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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:
Chloemol · 22/02/2022 18:36

It’s the road, anyone can park there

You have a drive that can hold two cars, so use that,

Darkstar4855 · 22/02/2022 18:41

YABU to think you have a right to the space. I live in an area where parking is scarce and we have people parking their cars on our street to commute elsewhere and sometimes even to go on holiday for a week so I get that it’s frustrating. However they aren’t being “rude” to park outside my house - they have as much right to be there as I do. Same as your neighbours do.

Mummysgirl12 · 22/02/2022 18:41

I thought you meant the space outside on the road belongs to you literally - like in the deed. You are a CF!!

givethatbabyaname · 22/02/2022 18:42

I just love petty suburbia Grin

Escapetothecatshome · 22/02/2022 18:42

Having living in a terraced house, I can understand - theirs nothing wrong with wanting to park outside your own house.
But this sort of thing can become a bit obsessive as you can't paint marking on the road - put cones outs with fairy lights and a big neon symbol that says number 49's space etc etc.
Their your new neighbours, they have just moved in - moving is a nightmare at the best of times, they've not come out to deliberately park outside your house it was just a free space. Its not personal.
Ask yourself is this going to matter in a year from now - live and let live maybe ...

Jvg33 · 22/02/2022 18:44

All of you are in the wrong. You all bought these homes with these drives. It's not that bad. At least you know you always have space on the drive for your cars.

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 22/02/2022 18:54

Oh this really pisses me off. Amicable parking for all the neighbours' vehicles that goes on happily for years with everyone being considerate... until some entitled gits move in up the road and park where they damn well like.

Whatever happened to courtesy and good manners; and not sticking two fingers up at the community you've just moved into?

Every household has an equal right to the community amenities, however long they've lived there. If they have properly taxed and insured vehicles, they have every bit as much right to park them in an available spot on the road.

Why is it 'entitled' to buy/rent a house and then want to use it and its local amenities? You don't pay any less council tax when you move in than somebody who's lived in a same-band house for 50 years.

Why do people not just be glad for how fortunate they may have been that circumstances have fallen in their favour for however long, rather than expecting to get their way at the expense of everybody else in perpetuity - and trying to rebrand pure selfishness as 'courtesy' and 'respect for the community'?

BearOfEasttown · 22/02/2022 18:56

@Larafromthe80s

It's not your space OR theirs, it's a public road. YANBU to be annoyed as that's you prerogative, but you do sound very petty moving it to save the space for your DH.

Them being arsey with you is odd though. They sound nuts.

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.

So they live in another STREET? And they walked over to your street and stood smirking and shaking their head(s) at your car being outside your house ? Confused This all sounds so odd.

NumberTheory · 22/02/2022 18:57

You weren't being petty taking the road spot while it's available.

I'm not clear if your AIBU is about being annoyed at them parking on the road in front of your house (which would be U) or at them apparently disapproving of you parking on the road outside your house (which would NBU of you, though it sounds like you are only assuming what they were saying and you may have misinterpreted because you already see it as a sort of war).

TheBeesKnee · 22/02/2022 18:57

How often does your DH actually need to go though? Is this a weekly, daily, monthly occurrence?

NeedAHoliday2021 · 22/02/2022 18:58

On street parking is first come first served. I always park one car on the street but then next door ended up with 4 cars (older teen daughters) so whoever gets there gets the spot. They’ve both moved out for uni so I’m enjoying getting the spot daily but I just appreciate it while it lasts.

Howshouldibehave · 22/02/2022 18:58

However the family have just literally came and stood outside my house smirking and shaking their heads

I don’t get this. They left their house, which is in the next road, to come and stand outside your house smirking and shaking their heads the second you’d moved your car? More than one of them came? And you just happened to be what, looking out of the window to see them? Bizarre.

