To think if you park so far across the pavement that even f**king slenderman would struggle to get past, it’s your own damn fault if your car gets scratched?

[AngeloMysterioso]

Walking into town today with DS in the pram (in the pouring rain). I was walking up a road that is in a residential area, but this particular road is part of a cut-through between two main roads into/out of the town centre and is on a bus route, so it gets a lot of traffic.

It’s a fairly narrow one-way street, on one side are parking bays painted onto the road and dickheads people will often park like dicks across the pavement on the other side if there isn’t a free space and they’re too fucking lazy to park round the corner. The other side of the road is single yellow line so parking is restricted 8-6 Mon-Sat.

Apparently this arsehole bloke didn’t think those restrictions applied to him however, and had parked right the way across the pavement, leaving a tiny gap between the car and a garden wall.

This was close to the end of the road and a lot of cars tend to turn up the road without slowing down at all, so my options were to a) squeeze past the gap between the car and the wall or b) go around the car and into the path of oncoming traffic on a rainy day. It’s uphill too, and between DS, the pram, and my 23 week pregnant baby bump I was already fairly out of puff so wasn’t moving particularly quickly.

So I chose option a. Unfortunately, because it was such a tight squeeze the pram came into contact with the side of the car and left a bit of a graze. I didn’t really give a shit to be honest, so I just carried on walking.

What I didn’t realise was that the arsehole driver of said vehicle was sitting in the driving seat on his phone. When he realised what had happened he got out of his car and came running after me, yelling that I’d damaged his car and demanding I give him my details. I refused, pointing out that he was parked illegally, the pavement is for pedestrians and my and my son’s right to not get hit by cars overrides his right to not have to park somewhere thats a bit inconvenient for him.

He followed me a short distance and then went back to his car, saying he’d be contacting the police.

WIBU?

YANBU! I used to do the same when I was out with a buggy. If you block the pavement for pedestrians he has no right to report when his car gets damaged by them! Tough shit!

His own fault, pavements are for pedestrians , not cars.

He'll have time to reflect on his actions when paying for his scratch to be repaired.

Sorry I ha won’t read the full thread. Op if you are in Scotland I believe he was parked illegally. This law was recently brought in I think

It's his own fault, YANBU.
Can't stand it when idiots park on the pavement.

@IWantAllTheDogsInTheWorld

I wouldn't give a shiny shite either. What's he going to do, admit to the police he parked illegally and risk getting a fine and how is he going to prove it was you anyway? There's no proof (dash cam, cctv) that wouldn't incriminate him too.

Bet he doesn't park there again.

How do you know there's no dash cam?

@KentuckyCriedFricken

Two wrongs don’t make a right. Yes, he was parked illegally but that doesn’t mean it’s ok to damage his car.

All this about rain, uphill, moving slowly, pregnant, pushchair, can’t walk around the car is just excuses and attempts to justify yourself. You should have walked around it.

Since when did any pedestrian need and excuse to be able to walk on a pavement without having to step into the road because some entitled know blocked the pavement with his car....

@Obbydoo

Two wrongs don't make a right. He is a dickhead and you are also a dickhead. But, causing costly damage to someone's car ourweighs his dickheadness. I hope he tracks you down in order to ensure you pay for the damage you have caused.

No, you are wrong. The safety of pedestrians outweighs costly damage to someone's car. Why should the OP have to put herself and her child in danger by walking into the road?

YANBU but I do park across the pavement, sometimes blocking most of it because there is absolutely no other parking options where I live. I do try to leave room for pushchairs where I can. I do it knowing that it’s my problem if my car gets scratched though, and accept the risk.

You’re still liable for the damage you caused even if he was parked illegally (in many places parking on the pavement isn’t actually illegal though). I’m not sure if my definition of a ‘tiny gap’ is one big enough to push a pram past but obviously he should have left room for a wheelchair. If he was in the car he was available to move though. Is there a pavement on the other side?

YANBU, I did similar this morning with my double buggy. Don't think I left a mark, but I didn't stop to check and I won't be losing any sleep.

