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.

*not

Some people are seriously dotty about parking. On the school run I park in a clearly marked visitor's space in a road next to DD's school for literally less than 10mins a day just before 9 and at 3:30. It's always empty.

The man who lives in the (£1.5m, not that that's relevant? Or is it?) house opposite - with electric double garage - came out one day in an absolute fury, and told me I wasn't allowed to park there because it was "his" visitor's space for his visitors. That's literally legally and factually nonsense as I don't have to tell you...it's a space that's provided for any non-residents parking. And there are four of them in that street!

No doubt someone will be along soon to tell me how it's OK for a man (who should have better things to do with his time tbh) to righteously believe that his fury over someone totally legally parking where he doesn't like is justified

But OP YANBU, the woman should have a thought to real problems in this world and find something else to think about tbh.

I live on a road where we have no ORP and people have left their cars outside my house for weeks (gone on holiday).

Unlike you though, this woman has a driveway with space for four cars.

Legally you can park there. But I would be pissed off too and probably would have spoken to you, (not threatened) long before now. Find a new spot!!

Which colour cars do people prefer not to look at parked outside their houses?

It's legal, but I'm always amazed at the entitlement of car owners who seem to think its okay to just take up space with their massive, polluting, dangerous vehicles.

Of course you can park there!
Legally, morally fine. Anyone who finds this annoying clearly has FAR too much time on their hands!!

@irresistibleoverwhelm

Some people are seriously dotty about parking. On the school run I park in a clearly marked visitor's space in a road next to DD's school for literally less than 10mins a day just before 9 and at 3:30. It's always empty.

The man who lives in the (£1.5m, not that that's relevant? Or is it?) house opposite - with electric double garage - came out one day in an absolute fury, and told me I wasn't allowed to park there because it was "his" visitor's space for his visitors. That's literally legally and factually nonsense as I don't have to tell you...it's a space that's provided for any non-residents parking. And there are four of them in that street!

No doubt someone will be along soon to tell me how it's OK for a man (who should have better things to do with his time tbh) to righteously believe that his fury over someone totally legally parking where he doesn't like is justified

But OP YANBU, the woman should have a thought to real problems in this world and find something else to think about tbh.

A visitor's space is for visitors visiting the people living in the estate. It's not a school run drop off space.

I'm always amazed at the entitlement of car owners who seem to think its okay to just take up space with their massive, polluting, dangerous vehicles.

A car? On the road? Outrageous.

I used to park outside someone’s house for work each day. One day they put a note on my car telling me they were going on holiday so please use their drive between these dates to make their house looked lived in they used to put a Christmas card on my car too I think that might be unusual though.

I’ve already commented but also worth noting, for 2 years, you’ve parked in-front of someone’s house, on a street you don’t live. In doing so you’ve preventing them from ever being able to use it for visitors, deliveries etc. 5 days a week all day, every week, for 2 years! Seriously, legal or not, that’s just rude. Find a new spot of pay for one!

I used to park outside someone’s house for work each day. One day they put a note on my car telling me they were going on holiday so please use their drive between these dates to make their house looked lived in they used to put a Christmas card on my car too I think that might be unusual though.

It's nice to know there's a flip side to everything.

I'm always amazed at the entitlement of car owners who seem to think its okay to just take up space with their massive, polluting, dangerous vehicles.

Well yes. It is an entitlement. It comes with paying road tax.

I used to park outside someone’s house for work each day. One day they put a note on my car telling me they were going on holiday so please use their drive between these dates to make their house looked lived in grin they used to put a Christmas card on my car too grin I think that might be unusual though.

🤣🤣🤣 Thats really funny. A Christmas card. 🤣🤣🤣 I bet they were lovely.

A visitor's space is for visitors visiting the people living in the estate. It's not a school run drop off space.

And...bingo. I actually live on the same estate (it's big - I drive DD a short way to school because I have an artificial leg joint and can't cycle or walk that far btw, am not registered disabled though).

There's a visitor's space opposite my house. The estate-wide visitor's space rules are pinned up above it on a metal sign. They are for any one parking on the estate for whatever reason who does not have an allocated resident's space. (The ones by the school are also partly provided for the local shops there too, with a 2hr free limit.)

Even when they're wrong, people will still want to claim that people who believe they own the local parking are right

@KaleSlayer they were so lovely. I work at the hospital and at the time didn’t qualify for parking despite needing to do a school run for 3dc. The family had a big driveway though so always had space for visitors so probably different to the op.

Seriously amazed at the amount of pp here saying someone regularly parking in front of their house would annoy them.
It’s a public road, anyone can park on it, it’s nothing to do with you, you do not own the road. If the car is not causing obstruction and the person has a large driveway there is no issue.

Actually lucky Mower Woman has a '4 Car Drive' according to OP. She's just a very different type of person.

Once I was approached by a neighbour who explained that where I was parking was causing her some inconvenience. It was no trouble for me to park elsewhere, so I did. I don't understand why people don't just talk to each other in the first place.

We had a neighbor with a large drive but wouldn’t let their son park his knackered large van on there or outside their house - used to park it outside mine until me and DH parked there! He soon paired elsewhere. I didn’t want to look at his crap car!

A construction worker parks his large van outside my house five days a week. On several occasions it has been extremely difficult to access or leave my drive because this idiot parks right at the edge of my drive. He parks from 7 in the morning to 6 in the evening.
I find it extremely irritating . I understand that it is not illegal to park there, but is gives me the rage.

A visitor's space is for visitors visiting the people living in the estate. It's not a school run drop off space.

I hate to break it to you, but in the UK there is no such thing as a 'visitors space' on public highways and residential streets. It's either your private driveway or a it's a permit parking spot, or it's anybody's and a free-for-all.

And stop demonising school run parents. These days children can be at a school 10 miles from home. Public transport can be really expensive especially if there are several in a family. Parents often need to get straight off to work after the school run and they don't all have the time to walk or get the bus.

And if they park in a road 10 minutes away and walk the last bit they clearly (as this thread demonstrates) risk pissing off the people in that road, so they may as well park in the road that's a bit nearer. Might as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb.

Mother of dragons- they sound lovely.

Hi that's a bit of a tricky one. It's isn't private property but maybe if there is another space slightly away you could chose to park there next time and try to alternate your parking.

OP: You should've looked her in the eye menacingly, put your head close to hers and whispered "if there's one fucking scratch on that car when I come back then I know where you fucking live, you fucking deranged bitch".

And then dumped a horse's head on her lawn or something.

Someone parking outside your house is not annoying unless they are blocking your drive.