Driveway blocked

[N51BU]

I went to bed very late for me last night (00:15). I noticed a car had parked directly across our driveway so there was absolutely no way we would be able to get out in an emergency

In the last 18 mths we have had to take DD2 to hospital twice as she hit her head resulting in an awful bump in seconds and another time she was struggling to breathe

I checked the cameras and the car first parked there at 23:30 so it had been there forty five minutes before I noticed. I didn't recognise the car or driver and they walked off out of sight. I went to bed a little on edge. What are you meant to do in an emergency? I can only think call a taxi. I guess I could go knocking doors with lights on but that would be very time consuming

Next door neighbours mother used to park across our drive sometimes. Irritating. Why not park across theirs? She never did it after DH drove into her car. Yes it was his fault but MIL had rung in an emergency and he’d dashed off.

However from looking at that picture, I too can’t tell if it’s a dropped kerb or not.

Dropped kerb = car is blocking the OP in illegally
No dropped kerb = OP simply has a patio with aspirations.

Stepshoehorse

Yes I agree ut makes me as bad as them but that how its gets you in the end. Not a day goes by when I'm having yo ask people to move so I can get out of my drive. Why should I have to ? Why can't people be a bit more considerate? I'm a NHS keywords and work shifts i need to be able to get out of my drive to get to work. I'm not prepared to have to go knocking on people's doors to get them to move I shouldn't have to, think about others and don't be so bloody selfish

@LongCOVID

And the repercussions? They might be an equal shame also, for you.

If it's a medical emergency you would call 999 anyway !

@NaughtyNell

You illustrate the point that you have no absolute legal rights at the front of where you live, unless signage, paint, or other obvious things tell you so. My neighbours one side do pointless things like you, parking their car at the front of the house to stop others doing so, they have both drive and garage too.

There are three vehicles at ours, one on the drive. If anyone is where I park usually, I move where I can, and shift it when I can. others are the same. It is a first come first served affair as far as I am concerned. All this has exposed is the whiny, self important, meme types who think the world revolves round them and their affairs. Your jurisdiction ends at your boundary, unless obvious tells you otherwise.

@N51BU

Thanks for the replies

The car was gone in the morning, I'm not sure how long it stayed after I went to bed. A delivery driver parking for minutes I haven't got a problem with but this was forty five minutes and counting and all the lights were on in the house so it was clear that we hadn't gone to bed. How did they know we didn't want to go out?, they didn't!

We live a four minute drive from the hospital or a fifteen minute walk. I guess in an emergency I would have no option but to call an ambulance but I'm not sure how long we'd have to wait

Photo of said car:

OP do you have a legally dropped kerb?

The kerb is 100% dropped

@Steptoeshorse1965 is banking on about 101 other circumstances which have nothing to do with the OP. For some reason I can't quite fathom.

@Clymene

You can't fathom? Speaks volumes to me.

To simplify for the hard of thinking,

You have no absolute right in law to park at the front of where you reside.

You have very limited recourse to anyone you consider to be obstructing your driveway, in law.

The best you can do is to ask a person to move their vehicle, resort to any on street/parking permit/signage instructing whatever, make representations to the council or whoever in your specific area, by whatever means you see fit. The idea the Police will come steaming in or a breakdown truck to remove is a nonsense.

@N51BU

The kerb is 100% dropped

Thanks @N51BU for clarifying - I only questioned because sometimes we've had posters on AIBU saying "people have blocked in my car on my driveway" and ... well ... it isn't a legal driveway.

In your case that's absolutely outrageous - they are taking the piss and blocking your driveway.

@Howtomakeevery1

My driveway is the end of a road with gates abutting a main road with double yellow lines, marked white line no parking and a sign on the gates asking people not to park and they do, continuously. If I ask them not to I get sworn at - people are selfish pricks

It never fails to amaze me how many people in the UK swear and descend into a torrent of abuse when challenged, and all despite the fact they are blatantly wrong

If you're blocked in and you have a (lawfully) dropped curb then the police can remove the obstructing vehicle, and many forces routinely do.

Of course your area's police might not bother, just like they might not bother to investigate a burglary, but police inaction doesn't make blocking someone in legal.

If you're blocked out that's also illegal but most police forces won't do anything.

