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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Parking one! Pic included. Am I being petty?

262 replies

Larafromthe80s · 22/02/2022 17:09

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?

Parking one! Pic included. Am I being petty?
OP posts:
WouldIwasShookspeared · 22/02/2022 17:27

When you say your road spot do you mean a marked bay that is legally your property or do you mean the public road outside your house?

If you have a drive that fits 2 vehicles and you have 2 vehicles then it's better to just use it. It a couple of minutes swapping round at most. It doesn't have to be a big deal.

That said, its a bit childish of them to make a point of visibly laughing at you about it.

Iamkmackered1979 · 22/02/2022 17:28

The spot on the road is fair game for anyone,I have no off street parking and we have 3 cars too neighbours either side don’t drive and they moan about my cars (mine boyfriends and sons) they are only ever all there overnight and there are other spaces. So plenty for visitors in the day. Next door son wants them for himself - he doesn’t even live there. He told me ‘how it works round here’ re spaces. He got told - it’s ridiculous no one owns spaces and they are empty more than not. Just park his van last if it’s that big a deal you have off street parking so use it

curlymom · 22/02/2022 17:28

Can you widen your drive? That way you have more spaces and extended crossover. If it’s difficult to park on next road this will be a continued problem

Proudboomer · 22/02/2022 17:28

Why do you give a shit what they think? If it makes your life easier to leave the drive free then do so.

stealthninjamum · 22/02/2022 17:28

Can’t you get insurance to drive each other’s cars? Life is too short to be looking out the window for car parking spaces and then moving into them as soon as they empty.

Hollyhocksarenotmessy · 22/02/2022 17:29

Road spaces aren't yours and your ndn:s.

You are complaining that they won't use both their drive spaces, but neither will you.

You are being petty.

Lazypuppy · 22/02/2022 17:29

I would have done the same OP

SmellinOfTroy · 22/02/2022 17:30

can you make your drive wider?

RandomMess · 22/02/2022 17:33

I would park outside your house when it's free like you always have done, why wouldn't you?

JustMeAndThee · 22/02/2022 17:34

I'd have done the same as you did for ease later, but all the while I'd be well aware that I had no more right over the road space than the neighbours 🤷🏼‍♀️ and if they got there before me next time then it's just one of those things.

Bimblybomeyelash · 22/02/2022 17:34

/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/

Just because these places are outside your house, doesn’t mean to at they belong to you. If there is a shortage of in street parking , then Of course other people are going to want to use them. Personally I think it’s selfish to have two off street parking spaces, and then not use them.

MrsTophamHat · 22/02/2022 17:35

Rl

FlatCheese · 22/02/2022 17:36

I can see why you park the way you do. I wouldn't fancy getting up in the middle of the night to swap cars around or starting and stopping a car regularly just to switch them round.

Technically you don't own the space in front of your house but then neither do the people living on the next street.

gogohm · 22/02/2022 17:36

You are both a little bit petty, you for thinking a road space is yours, them for the eye rolling

godmum56 · 22/02/2022 17:38

yabu, there is no such thing as a "road spot"

MrsTophamHat · 22/02/2022 17:39

Oops! Fat fingers!

I can see both sides. I think unless you're in a really busy area, whilst not written in law, it's fairly accepted that the space outside your house is 'yours' and i would be annoyed if someone was parking there all the time. If it was just a visitor or something, I wouldn't mind.

Sharrowgirl · 22/02/2022 17:40

bit they could utilise both drive spots to stop them using both ours and our NDNs

You could equally utilise both of your drive spots.

DysmalRadius · 22/02/2022 17:40

It sounds like you're both doing the same thing - you don't want to park all your cars on your driveway and want to use a space in the road and so do they. I'm not sure why you think that they are being difficult but you are being reasonable.

Lockdownmummy · 22/02/2022 17:41

So none of you are using the two available spots on your own drive? You are probably all equally as annoying to each other 😂

Nitgel · 22/02/2022 17:42

you have two guaranteed parking spaces, so everytime you go out, you are guaranteed to be able to park 2 cars, yet you want the 3rd space guaranteed too? yes yabu and it's loopy

Original poster
Larafromthe80s · 22/02/2022 17:42

@Sharrowgirl

bit they could utilise both drive spots to stop them using both ours and our NDNs

You could equally utilise both of your drive spots.

I know that and we would If the alternative meant parking on a different street right outside somebody else's house. Personally I think it's a bit rude
OP posts:
pancakesandsyrupplease · 22/02/2022 17:43

It's annoying, OP, but the space isn't yours so you'll probably have to suck it up, I'm afraid!

Totalwasteofpaper · 22/02/2022 17:44

Ah…Fuck ‘em and let them tut.

Although I am amazed they ‘Know’ it’s your car
I honestly couldn’t tell you who owned what car on the road I live in…but we have off road parking (I insisted on it having spent my childhood watching my father LOSE. HIS. MIND. About people parking legally on the road outside our house ‘in his space’ )

Personally I’d “dominate” the spots until they got the hint and stopped trying to park there

Totalwasteofpaper · 22/02/2022 17:45

@Lockdownmummy

So none of you are using the two available spots on your own drive? You are probably all equally as annoying to each other 😂
This is also true!!! 😂
VirginMedium · 22/02/2022 17:46

why doesn't your husband park on your driveway behind your car, so that no Jenga needs to be involved?

I think they are weird to come round and try and intimidate you. its no one's space, so you both have equal 'right' to park there. I'm not understanding why you and THEY don't use both off-road spaces that you have though?