Note left on car after parking outside someone's house.

[Thumbs]

Yesterday, a car was parked outside my house and there was no space on the pavement along my house so I parked around the corner.
There was no dropped curb so naturally presumed I could park there.

Spent my day doing things around the house when DH comes in saying there's a note on the car and that i've parked in front of their drive.
I read the note and it said something along the lines of
"Please don't park across our drive again, there are plenty of spaces on this street. Thanks."

I have never met this person despite living on the same street and never really took notice of their house to have known they have a "drive". Most of the houses on my street do not have drives apart from the odd one who has had their kerbs dropped.

But I was always led to believe that a 'drive' always has a dropped kerb. There is no dropped kerb outside their house.
Anyway I moved the car but DH told me it's obviously a drive even though it doesnt have a dropped kerb and he apologised to the owners of the house.

I feel stupid now because according to DH it was obvious.

@Livelovebehappy

littlemisslockdown because if someone uses part of their front as a parking for cars, there would be car sized access. If not, I would assume there would be a wall and pedestrian gateway. If people don’t have a wall or fence separating the front of their house from the public path, then it suggests it’s that way for access for parking. That would be my understanding anyway.

Not necessarily. Where I live for example a deed of covenant prohibits any kind of wall (previous owner of my house built one, got reported and had to apply for retrospective planning permission)

sorry pressed too soon, my young grandson ran out of my drive and got knocked off his feet and very luckily escaped with just concussion.

@Bahhhhhumbug

I'm a bit on the fence actually, no pun intended but I think you really should have noticed ,dropped kerb or not it wasn't very observant of you, which is a very important part of safe driving to be aware of what's going on around us and not to notice an opening wide enough for a drive a few feet to your left as you parked is a bit worrying.

She did notice an opening wide enough for a drive. But it was not a drive.

Kind of like I might notice a cat. But I would not run away because I would know it was not a tiger.

@Bahhhhhumbug

I'm a bit on the fence actually, no pun intended but I think you really should have noticed ,dropped kerb or not it wasn't very observant of you, which is a very important part of safe driving to be aware of what's going on around us and not to notice an opening wide enough for a drive a few feet to your left as you parked is a bit worrying.

She noticed the bit that was relevant, which is whether the kerb is dropped. The width of the entrance to their glorified patio is entirely irrelevant. As long as she notices moving objects and people around her, and parks where is legal, all is fine. Noticing house and garden designs whilst driving would actually make me think you are distracted whilst in charge of a car.

@Bahhhhhumbug ayyyy? So because I didn't notice someone used their front garden as a drive, I didn't demonstrate safe driving? Okay then, makes sense.

UANBU, no dropped curb no drive. It is easy enough to apply to council to get it done. They probably don't want to pay for it.

@Livelovebehappy

In theory if there is no dropped kerb, you were okay to park there. But tbh, I would have noted they had a drive, so would potentially want access to it. It’s just about being a considerate person, not always about what’s legally right or not.

Without a council-approved dropped kerb, they have no legal right to access their "drive" with a car.....

because if someone uses part of their front as a parking for cars, there would be car sized access. If not, I would assume there would be a wall and pedestrian gateway. If people don’t have a wall or fence separating the front of their house from the public path

Near to me I can't think of a single house that has a paved garden and a wall/gate. There are some houses nearby who use their front gardens as drives but all have dropped kerbs again they have no gates though. I certainly wouldn't think the lack of a wall or gate would be a deciding factor in whether it was a 'drive'.

@vanillandhoney

If it's not a dropped kerb it's just a patio with aspirations.

🤣🤣

Love it

Settling down with a glass of wine (later), I don’t like popcorn, what can I have instead?
OP, we would like a diagram please.

I missed that! All this time and no diagram

[quote TurquoiseDragon]**@Bibidy Why does it matter?

