To ask people to move their cars if its on the pavement and you cannot get past?

[ShonC]

Hi all,

I am not sure why this bothers me so much but I guess it's the sheer ignorance of some people or perhaps they really don't care.

My dad is reliant on a wheelchair or mobility scooter. He is allowed to use his scooter on the pavement as it's below 12MPH. There has been times where he has been out and he has had to ride in the road because he cannot use the pavement as cars are parked there and I couldn't even get through. I worry for him as people drive very dangerously and often use mobile phones so I don't like him going in the road and neither does he, nor should he have to.

My partner says that I am going to get smacked by someone one day as there have been times where I've knocked on people's doors asking if that is their vehicle blocking the pavement and explain my reasoning, they are usually very understanding/ embarrassed and move it immediately. I think sometimes people just don't think.

AIBU? There are some disabled people who wouldn't have the confidence to ask that someone moves their vehicle for them.. I feel like I do this to help. I am never rude or confrontational either, hence why I think people are reciprocative.

I just think it's unfair that people park like this when it's so difficult for disabled people using wheelchairs or scooters to find a dropped kerb and takes longer for their journey. Similarly unfair for those with young children or prams..

I know that roads and pavements aren't built for purpose but I think people need to be more accommodating for the needs of others. I also don't spend my days knocking on doors in case anyone thinks I do, just if there are serial offenders or I cannot get past myself.

Here is a recent image of someone who I asked to move and they did, but he does this all the time

There is no way anyone could live without a car outside of London

Around 1 in 4 adults in the UK does not have access to a car, according to the ONS.

@ChloeCrocodile

They're still allowing new build estates to build with insufficient parking.

Mine has insufficient parking AND no pavements for most of it. There are about 5 safe places to park on the road for visitors to 20 houses. It doesn't help when people refuse to park in the garage, or buy a house with parking for two cars when they have 4 vehicles!

Yes our road is like this! All houses have drives for 2-4 cars but still some people leave their drives empty and park on the road outside their house! Why is this?

And if you know you’re a family with 4 or more cars (as near us), why buy a house with parking for only 2?

There is no way anyone could live without a car outside of London.

That’s bollocks. Plenty of us living just fine with cars outside London. It would however be a bit easier to do that if a certain section of car-owners didn’t feel entitled to do things like park on pavements!

I don’t care whether other people have cars or not as long as they acknowledge that finding somewhere to keep their car so it doesn’t inconvenience or endanger others is their responsibility, even if it means you can’t park right outside your front door.

Drives me nuts. Had to take a pushchair out onto a busy road numerous times because of one entitled dickhead who would always park on the path.

Its really annoying and very selfish!!

There are certain housing estates where drivers park on pavements (and buy cars even though they know they don't have space to park them).

But the main issue is all the deliveries we are getting and DIY being done everywhere. Vans parked on pavements everywhere. OK the delivery driver will only be there a few seconds, but if someone is working in a house for a day it's a somewhat bigger problem.

I find peoples' priorities interesting - they'd happily hang, draw and quarter a cyclist for riding on a pavement but car drivers are "being considerate" for not blocking other drivers. So pedestrians matter but only until they don't.

OK the delivery driver will only be there a few seconds

and so will the next car.

And the next.
And the next.

Anyone who's waited for a space in a lift will know the issues involved in waiting for a gap ....

A whole other level of pavement parking.

Yanbu it drives me batty too and I think it’s great you ask people to move their vehicles when they are parked over pavements.

YANBU it drives me absolutely insane and I'm not a wheelchair user and I only have a small pushchair but they sometimes take up literally the whole pavement! I would never be brave enough to say something though I just passive aggressively mutter underneath my breath!

Its blocking the pavement, access to a drive, you cant see the road and oncoming traffic. I would speak to non emergency police.

Also it damages the pavements and costs the councils money to repair it hence your council taxes

Thanks for everyone's replies and experiences!

I'm glad I am not being unreasonable.

I'll continue to ask even if my partner hates it haha! Just wait til we have a child and he has to push the pram in the road!!!

I never realised how much of a problem this was, or how annoying it was until I became a mum four months ago. I walk a lot more and use the car a lot less as I have the time to walk to the shops now and like baby to get fresh air etc. Today was bin day so it was even worse...I had to go into the road three times during a 40 min walk. The worst is those that do it on blind corners 😔

They're still allowing new build estates to build with insufficient parking.

