

@ScarMatty

That doesn't mean you can't park across your own dropped kerb.

It is not your dropped kerb.

You pay to get it dropped, but it isn't yours and your don't own it

DW has just prodded me and reminded me we were told this when we had ours laid.

Every day a learning day Smile

Hippee · 26/08/2020 17:12

I do this whenever I host meetings at my house. The attendees would have no chance of parking anywhere nearby if I didn't, as we are prime staff and sixth-form parking for the local school.

FartingInTheFence · 26/08/2020 17:12

@nc600

"I'd have politely told her to go fuck a goat." Hmm

Are people incapable of explaining that it's a one off to their neighbour without telling them to fuck off - or even worse, trying to sound amusing and quirky with "fuck a goat" whatever that means. Boring.

If you dont know what it means, how can you claim "fuck a goat" is amusing? 🤷‍♂️🤦‍♂️

But yeh, the neighbour can go fuck a goat, even if you dont like that phrase.

ScarMatty · 26/08/2020 17:14

@DGRossetti

Not that I agree! I think if you pay the small fortune to get it dropped it should be yours!

FlamedToACrisp · 26/08/2020 17:15

Yes, you're in the right, but can't you compromise? Park in the road, but not necessarily right beside your house where your neighbour usually parks. If you were 4-10 cars away in a different space each time, you could walk back home easily and wouldn't annoy anyone on a regular basis.

SchadenfreudePersonified · 26/08/2020 17:15

@FadedRed

You might find this useful:
I shall embroider that onto a sampler, and display it above my mantelpiece.

Thank you.

Grin
Staffy1 · 26/08/2020 17:16

None of their business.

PermaStress · 26/08/2020 17:20

Not your fault she doesn't have a drive. You've got as much right to park on the road as her.

DGRossetti · 26/08/2020 17:21

[quote ScarMatty]@DGRossetti

Not that I agree! I think if you pay the small fortune to get it dropped it should be yours![/quote]
But it's not your land, so fair enough.

I'm waiting for the real shit to hit the fan when people start buying their electric cars and putting up chargers on the street so that only they can park there. Which has been floated by the ever-so-green government.