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AIBU?

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Original poster

Sick of my drive being blocked every single day

103 replies

ForeverLooking · 23/03/2022 14:34

This isn't the worst problem in the world, but it's really starting to piss me off.
Every single day without fail, my drive gets blocked by someone or multiple someones...workman, delivery drivers, people "quickly" visiting other houses, people pulling over to have a snack/talk on the phone. Obviously this doesn't inconvenience me all the time as I'm WFH, but very often I'll have to go out and ask the driver to move so I can get out, or so the taxi bringing my DS (who has SEN and needs to be dropped off at my door) can get in. People do, but it's often accompanied by eye rolls, huffing and puffing or "I will in a minute" or "I won't be long". My house is a cottage on the main road of a village, so I think its just a the most convenient place for people to pull over and access what they need. Yes I've got a full dropped kerb and there is parking a few yards up the road and plenty around the village. I know realistically there's not a huge amount I can do about it aside from seething quietly behind the curtains and going out to ask people to move -do you think people would respond to a sign by the drive asking for it not to be blocked? I have a feeling the "I'll only be a minute" crowd won't give a shit. Has anyone put a sign up and the situation got better?

OP posts:
007Stocko · 24/03/2022 18:17

I too was going to say about the H marking. Keep a record of the issues and then go to the Council to explain the problems it causes.

Wouldcouldcantwont · 24/03/2022 18:20

It annoys me too, but one person in particular is really winding me up. For the last three months almost every day a car pulls over my drive, waits to pick up someone, then returns an hour later to drop them off but then sits in the passenger seat for an hour scrolling through his phone. When I ask him to move he's very apologetic but still returns the next day. What gets me is he stops over the drive despite there being no other cars parked on the block - there's room for 3 cars without being over my drive. And here's the best bit, he's a driving instructor!

linsey2581 · 24/03/2022 18:25

Do you have a blue badge for your son? If so apply for a disabled parking space, I don’t have a driveway and it annoyed me that I couldn’t get parked outside my house because of my neighbours 5 cars and a van 😡. When my sons blue badge was approved I applied for a parking space ta-da!

Prinzy · 24/03/2022 18:40

Always drives me wild this, some people don’t care about where they park, but I find for the majority there simply isn’t enough car parking spaces anywhere, for the amount of cars we all have

Sophicles · 24/03/2022 18:45

I don't know where you live, but here in Hastings the Council will have a white line drawn across the mouth of your drive which makes it an offence to park there.
I don't know what the rules are, but it should be worth asking.
Good luck!

Iwouldgoouttonight73 · 24/03/2022 18:46

Could you get KEEP CLEAR written on the road?

Evan456 · 24/03/2022 19:14

Put cones on the road outside your driveway

NannaKaren · 24/03/2022 19:38

Rude rude rude - that would really pee me off - I’d buy a clamp and charge them to remove it (…is that even legal, Can I do that )?! Sorry you are having to deal with these knobs - can you park your own car there to stop you stressing over it?

BlackAmericanoNoSugar · 24/03/2022 19:56

Photocopy a handwritten sheet for people who park and leave it there. "Just to let you know that your vehicle has just had a very near miss. It might be better to park in the parking spaces across the road if you want to keep your wing mirror."

Sort of threatening, but not quite. Grin

dfendyr · 24/03/2022 20:15

@BrightonBunny

I know you shouldn't have to, but could you park over your own drive at "key offending" times?
do not do this - it will look like its ok to park there
RenoSusan · 24/03/2022 21:06

Pull your car out far enough that no one can park here or park it across your drive and then move shortly before child is delivered. I feel for you.

Easterbunnyiswindowshopping · 24/03/2022 21:09

Set up sprinklers on each side of the drive.

Kteeb1 · 24/03/2022 21:09

I used to put cones out. No idea if it's legal but lived there for 4 years and no one stopped me. Always worked as well.

CrotchetyQuaver · 24/03/2022 21:21

I think it's ok to be as rude as you like to people who do this. They are dickheads.

I had some success in the past replying to the "I'll only be a minute" line with carry on, your time is obviously far more precious than mine, I'll just sit here and twiddle my thumbs until you've carried out your important errand. I think I had total success with that one and everyone moved straight away.

AnneElliott · 24/03/2022 21:44

God that's annoying. We used to live near a school and some of the parents used to park across the drive.

The council were quick to come out and ticket them though - we could call a number and they'd come round on the moped.

I did once have a taxi driver park actually on my drive. I blocked him in and went indoors and he had the cheek to start telling me I had to move. He had to call the police in the end and they told him to apologise and ask me nicely to move my car.