It's the council's way of "encouraging" people to drive less. The same way that council car parks are ridiculously expensive and they are pedestrianising and putting in traffic calming, bus lanes, one way systems, etc. It's all to get you to use a bike or public transport. Of course, outside London, public transport is barely existent for lots of people, but the councils are too thick to understand that you need a viable alternative before you can try to discourage car ownership.

@Kazzyhoward

They're still allowing new build estates to build with insufficient parking.

It's the council's way of "encouraging" people to drive less. The same way that council car parks are ridiculously expensive and they are pedestrianising and putting in traffic calming, bus lanes, one way systems, etc. It's all to get you to use a bike or public transport. Of course, outside London, public transport is barely existent for lots of people, but the councils are too thick to understand that you need a viable alternative before you can try to discourage car ownership.

I don't think you can completely blame councils. They have to work with government guidelines.

There's also the fact that if you had a choice, you'd rather build 500 houses with fuck all parking than 350 with proper off street parking.

The problem is that many street (and new estates are often the worst) you have to park half on the pavement otherwise cars can't get past. Just saying don't park on pavements is not always possible. We have signs instructing people too. Where I used to live (older housing) roads were wide and pavements were wide too, developers only allow the bare minimum. Is it fair on disabled people, not really but what can be done?

I genuinely don't mind delivery drivers parking up for half a minute, the DPD and UPS vans etc are usually clearly marked and the fact that's is a small terraced road means I can see the driver trotting up a path and am happy to wait (possibly as I get a lot of online shopping parcels delivered myself )

What I don't like are vans that are clearly belonging to people doing plumbing etc jobs that are blocking the pavement for hours. I regularly ask people to move them and 99% of times they apologise. (This is a bit odd though...I am usually a very polite person and have the most annoying RP high pitched voice but there is something about vans that compels me to say "can you move your fucking van please mate?" ^

Mate.^

Is it fair on disabled people, not really but what can be done?

Park somewhere else. Really. If you can’t safely park there, your alternative is to safely park somewhere else, not to unsafely park there and make other people shoulder the risk.

Reminds me of my neighbours when I lived in a tenement flat who left their buggy blocking the staircase for upstairs neighbours, and when asked to shift it complained that they had no room for it in their flat. Well maybe not, but that hardly entitles you to block other people’s stairs with it!

"Is it fair on disabled people, not really but what can be done?"

Well @moochingtothepub, just off the top of my head...what about making it fair for disabled people? Just a thought...

I realise this involves lobbying MPs/raising planning objections etc but just shrugging and saying oh well what can you do is a bit shit for disabled people who are always always at the bottom of the queue anyway....

Is it fair on disabled people, not really but what can be done?

Don't be disabled tends to be the answer. Admit it, disabled people are a nuisance. Better for all concerned if they can't get out, isn't it ? That way we can sanction them for not attending interviews, stop their benefits and get back to ensuring Tory Cronies get a fair crack at the dosh instead.

A van parked badly like that has to be a getaway vehicle for an armed robbery.

@ArnoJambonsBike

A van parked badly like that has to be a getaway vehicle for an armed robbery.

as discussed in Line of Duty!!

We currently have issues with flatbed vans parking right up against the fences on our street leaving just enough space for my very slight 4 year old to get through but no one else meaning I have to take my 8 month old on the road.
Plus there is a twat who parks on the curve of the junction, blocking the path every morning so she can put her precious grand daughter in the car without walking a few extra feet and leaving room.
And don't get me started on bin day. It makes me furious as I'm risking my children's lives on the roads and my late uncle used a mobility scooter and couldn't visit me despite there being a bus from his house to mine because of cars and bins in my street.

YANBU. I came across this regularly when I had my 3 dc in prams and buggies. Now a few years on it is a regular occurrence for me to have to go onto the road in my scooter. It is utterly infuriating. Much as I would love to my mobility isn't good enough for me to go looking for offenders if they aren't near or in their vehicle (which has always been the case since I got my scooter). Although I have had it out in the past with some selfish fuckers when they had blocked the pavement and I had to go on the road with my dc in their buggies