To bump this car out of the way?

[GenericUsername404]

Every Monday I need to get my van out to pick up my dc from school and take them to their club. Other days I use my car but on Mondays it’s kayaking so I need the van until a place in the kayak storage becomes available. My van is 20year old and very bashed.

Every Monday at 2.30 a brand new Volvo parks directly opposite my drive, in front of my neighbours dropped kerb. When they park here I can get my car out but not my van meaning my dc cannot go to their club which I have already paid for. I know they are inside the house opposite, I knock on the door but they don’t answer but then when I’m attempting to manoeuvre my van out I see them peeping out of the window. I put a note through the door a couple of weeks ago asking them not to do it after they still wouldn’t open the door. They put a note back through mine saying they were parking in front of their dropped kerb, they were entitled to and many others on the road did the same. This is true but I am the only house on my side of the street so no one else has anyone else opposite. I’ve also put a sign on my gate saying please do not park opposite

Having again had to carefully get the car out and not be able to get my kids to their club I’m thinking next week I’ll just bump it. I’m pretty sure I could get out with a couple of touches to their car but it would probably leave dents.

I’ve tried calling the police to say I’m blocked in but by the time they arrived neighbours friend had moved their car and when the police knocked they hid again 🙄

Btw I know I’m unreasonable and I almost certainly won’t do it. I’m just bloody pissed off.

Thanks for all the advice. I’m still unsure if I can bring myself to park across their drive but I’m sure by next Monday I’ll be fuming again and willing to do it. If they won’t even answer the door when I’m knocking to politely ask them to move I can’t see them having the balls to actually confront me about parking across their drive. I’ve just tried knocking again to speak to them - she’s definitely inside, I even heard her kids say “mum someone’s at the door” followed by lots of shuffling 🙄

Phone the police every time. They are being assholes.

@Branleuse

could you write a note back saying "please, its literally just this one afternoon a week that I need to get my van out for my kids club and I cant if that car is there as it blocks me in, come on guys, im asking nicely" and put a bottle of wine or a bar of chocolate with the note.

Don't give them wine or chocolate ffs.

@Doghead

So if they didn't have a dropped kerb and someone else parked there what would you do?

I think maybe you need to accept that the problem here is your large van and your inability to drive it properly.

Golly there's always one.....

The size of the van is irrelevant in that there is enough space to get it out when people are parked legally.

doghead no one would park there as it’s clearly obstructing a drive. I’d do the same thing I’d do if anyone parked on my drive or directly across it and ask for police to remove it if there was no one clearly around to move it.

doghead I’m perfectly capable of driving my relatively small van, I would defy anyone to get it out of that spot and I’m pretty impressed I can manage to get my small car out.

Im sorry but YABU.. As they are parking over their own dropped kerb, they are not blocking your drive. It's frustrating yes but it's not their fault that your van is too big to manoeuvre out of your drive. They also shouldn't have to get up and move a car that is outside their own house so that you can move your car every time. Maybe you could consider somewhere else you can park your van so that you can still use it?

Would it possible to even suggest to them that you could switch places and their guest could park in your driveway and you across theirs, if parking is an issue and they don’t think they have an alternative? Not ideal but just a potential solution!

@Unfinishednam, it isn't the householder that is parked there. The police have confirmed that the car is illegally parked.

You live in Devon or Cornwall don't you OP?!

Why do we do it to ourselves?!

The only suggestion I have is...
You pull out up to their car. Honk horn constantly while someone else bangs loudly on their front door. Whilst also shouting about calling the police.
If you have another spare person, get them to jump up and down outside their window shouting!

@Unfinishednam

Im sorry but YABU.. As they are parking over their own dropped kerb, they are not blocking your drive. It's frustrating yes but it's not their fault that your van is too big to manoeuvre out of your drive. They also shouldn't have to get up and move a car that is outside their own house so that you can move your car every time. Maybe you could consider somewhere else you can park your van so that you can still use it?

Some roads are too narrow for people to park opposite drives without blocking access to them. Nothing to do with the size of vehicle.

We had white lines opposite our drive for this reason in a previous house.

Call the traffic wardens.

charlieworkcharliesad how did you guess? small fishing village distinctly not designed for cars.

unfinishednam the police have confirmed that they shouldn’t be parking there as they are clearly blocking my drive. When the police arrived the car wasn’t parked opposite and they still struggled to get onto my drive as the roads are so narrow. You are not allowed to obstruct someone’s driveway when there is a car already parked there which is exactly what they were doing. Strictly speaking you’re not even supposed to park across your own dropped kerb but the police said they don’t normally act on this as they know parking is so limited round here.

According to the police strictly speaking none of the cars should be parked across the dropped kerbs but they don’t generally enforce it as parking is so limited here.

I think you might have no other choice than to potential the council or police to start making them enforce the 'no parking in the road' rule. This of course will affect others and piss everyone on the road off. Maybe make some sort of announcement on the local FB or Whatsapp group that says something like 'I can't keep struggling to get in and out of my drive. I have repeatedly tried to talk to the neighbour but they hide and won't speak to me. All I want is for them to take 10 mins to move their car so I can get out of my own drive at 2:30 on Mondays to take my children kayaking. I don't know what else to do except insist the no parking rule is enforced by the police/council. Anyone else have a suggestion before I go down that route?' See what others say.

I think that you need to try to speak to them so I would go over every hour and lean on the doorbell for five minutes.

@GenericUsername404

doghead no one would park there as it’s clearly obstructing a drive. I’d do the same thing I’d do if anyone parked on my drive or directly across it and ask for police to remove it if there was no one clearly around to move it.

Some people are just thick or selfish. Our neighbour, with three cars and an illegally parked caravan, with space for three cars if they didn't have a caravan, parked across our driveway. DH hit it when he reversed off our drive, accidentally 100%, they still park there with subsequent cars as don't want to walk an extra two metres from the space they could park in which inconveniences no one.

Put the kayaks in front of twat neighbours drive next week. That'll flummox them

@Unfinishednam

As they are parking over their own dropped kerb, they are not blocking your drive

You say this as if the two things are mutually exclusive. They're not. They are parking over their own dropped kerb, and blocking OP's drive. Otherwise, why would OP be posting..?

titchy

Sounds like your van is too big for where you live
.

redhelenb it really isn’t, it’s an old VW T6. Not much longer than an average estate car. Plenty of people in my village have work vans but normally the neighbours are happy to all shuffle around when people need to get in/ out as we all know what an arse it is round here.

Could you take the van out early and do something you need to do like a supermarket shop?

I would call the police earlier and keep calling them every time until they stop doing it.

@antisocialdistancer the best post, ever.

therebelle I could but then I’d have nowhere to park it between finishing my shop and picking my kids up from school at 3pm. I’d have to sit in Sainsbury’s car park all afternoon and I have too much stuff to do to be able to do that.