Parking one! Pic included. Am I being petty?

[Larafromthe80s]

We have a drive which can fit 2 cars 1 infront of the other and a space on the road outside our house.
Next door have the exact same.
Both houses have 2 cars and neither of us double park on the drive unless someone random has used our road spot. We never take each others road spot out of courtesy.

Anyway a few weeks ago a family moved in on the street next to us, they have 3 cars. They also have 2 spaces on their drive but only use 1, then their other cars keep parking outside ours and our neighbours houses.
It wouldnt be such an issue but my husband's job means he's often called out to work throughout the night so we dont like playing car jenga, hence the fact for 7 years hes always parked on the street outside our house.
Anyway today the son's been parked there, hes gone out tonight so I've moved my car into the spot so my husband can have our drive when home.
However the family have just literally came and stood outside my house smirking and shaking their heads and now I'm really worried I've started a war but also conscious that I may have been really petty!
AIBU to be getting annoyed by this?

Seems reasonable to me! Any comments from them and you tell them this: 'my husband's job means he's often called out to work throughout the night so we don't like playing car jenga'.

It’s not your road spot, it’s a space on a public road. If there’s a car in it and your husband needs to park on the road, is there not a different one he can use? Or, heaven forfend, use your car if he’s called away unexpectedly and yours is easier to get off the drive?

Also, moving your car into the road spot once the son had left is still playing car jenga, isn’t it?

I often do exactly the same as you because we only have one off road space.

YANBU, it's a public space so anyone can park there so you are perfectly entitled to put your car there and save your driveway for your DH

@Bingbangbongbash

It’s not your road spot, it’s a space on a public road. If there’s a car in it and your husband needs to park on the road, is there not a different one he can use? Or, heaven forfend, use your car if he’s called away unexpectedly and yours is easier to get off the drive?

No because he has to use his work vehicle. Theres no other on street parking, it's an old street which is really narrow it just happens that we have a wide spot outside our 2 houses that fit 2 cars in

If I had seen you going out doing that I would have rolled my eyes at the pettiness to be honest.

You are all making the decision to not use all the spaces you have with your property. Spaces outside the property don’t belong to anyone.

You need to change your mindset, you have no legal right to the spot outside your house.

If you bag it, all well and good, if not, park on your drive.
I can't get excited about the space outside my house unless they block the driveway.

And if your car was on the drive his work vehicle would have been at the bottom and easy to get off if called out anyway?

Its neither their space nor yours. I'd go over there and explain to them, if they are decent then they will keep it free but if not unfortunately theres nothing you can do

When you say “a family moved in on the street next to us”, do you mean they are your next door neighbours or that they moved onto a neighbouring street? Either way, YANBU (but they are less CF if they live next door to you rather than in another street).

Why is this an issue if your driveway fits 2 cars, regardless of whether that's 2 side by side spots or one behind the other?

Do the new neighbours also have a road space outside their house?

If not it isn't your road space & the neighbours' road space it's just two road spaces.

If yes they do but don't use it, could you park there?

That said I don't understand why people who can park on a private driveway choose not to. Surely you pull your car in first then DH pulls in behind you poised to leave?

It’s not your road spot, it’s a parking space on a public road that happens to be outside your house. The neighbours are equally as entitled as you to use it so if it’s free then of course they can park there and equally if you want to move into it as soon as it’s vacant because it makes life easier then carry on. I’d probably just tell them that it’s because your husband might get called in so you’re avoiding the middle of night car jenga, not because you’re being petty, so they don’t think you’re a weirdo! But if it were me I’d probably just drive each other’s cars so whoever is our first takes the first car, have child seats if applicable in both. But I get that might not be feasible in all situations eg tradesman with a van.

neither of us double park on the drive unless someone random has used our road spot.

Neither of you have a road spot. Yanbu to park there as it's free for anyone to park there, so your new neighbours are not BU either

It looks like you have a lot of space outside your house - any option to get a dropped kerb in the other part of your front garden?

I would have rolled my eyes at you too, it's very petty

Surely if your husband gets home after you and parks his van in front of yours and he has to go out there is no vehicle jenga?

You are not entitled to the spot on the road

@Sirzy

And if your car was on the drive his work vehicle would have been at the bottom and easy to get off if called out anyway?

Which is fine only I use the car to take my sons to their clubs of an evening / go food shopping etc.

Even though the street parking is outside your house, it isn’t yours. Nabbing it the second they leave is petty, and no less effort than moving your car if husband needs to leave. You’re still playing car jenga, the only difference is that your new neighbours are laughing at you.

@HTH1

When you say “a family moved in on the street next to us”, do you mean they are your next door neighbours or that they moved onto a neighbouring street? Either way, YANBU (but they are less CF if they live next door to you rather than in another street).

No literally the next street, a main road where it's not easy to park on the road bit they could utilise both drive spots to stop them using both ours and our NDNs

It is a bit petty. If your dh needs to potentially leave then his can would be behind your car anyway surely so I don't see the issue?

Sorry - just saw your update OP. So there are two road spaces in the street & you expect nobody else to use them?

I think you've been very lucky not to have to compete for them up to now TBH.

They should use their drive properly though for the same reason - hogging all of the minimal on street parking is selfish.

You've not been petty, they are pathetic.
If I were you I’d park outside your house whenever it’s free.

If you have the length of a double drive then if parking one behind the other is such an issue I would look at widening it at the top so you can get both cars next to each other and still get off at the same point.

Otherwise accept your going to have to move cars sometimes and you don’t own the road

You've been a bit petty taking the space as soon as it was free, I'd have rolled my eyes at you as well.

Unfortunately with adult children having to live at home for longer there are lots of families with numerous cars, some round here have 5!

The only way to guarantee a space is to pay for it unfortunately.

You said you both have a space on the road but you don't, there just happens to be a space by your house.

It's no great hardship moving your car to let him off or him moving his car to let you on the drive.
What's the empty space on your diagram in front of your house? Please don't say it's your front lawn and you'd rather cause problems with your neighbour than create a double drive.