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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To be annoyed with neighbours visitors taking up parking spots?

124 replies

WineGetsMeThroughIt · 30/06/2021 12:28

In short, I live on a quiet Victorian street with terraced houses. Parking is tight, but has never been a major issue in the years I've been here. People normally get parking directly outside, or a few spots down from their house. But in the past 4 years we have had several young families move in - each with two cars - one has 3! (we also have 2 cars), but they've got family visiting regularly (weekly) - often staying over night. So when you factor in 2-3+ families on the road with visitors often overlapping that reduces the very sparse parking quite significantly and therefore forces me to park around the corner on a different road away from my house. I've got a small child and it's a real pain to gather DC and all of the stuff in the car (nursery things, groceries, etc) and get them from the car down the road and into the house. Obviously I'm well aware we bought a victorian house with street parking only. But I can't help be pissed off when I get home and someone's mum has taken the spot outside my house where I could have parked and then doesn't move their car for 3 days.

And before anyone asks DH and I do not have any family nearby, or really have visitors that come over so we do not put them in the same situation. I realise many will say YABU but I can't help the fact that it annoys me greatly.

OP posts:
TwoLeftElbows · 30/06/2021 13:53

It's annoying, but it's the reason you can afford your house.

Skiptheheartsandflowers · 30/06/2021 13:56

Best way to deal with this is for the other driver in your house to 'hold' the space with their car, then when you get back with the kids, they pop out and move the car allowing you to park by the house. If the visitors usually arrive on say Friday afternoon, then it'd be worth either making sure you get home before them, or seeing whether your partner can get back early or travel to work by other means that day and leave the car in place.

minipie · 30/06/2021 13:57

You can't have two cars and complain.

This was my thought too. The real issue is every house having two+ cars. Victorian streets generally don’t have enough space for this, as the houses are not two cars wide. If you’re in a Victorian street that usually means fairly central in town (not always I know) so do you really need two cars?

welshladywhois40 · 30/06/2021 13:58

Sending some sympathy. I was in a terrace with my newborn. Often had to move him from the car to pram to push him and shopping home 3 streets away from where we lived.

Always packed shopping so that fridge/freezer stuff together incase I couldn't get near the house to unload.

We moved and now have a drive and my god it is worth the money. Shock I often leave the sleeping baby in the car while I unload into the house!

RolloTomassi · 30/06/2021 14:02

Totally sympathize OP as this would drive me mad too. But the reality is lots of people don't always park considerately at the best of times - on a row of terraces where parking is genuinely very limited, this will always be an issue. Is there no way you can move if it bothers you this much?

TableFlowerss · 30/06/2021 14:03

Again, another one that agrees with how annoying it is but at the end of the day, buying a house with a driveway is the only way of assuring you get to park outside your house.

Genuinely one of the reasons I didn’t buy a terraced house years ago. I loved the house but parking was hell. Literally having to ark streets away. No thank you, so I didn’t but it.

TheOrigRights · 30/06/2021 14:03

if we want off street parking and a house with a drive it will set us back £850K - £1M which is why we have settled on a Victorian semi on a quiet road.

The way you've written this makes it sound like you regard it as a real hardship.
I imagine your house is very nice and it's just a little bit inconvenient.

Moonface123 · 30/06/2021 14:04

It s easy for people who don't have this problem to say your being unreasonable. I am sandwiched inbetween two houses where every weekend and evenings in the week they are always having people over. I have same issues 're parking. I didn't think about this enough when l brought the house but lesson learnt.

EmmaGrundyForPM · 30/06/2021 14:04

YABVVU because you've got two cars! Victorian terraced houses are usually about one car wide. If each household has one car, everyone can park outside their own house. The minute a household has two cars, one of those cars has to be parked outside someone else's house.

Or do you think the rules don't apply to you?

NoIDontWatchLoveIsland · 30/06/2021 14:05

If you want a house with private parking you will need to move to one.

ChainJane · 30/06/2021 14:06

Why not just give up your cars? Problem solved. If you lost your licence tomorrow because of a drink-driving conviction, you'd find a way to cope by using taxis and or public transport.

IHaveBrilloHair · 30/06/2021 14:06

Tough shit!

FictionalCharacter · 30/06/2021 14:09

YANBU to be annoyed about someone’s mum parking their car outside your house for 3 days. That’s really inconsiderate.

GalesThisMorning · 30/06/2021 14:13

You've 'settled' on owning a Victorian semi, in a desirable neighbourhood, owning two cars and having a partner and child.

You're doing ok!! It's extra steps on your daily step count OP. Things could be worse.

malmi · 30/06/2021 14:15

If you're visiting someone for three days then of course you want to park as close as possible so you can keep an eye on the car and not feel like you have to keep going round to check on it. Not make extra work for yourself by parking further away out of sight and having to walk back and forth (especially with luggage when arriving/departing). It doesn't make sense.

If you are sure that the space around the corner is safe and valid to park in then park your own car there.

kindaclassy · 30/06/2021 14:15

Apart from campaigning for resident parking, nothing else you can do.

The only time I think people take the piss is when they , and their visitors, park in front of other people's houses specifically to avoid seeing cars in front of their own house! Confused

Visitors parking where they find space.. what else are they supposed to do.

kindaclassy · 30/06/2021 14:16

@ChainJane

Why not just give up your cars? Problem solved. If you lost your licence tomorrow because of a drink-driving conviction, you'd find a way to cope by using taxis and or public transport.
this is why I love MN. 😂
Noshowlomo · 30/06/2021 14:19

I sympathise as we lived in a street like this and put up with shit parking for 7 years… we moved last Friday and now have a drive. Best thing we have ever done.
But yes people are inconsiderate and also take up two spaces with one car because of crap parking !

Wombat36 · 30/06/2021 14:21

Could be loads worse, I used to live on a street that where the controlled parking started for the inner city. Could barely ever park near the house for people parking up and walking into their offices. It got to the point where we'd forget or not know where the car was parked if the other person had parked it. We moved to a house with a drive and there people parked for the station to commute to the city...which became very obvious after we moved in but wasn't prior, as it was a quiet street, blah, blah...

Too many cars, too little space.

Donotgogentle · 30/06/2021 14:22

When we bought a car in London I made an active decision not to engage with parking place issues. I’ve seen people get really unhealthily preoccupied with preserving the parking spot outside their property.

If you don’t have a private driveway it is what it is. Lots of people have to walk to their homes.

JassyRadlett · 30/06/2021 14:22

^We got a residents' parking scheme put in place in my street / neighbourhood about a decade ago. The Council organised it and enforces it."

We campaigned for this and got it as well - it makes a massive difference, especially as we were also being used as free parking by local business employees and commuters.

It's only 11-2 residents' parking but it's removed all of that parking for the day or longer that we were getting. It still gets busy (not least because 2 residents now have work vans) but it's rare now to dare to go out between 7 and 9 briefly and have to park half a mile away when you get back. I find myself getting annoyed by having to park round the corner now, before we had residents' parking it was totally normal.

I always love the 'just buy a house with a drive' brigade on these threads. No clue of the reality in a lot of places.

KarmaStar · 30/06/2021 14:24

Yes it is annoying.so are posters with their unhelpful remarks about you not buying a house with parking when you've already acknowledged this.perhaps they are the irritating visitors!😊

Nitgel · 30/06/2021 14:24

People are selfish arseholes when it comes to parking

Iggly · 30/06/2021 14:25

You kind of have to accept that that’s the deal of where you live.

Or you move.

We moved.

NeedNewKnees · 30/06/2021 14:27

Sure, it’s annoying but with two cars, you are part of the problem, so can’t complain.

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