BearOfEasttown · 22/02/2022 19:03

@Howshouldibehave

However the family have just literally came and stood outside my house smirking and shaking their heads

I don’t get this. They left their house, which is in the next road, to come and stand outside your house smirking and shaking their heads the second you’d moved your car? More than one of them came? And you just happened to be what, looking out of the window to see them? Bizarre.

This. ^ In spades.......
HomeHomeInTheRange · 22/02/2022 19:05

They are not being unreasonable parking on a public road.
You are not being unreasonable moving your car into the spot.

You have enough spaces, you just can't be arsed with the moving your cars about, or making two spaces in front of your house.

Neither can they.

Just keep grabbing the space whenever you can - but I bet you they will then start to follow the son and move another of their cars into the space as soon as he leaves...so you might end up having to throw yourself into the road in a risky kind of way.

OrganisedChaos22 · 22/02/2022 19:05

Can't your dh park across your drive?
DH does that if needed, and so do our visitors if needed. Parking here is a nightmare. Dh work vehicle on the drive out of use for 2m.
I have the spot out side. He parks across drive.

If the spot outside ours is taken normally by a local shop and I come home I either park across drive. Or a few min walk away.
Thankfully all our neighbours 'do their own thing' that actually fits in well with everyone.

OrganisedChaos22 · 22/02/2022 19:06

I would have also gone out and asked if everything was OK.

Enko · 22/02/2022 19:12

I dont think YABU to move your car out

Neither do I think the New Neighbours are rude to use the space

Original poster
Larafromthe80s · 22/02/2022 19:17

They were walking their dog, the 3 of them plus younger dc. I can only assume that the son had popped out, came back to see I'd moved my car and gone home and told his family. I was upstairs and saw them walking down the street and he was pointing at my car. The mum then pointed as I guess she saw me upstairs and started shaking her head and the dad did too. I've never see them take a family outing to walk their dog so can only assume it was done intentionally as they then stopped dead outside my house and looked back and forth from the road to my house for about 30 seconds. Then walked back in the same direction they came from.

OP posts:
HogglePoggle · 22/02/2022 19:17

You have 2 parking spaces and chose to just use 1 and take up space on the road? I have a neighbour like this and it infuriates me. Sorry but YABU

girlmom21 · 22/02/2022 19:20

OP can you clarify what the bit in front of your house next to the drive is please?

labyrinthlaziness · 22/02/2022 19:21

It is the public road and you are entitled to park on it, so just ignore them.

You are not reponsible for what they choose to think of you.

Howshouldibehave · 22/02/2022 19:23

@Larafromthe80s

They were walking their dog, the 3 of them plus younger dc. I can only assume that the son had popped out, came back to see I'd moved my car and gone home and told his family. I was upstairs and saw them walking down the street and he was pointing at my car. The mum then pointed as I guess she saw me upstairs and started shaking her head and the dad did too. I've never see them take a family outing to walk their dog so can only assume it was done intentionally as they then stopped dead outside my house and looked back and forth from the road to my house for about 30 seconds. Then walked back in the same direction they came from.
The son drove off, you instantly moved your car to where his was, but he came immediately back and parked (somewhere else?) then he went straight home and they all came out to stand outside your house.

It all sounds very odd.

Ohsugarhoneyicetea · 22/02/2022 19:26

The road park belongs to everyone, first come first serve. They sound bizarre (or entitled) standing outside your house getting upset over it.

Original poster
Larafromthe80s · 22/02/2022 19:27

@girlmom21

OP can you clarify what the bit in front of your house next to the drive is please?
No man's land.. a grass verge owned by the council. The end of our drive is also owned by the council so technically we only have 1 parking space but it's a dropped kerb and nobody can ever park or it blocks our drive, hence us having the 2 spaces 1 in front of the other. Between the 2 spaces is a public footpath which literally cuts them in 2 spaces
OP posts:
girlmom21 · 22/02/2022 19:29

The space immediately in front of your house and next to your drive is council property? That's unusual. Have you considered seeing if you can buy it?