I just lost it over parking

[tallinmanchester]

I live near a post office and a woman just rudely parked outside my drive and was on her way into the post office when I shouted out the window that I'd like her to move her car.

Do you need access to the drive was her reply.

That's not the point, it's called being respectful and I said she should park down the road - literally loads of space like 20 yards further down (quiet residential road).

She got aggressive. I got aggressive. Words were had, she stormed off... I went outside but she obviously knew I wasn't letting it go and she came back and moved her car - together with name calling - which I returned.

Thing is, I don't know why it bothers me. I feel out of sorts at the moment with lockdown and my fuse is really short.

People parking in front of my drive are pissing me off.

But why do I feel off - is it because I'm stuck at home all day working and not getting out much?

I pay for a house with a driveway so I can park on it. I’d be fucking raging if you parked across it because you couldn’t be bothered to walk for a few minutes.

People like you should be fined for it.

@SkedaddIe

Long post for clarity because I'm replying to different people and going around in a circle, plus my individual points are being taken out of context. I'm happy to be corrected but what I have been taught is...

Is it okay to block someone in?

Absolutely not. It's definitely illegal and can be criminal.

Is it illegal to block a drive?

Not by itself.

When is it illegal then?

If there is a vehicle in it as I said above. Or where there are specific bye laws prohibiting it as I and a pp discussed earlier.

What about the Highway Code?

The Highway Code is an advisory not a statute and it refers to the Highways Act 1980. It was was explained to me by my employer 15 years ago that this advisory was intended for drives and unadopted roads to public access property Eg libraries, hospitals, schools. NOT Mr & Mrs Smith at 67 Berry drive or whatever. Borough council bye laws are supposed to clarify but unfortunately people prefer to just read what suits them and stop there.

If everyone in the country dropped their kerbs nobody would be able to drive anywhere anymore. If you have a genuine reason why your property needs special access the council will paint a disabled bay, or double yellow or other road markings to lawfully prohibit parking.

Furthermore you have an issue that the council is sympathetic to but doesn't give you the right to prevent parking they will paint a single white line.

There also are areas with bye laws preventing all parking in front of all drives for example new build estates

What about morals?

This I actually agree with, parking across a drive should be a reasonable last resort. But I'm not going to walk for miles just so you can stake your claim to your little bit of Britain.

Plus I have never minded people parking across my own drive if they left a number to call. Because if I really need the drive I would call them. If I didn't need the drive I would park somewhere else.

I lived most of my life in London where parking space is often scarce. Politeness should go both ways. And I think it's rude to make everyone around you suffer so you can have your own little private oasis that you are not entitled to. Most of the people irl that have done this are usually very typical territorial bullies.

I’m entitled to it because I paid for it.

@SkedaddIe well the times I’ve rung the police because some arse has prevented me accessing my drive by parking in front of it, they’ve been quite happy to deal with it by tracing the owner and telling them to bloody move.
I have a disabled child and you preventing me getting out could mean I can’t get her the medical help she needs quickly. Think about that next time.

I'd be reaching for the diazepam

This being a parking thread, I wonder how many other people read this as "reaching for the diagram" at first.

We live right next door to a primary school. It's not actually as bad as I thought it would be, most people are considerate. I did once have to ask a woman to move her car (she was gossiping with some other mums right beside it) as I had to get to a funeral and even though I was really nice about it she was soooo arsey. We're not usually all that bothered about it and I tend to just let it go because DD goes to the school so we inevitably will bump into them at some school function or other, and also we don't often have to get the car on or off the drive. That day, though, I lost my shit pretty spectacularly - grief and parking entitlement don't mix, it turns out. She hasn't parked there since and that was three years ago...

skedaddle

Thanks for posting your example. The wording was a little similar to the wording my own council used. I have noticed that my borough has updated their guidance and it is quite clear about what you can and can’t do. It seems to answer many of my past written questions to them So maybe they figured it was time to clarify.

What it does refer to is this link

www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2004/18/section/86

And also, the way I have had it explained to me which you probably feel is unfair, because a dropped kerb to a single residence can be parked across with owner’s permission (as also clearly stated in your southwark example), it IS essentially an extension of that resident’s property for the purposes of parking.

