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AIBU?

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Original poster

Really shaken up. Did I do anything wrong here?

1000 replies

seventymodules · 10/05/2021 10:24

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.

OP posts:
JesusIsAnyNameFree · 10/05/2021 18:09

@THisbackwithavengeance

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.

Well that escalated quite rapidly.

The woman wants to mow her God damn lawn. She shouldn't have to plan her lawn mowing around the OP.

Egghead81 · 10/05/2021 18:10

@irresistibleoverwhelm

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 Grin

Has anyone actually said “I use the set visitor spaces for when I do my school drop”?
sunglassesonthetable · 10/05/2021 18:11

The woman wants to mow her God damn lawn.

And being threatening with it.

RubyFowler · 10/05/2021 18:15

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.

She doesn't want to mow her lawn. She doesn't like OP parking there, and us threatening to damage her car if she doesn't move.
She's a dick.
I'd park there every single day from now on. Get a dash cam, what's she going to do? Silly cow.

JesusIsAnyNameFree · 10/05/2021 18:16

@sunglassesonthetable

The woman wants to mow her God damn lawn.

And being threatening with it.

Yeah well, after 2 years of having to mow the lawn when it's convenient for the OP pretty much, I'm sure she's had quite enough.

I sincerely hope she was able to mow her lawn today and if stones etc. happened to hit your car OP, that's completely on you. She told you she was doing it.

lljkk · 10/05/2021 18:17

Grass patch Home owner is wrong & nuts but just park elsewhere, it's not worth aggro to see her again.

HappyGoPlucky · 10/05/2021 18:17

She's not a nice woman but it'd drive me crazy if someone parked right outside my house every single day, all day. What if I had friends visiting or something?

It is a public road but people do have a bit of a right to expect the road outside their house to be available - most of the time - for them/their friends & family.

I'd find another few places to park and alternate a bit so as not to be a nuisance.

RubyFowler · 10/05/2021 18:18

It is a public road but people do have a bit of a right to expect the road outside their house to be available - most of the time - for them/their friends & family.

They really don't, there's no such right. It's just tough shit.

irresistibleoverwhelm · 10/05/2021 18:19

Has anyone actually said “I use the set visitor spaces for when I do my school drop”?

Yes! Because I do! And that's totally within the rules for the provided spaces, which are pinned up all over the estate. There is no kerbside parking so those spaces are for any non-resident parking, including contractors, people popping to the shops, all of it.

CaraherEIL · 10/05/2021 18:19

OP, The only thing you can do is judge if you will feel nervous parking up there every morning and arriving back there every afternoon and trying to get the kids in and out with the chance that someone might come out to the car. Then will you have to walk up onto her grass to get photos of that side of the car? You were with the woman only you can judge if it is worth talking to her again and see if the situation can be defused. I think if she was going to risk mowing the grass when your car was parked there she would have done it already. Normally after an argument with someone it’s easier to avoid them if you don’t need to see them. If you carry on parking there I think she is likely to come out with more to say, so I would be prepared for that.

sunglassesonthetable · 10/05/2021 18:20

Yeah well, after 2 years of having to mow the lawn when it's convenient for the OP pretty much, I'm sure she's had quite enough.

Pure speculation. Was the grass waist high? No just something to threaten the OP with.

ScreamingBeans · 10/05/2021 18:22

No you did nothing wrong.

I really think it's time they introduced several questions about proper use of the public highway outside your house in the driving test, to ram it home to all these losers that you do not own the space on the public highway outside your house.

If you think you do, perhaps you'd like to pay for the road maintenance.

Egghead81 · 10/05/2021 18:23

@irresistibleoverwhelm

Has anyone actually said “I use the set visitor spaces for when I do my school drop”?

Yes! Because I do! And that's totally within the rules for the provided spaces, which are pinned up all over the estate. There is no kerbside parking so those spaces are for any non-resident parking, including contractors, people popping to the shops, all of it.

Fair enough Nothing wrong with that!
Besswess88 · 10/05/2021 18:25

If you think you do, perhaps you'd like to pay for the road maintenance

I do!! The bloody road tax!! Grin

youvegottenminuteslynn · 10/05/2021 18:26

@Besswess88

If you think you do, perhaps you'd like to pay for the road maintenance

I do!! The bloody road tax!! Grin

This!!!
CaraherEIL · 10/05/2021 18:27

OP, is it clear to you that she can’t mow her lawn while your car is parked there? If you ignore her attitude can you see her point?

DuesToTheDirt · 10/05/2021 18:28

Wow, so many people are possessive and entitled over the public road outside their house, they they have no more right to than someone who lives along the street, in the next town or indeed 300 miles away.

RubyFowler · 10/05/2021 18:28

@Besswess88

If you think you do, perhaps you'd like to pay for the road maintenance

I do!! The bloody road tax!! Grin

As does the OP. Therefore she has just as much right to park there.
JesusIsAnyNameFree · 10/05/2021 18:28

@sunglassesonthetable

Yeah well, after 2 years of having to mow the lawn when it's convenient for the OP pretty much, I'm sure she's had quite enough.

Pure speculation. Was the grass waist high? No just something to threaten the OP with.

It's not though is it? We know the OP parks there Monday through Friday during the times that a lot of people would be getting the mower out if they don't have a 9-5 job. And why on earth does it matter if it was or wasn't waist high? The lawn should be done at least twice a month this time of year if you don't want it to look like shit. Most people around here do it weekly.
MiddleParking · 10/05/2021 18:28

Re: the comments saying ‘what if she had a disabled guest’ . Anyone who has a driveway but would let a disabled guest park out on the road would want to have a strong word with themselves!

RubyFowler · 10/05/2021 18:29

If it was because she wanted to mow the grass she could have politely asked.
She didn't.

Staffy1 · 10/05/2021 18:31

You are not being unreasonable. She is, bloody cheek threatening to damage your car. If she says anything like that again, tell her she will be paying for it if she does. Several people take turns parking outside our house so there is always someone there, and while it's a bit irritating, especially the idiot who parks there at 6:00am with their radio blaring, to pick someone up, there is nothing we can do about it and I certainly wouldn't dream of threatening them or asking them to move. (Well, I might make an exception for the 6:00am radio blarer).

ScreamingBeans · 10/05/2021 18:35

@Besswess88

If you think you do, perhaps you'd like to pay for the road maintenance

I do!! The bloody road tax!! Grin

There is no such thing as road tax.

It was abolished by Winston Churchill.

There is vehicle excise duty but it comes absolutely nowhere close to the cost of road maintenance.

Doris86 · 10/05/2021 18:36

@SunflowersAndLavender

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’m always amazed at the entitled home owners who think a section of the public highway is their own personal parking space just because it happens to be outside their front door.
tommyhoundmum · 10/05/2021 18:37

People park vans outside our house all the time. At one time a small family came in a campervan for a few days. (central London) You're not doing anything wrong. She doesn't own the road. But do record by photographing your car each day as you leave it and tape any more nastiness from her.

She sounds like Hyacinth Bouquet

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