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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:
HaveringWavering · 10/05/2021 22:29

@finallymightbehappening

Need a photo. My driveway is really wide but the camber of the road means that if people park close to my kerb I literally can't see anything and it's tight to get out. It's always a fucking van. I
Still doesn’t make it illegal to park there.
Jchina · 10/05/2021 22:32

If she hadn’t done and said what she had I would say you were being inconsiderate OP, and that moving it around so that it wasn’t there all day 5 days a week would be a better thing to do. But the fact she has basically threatened you when you haven’t broken the law or blocked her drive is completely out of order so she’s lost any moral high ground she might have had. Personally if it were me I’d probably find a new parking space and save myself the agro, or definitely park there less often.

YouJustDoYou · 10/05/2021 22:37

The road doesn't belong to the woman. Op can park there. British people are so weird.

Besswess88 · 10/05/2021 22:39

What we don’t need right now is people piling on who haven’t RTFT.

It’s not adding humour.

Everyone is saying the same thing but thinking they are adding the true insight of the story 🤣🤣🤣

MissMaple82 · 10/05/2021 22:41

Maybe just maybe she's pissed off to the baxk teeth of putting up with you taking liberties. I will always avoid parking outside of people's houses, its just downright disrespectful. Park somewhere else and walk

youvegottenminuteslynn · 10/05/2021 22:43

@MissMaple82

Maybe just maybe she's pissed off to the baxk teeth of putting up with you taking liberties. I will always avoid parking outside of people's houses, its just downright disrespectful. Park somewhere else and walk
If they have a drive that is not being obstructed, with four spaces, and the road is public parking then why is it an issue?!
Goldieloxx · 10/05/2021 22:47

It's legal but is a bit rude and would annoy me if it was every day! Someone left a car outside ours for three weeks once, really irritating as made it hard to see to pull off the drive and stopped any visitors we had parking there.

Osrie · 10/05/2021 22:51

@YouJustDoYou

The road doesn't belong to the woman. Op can park there. British people are so weird.
So true
youvegottenminuteslynn · 10/05/2021 22:56

@Goldieloxx

It's legal but is a bit rude and would annoy me if it was every day! Someone left a car outside ours for three weeks once, really irritating as made it hard to see to pull off the drive and stopped any visitors we had parking there.
The woman in question has four spaces on her own drive and isnt being blocked in... guests can park in her private drive. So what's the problem?
Barney60 · 10/05/2021 23:07

Yeap agree with a few, legal to park but would drive me mad, odd hour here and there ok, but 5 days a week , you dont say if lady was elderly her carers/helpers might like to park there.
TBH it would just wind me up, id park there to stop you, is there not a public car park you could perhaps use?

Barney60 · 10/05/2021 23:09

Just seen previous post, it would still wind me up, same as new estates with huge work vans parked outside others houses.

youvegottenminuteslynn · 10/05/2021 23:09

@Barney60

Just seen previous post, it would still wind me up, same as new estates with huge work vans parked outside others houses.
But why?! If you can still get into your drive which has multiple spaces, why is it an issue?
Zzelda · 10/05/2021 23:14

The woman in question has four spaces on her own drive and isnt being blocked in... guests can park in her private drive.

How do you know? OP hasn't said whether there is space on the drive.

CaraherEIL · 10/05/2021 23:14

Babyroobs- Love the fat links bus!

Shelddd · 10/05/2021 23:15

@Besswess88

What we don’t need right now is people piling on who haven’t RTFT.

It’s not adding humour.

Everyone is saying the same thing but thinking they are adding the true insight of the story 🤣🤣🤣

It's 35 pages.. okay I'll see you back here in 3 hours..
youvegottenminuteslynn · 10/05/2021 23:19

@Zzelda

The woman in question has four spaces on her own drive and isnt being blocked in... guests can park in her private drive.

How do you know? OP hasn't said whether there is space on the drive.

