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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Aibu re delivery and tradesmen stopping their vans/lorries in the middle of our road???

51 replies

Thunderbad8 · 11/08/2021 15:48

Several times this past week, delivery men and tradesmen have just left their vehicles in the middle of the road whilst they carry out what they need to carry out. We live in a cul de sac, so there is only one way in and out. Its a fairly quiet residential road.
Last week a huge lorry just stopped in the middle of the road and unloaded sand and bricks. It was 5pm and I was just on the way to the nursery run. I waited in my car for several minutes and very politely told the lead man that I needed to get out of the road and he couldn't just stop there.. He threw a baby strop and acted like I was the unreasonable one. Its so frustrating. I've just stepped out the house and seen another man stopping in the middle of the road and unloading sand bags. Two cars behind him and he's shovelling sand from one bag to another.
It's so bloody annoying..

OP posts:
Original poster
Thunderbad8 · 11/08/2021 16:12

Another thing I've seen which is completely reasonable to do is people who are expecting lorries, they block out the parking space needed with their wheelie bins.. Although the road is narrow, if the lorry is parked up then other vehicles can manoeuvre around it by going on the kerb, I'm always happy to do this.. It is hugely frustrating, yes I appreciate they have to do a job and deliver building supplies/goods but I'm allowed to be frustrated by it!

OP posts:
LemonFantaGin · 11/08/2021 16:13

I live at the end of a cul de sac, i feel your frustration, its as though because your not a main road they think the rules don't count.

MotherOfGremlins · 11/08/2021 16:19

YANBU This irritates me as well. It might just be 20 minutes for them, but it can be the difference between getting to my kids' school on time or getting a black mark for me! I've been late for appointments because of delivery vans blocking my road and refusing to move.

Credenhill22 · 11/08/2021 16:24

I am with you OP...I drive a truck delivering food to all different places.
I sometimes block people in depending where I need to park...if someone comes and needs out I move my truck right away.
The world doesn't stop because someone is building a new extension.
People can be going for hospital appointments...catch a train...flight...loads of reasons.
The OP was going to the nursery...no way should she wait 20 mins till he finished.
Very unprofessional by the driver to treat someone like that...he could have said give me a few minutes and I will move...
He then could have moved and came back and finished his delivery....and if he has too move a few times then he has too move.

Original poster
Thunderbad8 · 11/08/2021 16:26

@Credenhill22

I am with you OP...I drive a truck delivering food to all different places. I sometimes block people in depending where I need to park...if someone comes and needs out I move my truck right away. The world doesn't stop because someone is building a new extension. People can be going for hospital appointments...catch a train...flight...loads of reasons. The OP was going to the nursery...no way should she wait 20 mins till he finished. Very unprofessional by the driver to treat someone like that...he could have said give me a few minutes and I will move... He then could have moved and came back and finished his delivery....and if he has too move a few times then he has too move.
Thank you. I'm glad you understand. :)
OP posts:
PortMerrionCentre · 11/08/2021 16:27

I don’t understand how there was room for the delivery driver to park on the other side of the road yet you were unable to use that same space to get out

Credenhill22 · 11/08/2021 16:29

When I block cars in and someone comes out too ask me to move...I always think if that was my mum what would I say...

alltheemptyfields · 11/08/2021 16:31

@PortMerrionCentre

I don’t understand how there was room for the delivery driver to park on the other side of the road yet you were unable to use that same space to get out
possibly because the OP couldn't magically teleport to the other side and it was her own side that was blocked?
LolaSmiles · 11/08/2021 16:32

Either this cul de sac has more large goods vehicles down it than any other cul de sac in Britain, or there's a few minor inconveniences and one very irritable OP.

mrsm43s · 11/08/2021 16:34

@PortMerrionCentre

I don’t understand how there was room for the delivery driver to park on the other side of the road yet you were unable to use that same space to get out
Presumably because he'd parked slap bang in the middle of the road, leaving too small a gap either side for anyone to get past. Whereas if he'd moved tight to one side or the other, then there would be enough room for someone to squeeze round him.
Original poster
Thunderbad8 · 11/08/2021 16:36

@LolaSmiles

Either this cul de sac has more large goods vehicles down it than any other cul de sac in Britain, or there's a few minor inconveniences and one very irritable OP.
I also live several minutes away from a retail park where there is a number of well known trade shops and garden/furniture shops too. There's a lorry in our road at least once a week and a few times some have shown consideration and not blocked the road. But it's this last week where there has been lorries completely blocking the road.
OP posts:
Elouera · 11/08/2021 16:39

Do you live in my street OP? We are renovating a completely derelict home, across the road are digging out for a pool and 3 doors up are extending! We've had multiple deliveries a day to one of the houses. Usually the lorries are large, and although they pull to our side of the road, its not always possible to get past.

Last week a women walked up the street, screaming and swearing at the lorry driver. He was as quick as possible and did explain to her that he'd nearly done, but also that legally, he can block the road whilst unloading for up to 40mins.

Yes, it can be annoying, but our house renovations will in turn, add value to this womans house! With the other house further up the street, if I need to be somewhere exactly on time, I know to leave a bit earlier incase there are blockages or delays.