Because no one is talking about parking outside your house
Or blocking your dropped kerb

Excerpt you @Steptoeshorse1965

The OP is talking about someone parking across her dropped kerb while she is parked on her drive. That is preventing her from accessing the highway and it's illegal. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1980/66/part/IX/crossheading/obstruction-of-highways-and-streets

And so no, I really can't fathom why you keep banging on about all sorts of other other parking shit which are completely fucking irrelevant to the conversation everyone else is having. It's frankly bizarre

@Steptoeshorse1965

To simplify for the hard of thinking,

You have no absolute right in law to park at the front of where you reside.

You have very limited recourse to anyone you consider to be obstructing your driveway, in law.

The best you can do is to ask a person to move their vehicle, resort to any on street/parking permit/signage instructing whatever, make representations to the council or whoever in your specific area, by whatever means you see fit. The idea the Police will come steaming in or a breakdown truck to remove is a nonsense.

To simplify this for the hard of reading and understanding (i.e Steptoeshorse1965).

It is a specific offence in law to block access to the highway by parking in front of a dropped kerb. The police can and will take action and issue fines and/or remove the car.

No one is disputing the fact you have no absolute right to park on the public road in front of your property. However you do have an absolute right to be able to access the highway if you have a dropped kerb.

Step toes im not whiny or entitled at all. I wouldn't dream of blocking someone's driveway, just because people can doesnt make it right. Its entitled and selfish end of. You sound like the the type of person that couldn't give a fuck about anyone else , mememe merchants

@Clymene

It's neither irrelevant nor bizarre. I am talking about the wider issue of parking as well as. I have never know, where I live or anywhere else, for a fucking car to be towed for parking across someone's drive. Never known or seen it. It might be irrelevant to you, that matters not to me.

And as I keep pointing out, Jesus some of you at school must have given the teachers a nervous breakdown, the laws of parking are not finite except where written or signed.

@Clymene

Because no one is talking about parking outside your house Or blocking your dropped kerb

Excerpt you @Steptoeshorse1965

The OP is talking about someone parking across her dropped kerb while she is parked on her drive. That is preventing her from accessing the highway and it's illegal. [[https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1980/66/part/IX/crossheading/obstruction-of-highways-and-streets]]

And so no, I really can't fathom why you keep banging on about all sorts of other other parking shit which are completely fucking irrelevant to the conversation everyone else is having. It's frankly bizarre

If there is a dropped kerb, and this constitutes the driveway, and it's blocked?? Then this being the driveway?? I'll nip and get a hammer and chisel, hang on a bit.

Yes, you're talking about the wider issue of parking as well, which no one else is. And frothing about things no one said.

You could start a row in an empty room.

@Daffodil123456

Must be a weekend for it.

The other neighbours from hell have done something similar to us this weekend.

People are very strange

We've had it this weekend too! (And ours IS a dropped kerb)

@Clymene

Nowhere clearly in that link does it tell you that a car obstructing a drive, can be removed by towing away. For the biggest majority of the legislation to be invoked, you would need to go to court I would think.

I guarantee that if you have a drive, and someone blocked it, you rang say-the Police?? I doubt they would do anything but consider you a time waster. As for a breakdown wagon-do me a favour. Unless like in the US, you were in a "Tow away zone". The world does not work in the way I think a few of you might reckon it does. Last comment on the issue from me.

Jesus the police do do that. Just because you havnt seen it didn't make it not true.
If a car is blocking access over a dropped curb then it is illegally parked and can be removed by the police.
A quick Google alone will tell you that.

Also no one is desputing you can park on a highway if legal to do so ie not in traffic violations and that includes not being able parking over a dropped curb.
I don't give a crap who parks on my road but would if they blocked my drive as would anyone else.

[quote Steptoeshorse1965]@Clymene

Nowhere clearly in that link does it tell you that a car obstructing a drive, can be removed by towing away. For the biggest majority of the legislation to be invoked, you would need to go to court I would think.

I guarantee that if you have a drive, and someone blocked it, you rang say-the Police?? I doubt they would do anything but consider you a time waster. As for a breakdown wagon-do me a favour. Unless like in the US, you were in a "Tow away zone". The world does not work in the way I think a few of you might reckon it does. Last comment on the issue from me.[/quote]
Last comment....oh good