ugly parking causing frustration

[RoxyMoosic]

Live on a street of semi detached houses. It’s a ‘nice’ area. Most houses have room for 2 cars. Depending on configuration could fit 3, or just 1 if a larger area of garden instead of driveway.

the crux of the matter is that residents are parking on the street. E.g house over the road has room for 1 car on the driveway. They moved in a few years ago and bought the house knowing this. Yet have 2 cars and permanently park 1 on the street outside their house. All in a quite considerate manner btw. But I just think is stupid and inconvenient on their part anyway.

other residents park on the street despite having room on the driveway, presumably because they can’t be bothered reversing in/out every time they want to leave.

house a few doors up inexplicably owns 4(!) cars, with room for only 2 on the drive, with regular visitors too parking all over the place.

when the street is chocked up with cars I just find it so unbecoming and quite frankly ugly . It didn’t used to be like this even 10/15 years ago, when people had only enough cars that they could fit on their driveway…. I feel this was helped by the fact that they were often older couples who only had one car…. and those who invariably buy the house are families and have more cars than they can fit on their property.

so… AIBU to think on-street parking is ugly and ruins the look of the street…?

Merry old, fair enough, I've never lived in a house where everyone has to have their own individual car, it's a bit unsustainable if every household did that

I agree with you Op, I do't think many people notice though, I prefer a street without cars littered everywhere. If that makes me a snob or odd fine

I think the SUVs are even worse, they are really large - cars did used to be much smaller and over the last 20 years have increased in size.

I reckon the Nissan duke looks like its been on illegal steroids

Common sense! 👍

I’m heartened to see some agree with me!! To those asking for my solution…. purchase a house where you can park your multiple cars on the driveway! I’m obvs not talking about places with no driveways etc. but they could easily find a similarly- priced house in a similar area more suited to their requirements.

it took me about to 2 mins to reverse out of my drive this AM because I couldn’t see past the parked cars , and people kept coming along as I was trying to manoeuvre… so I had to keep moving back in to let them past .

I hate to say this but I dread to think what happens when the elderly lady opposite sadly passes and a family comes along with 4 cars for this one driveway house … there’s no room for any more on the street!! There’s going to be an altercation about it sooner or later … it winds DH up no end!

I don’t know where you live but I’m guessing not in the South East because if you did you’d know this is absolutely totally normal!!! My parents live in North London and you’re lucky if you can park on the roads a 5 minute radius from their house!! It’s not ideal but frankly there’s zero space and so many people living there each with own car or two or three it’s impossible. Some of it is dangerous parking but no one seems to care. I think you will need to move to somewhere more rural tbh if you can’t stand it X

purchase a house where you can park your multiple cars on the driveway!

Thats not financially possible for many people. 2 parents, 2/3 children who can’t afford to buy a house yet, can easily have 4/5 cars. I don’t know many people with a driveway big enough for that many cars.

Omg you need to chill out. Nobody else cares what your street looks like. And it's perfectly legal for them to park on the street so doesn't matter what you think

You'd love my street. Every house has a drive, people from flats in surrounding streets leave their cars here. Sometimes for weeks! If they're taxed and legally parked then they can (until the council make it permit parking).

My drive is across the road and down a bit. Sometimes I park outside the house on the road because I cba to carry my giant baby in his car seat up the road.

'house over the road has room for 1 car on the driveway. They moved in a few years ago and bought the house knowing this. Yet have 2 cars and permanently park 1 on the street outside their house. All in a quite considerate manner btw. But I just think is stupid and inconvenient on their part anyway. '

......

Good grief!

it took me about to 2 mins to reverse out of my drive this AM because I couldn’t see past the parked cars , and people kept coming along as I was trying to manoeuvre… so I had to keep moving back in to let them past .

this is just your poor driving, you should be reversing into your drive anyway, far safer.

Unfortunately houses cost so much now that adult children live at home longer, people have less choice is houses and often have to own more cars because they work further from home. Parking on the street is pretty standard.

I agree streets look so much better when not cluttered up with cars and vans, I find it looks quite depressing and claustrophobic.

Street parking is pretty standard in most residential areas. If you don’t like the look of this normal and expected behaviour I think the onus is on you to move somewhere which has on street parking restrictions (eg: double yellow lines), is unsuitable for street parking (eg: on a narrow road) or you need to live in an area without neighbours.

Also live in what's considered a 'nice' area. 2 bed terraces that go for £475k. Noone has a driveway, cars in the road everywhere. Your post seems bonkers to me. Maybe I'm just used to it!

My neighbours probs hate me too , single parent 3 kids I have a very steep driveway which can fit 2 cars but not safely and a garage I own 3 cars a convertible for summer which is now parked on the road cause I use it on child free weekends tho it spends winter in the garage , my family car for school runs days out etc is on the drive every day as my daily and then a sporty boy racer car that is my pride and joy currently in the garage but sometimes it’s on the street too depending on the weather. I couldn’t care less if my neighbours are inconvenienced at the volume of cars I use and where I park it when I pay my road tax to park wherever I want. You need a hobby OP

I live on a single track lane. We haven't been able to get the car out for 24 hours, due to the neighbours having a party. There are four cars lined up opposite our drive. There is also a public car park 30m away. I understand peeved.

How ghastly! One should simply pluck some cash from one's money tree to purchase a house with ample parking space on the driveway.

I agree that the street looks nicer without cars but YABU as they aren’t doing anything wrong

@Lo0ps my point is that plenty of identical / v similar houses in the area do have room for 2/3 cars … so why on Earth would you buy a house with room for only 1 when you know you have multiple?!

No need for cars to have become so big surely?

Written down it sounds snobby but my road is similar. We have garages and room for 2 cars on driveway but since we moved here 20 odd years ago the garages are now converted to extra rooms and everyone seems to have a car so we all park on pavements on what is a thin road. Pedestrians walk down the middle of the road now 😂

The look of the street is irrelevant compared to its function in facilitating peoples homes and lives and families.

If people can park outside their homes and know that visitors will likely find a space easily enough, then your street is serving its purpose perfectly.

Well there's your problem, you shouldn't reverse out of driveways because as unless there are no garden fences or hedges either side for a couple of gardens, you haven't got a clear view. If you reversed onto your drive you could drive straight out. Someone I know reversed out and hit an old lady. They got prosecuted and found guilty of dangerous driving because they didn't check that it was clear behind them (old dear appear from behind hedge and didn't see car

1 household does not need 4 cars, end of!

I wonder how I would've squeezed three child car seats in a 1980s car