Really shaken up. Did I do anything wrong here?

[seventymodules]

For past two years I have done the school run, I park on a street near the school. There is a detached house with a driveway and a patch of grass next to the driveway. I park in front of the patch of grass, not blocking the driveway whatsoever.

Once I drop my child at school I get collected by my workmate (we are cleaners so have company car) and then work till 3 until I have to return for school run and car.

This morning as I was getting out of the car the lady in the house came charging out, she said 'can you stop parking your car in front of my house?' I said 'it's a public road' and she said 'you park out here 5 days a week, if you refuse to move it I should make you aware that I will be cutting my grass today and any damage to your car is not my responsibility' said with a sarcastic smile on her face, she then walked back into the house shaking her head.

I've left the car but worried now she is going to damage it.

Am I being unreasonable parking it there? It's a public road and not on her property at all.

Sadly @RaspberryCoulis I have to disabuse of that notion.

I live between 2 schools, on a narrow road that is the main road in to a busy market town. The parked cars reduce the road to a 1-way street, which, because of the narrowness makes it much safer than it woud be without them - so much so Highways have rejected calls for double yellow lines here.

It can be chaotic for a couple of hours a day. But hey! The schools have been there longer than I have lived here and the town can't be changed, it's too old and protected for that!

If she doesn't like it she should complain to the council/MP. I'd keep parking there, not let a bully win.

[quote SquirtleSquad]@MiddleParking it wouldn't invalidate your insurance unless she starts parking on the road instead of the drive most of the time. She could just move her car to that space at 7.30am until after the school run if she's so inclined and it wouldn't invalidate anything.[/quote]
How does it invalidate insurance to park outside your house, my insurance doesn't know where I park, I obviously park at my house but sometimes outside or on the drive.

This would piss me off so much!

I find it odd a bit of a pisstake when someone who neither lives in the road nor is visiting/has business there, is leaving a vehicle taking up space there all day. If lots of people did what you are doing anyone actually visiting the people living in the road would find there was no space.

My thoughts too, as I said earlier OP has no connection to the street and is using the space as her work/office car park. I can understand why the house owner would become pissed off with that, it's not illegal but it is a dickish thing to do.

@NoIDontWatchLoveIsland

If it's a small residential road I'm guessing it's not wider than two passing cars. These sorts of roads where the houses have driveways often aren't really intended to have parking on the roads, if a lot of cars do it can clog it up and make manoeuvring off drives a real pita.

I find it odd a bit of a pisstake when someone who neither lives in the road nor is visiting/has business there, is leaving a vehicle taking up space there all day. If lots of people did what you are doing anyone actually visiting the people living in the road would find there was no space.

You find near railway stations that at some point the surrounding residential streets eventually get either permit parking or double yellow lines, or some other restriction, to stop commuters from filling up the streets.

So, even though it's theoretically legal to park, local authorities are taking steps to prevent people parking all day long in residential areas.

OP
It seems the argument escalated because she asked you to move your car today for a very legitimate reason and you refused. She warned you quite fairly that as her grass fully extends to the road that by refusing to move there is a risk that your car could get knocked by the mower or covered in grass cuttings. You still refused to move, took that as a threat rather than a fact and now intend to keep parking there and taking photos of your car. I think as she has not said a thing in the 2 plus years you have parked there you have been very unreasonable.

This is an important point, maybe the woman is fed up of not being able to cut her grass whenever she wants to because OP is parked there everyday and maybe she is fed up of juggling around jobs to fit in with OP.

what was that "very legitimate reason" again....?

So, even though it's theoretically legal to park, local authorities are taking steps to prevent people parking all day long in residential areas.

Happened where I live, commuters didn't want to pay to park in the Station car park so they parked in the residential streets opposite the station, people living there got so pissed off with having their streets logjammed with commuter cars all day the local council made all the residential roads resident only parking and double yellowed the entire road that leads to the station. Commuters now park in the massive car park at the Station and all who live near the Station are happy.

Surely the woman is allowed to cut her grass when she wants to?

She's being awful for threatening damage to your car but I'd be pissed off with you too if you parked in front of my house 5 days a week.

@BerylReader

I know it’s legal blah blah but it it’s really annoying if you’re leaving it there every single day. What if they have a delivery? An elderly/ disabled relative visiting? Have a bit of consideration instead of quoting the part of the law that suits you

They have a four car drive so unless they're hosting daily parties they'll be ok.

