Aibu for removing tyre caps (PARKING THREAD!)

[JackieakaBritney]

Background, live in converted 3 flat house for 6 years odd, we are attic flat.

Been here since 2015, bought car 2017, previous neighbour had a defunct car on drive which he moved when he moved out late 2017

Since then I've parked my car on drive at least overnights, during day (pre Covid) was parked at my work, insurance detailed the same.

However since beginning of 2020 we have had two different neighbours move in on the middle floor flat and ground floor flat. Neither of the houses moved in with an existing car

Since the two flats have moved in, there has been an constant influx of visitors (particularly during lockdown) but also pretty much every weekend and these visitors decide to block me in, over a dropped curb. It's not the
Same car each time, it's a rotation of 4 or 5 different ones?

I ignored it to the best of my ability during lockdown as we weren't supposed to really go anywhere but then why is ok for them to block my car in?

Then when restrictions eased my husband put a note on one of the cars saying "illegal to park on dropped curb/driveway. Park somewhere else." This was ignored
The next time a car blocked me in by a visitors there was a note saying.

"If I've blocked you in call...."

Tonight I've come home and I'm blocked in again. Tbh I've kinda lost my rag and taken off two of the tyre aircaps. Aibu??

I am sick to death of worrying about asking neighbours To move their visitors cars during the last year especially when I might need it in an emergency etc and they have been asked for their friends/visotors not block me in previously?

Sorry, not sure why that last post attached itself to a quote.

Of course they shouldn’t block you in or obstruct a dropped kerb.

But what on earth were you thinking, removing the dust caps? What a petty, futile and probably illegal thing to do out of spite.

@SkodaKodiaq

I can't believe you've actually gone to the lengths of searching documents online!? Just to further pile on OP! Appalling behaviour

"Appalling"? Really? Rather over dramatic there. I was a bit bored and genuinely curious as to whether it was legal or not.

Maybe you don't use Google that often as you seem to think I went to lots of effort when in reality I typed in a sentence and a result appeared which I clicked on and took a screenshot of... it took about 30 seconds.

@Lepetitpiggy

I park outside our house on a little piece of grass as we dont have a drive. This is not 'my space' and we just use it because we can. On occasion, I get internally ranty if someone parks right next to me, but I would never assume I own that piece of grass. It sounds as though you have taken ownership of an area that isnt yours and so perhaps needs to rethink. How about, I dunno, asking the neighbours if they need the shared drive ever and come to an agreement?

Don’t be ridiculous. The drive is available to any of the three houses if they arrive and find it empty. OP would not be able to complain about them parking ON the drive if one of them got there first. Even if they then stayed for 3 weeks. However she is 100% entitled to complain about being blocked in.

D) You illegally tampered with someone’s car, potentially causing them to have an accident.

It won't cause them to have an accident. I'd be more concerned about the fact that they almost certainly won't notice so it won't achieve anything.

The hysteria on this thread is unreal. Removing the caps will not cause people to die ffs!

OP YANBU about them blocking you in, thats not acceptable.

However YABU, firstly for removing the caps. The drivers will not notice until they actually go to put air in their tyres and when they do notice they will have no idea that it was you and that it was due to their inconsiderate parking. So its a pointless thing to have done.

YA'also'BU with your use of 'hun' and 'hunny' on this thread

Very stupid behaviour. Don't interfere with someone else's car.

I'd do following: everytime someone pays there, wait 5 mins so they get settled and then call to ask them to move it as I need out. I then either wouldn't leave at all or just drive car out and park elsewhere. And just keep doing it until they get the point, could take a while though.

How often does your car move off the driveway? Have have you ever actually got these people to move so that you can get out (at which point presumably they can park on the driveway and take your space). If you hardly ever use the car and you’re blocking the shared space I don’t think they are totally unreasonable to park blocking you in and leave a note with their number. If you use the car daily then it’s different because they have some chance of using the space and they are actually inconveniencing you

@Abouttoblow

Those caps don't hold the air in the tyres, for all you pearl clutching "you're going to cause a pile up on the motorway" crowd. Please hand your driving licences back to the DVLA at your earliest convenience. FFS

Totally agree!! The amount of sanctimonious, hysterical finger pointing on here is unbelievable.

People here seem to really get off on being unpleasant. They all grow a pair of balls so to speak due to the anonymity of online posting, yet in RL I bet they wouldn’t say boo to a goose.

@JackieakaBritney

No one else is using the frigging driveway! Is it that hard to understand? I have had my car parked here for 4 years!! No one else in the building owns a car!

If someone else owned a car here I would compromise! But they don't and just block me in every fucking day regardless. If I came home from being out and someone was on parked in the drive then i would park on the street in a space like a normal person. Instead I have to ask permission everytime I want to leave my own property in the car and I am tired of it.

It's not on and tbh you lot know it.

But the fact is that your behaviour in this is as bad as those you complain about. You are more than willing to risk them having an accident because someone has annoyed you. The correct action if someone has blocked a dropped kerb is to call the police. Enough parking tickets and a few towed cars will work very effectively. I used to live in a place where I had the same problem, and that was exactly what I did. Problem solved quickly enough when it cost them enough.

