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?

I can see why you did it, but not sure what the police will say.

Probably fuck all. He was on a single yellow line, 90% on the pavement, blocking a thoroughfare.

My husband used to get this all the time when he was out with his guide dog , ignorant people parking on the pavement. It felt like he was putting his life at risk every time he went out.

@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.

The police will definitely be interested in the dashcam footage. They are setting up an incident room as I type, & a crack squad of inspectors is going door to door looking for any woman that matches OP's description. The constabulary love cases like this, & won't laugh the driver out of the cop shop.

The police will definitely be interested in the dashcam footage.
They are setting up an incident room as I type, & a crack squad of inspectors is going door to door looking for any woman that matches OP's description.
The constabulary love cases like this, & won't laugh the driver out of the cop shop.

Ah, but this is MN. On here you should ‘log’ every minor life annoyance with 101.
‘Just in case’.

Unfortunately legally she is in the wrong and he can pursue a claim against her.

Oh @BungleandGeorge, you sweet summer child, you don't really understand the law, or logic, do you?

Serves the fucker right. Can’t believe some posters think you should have pushed the park into the road! Bet they park like that as well.🙄

I've done this before - they weren't in the car. But if they don't want to get it scratched then don't park on a pedestrian pathway. Police won't be at all interested, if anything he will be the one in trouble. It is dangerous and unfair to those with pushchairs, wheelchairs and mobility scooters who can't get past because the plonker seems to think his car is a pedestrian.

Park a car on the pavement, be prepared for people accidently damaging it whilst passing.

@DismantledKing How very dare you? I'M REPORTING YOU!!

Could be wrong here but pretty sure there is a law about there being room required for a double buggy (about the same width as a wheelchair, probably for that reason) if you park on a pavement? Either way serves the muppet right and the police will no doubt tell him so if he presses it. With rain, wind and a hood up on your coat you can’t see or hear hazards when going into a road with a pram if you are anywhere near a bend, happens to me a lot in my village and I usually moan at top volume about wishing I had a wacky races cartoon style assault weapon on my pram, the can opener one would be nice :)

I live in a village with no street lamps. One November, after a fireworks display there was a shocking incident where around 10-15 expensive cars that were all parked over the pavement on the main route through the village (a very dark road with holly hedges either side which cars race down despite the 30mph limit) were scratched quite badly, causing £100’s of damage. Made the local papers and everything. Police reaction was more “oh dear, what a shame” than “check CCTV and round up the suspects”

@GlendaSugarbeanIsJudgingYou

I’ve got two kids so know the problems pregnancy brings and didn’t use it as an excuse for everything!

You should have. It's a bloody brilliant excuse for loads of stuff.

Ahhh but I’m not a twat

I don’t see the issue. He wont fucking do it again will he? prick.

@Hopeisnotastrategy

You are both being unreasonable, but the high level of detail you've gone into makes me smell a hint of rat to be honest.

But of course if the OP had not supplied such detail, there would be demands for that detail, and then cries of DRIP FEED DRIP FEED...

She cannae win here!

OP, I'd have scratched the shit out of his car in my wheelchair.

He is 100% in the wrong. There should always be space for people to walk safely on the pavement. Why would someone risks walking along the road with all the idiots driving too fast. What would a wheelchair user or blind person with a dog do? For a wheelchair user it would mean trying to find a dropped kerb which hadn’t been parked across.

My favourite post on mums net ever
Good for you

We get a lot of idiots parking on the pavement in out village, which is mostly only just wide enough for a pram anyway.
Once when I was walking the dog there simply wasn't room for me to squeeze by, so I went round the outside. Fortunately I'd clocked that the driver was in the car so I was alert - sure enough he started to pull out without even a glance over his shoulder, so I yelled and he stopped. Mortified, fortunately.

So... with that in mind, YANBU OP.

Like ive said law varies in different areas-we park on a pvement here no fines nothing

on a yellow line id say you would probabvly get a fine but i dont know about the pavement law where op is

I’ve done the same in the past. Bloke is an idiot- imagine being in a wheelchair in that situation!

People like this make my blood boil. I have had a pushchair for the last 5 years, my uncle is a wheelchair user and i now have limited mobility on occasion and the number of times I've had to walk into the road with my children or my uncle is insane.
My favorite one was when I was forced to walk through ankle deep mud while heavily pregnant because a car was parked fully on the pavement. It happened at least once a week and I had fantasies of walking over the car with kleats on but I did make one he'll of a scratch when I fell in the mud and my bag gouged the paint work. I just continued home.
Although I can't believe the number of people on this thread who seem to think that this twats car is more important that a pregnant woman and toddler. Maybe all people who park as such should have their car removed for a year and be forced to get around using a wheelchair (for added difficulty) and then they may get it

I’m a guide dog owner and cars which park on pavements are the bane of my life.

In fact the RNIB and I believe scope are currently campaigning to make all pavement parking illegal.

Car drivers are so fucking entitled it’s unreal. I bet if someone posted that the OP had walked out into the road and they had nearly hit her the same people demanding she should have walked out into the road would be saying she was the unreasonable one because cars have the right of way.

Well guess what, pedestrians have the right of way on the pavement.

As for legally she was in the wrong, what bollocks. It was an accident. now if she’d walked past and keyed the car on her way past then she would be legally accountable, but no-one is going to come after someone who happened to scratch a car because that car was illegally parked in the place where she had the legal right of way and had to compromise her safety because of his illegal actions.

I am gleeful on your behalf OP.

@Suzi888

I can see why you did it, but not sure what the police will say.

I'd be more interested in how he would explain it to the police without looking like a total twat.

I know of someone who takes pictures of cars which are parked across the pavement Where he goes (he is a guide dog owner as well,) and posts them on social media including his local facebook page asking drivers (nicely) not to park there please.

He gets nothing but support.

Ahhh but I’m not a twat

Yet here you are trying to make the OP feel bad for simply mentioning her pregnancy.

Of course the fact that she is pregnant made her a little more cautious in this situation. That's not an excuse.