Well she either already has four cars in her four spaces, in which case wanting more spaces available to her feels rather overkill and the price one pays for having four cars, or some of the spaces on her drive are available for guests. You're essentially saying she should have a provision for more than four cars. Does that not seem unreasonable for you?
Zzelda · 10/05/2021 23:31

Well, firstly we only have OP's word for it that there is space for four cars. That would certainly be an unusually large driveway and I question her judgment on that.

Secondly, she could be using it for anything - cars, a caravan, a skip, a truck. That doesn't automatically disentitle her from having visitors.

Thirdly, some delivery vehicles still won't necessarily fit into the driveway but still definitely need to be near the house.

Fourthly, if we're talking about people with unused spaces, how about the unused space near OP's house? What's wrong with walking to school or taking public transport?

rach2713 · 10/05/2021 23:32

Maybe she should pee on the spot to mark it and carry on parking there. What's the bets this thread ends up in the paper its taken off like wild fire...

youvegottenminuteslynn · 10/05/2021 23:35

@Zzelda

Well, firstly we only have OP's word for it that there is space for four cars. That would certainly be an unusually large driveway and I question her judgment on that.

Secondly, she could be using it for anything - cars, a caravan, a skip, a truck. That doesn't automatically disentitle her from having visitors.

Thirdly, some delivery vehicles still won't necessarily fit into the driveway but still definitely need to be near the house.

Fourthly, if we're talking about people with unused spaces, how about the unused space near OP's house? What's wrong with walking to school or taking public transport?

Secondly, she could be using it for anything - cars, a caravan, a skip, a truck. That doesn't automatically disentitle her from having visitors.

Neither does it give her any entitlement for visitors to visit! They just need to park on the street, if there are no spaces on the drive. Like most visitors in most homes.

Thirdly, some delivery vehicles still won't necessarily fit into the driveway but still definitely need to be near the house.

Near, not directly outside. And if there are enough spaces that it's an issue OP is choosing to park closest to this woman's home, there are enough spaces for those people to park near to her home if not directly outside.

She is no more automatically entitled to that particular space than anyone else is. It's a public road and OP is not obstructing the drive.

youvegottenminuteslynn · 10/05/2021 23:36

Neither does it give her any entitlement for visitors to visit!

This should have said 'neither does it give her any entitlement for visitors to park directly outside her home when they visit.'

LizzieW1969 · 10/05/2021 23:41

She is no more automatically entitled to that particular space than anyone else is. It's a public road and OP is not obstructing the drive.

^This 100%. There really is nothing further to be said. As long as she isn’t parking anyone in, the OP isn’t doing anything wrong.

My DH and I have visited plenty of friends’ houses and have struggled to park. We just find somewhere as near as possible and walk a short distance. What is the big deal?

Sidesaladofchips · 10/05/2021 23:45

I think this thread wins the internet todayGrin

Drunkenmonkey · 10/05/2021 23:48

I can't believe someone said she should walk or get public transport instead Grin does that apply to every house people have to park outside? Be pretty fucked round my way, everywhere is terraced houses.
Or is it only wrong to park outside houses if they are detached with driveways?

SkiingIsHeaven · 10/05/2021 23:49

Really don't understand why people who buy a house near a school get so annoyed.

Any idiot knows that people are going to park there and although wrong, are likely to block your drive from time to time.

I would never buy a house by a school because I know it would get on my nerves too much.

Ginuwine · 10/05/2021 23:56

@Zzelda

Well, firstly we only have OP's word for it that there is space for four cars. That would certainly be an unusually large driveway and I question her judgment on that.

Secondly, she could be using it for anything - cars, a caravan, a skip, a truck. That doesn't automatically disentitle her from having visitors.

Thirdly, some delivery vehicles still won't necessarily fit into the driveway but still definitely need to be near the house.

Fourthly, if we're talking about people with unused spaces, how about the unused space near OP's house? What's wrong with walking to school or taking public transport?

Oh look! It's someone on AIBU questioning someone's lived and reported experience ..

As it happens, my driveway can factually take a similar number, maybe three if people actually want to get out of their cars without risking tearing clothing

Am I a fantasist or not judging my own property correctly? The one I can see outside of my front room window?

So weird how folk are so keek to discredit something that is surely factual to the OP.

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