AIBU to put up a no parking sign on my garden wall

[Worrysaboutalot]

As in picture. DH used to park in position 1 and I used to park my big car in position 2.

However now I have a mobility car and a wheelchair, I can’t load and unload my wheelchair on the drive, in position 2 as the drive is too steep and in bad repair.

So, I am currently parking in position 3 on the road half over our drive and half over the kerb. To offload my wheelchair onto the dropped kerb. So I can get to my ramp and the front door. DH now parks in position 2.

The issue is, if I return to my house and someone is parked in position 3, I am stuck, as I can’t half cover someone else’s drive to off load my chair onto their dropped kerb IYSWIM.

I have checked my council’s website and they don’t paint disability bays on the roads in a residential area. So that is a no go.

I understand I have no legal right to stop or ask anyone to not park in this space, but would I be unreasonable to put up a polite notice asking people to park elsewhere, so I can unload my wheelchair?

Our neighbour has a similar sign and we all respect it, I would put it up.

@Peachypeaches

Could you just park completely over the dropped kerb, and your DH just move your car out of the way when he needs to get on or off the drive?

No, otherwise I can't offload my wheelchair and get onto the pavement without being half over the drop curb.

@PizzaBreath Thanks, I am leaning to getting the sign and just see how it goes.

A sign explaining it's needed for wheelchair access seems very reasonable. As long as you don't like in the middle of a city or near a school, you'll probably find people respect it and leave it clear.

If I saw that sign I would respect it. I used to live on a street which was a nightmare for parking, terrace houses, most house with 2+ cars per household. There was a handwritten sign in the window of one house asking people to leave a space clear for a resident with a disability it was always respected.
The council in your area seem rubbish, is there any of your doctors that can help you with getting a disabled pay painted?

There are quite a few charities in the UK that help with accessibility for disabled people, OP, have you looked into getting a grant to make the driveway more accessible for you?

There’s a house near me with a Wheelchair access required - please don’t park here sign. Does the job.

I’d also just do the sign op. The vast majority of people are decent and won’t park there if they see it, so it will alleviate much of the issue, yes there will still be some arseholes, but hopefully the minority.

My DH is not happy about putting a sign out, but I think it has to help!

^^ Not fair at all. 100% do the sign and see what happens. Worst case you have to remove it and rethink. Hope it works for you, that sounds really hard.

I would respect the sign, even though parking is a 'mare near mine. I don't respect the signs where people just don't like you parking there haha but yours is a really valid reason .

No, otherwise I can't offload my wheelchair and get onto the pavement without being half over the drop curb
Does this mean you can't offload in the drop curb but you can go on it from the pavement to get into your house?

To be fair, it's hard for us to picture it all with a diagram and explanation, so I can understand someone just reading the sign being confused too.

Who tends to park there? Neighbours, commuters, shoppers? How often does someone parks there? How often are both sides of the driveway parked on?

The reality is that most people will ignore the sign and if challenged, will say they didn't see it, and if further challenged, that they have the right to park there, so I doubt it will make much of a difference.

I think that sign would work well. How weird that your council don't put disabled bays outside residential properties!

How weird that your council don't put disabled bays outside residential properties!
8 think it's quite common in areas that have their own driveways. The fact it is in a bad shape and OP can't take a loan to sort out is not the Council issue.

I've never heard of a council not putting some sort of designation outside houses for people with disabilities.

They will only do it for blue badge holders though. Do you have a blue badge, OP?

If you do, and they still refuse, I'd contact one of the disability charities for advice.

Perfectly reasonable to put a sign. I would put a wheelchair symbol or similar so people know you aren't just being territorial.

Disappointing that the council can't mark a space for you though. They certainly do it on residential roads where I live (London though, so parking may be more limited).

@Notjustanymum

There are quite a few charities in the UK that help with accessibility for disabled people, OP, have you looked into getting a grant to make the driveway more accessible for you?

I will have a look for grants but as I couldn't find any grants for a wheelchair, chair lift or wheel chair ramp, I don't hold out much hope.

Grants tend to be for children, veterans or retired older people. Inam in my mid 40's.

You can get condition relevant grants from the appropriate charities. However my condition is so rare, that the rare disease society only had a paragraph of information to read out to me. No charities, no research, no help groups and no funding grants for my condition.

I have accepted that we will have to pay for everything. Which is why (ill as I am) I have to return to work ASAP. Not just to rebuild the family savings or to make life easier for us as a family but also to save up for all the stair lifts and wheel chairs I will need over the next 40 years! Roughly 8 chairs and 8 stairs lifts. Approx £50k or there abouts.

I thought your council had to put a bay in if you are a blue badge holder. Talk to scope maybe?

hospitalsaturdayfund.org/apply-for-a-grant/#1560017195992-cf4b9003-7ebc

I don't know if you have looked at these but they say give grants to individuals for home adaptations.
You could ask them to level your drive. Or you could keep them in mind for when your wheelchair/lift needs replacing.

@Worrysaboutalot

The big car is mine, which has to hold 4 kids, a wheelchair and wheelchair hoist plus me.

I can't afford to mend the drive, as we had to put thousand down on the car plus we self funded my chair, stair lift and outside wheelchair ramp. We have run out of money. The council gave me a couple of inside aids and that is it.

Plus the main problem with the drive is the steepness, which means I can't safely walk with double crutches from drivers seat to the boot. Plus the hoist swings all over the place when offloading. I need a flat place to park.

The suggestion to extend the drop curb might work, although that means having a drop curb in front of a garden wall, lol

It’s £500 to have the kerb dropped by the council. We’ve just done it. You won’t get it done for free.

Yes, I have a blue badge.

If I parked fully on our own drop curb. I would have to unload my chair onto a grassy area, which my power chair won't run on. So I would be stuck on the grass verge outside our house until my husband could come out and off load my chair onto the road and help me to it. So I can dangerously drive on the road to the very bottom where there is a well maintain drop curb I can use and then ride back up on the pavement and into my house. Not such a big deal whilst he works from home but will be harder when he is working in a town 2 hour drive away.

Yes, it is not the councils fault that my drive is in bad repair but it is not my fault I can barely walk now either!

If the council had helped us and hadn't forced us to spend £8k on basic essential aids like wheelchair and ramps, we would have money to mend our drive but they didn't help us and now we have no savings left. What are we meant to do!

@Womendohavevaginasnick Love the name Thank you that link, I will apply for help from them.

@EleanorOlephantisjustfine Thanks for the amount for a drop curb. I will try a sign first and see if that helps.

Polite sign but as brief as possible so people can read it when just about to park in the space!

Also maybe worth approaching the council regardless of their website. Might/might not be able to help with a bay in this situation but worth a try.

Hope you get it sorted.

Your council's policies stink. I know you have plenty on your plate, but it might be worth contacting the relevant charities to see if they are interested in co-ordinating a legal challenge, preferably in the name of someone who qualifies for legal aid.

Your council sounds shite @Worrysaboutalot.

I would recommend contacting your local MP and see if they can get involved at all to enable you to access better support.

In the meantime YANBU to install a sign. Some idiots won't follow it, but hopefully it will encourage some people to park elsewhere at least.