Especially annoying since there was no need - quiet road where it's perfectly possible to park fully on the road without blocking anything, or even two wheels up on the wide pavement and still leave plenty of room. Drives me crackers.

@IceCreamAndCandyfloss

If you damaged his car then he is right to report. You could have gone round even in the rain.

Trying to think of how best to put this...... FUCK OFF.

"Hi police, a pregnant lady with a pushchair I have no details for scratched my car while I was parked illegally. What are you going to do about it?"

"Thank you for your report. Your call is very important to us.
We will ensure your vague description appears on tonight's main evening news bulletin and includes your scratched car and your sad face.
It should slot nicely between the pole-jumping budgie and the Scilly Isles weather report.
We hope you enjoy your evening."

As you were walking up and saw there wasn't space you could have crossed over couldn't you? Maybe I've missed a bit where there wasn't a suitable pavement on the other side. It's a bit 50/50 really. He's a dick to park like that and you're a dick for scratching his car and being gleeful about it. Maybe he's got dashcam footage and are you 100% certain he was parked illegally because it's not always straightforward.

I doubt the police would do anything.
I myself had my parked car hit by a minibus scraping all the way down it, their bumper actually came off too which they left at the scene.
I had witnesses and the police told me there was nothing they could do about it.
It's unlikely they will do anything about this.
They don't have the resources.

YANBU at all. Car drivers who inconvenience others like this deserve for their cars to get treated like that. They are the ones responsible for prioritising property over life after all, the selfish wankers!

Of course the least he deserves is his wankermobile being scratched! Why should you walk around into the road with a buggy?! Some PP's are batshit 😆

We had the same issue - a parking plonker taking up well over half of the only pavement (there is none on the other side of the road). Said parking plonker was impervious to requests or remonstrances.

I remember watching in absolute awe as a delivery person wheeled a trolley up the thin channel that was left, grating along the side of the vehicle as he did so. For good measure, he punched the wing mirror and it fell off and was left dangling by a wire.

@toughdaay

As you were walking up and saw there wasn't space you could have crossed over couldn't you? Maybe I've missed a bit where there wasn't a suitable pavement on the other side. It's a bit 50/50 really. He's a dick to park like that and you're a dick for scratching his car and being gleeful about it. Maybe he's got dashcam footage and are you 100% certain he was parked illegally because it's not always straightforward.

Does it make a difference if the fucking yellow brick from fron Oz wss on the other side of the road? Why should anyone have to cross the road to compensate some cockwomble parked on the pavement

He’s an arsehole and it serves him right. Glad you didn’t give him details. I’d have scratched it too. Hopefully gives the point not to park like a twat in future

I mostly feel sorry for wheelchair users in this situation and have put notes on cars to this effect in the past. Hopefully he will learn from it but I doubt it

Laughing at posters berating the OP for being 'gleeful'

I'd be gleeful too.... a few scratches are nothing to the damage walking on the road may have caused ..... nothing

Enjoy being gleeful op!!

I'd have taken a photo for the police should it have escalated

Natural consequences to parking like a cunt. My first husband's wheelchair scratched a car or two in his time, no fucking way should he have had to go out into the road.

If we leave our things where they don’t belong, we have to expect they might get damaged. I see this constantly with the kids at my DD’s activities. They leave their smartphones on the floor in the lobby. Phones on the floor risk getting stepped on or kicked by accident. At my own house this means we don’t leave open drinks unattended because we have a liquid obsessed cat who loves to knock them to the ground.

If a car is parked on the pavement, it is likely to be scratched by people trying to get by.

You were absolutely correct. He is committing two offences.1) It is illegal to park on a foot way and 2) also to park in a dangerous manner. The police will not be interested. Forget it.

@LeSquigh

YANBU but I do park across the pavement, sometimes blocking most of it because there is absolutely no other parking options where I live. I do try to leave room for pushchairs where I can. I do it knowing that it’s my problem if my car gets scratched though, and accept the risk.

@LeSquigh but that still doesn't justify blocking the pavement. I had no parking at my last house so could I have just parked outside my house blocking the road? Park further away and walk. And what about room for wheelchairs as well as pushchairs?