Ok tyre caps are a bit important but really it will take a long time for the tyre to lose pressure without the cap, so everyone can untie their knickers. People should be checking their tyre pressure regularly anyway, so having no caps shouldn't result in an accident.
I can't understand why you bothered doing that OP. What did you think it would do, let their tyres down? You want to let their tyres down, you will need tk slash them, but then you're going to be blocked in for quite a while.

There's some aggressive response's on here, and people keep saying call the police, as if they have the time and man power to solve a parking issue everytime. They deal with "crime" not civil matters. There's wrong on both sides on this situation.

I don't understand the multiple references to 'Huns' - what is a 'Hun'? I know it was a derogatory term used to describe the Nazis in WW2 ( like calling them The Bosch in WW1) but are we saying the OP is actually a nazi?

'Hun' nowadays is sometimes used as a casually friendly expression- short for 'honey' presumably. So it's like saying 'dear' or 'darling'; and all of these can be used sarcastically: 'Look, dear, you're talking absolute rubbish', and the like. I think this is how 'hun' is being used here.

What they're doing is annoying. But damaging their tyres isn't the way to deal with it. (a) It's illegal; (b) could be dangerous; (c) unless it's just one visitor who's doing it, ultimately your neighbour is responsible. You should complain to the authorities - the landlord; the Council; the police if need be - rather than vandalizing someone's car.

@Smudge77

There's some aggressive response's on here, and people keep saying call the police, as if they have the time and man power to solve a parking issue everytime. They deal with "crime" not civil matters. There's wrong on both sides on this situation.

As someone who has done exactly this no, it is easy to do. And they are happy to do it. PCSO's and Traffic Wardens can be dispatched to ticket vehicles; and they can call up tow trucks employed to move cars by the Police. There is absolutely no impact on "crime" - it is an offence to block someone in (although not to block someone out, if you see what I mean).

Can you ring the parking department next time it happens, see if someone will come and ticket them?

Or constantly ring at your neighbours doors whenever it happens until it becomes more trouble than it’s worth for them to let their friends do this.

I can see why you are annoyed. I can’t believe they do this. Who parks over an obvious drive?

I’d pop the caps back though. Two wrongs don’t make a right.

It won't solve your problem, they won't even know it was you and related to the parking, so it is pointless, childish and potentially dangerous to remove the dust caps.

Deal with it like an adult. Speak to the flat owners, contact council/police. Leave sticky notes on the cars telling them they will be towed if they block you in again.

Why don’t you park where they are parking ?
Problem solved.

Whatever the effect on the tyres, taking off the caps is petty and extremely unlikely to achieve the result you want.

Report the registration of any car blocking you in (after first checking with the neighbours to see if they know whose car it is).

I inadvertently parked partly across a driveway near my work place a while back (was in a hurry and forgot to check the front of the car) and received a fine. I won't be doing it again because I hate paying money for nothing.

Ranting on MN won't solve this and your method of trying is definitely U.

I’m assuming the majority on this thread never check their tyre pressure or they’d know dust caps do not keep the air in??
Quite worrying the comments of causing an accident, criminal damage etc and in such self righteous attitudes which are completely wrong.

I had a drive for years and no car. It was great that my sister could visit with her kids and park there - unload her car seat/push chair. It was great that my friends didn't have to drive about looking for where to park. It was great that I could walk into my front door without sidling past someone's car all the time. etc etc. Not your exclusive space. Leave it free for others to use on occasion. And as for the vandalism... Let's hope they don't retaliate.

@JackieakaBritney

You guys seriously need to rethink what a "shared space" is in your fantasy worlds. It's not blocking someone in across a dropped kerb in the middle of a a dead end for starts 🤣 bloody hell and there's me thinking you lot love a parking thread. 😱

@JackieakaBritney Is the driveway your personal parking space or is it first come first served?

If it's not 100% for your sole use then the neighbours might well be doing it on purpose as a passive aggressive move to you....in the same way you're now doing back to them.

If it's completely your personal parking space as stated in your lease then they're being twats.

But either way, absolutely nothing is to be gained by you taking their tyre caps. They won't even notice!! It's totally pointless.

@MangosteenSoda

I’m all agog at the number of Mumsnetters who do not respect the sanctity of the dropped kerb. I thought that was law on here

You are confused. No one is saying that parking over someone’s drive is fine. It’s more that the ops reaction to it is a huge over reaction and her coming on here waving the caps around wanting applause is a bit pathetic.

@JackieakaBritney

Well should I just put up with them blocking me in constantly then? Even when I've asked for whoever it is not too/spoken to all neighbours??

I live here, they don't?

So your inconvenience justifies you putting them and other users in mortal danger?

Wow.

If it's not 100% for your sole use then the neighbours might well be doing it on purpose as a passive aggressive move to you....in the same way you're now doing back to them.

But why would neighbours have grounds to complain about OP using it if it’s empty when she arrives home?