Petty neighbour - parking related

[Snufkins]

Not sure why I’m posting on here or whether it’s me being unreasonable or the ‘neighbour’

I live in a new build development, it’s not a cul de sac as such but there are other houses at the back and bottom and fields at the top. So technically anyone can pass through on walks.

My house is opposite a long road which makes a T junction, a sharp left takes you to the rest of the houses and a right to the few others. DP parks on pavement as at the moment we have a single driveway, cars can get very tight round the bend especially if icy so it’s all we’re able to do at the moment (we’re not in London so not illegal?).

A couple on their daily walk (I don’t know whether they live on the same block) have taken to slamming DP’s wing mirror when walking past. It’s showing some damage. I think I have seen them walk through my front garden during summer several times too to get past. The road is quiet, they could easily cross the road but there is room to walk on the pavement just in single file. There are cars and a van parked nearby on pavement and they don’t do the same to them.
We’re forking out over £10k to sort out our bog of a garden which has taken a while to save and DP now says we need to extend the driveway at the same time to stop this happening, can’t really afford both!

I instead want to confront these people but are we being unreasonable or them? I want to say we have CCTV (we don’t) to put them off but I am frustrated they are picking on us, especially walking on my property.

We extended our driveway for this very reason although most neighbours still park on the pavement near us. Playing devils advocate it’s done wonders for the traffic speed forcing everyone to slow done in what was a frightening road. Although it is 100% illegal here.

Can you extend the drive on a new build?
Lots have no changes allowed for 5 or 10 years,

@LunaHeather yes I think so as it is showing damage and it is every time, you can walk past the car without touching it.

You will need planning.
Check any covenants about changing the frontage on a new build estate.

@Snufkins Are you sure your car isn't parked more inconveniently? Seems odd that they'd go out of their way to damage dh's car but leave others parked in the exact same way alone?

I'd fold the mirrors in.
Is your car particularly fancy - is it nicer than all the others? Might be why it's singled out, people get jealous.

[quote Snufkins]@LunaHeather yes I think so as it is showing damage and it is every time, you can walk past the car without touching it.[/quote]
So have you seen them do this every time? If you have seen it, yes, I would confront them.

YABU for all the reasons given above. But the people who damaged your wing mirror are BU too.

I think pavement parking should be illegal everywhere. Where it's necessary, to allow traffic to flow freely, with exceptions could be made, and clearly signposted.

My road is narrow, and there's only room to park on one side. A couple of tossers think they have the right to inconvenience people, and park on the pavement with 2 wheels in the road, completely blocking the pavement and leaving just enough room for a car or small van to get through.

A few times, lorries have had to reverse up practically the full length of the road, because they can't get through. It's mayhem.

And their pavement parking means that my elderly neighbour with a zimmer has to do an awkward turn when she goes out for her daily constitutional with her carer, and a wheelchair user or someone with a double buggy would have to walk in the road.

It's really antisocial. Just don't do it, OP, park further away.

@Dogsarehairy

Can you extend the drive on a new build? Lots have no changes allowed for 5 or 10 years,

We didn’t need planning, usually the stipulations are on your missives. It was a pain in the neck tbh, wasn’t laid with the right sand, they’d thrown it down and hadn’t prepped the ground. We ended up lifting the whole lot, flattening it all and then relaying and extending. As well as trying to get the same blocks. We did have some back and forth about a tree we were removing as there something to do with a tree quota...

The people aren't in the right for damaging your car, but I would definitely feel like doing the same if I walked past every day. (although I wouldn't actually do it - just mutter to myself- or maybe I would research if worth reporting you to the police..)
You need to park somewhere else even if it's a walk away. Pavements are for walking on- what about wheelchair users or people with pushchairs? It's really inconsiderate to block it. Why do you expect pedestrians to cross the road instead of you walking to your house from somewhere where you can park properly?

If there is plenty of room why are they having to walk through your garden to get past, as you put it?

If I've read your OP right you are parking on the pavement opposite a junction on a sharp bend. If that's right it would actually be quite difficult to be more unreasonable.

My sympathy was lost when you noted you park on the pavement.

YABU you don't own the pavement and it's there for Pedestrians use, not as an extension to your clearly too small driveway.

Entitled much?!? 🙄

It’s not a fancy car at all.

Maybe his car is a bit too far on the pavement then others - but another thing that annoys me is that DP has seen the people walking on the opposite side of the road but will then cross over to my house and do it!! That to me is petty even if I am being precious.

Do you have proof of them damaging your car - if you do why didn't you go out and challenge them about it? They are not entitled to vandalise your vehicle.
However - park elsewhere to avoid being on the wrong side of the argument.

YABU - One of my children is blind and to go for walks we are side by side so she can hold my arm. It is possible for me to guide her in single file but she is much more unsteady. It is very inconsiderate and I’d be less inclined to tell her to be careful with her cane as we go past.

www.facebook.com/bbcnews/videos/475217470554605/

Watch this and have a think about why your 'need' to park on the pavement is more import than other peoples right to walk safely.

Isn't it more civil to just tell the car parking neighbour the problem they are causing than damaging their vehicle?

It sounds as though they are being petty to single you out, but parking on the pavement is vvvvvv unreasonable. There are many reasons why forcing people to walk in single file does not suit people. Holding kids’ hands, double buggies, cars starting to move as you are walking past. Just don’t do it - your DH should park further away.

I'm not 100% sure you're not in my cul de sac (that's also not technically a cul de sac but almost exactly as you describe!).
I'm not a car damager, but due to the sheer amount of cars squashed in at the entrance (parked on street), our bins weren't collected as the lorry simply couldn't get past them. It's not just pavement users that are affected, this was more than 20 properties having to hope that the inconsiderate drivers would move their cars next time so we weren't left with overflowing bins indefinitely.

I think I have seen them walk through my front garden during summer several times too to get past

If they can't walk past without going through your garden, then YABU.

Are they deliberately damaging it though or pushing the wing mirror in to get around safety. Very very different things. They always sound rather harsh when pushed in even nicely.

Op should of got the message after they had to walk across her garden or after coming out to then push in more than once. Lucky a kid with a scooter or bike hasn’t come off by it tbh

Why doesn't he fold his wing mirrors in when he parks?

Find out where they live and park outside their house. But not on the pavement.

Seriously, I'd park somewhere else for a while and get your new drive done as soon as you can. People can be very uptight about parking and new build estates never seem to have enough.