Perfectly legal but if you park the same car outside her house everyday I can understand her getting pissed if there is not much space between the house and the road.

@RaspberryCoulis

I think the people voting that the OP is not BU are people who don't have the "pleasure" of living near a school and having to put up with gridlocked streets twice a day, shit parking, having to do a 21 point turn because some fucker has parked half on and half off the kerb right off the driveway and directly opposite too, nowhere for delivery drivers to STOP never mind park and general traffic issues caused by parents who are too fucking lazy to park in a proper car park further away (by about 2 minutes) and walk their darling offspring to school.

Speak for yourself. I have the pleasure of living virtually right next to a school, and I don’t think the OP is being unreasonable.

Yes there is a bit of chaos twice a day which I observe on my walk to and from the school, but I couldn’t care less. It’s only for 20 minutes twice a day during term time, doesn’t really cause me any problems and I bought this house knowing full well what the situation was.

I think it wholly depends on what kind of road it is, as to whether a bit of consideration on your part may have been polite. If it was a busy urban road where you buy the house expecting cars to always be parked outside that's one thing, but if the road is otherwise only used by residents (outside of school times), it is weird to pick one persons house and designate the end of their grass as your parking spot every day.

The fact is the woman has now said she's had enough (and yes you have a right to park there, but it's not beyond the realm to understand the woman's frustration), so will you move it - even just for some days? As pp have said it's not always a case of legality, but simple etiquette that allows us to live along side each other.

@Temp023

I’m afraid I’d have accidentally run a key down the side of this car months ago OP.

Well that would be a really stupid and disproportionate thing to do wouldn't it?

Criminal damage? As if you'd actually do that... catch yourself on.

@Peachee

YABU - a public road isn’t a carpark - even if you are legally able to park there..

A public road with legal parking is a place you are supposed to park cars when they need to be parked...

It might be legal but I'd go fucking mad if you did that outside my house. Your car would have been blocked in a long time ago if that was me!

Get a dashcam.

Any damage done to your car WILL be her responsibility and she’ll be very bloody sorry and embarrassed when caught on camera if she does touch your car.

Cheeky mare.

Years ago, my elderly neighbours asked the NDN to ask their guests/adult children not to park in front of their house. Their reason? They are old and mostly house bound and like to sit in their front room watching the world go by but can’t see shit if cars are blocking their view. Which in this case, the parked cars was all you could see out the window.

It was a bit CF but we respected their wishes.

Something similar to me happened at the school I used to work in. I didn’t start work at the same time as everyone else, and so by the time I arrived the school gates were locked so I parked on the road. I parked outside a bungalow with a large driveway so not inconveniencing anyone, One day the elderly lady who lived there came charging out screaming and shouting at me and telling she’d had enough of me parking there etc. I ignored her because she was obviously deranged drove off and she chased my car down the road shouting at me. I carried on parking there and she then started bombarding the school with phone calls telling them she was going to report me to the police or have my car towed away.. Even though she wouldn’t have a leg to stand on as I was parked legally, not causing obstruction and my car was taxed and insured. In the end the head gave in and told me to park elsewhere because they were so throughly sick of her ringing them up in the office and ranting at her.

I would love to live on this street near a school where only one car parks. Plenty of space for visitors, deliveries and tradespeople etc to come and go freely - keeping my four car driveway nice and clear.

OP should perhaps keep a spreadsheet and move one house along every day. Leaving every other space completely empty as no other cars ever park there to annoy the residents.

How do the residents feel about cars driving up and down their road? Are they ok with that or do they not really like it? Maybe something could be done if they find it irritating.

Would irritate me, park it somewhere else that isn’t in front of someone home

@mn81987

It might be legal but I'd go fucking mad if you did that outside my house. Your car would have been blocked in a long time ago if that was me!

I have obviously been remiss. I'll go and get may car and block the bitch in front of my house in... I'll do it right now...

@Thiscantreallybehappening

It might be legal but you’re taking the piss.

This exactly. It must be really annoying for the lady for you to do this 5 days a week. What if she has visitors, deliveries, work being done on her house. Where are they to park. If you were doing it occasionally, then I don't see a problem but everyday is too much.

After all, her house isn't a drop off and pick up area for your work. Why can't you vary where you park so you are not in the same place every day.

What if she has visitors, deliveries, work being done on her house. Where are they to park.

In one of the four spaces on her drive, I'd imagine.