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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

pavement parking! arghhhhhhhhhhhhh

111 replies

takenforgrantednana · 14/10/2021 22:03

ok where i live is a cul de sac, but all the roads that lead to mine have cars parked half on the pavements! drives me nuts! there is no need for it at all, plenty of room if the cars all parked on one side of the roads but no, couldnt possibly do that and walk an extra 10 ft to the front gates, in the mean time kids are trying to play out but end up having to play in the road because they cant ride on their bikes/scooters etc on the pavements, nevermind when you try to walk pushing a pram you have to walk in the road as there is no room to get past these inconsiderate gits!

OP posts:
tootootaataa · 14/10/2021 22:12

A) what is your AIBU?
B) DIAGRAM?

Original poster
takenforgrantednana · 14/10/2021 22:24

@tootootaataa

A) what is your AIBU? B) DIAGRAM?
not sure what your asking for? but surely i cant be the only person thats gets really pissed about this, car should be on roads, kids on pavements, unless of course your planning on paying road tax for them running around on the road?
OP posts:
Offmyfence · 14/10/2021 22:27

If you don't like about a parking diagram, then you're very new to MN!

Diagram required!

Original poster
takenforgrantednana · 14/10/2021 22:44

@Offmyfence

If you don't like about a parking diagram, then you're very new to MN!

Diagram required!

no point putting a diagram up, we all know what cars parked on the pavements look like along with kids playing on the road, it really is self explanatory
OP posts:
3scape · 14/10/2021 22:49

A friend has to use a mobility scooter to get around. He used to be very conscientious going back, around etc to avoid damaging cars. Now he's reached a can't give a fuck stage. Parking on a pavement is the reserve of cunts and wankers.

MrsFin · 14/10/2021 22:53

no point putting a diagram up, we all know what cars parked on the pavements look like

You're not going to get anywhere with that attitude young lady Smile
This is Mumsnet. There are rulz.

youkiddingme · 14/10/2021 22:53

Not to mention wheelchair users. It's so selfish. Many local councils ban it and will come and issue warning notices if contacted.

tabulahrasa · 14/10/2021 22:54

Well cars shouldn’t be on pavements, obviously.... but neither should bikes...so I mean, bit of a weird example of it causing issues

Seymour5 · 14/10/2021 22:57

I live in an area with narrow streets of terrace housing. Parking both sides, if not partly on pavements, emergency services and bin lorries would never get through.

Original poster
takenforgrantednana · 14/10/2021 23:01

@tabulahrasa

Well cars shouldn’t be on pavements, obviously.... but neither should bikes...so I mean, bit of a weird example of it causing issues
we are talking 5 and 6 yr olds learning to ride a bike, so yes the pavement is where they should be doing it, not on the road for a car to come up suddenly on them and put them off to hit another car
OP posts:
Original poster
takenforgrantednana · 14/10/2021 23:04

@Seymour5

I live in an area with narrow streets of terrace housing. Parking both sides, if not partly on pavements, emergency services and bin lorries would never get through.
if every one parked on the same side of the road then it wouldnt be a problem for the emergency services, its when you get them half parked on the pavement alongside each other that it becomes a nightmare for them. not that it would stop the fire lads as they will just shove the cars out of the way to get to the fire asap, and nothing the owners can do about it after regarding any damage as they get done for causing and obstruction
OP posts:
PawPourPoor · 14/10/2021 23:07

if every one parked on the same side of the road then it wouldnt be a problem for the emergency services, its when you get them half parked on the pavement alongside each other that it becomes a nightmare for them. not that it would stop the fire lads as they will just shove the cars out of the way to get to the fire asap, and nothing the owners can do about it after regarding any damage as they get done for causing and obstruction

But if everyone parked on your side of the road, would you be happy with that?
Dc shouldn't learn to ride bikes near cars, parked or not. Asking for trouble there

tabulahrasa · 14/10/2021 23:11

“we are talking 5 and 6 yr olds learning to ride a bike, so yes the pavement is where they should be doing it, not on the road for a car to come up suddenly on them and put them off to hit another car”

Ah do that same section of the Highway Code that covers cars parked on pavements then?... the, well it says not to do that, but going somewhere else would be inconvenient for me, so it can’t possibly apply.

julieca · 14/10/2021 23:30

There is rarely enough spaces for everyone to park on one side of the road. In fact I have never come across a street where all the cars would fit if people did this.

Lockheart · 14/10/2021 23:36

@julieca

There is rarely enough spaces for everyone to park on one side of the road. In fact I have never come across a street where all the cars would fit if people did this.
The solution is less cars or to pay for private off-road parking. Not to park on the pavement.
Lockheart · 14/10/2021 23:41

*fewer cars.

julieca · 14/10/2021 23:54

But there are no laws to limit people buying cars so this will not happen.

julieca · 14/10/2021 23:56

And plenty of streets there is no private off-road parking you can pay for. It is not a choice. So people will continue to partially park on pavements.

Lockheart · 15/10/2021 00:07

@julieca

And plenty of streets there is no private off-road parking you can pay for. It is not a choice. So people will continue to partially park on pavements.
There is a choice - not to buy cars if you have nowhere to park them.

Parking on the pavement is not the solution to our populations desire to own an excess number of cars.

LoveFall · 15/10/2021 00:08

No one parks on the pavements (we call them sidewalks) where I live because it is illegal. I am pretty sure you would end up towed away and have to go to the impounded vehicle place and pay an extortionate amount to get your car back.

The first time I visited England it shocked me that you could get away with it.

julieca · 15/10/2021 00:11

But who decides what is excess and who should not buy one?
Our household have one car. Some households in my street have three. Should I avoid having one car so there is space for nobody to park on the pavement?
And people do it here because our streets were often designed before cars were invented, or when very few people had a car.

Lauren1983 · 15/10/2021 00:13

YANBU. I live on a new build estate and the amount of pavement parking is ridiculous. The vast majority of houses have a garage and a drive but hardly anyone uses them.

Gilead · 15/10/2021 00:17

As a wheelchair user I find it a pain, as does wheelchair using dd. Equally we both have cars, for obvious reasons. We are lucky enough to have driveways (she is 25 and lives with her fiancée) but it would mess up on street parking if we didn’t have drives and lived in the same house.

Lockheart · 15/10/2021 00:18

@julieca

But who decides what is excess and who should not buy one? Our household have one car. Some households in my street have three. Should I avoid having one car so there is space for nobody to park on the pavement? And people do it here because our streets were often designed before cars were invented, or when very few people had a car.
That's not the discussion for this thread. I'm not making laws about how many cars are allowed per household.

Cars shouldn't be parked on pavements just because their owners have nowhere else to put them.

It's dangerous (for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers) and antisocial.

If I buy a ping pong table and have nowhere to put it in my house I cant just store it on the pavement until I need it. I can't block up the pathways with my rubbish and old mattresses because I have nowhere to put them. If I don't have a garden I can't decide to keep my guinea pigs in a hutch outside my front door.

As private possessions, cars are no different.

julieca · 15/10/2021 00:23

Lockheart so you expect people not to have a car then unless they have a private driveway or dedicated parking spot. Because if cars could only park on one side of the street, you half the number of cars. This means in terraced housing about every fourth house could have a car.
It's never going to happen.
I know parking on pavements is banned in London. But London has the lowest car ownership in the country because public transport is so good. I didn't bother with a car in London. Different picture outside London.

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