For people to park in bays instead of on their own drive?

[MaMaD1990]

Not really AIBU but more do you all think its unreasonable. People with a driveway who park in built-in additional parking spaces instead of on their own drive. There's someone who does this on my street, only one car but they use up one of these additional parking spaces. My partner has a company car and would be good to be able to park there instead of on the road, but not really anything that bothers us, you could argue that we should've bought a house to accommodate two cars on a driveway. A friend of mine had a full on hissy fit at her neighbour about this same issue because the road was congested with parked cars. So do you think its unreasonable to use up a space instead of your own drive or do you think its fine for people to do this? Based on someone with one car. Interested to hear views!

We had a phase of people parking on the road (virtually opposite our house,) for a couple of years! (Back around 2016/17.) They were relatives of the woman opposite. They parked on the road, opposite our driveway. 3 OR 4 DAYS OF THE WEEK! For TWO YEARS! Often for 3-4 hours at a time. Sometimes 6-7 hours.

Sometimes there were 3 cars parked there! It was very difficult to get out of our drive (and sometimes impossible,) and it was often IMPOSSIBLE to get in. And she had a 4 car drive! They were just too bone idle to take the 10 extra seconds it took to park on the driveway.

I knocked on the door a number of times to ask them to move (one of) their cars, so I could get onto my drive, and got a huff and puff and a sigh from whoever I asked, and one misogynistic man saying 'can't get onto the driveway? Honestly WOMEN.'

When this man said this, I held my car key up and said 'here you go then oh so superior MAN, why don't YOU get my car on my driveway for me, with all these cars parked opposite!'

He shook his head and laughed and said 'WIMMIN!' And then moved his car. Utter twat. He didn't take me up on the offer to put my car on my drive, because he bastard well COULDN'T.

No-one could have. Because the fuckers opposite (including HIM) had parked directly opposite. It was impossible to get my car onto my driveway without clipping one of their cars, OR smashing the side of my car on my wall!

But on the 4 or 5 occasions (during the 2 years,) that me and my DH parked ON THE ROAD, (and we had to because we had an appointment, and didn't want to risk not being able to get out,) they pulled up, and looked at our car in disgust, because they had to park way down the road, (because the traffic needed to pass through.)

One of them even said 'why is their car parked there?!' Proper annoyed he was. So it's OK for THEM to park on the road all the time, but not for us? Entitled, selfish arseholes.

We weren't even opposite their driveway, even though they parked opposite ours!

On a couple of occasions they even actually parked on the driveway (when we were parked on the road!) So they COULD do it, they were just too fucking lazy to.

The woman opposite moved in early 2018, thank fuck, and took her hideous family with her. We now have a lovely family opposite with 2 cars, who always park them on the driveway. Like normal, considerate people, who aren't selfish, entitled arseholes.

And before someone comes up with the patronising mumsnet response I often see here 'YOU SOUND ANGRY' Yeah I am actually, because this kind of selfish ignorant shit boils my piss.

If you have got a driveway.. PARK ON IT! Just because you CAN park on the road, that doesn't mean you SHOULD! Entitled and selfish are 2 words to describe you. I do have some more, but you wouldn't want to hear them.

The amount of times I would return home after work and someone's visitor will be park in the space outside my house instead of on their drive.

I don't think I've ever parked on a friend's drive until expressly told to, and usually when coming for a long weekend or something

and I can't think of one visitor parking on my drive, which is more than big enough! The only people ever parking on it are tradesmen (which is fine, it's not a criticism, just a fact).

littlepattilou
you can argue that people who chose to save money by not buying their own drive or parking space but feel entitled to have a free one on the road are the selfish one

I do agree that blocking someone's drive is unacceptable - and tend to push people not to use their own drives.

When I moved into my house, I had a 'lovely' neighbour who decided to shout at me in the street because I didn't use my driveway and was using one of the (admittedly very few) spaces in the street.
She was shouting at me that it was illegal to park where I was because I had a driveway and that I was a stupid idiot.