You can only use that space with permission from the resident. That is why the councils only ticket someone if the resident calls to advise them.

In our borough, due to the very narrow streets in many areas it is actually encouraged to get drop down kerbs where they fit the restrictions to allow them to be created. Because it gets cars off the street. Ours, and quite a few others, has just lost pavement parking because the emergency vehicles could not get down the street.

The problem with all CF parking in a heavily populated urban area is that what you as a CF Parker believe is harmless is quite often the opposite.

And anyone parking across driveways close to schools and stores surrounded by narrow streets is simply choosing to ignore children’s safety.

My mums house had a drive and a disabled bay in front of it because she actually needed special access.

As I and other posters have pointed out, you are also making a massive assumption that the residents don’t have special needs.

Just because you kindly leave your phone number doesn’t do the person, like my neighbour having to circle the block til you move after they phoned you so they can alight their child who is by now screaming because they see their house but can’t get out, any favours at all. None. I guess they too could be CF and sit there and block the traffic so they don’t have the inconvenience of driving around the block several times, I guess. Does that work? Who is going to report them for doing it?

My street has two families with children that need these extra requirements, they choose to live near the school for better access for their children’s needs.

They DON’T have a disabled space as well. Because they have a drive!

Just because your mother had both, it is not the norm. Please don’t rely on that erroneous assumption to judge whether your parking across a driveway is harmless or not.

This being a parking thread,

This being a parking thread, on AIBU no less.

I used to live by a school and people blocked my drive on a regular basis. Again, there was plenty of parking 10 metres down the road. When I once asked someone to move as I had to go and pick up my kids, they told me they wanted to finish their phone call first and could I wait for ten minutes. This is not ok, it's rude and disrespectful.

Wow. The mental acrobatics some people will go through to justify their selfishness.

I can’t believe some people think it’s EVER acceptable to park in front of someone’s drive - it isn’t. No excuses.

A friend of my mothers couldn’t get her own elderly, sick mother to hospital because some selfish bastard parked in front of her drive. It’s never okay, you don’t know that persons situation.

You might think it’s acceptable if there isn’t a car in the drive, but what happens when someone comes home and they need to get in? Maybe they have a baby, or mobility issues, or are disabled or just want to park on their own drive that they have paid for?! Unbelievably selfish.

Good for you! People are so inconsiderate. I would never dream of parking across someone's drive

You don’t purposefully block someone’s drive because you can’t be bothered to find an appropriate parking space like everyone else.
Thank you. That is true.

If she had a genuine emergency, i.e a medical problem such as you did then of course you would cut her some slack. But in this case she was just being lazy. And obviously arrogant enough to think she could be granted special exception.. And you know that how exactly? No ones asked her why she didn’t park 200metres further down the road. Least of all the OP.

I put YABU as you don't say she was blocking your drive. If you think the road outside your house is yours, you're wrong.

If she was actually blocking your drive, that's a different matter and even if she was only going to be a minute, she was out of order.

Good for you! People are so inconsiderate. I would never dream of parking across someone's drive.

^This Witt bells on. I can't believe that anyone is actually trying to claim that this type of CF behaviour can ever be justified.

@SkedaddIe

I would be furious if I came home and could not get into my drive, but at the same time I'm impressed at your defence of CF

I have actually had the experience of someone blocking my drive because they had an emergency. In reality, their child was sick and they came to pick them up but got taking to their mother up the street who had the child.

Unfortunately, it meant my own child missed a vital medical appointment while they were themselves ill. But hey ho!!! No harm obviously in making an assumption that one emergency trumps another’s.

It's because you are stuck at home all day and not getting out much. Get out more. Walk!!!

I am totally flabbergasted at the entitlement of skedaddle.

My mum lives at the end of a cul de sac which is totally private and she is at the end. A man one day was going to park his car at her house for the day and tried to tell her he was entitled to do so. He picked the wrong person is all I will say. Was she being mean to not let him park on private ground that my late dad had worked very hard in a industry that was at times perilous to buy.