Well, for starters it's illegal to drive on the pavement. It causes damage to non-reinforced pavements, and can also damage utilities lying beneath the pavement. Which can cost a lot of money, time and disruption to fix (this is why a dropped kerb also includes reinforced pavements). And these damaged pavements, kerbs and utility pipes, etc can cause disruption to neighbours, too.

So if people want a drive, pay the costs and obtain the correct permission.

In some areas, councils are restricting the dropped kerbs, as the resulting new driveways are reducing the amount of green area for rainwater runoff, and increasing the possibility of floods.[/quote]
But it doesn't seem like any of this is what OP is concerned about? She's just annoyed that someone has asked her not to park where she is legally allowed to park. Which is fine but equally nothing has come of it so I don't get the big deal.

She doesn't usually park there, there are other spaces available, the neighbours just left a note, they didn't come hammering on her door and going mental at her.

The only thing that would annoy me is my DH going round there to apologise, there wasn't really any need and her reason for not noticing it was a driveway was understandable.

without seeing a photo of the house in question, in the absence of a dropped kerb (and presumably in the absence of a parked car) I think it's perfectly possible to not realise that the inhabitants consider that they have a 'drive'.

@Thumbs

My DH apologised because I genuinely was not seeing how I was in the wrong so was not going to apologise

That's because you were not wrong so there was no need to apologise!

Near to where I work a lot of houses tried to use their front gardens as driveways without having the kerb dropped. As a result the kerbs were being damaged and as another PP has mentioned, it is illegal to drive on the pavement to access your property without the kerb being dropped.

The front gardens of these properties were also slightly too small to actually hold a car, so the council went around and put barriers up along the pavement so cars can't get through!

I wouldn't apologise either OP. You've done nothing wrong. I would also go back and put something through their door about dropped kerbs and illegally driving on the pavement, but probably at night when it's dark and they can't see me!

We haven't seen it. Your DH has and thought you should apologise. The person whose house it is, thought you should apologise. On that basis, I think YABU. But you also seem determined to argue that YANBU so I'm not sure of the point of this.

@TheCrowsHaveEyes i posted a picture off google images from my street earlier in the thread, it is quite clearly not a dropped kerb

It amazes me the number of posters who post so assertively that OP is in the wrong when she is not - and they are. Where are the apologies to the OP for the numpty (and wrong) posts?

Highways Act is very specific, always a good place to check when you're not sure of your facts.

It amazes me the number of posters who post so assertively that OP is in the wrong when she is not - and they are. Where are the apologies to the OP for the numpty (and wrong) posts?

It's funny yet sadly quite common. Posters who are so quick to point the finger at the OP and yet like you said they never come back to appologise for being in the wrong.

As usual on MN, being legally in the right trumps being considerate.

What page is the google images pic on please?

Given you have to pay for planning permission and work to get the curb lowered, they are quite literally taking the advantage of having a drive while not compensating the public purse as is appropriate given issues with road quality, underground services, emergency services given there has been no assessment if it is a safe location on the street for a drive that came with driving onto the pavement. Having a drive is not a necessity, so there is no excuse not to go through the process. After all, as they say, there are plenty of parking spaces on the street for them that don’t steal off the taxpayer.

YANBU, and quite frankly your DH needs to wind his neck in and not go around apologising for your completely reasonable behaviour.

How is it inconsiderate to park legally on a public highway?

I can’t stand people who get their knickers in a twist about protecting the space on the road outside their house, if you are so precious about having designated parking buy a house with off road parking or pay to have a dropped curb, otherwise suck it up.

Exactly cygne
If you can easily park out of your neighbour’s way then why on earth wouldn’t you do that? You can be neighbourly or you can be an inconsiderate twat.
Incidentally you should have seen a drive even without a dropped kerb.

curb kerb curb kerb curb kerb patio-with-aspirations kerb curb curb kerb

kurb?

cerb?
aspirations with patio?

YANBU by the way. I think your DH was a bit acerbic and should have dropped it