Underfrighter · 24/03/2022 22:19

This gives me the rage. I came back to a delivery van blocking my drive the other day. He was going around houses asking for people to sign. He walked around the van and past my car to get to another house, could easily have moved (if he had parked another 3m forward he would have been blocking no one. 3 fucking metres). He actually gave me the ross from friends quiet down sign when he realised it was me sat in my car in the middle of the road waiting to turn, holding up traffic, and beeping him

AdobeWanKenobi · 24/03/2022 22:35

@PeterandSandy

we get this, despite having a dropped kerb and a huge sign. Some people dont look round when they park, some do and dont care.

Its very selfish, how would they like it, look round when you park.

Its an offence to block a drive. You can call the police and they will offer to look up the registration plate and call the person and ask them to move their car if they can get hold of them.

By a weird quirk of law it’s not always an offence.

It’s an offence to prevent a vehicle gaining access to the highway, but not the other way round. So if your car is blocked in, then yes, police can act and this is an offence, however if your car is blocked out you can do very little.

ClafoutisSurprise · 24/03/2022 23:01

So if your car is blocked in, then yes, police can act and this is an offence, however if your car is blocked out you can do very little.

Gah, another ridiculous parking rule. There are some really nonsensical ones, such as the rule mentioned upthread that if you’re disabled and get a spot marked outside your house it isn’t actually for your sole use. This has always struck me as ludicrous - if the area needs more general parking for people with disabilities, then provide it! Don’t provide an individual resident with assistance that they can’t actually rely on being able to use all the time. Also the rule about not being able to park on your own H-bar. Why??

eastegg · 24/03/2022 23:17

@ClafoutisSurprise

So if your car is blocked in, then yes, police can act and this is an offence, however if your car is blocked out you can do very little.

Gah, another ridiculous parking rule. There are some really nonsensical ones, such as the rule mentioned upthread that if you’re disabled and get a spot marked outside your house it isn’t actually for your sole use. This has always struck me as ludicrous - if the area needs more general parking for people with disabilities, then provide it! Don’t provide an individual resident with assistance that they can’t actually rely on being able to use all the time. Also the rule about not being able to park on your own H-bar. Why??

I don’t think that’s ludicrous at all. Of course anyone with a blue badge can park in a disabled bay, given that a blue badge entitles you to park in most places. And it makes sense that nobody can actually privatise a bit of road, but they can legally do things to ensure they can access/get out of their drive.

I think it’s fine to park on your ‘own’ H bar. But NB the H bar doesn’t make that bit of the road yours.

FrenchBulldogsareFab · 24/03/2022 23:34

Similar situation out front. Only once have I asked driver to move to enable articulated lorry to deliver trees for my garden. Foul mouthed lard arsed culprit suggested lorry drop goods elsewhere. We parked cars 10cm to front and rear of her car a week later when she pulled same stunt.

CelestiaNoctis · 24/03/2022 23:42

Sign that says "any cars blocking drive will be crushed and turned into a cube"

There's an old lady who has a sign that says "trespassers will be shot" outside her house 😆.

Insanelysilver · 25/03/2022 02:45

I’m with Debbacat6
Park your car across your own drive at least until you can talk to the council about your son and needing access.
I have to say you’ve been very easy going, I’d lose my 💩 if people eye rolled after they’ve been asked to move and as for the
‘In a minute response ‘
I’d spontaneously combust. The fricking cheek of some people !

Onlyforcake · 25/03/2022 07:08

Bollards? Install a couple, though there must be advice to sense a parked car with a light up ' noparking' sign

LakieLady · 25/03/2022 07:37

[quote CakeAmbushAlert]@Herejustforthisone what a prick.

However, the other side of the coin. Ambulance parked at my friends house as paramedics attended to her Dad mid stroke. Round pop the neighbours, can you move your ambulance please, we need to run our daughter to town.[/quote]
Some people are just idiots. We had similar here. The road is narrow, and parking is a nightmare even though almost every house has a drive big enough for one car. There's only room for cars to park on one side of the road.

Delivery drivers can often only stop by pulling right up on the pavement where no cars are parked, but bigger vans and ambulances are too big to do that and still leave enough space for a car to get through. When paramedics were blocking the road for an hour while they were trying to save a neighbour's life, 2 different people went and asked them to move, because they couldn't be arsed to reverse a bit and then do a tight 3 point turn in the road.

I don't mind if my drive is blocked for a couple of minutes by a delivery driver doing a quick drop off, they don't really have an alternative, but I'd be bloody angry if someone parked up and left a car blocking access to my drive.

It's fun and games on bin day and when people are having building materials or furniture delivered as the road becomes a one-way street.

Shinespring · 25/03/2022 10:23

You can ask the council for a designated parking bay for your son. If people park in it phone parking enforcement at your local council and they can issue a parking fine. If a computer any is parking there take a photo and complain to the company.

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