Outbutnotoutout · 11/08/2021 16:41

Delivery's are legally allowed to block the road for 30mins

CovidCorvid · 11/08/2021 16:52

@Thunderbad8

So you wouldn't take issue to this if you had to get out of the road? You'd just sit and wait?
Yes, I'd sit and wait if it was unavoidable.

I wouldn't expect someone to walk bricks, sand , etc down the road. However if they can park better to one side of the road...still infront of the house then they should have done. I'm amazed they didn't - would it have been in front of the house or the other side of the road? Again I guess heavy stuff they are trying to get as close as they can.

I live on a busy narrow high street and get wood delivered twice a year, the road is blocked in both directions for ten mins when we get a delivery.....the tipper lorry has to back up to our drive and then tip. I'm sure it's annoying but nothing else we can do apart from unload the logs one by one by hand which would take hours and I assume the delivery driver would refuse.

I live 2 doors away from a Tesco Express and they have their deliveries by HGV 2 or 3 x a week and they back into the top of the close where the shop is on the corner and block entrance/exit from the close for ages. But we all want the food delivered!

TwoLeftSocksWithHoles · 11/08/2021 17:05

I've heard that ambulances and fire engines do the same thing. Just put their blue lights on and go about their business while some people need to get to the shops or cinema. 🤷‍♀️

aerosocks · 11/08/2021 17:09

@LolaSmiles

You told him he couldn't stop there? Unless he was doing something illegal, as opposed to legal but a little inconvenient then I'm not surprised he wasn't impressed.
He was completely blocking the road and preventing her from leaving - how would you have phrased it had the same thing happened to you?
Original poster
Thunderbad8 · 11/08/2021 17:09

@Elouera

Do you live in my street OP? We are renovating a completely derelict home, across the road are digging out for a pool and 3 doors up are extending! We've had multiple deliveries a day to one of the houses. Usually the lorries are large, and although they pull to our side of the road, its not always possible to get past.

Last week a women walked up the street, screaming and swearing at the lorry driver. He was as quick as possible and did explain to her that he'd nearly done, but also that legally, he can block the road whilst unloading for up to 40mins.

Yes, it can be annoying, but our house renovations will in turn, add value to this womans house! With the other house further up the street, if I need to be somewhere exactly on time, I know to leave a bit earlier incase there are blockages or delays.

Well. I would never scream and swear. I'm not a rude person. I was nothing but polite. I didn't behave entitled. I didn't behave rudely. I asked very politely.
OP posts:
icedcoffees · 11/08/2021 17:13

YANBU.

It happens here all the time - people block the back roads and get pissy when you ask them to move.

It's not even delivery drivers most of the time - just residents who can't be arsed to pull in to the side of the road or park out the front Hmm

Potatoy · 11/08/2021 17:14

@Thunderbad8 yes I was agreeing with you. I understood it as you'd waited a fair while and then asked if they could move as you needed to get out and then they huffed.

I've lived on cul de sacs before and everyone seemed to understand if you're blocking the only way out you need to move even if it is a pain in the bum.

Bloodypunkrockers · 11/08/2021 17:17

Can't believe some of the responses here

If I was later for pick up and incurred extra fees or anything I'd be billing the lorry company

Elouera · 11/08/2021 17:23

@Thunderbad8- Sorry, I wasn't implying it was you screaming at the lorry driver. I meant in respect to living on a quiet, cul-de-sac where mainly delivery drivers, Herpes, DHL etc block the road.

SusieBob · 11/08/2021 17:31

Meh.

People need stuff delivered, and sometimes that means blocking a road for a few minutes.

Lorries can't park half on the pavement, FYI.

LolaSmiles · 11/08/2021 17:47

SusieBob
Quite! Those suggesting it's fine for a heavy goods vehicle to park on the pavement would do well to read the recent thread about a dickhead driver who parked across a pavement. Consensus was that pedestrians shouldn't have to put themselves in the road when the pavement is for pedestrians.

If I was later for pick up and incurred extra fees or anything I'd be billing the lorry company
If you've cut it that fine then you've not factored in that any journey could have an obstruction or a delay.
It's like people being annoyed they're late places because they've left 20 minutes to do an 18 minute journey but they got stuck for 5 minutes when a junction was unexpectedly busy.

Rosebel · 11/08/2021 17:51

Surely a huge lorry parked half on the pavement would be dangerous to pedestrians.
If it's a regular thing you should allow extra time to pick your daughter up from nursery.
Our road is a busy cut though and we often get lorries delivering and blocking the road. It's annoying but it's their job
Nowhere near as annoying as rubbish /recycle trucks which block the road, stop every 3 seconds and crawl along the road. But again that's their job

MuddyStiletto · 11/08/2021 17:56

@TwoLeftSocksWithHoles

I've heard that ambulances and fire engines do the same thing. Just put their blue lights on and go about their business while some people need to get to the shops or cinema. 🤷‍♀️
God, so tedious, why do people do this? Nobody decent complains about an emergency vehicle The OP is venting her frustration at their lack of consideration when it could be avoided