The reason I don't park in my driveway? I am disabled and use crutches. My driveway has a railing of 6 foot on one side and a 3 foot drop on the other. If I park in the driveway, I either can't open my door wide enough due to the railings and if I reverse in, then I still can't open the door wide enough due to the railing for the stairs, and there is a 3 foot drop with only enough room left on the driveway to put ONE foot down.
If she had bothered to ask I would of told her this. Believe me I'd much rather use my driveway, because it's closer to the house and in winter I wouldn't have to deal with the ice trying to cross the road.
It is also a council property and I can't do anything about the railings, or the access to the driveway or change it in anyway.

My son moved back home 2 years ago and he parks in the driveway - He is a healthy young man, and he struggles getting out the car in the driveway! He parks with the driver's door at the railings side and that allows him to open the door enough to just squeeze out

I think they are bonkers personally I made sure my current house had a drive after spending 6 years lugging shopping, kids and pushchairs down the street.

If you have a drive and don't use it, meaning others have nowhere to park it is a bit of a dick move.

We have allocated parking spaces (on the deeds of the house) yet my neighbour insists in not using theirs and parking across it instead, leaving me to do a 600 point turn to go anywhere because of parking on opposite side of road - drives me nuts!

We have a drive but it is too small for our car - need an estate for work reasons. We do rent it out on Justpark though which at least pays for our permit and keeps another car off the street.

@SoupDragon

Obviously they can park there but I think it's really selfish unless there is a good reason.

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

^^ this.

Well its a mix of views and seems like everyone has had one experience or another. Taking the legal side of it out (the main point some people make are that its not illegal so why does it matter), do you think its inconsiderate for others on the street? Would it be acceptable to ask someone doing this to use their drive so there is room for others?

@UrAWizHarry

If you have a drive and don't use it, meaning others have nowhere to park it is a bit of a dick move.

Yup.

@littlepattilou that sounds like a nightmare and I'm pleased you have better neighbours now. Seems like you needed to get that off your chest, I hope you feel better for it!

Our road has 4 spaces allocated as visitor parking. They happen to be outside two houses (that both have their own drives). The owners of these houses have resorted to parking their cars straddles across 2 spaces, so literally no one can park outside their house. Its so petty.

@MaMaD1990

Well its a mix of views and seems like everyone has had one experience or another. Taking the legal side of it out (the main point some people make are that its not illegal so why does it matter), do you think its inconsiderate for others on the street? Would it be acceptable to ask someone doing this to use their drive so there is room for others?

Of course it's inconsiderate if there's a shortage of spaces. But anybody twatty enough to do it wouldn't listen to you, so not sure there's much point asking.

YANBU. Every house when I live has at least one allocated space, some two, yet people choose to park on the road outside their front door because apparently the extra TEN STEPS from their allocated space in the purpose-built car park is just too much to handle! Gives me the rage.

One house even parks in the allocated guest spaces if she cannot park outside her own front door. The guest spaces are literally two along from her own space, but she cannot be bothered to turn her wheel to slide into her own space (the car park is huge, so there's no difficulty getting in or out of her space, and mostly empty because of aforementioned fuckwittery - she's just lazy as feck.)

@littlepattilou

YANBU. Absolutely not. *@MaMaD1990*

But you won't get much support on here. Even if people have a 4 car drive, many posters on here will say it's ok for them to park on the road, (preferably opposite your drive just for good measure.) Because they can, and because the law says it's allowed.

I agree with @SoupDragon that just because you CAN do something, doesn't mean you SHOULD.

I also agree with @billy1966

It's extremely selfish and what I would call a move that marks you out as a twat.

Anyone who parks on the road when they've got a driveway to park on is an inconsiderate oaf. Just try doing the same to them though. Park YOUR car outside your driveway and on the main road, and you get evil looks.

IME, these are the same individuals who play music loud in their house, who have loud get-togethers in their garden from 3pm til midnight every weekend between May and October, who leave their wheelie bin on the footpath for 3 or 4 days after it's been emptied, and who let their dog shit on public footpaths. The 'I will do what the fuck I want' brigade. We all know people like this, and they're the worst kind of people.

I’m not sure if liken letting your dog shit on a pathway to legally parking somewhere that isn’t your drive.