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?

a massive well done to you !!

Fuck him. If you park on the pavement you deserve it.

@whynotwhatknot

Unfortunately if we didnt park on the pavement here theyd be nowhere to park a blanket ban just wouldnt work

Same where I live, and nowhere to put a car park to accommodate all the vehicles and public transport isn't good enough to not have a car in the majority of cases.

www.mirror.co.uk/money/new-driving-rules-could-soon-23903705.amp

Nah it's his own fault.

@ChargingBuck

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?

🤣 so If someone has stopped in an inconvenient place and you try squeezing past in your car you think you’re not liable?parking on the pavement isn’t illegal, even if it was in her area that doesn’t excuse any action after that. Ramming your pram into a non moving car causing damage isn’t allowed, just cross the road and use the other pavement. You’d be expected to contact the police to deal with it. Probably wouldn’t have seemed such a good idea had the driver got out and given her a thump either.

@BungleandGeorge

You think he would be justified in hitting her in retaliation? WTF?

@AngeloMysterioso 'Slenderman...'

Oh, and YANBU! I agree with you!

The police can charge you with 'unnecessary obstruction of the highway' because parking on the pavement is an offence as it covers all parts of the street. If you park in Greater London, then there is a specific rule in the Highway Code that states “You MUST NOT park partially or wholly on the pavement in London”.

[quote FindYourPorpoise]@BungleandGeorge

You think he would be justified in hitting her in retaliation? WTF?

[/quote]
What an odd comment, at no point did I say he should do that but I’m not sure why people are saying it’s such a great idea to antagonise other people. It’s ok people saying good on you he deserves it but it’s not great advice. There’s a free pavement on the other side of the street, just cross over because
It’s a criminal offence to cause damage deliberately or recklessly
He can pursue you as a civil case even if it’s accidental damage
You’re putting yourself at risk of retribution

By all means report the parking or leave a note on the car

@FindYourPorpoise

Well the OP didn’t care about damaging his property. She could of crossed the road but instead she picked to scratch his car and didn’t give a toss.

What goes around comes around.

Well look at it like this; him parking on the pavement is a civil offence. You going past and scratching his car is a criminal office, regardless of if it was an accident or not. Car body work is not cheap.

Well it’s not hard to spot which posters are probably regularly guilty of road rage here is it?

And pray tell, what if it wasn’t possible to cross the road? What if the traffic was so busy that the OP just couldn’t cross over?

I can think of at least 3 roads in my area where if a car was parked on the pavement it wouldn’t actually be physically possible to cross without putting my life in significant danger. While I wouldn’t deliberately damage a car parked there, if there is space to get past and the car happens to be damaged in the process, then that is the inconsiderate twat who parked it there’s fault not mine.

I might report to the police though, along with a photograph showing the whereabouts of the car including the licence plate. As long as it was reported it isn’t criminal damage.

Well look at it like this; him parking on the pavement is a civil offence. You going past and scratching his car is a criminal office, regardless of if it was an accident or not. Car body work is not cheap. bullshit. Of course an accident is not a criminal offence. your inability to spell however…,

Sure, I could HAVE crossed the road to get around the illegally parked car... and if another one had come around the corner and hit DS and me and we'd been seriously hurt and/or killed... that would have been a preferable alternative to damaging this guy's fucking paintwork? Seriously?

This isn't a wild, far-out scenario by the way... as I stated earlier, it was close to the end of the road (so there'd have been very little time for an oncoming driver to react) and drivers turning into this road very often don't slow down at all because, with it being a one-way road, they know there won't be anything coming the other way. And it was pissing it down with rain.

I didn't damage his car on purpose. But he did park there on purpose. It's not my fault he didn't leave sufficient room for me to pass and I am NOT about to risk my and my son's life for the sake of keeping some dickhead's shiny red motor pristine and I'm not fucking sorry.

@VenusSap

If you think following someone home with the intent to damage their property is a reasonable response then i hope I never cross your path!

I've done the same myself when I was pushing a pushchair and had a toddler holding my hand. I barged through because there was no way I was walking out into the road.
I've given a car a good whack with my white cane too.

No glee, but not a shred of regret or remorse.
Bucket loads of anger and resentment at the selfishness of the drivers who are too lazy, entitled & inconsiderate to park in a way that doesn't put other people at risk of harm.

@whynotwhatknot

if it was a yellow line he shouldnt have been there

but its not illegal to park in most places on the pavement unless there are signs or london
We do it down our street ( a small close) people just go on the other side to walk

so what on earth are pavements for then if not for pedestrians

and it was causing an obstructions you're wrong, its illegal

Why the fuck should people have to keep crossing busy roads to avoid cars which are parked on pavements. To some on this thread, an inanimate object is more important than keeping others safe. Now we have posters suggesting the idiot blocking the pavement may be justified in seeking retribution! Some people on here are a disgrace.

[quote VenusSap]@FindYourPorpoise

Well the OP didn’t care about damaging his property. She could of crossed the road but instead she picked to scratch his car and didn’t give a toss.

What goes around comes around.[/quote]
Could have. Could HAVE.

@CBroads

Well look at it like this; him parking on the pavement is a civil offence. You going past and scratching his car is a criminal office, regardless of if it was an accident or not. Car body work is not cheap.

people getting wiped out on the road because they couldnt access the pavement isn't 'cheap' either....a parent and child versus a car?

sod the paintwork!!

@AskingQuestionsAllTheTime

sirfredfredgeorge

admit to the police he parked illegally and risk getting a fine

It's probably not illegal though.

Parking on a pavement is only actually illegal in London at the moment, but that is going to be extended to the rest of the country (which could be interesting on some of the roads round here where car-parking bays are clearly marked by the council on the pavements of the A-road leading into town, but I expect those will be exceptions). And according to the OP, parking on the side where the plonker was parked is restricted 8-6 Mon-Sat, which means if this was during the day on any day except a Sunday he was liable to penalty.

The latter is why OP can state with confidence that the car was parked illegally, and why anyone on here saying that it was is correct.

Causing an obstruction and driving on to the pavement are both illegal.
It's happened many times when my husband has been pushing me in my wheelchair. Once it was the town mayor's official car with the chauffeur still sat in the drivers seat and refusing to move. He was parked with 2 wheels on the pavement and the other 2 on double yellow lines. I couldn't give a fuck, they shouldn't cause an obstruction.