To park in this space?

[MissisBoote]

We live in a regular road with Victorian terraced houses on either side. Cars park parallel to the road. One house has a dropped kerb and the garden was concreted over years ago. Newish neighbour used to keep a car SORN there. The concreted bit isn't very big, it's only about 2.5m deep so you can only fit a small car on there parked parallel to the house otherwise it would go on the pavement. Obviously no one parked in front of his house then as he had a car on the 'drive' so no one would have wanted to block him in.

The car is no longer there and the neighbour gets really annoyed now if anyone parks in front of his house in 'his spot'. Leaves notes telling you not to park there or passively aggressively parks his car really close to whoever parks there making it difficult to move your car. He thinks his dropped kerb gives him the automatic right to park his car there and no one else.

YABU - you shouldn't park there as there's a dropped kerb

YANBU - it's a public highway so park away

where the kerb has been lowered to help wheelchair users and powered mobility vehicles

I'd read this as meaning specific dropped kerbs at crossings, edges of junctions etc, not the entrances to properties. Otherwise, why specify, surely it would just read 'where the kerb has been lowered'? Therefore I would take this to mean that legally a person can park across their own dropped kerb, as it was put in for access to a drive, not for wheelchair users. Morally, though, is a different matter.

A lot of people think they can park across the dropped kerb if they are the people who paid to put it in, but as far as I know there is no differentiation and all dropped kerbs are the same - no parking.

You're blocking access and in any case you aren't allowed to park on a dropped kerb.

Nobody can park across a dropped kerb, even it's their own property.

Think about it logically, a traffic warden is not going to magically know that a car parked across a dropped kerb belongs to the people that live there.

Nobody can park across a dropped kerb, even it's their own property

Not true in all cases.

This is from my local borough council website.
*Dropped kerbs allow access from the street to off-street areas such as driveways.

We would only actively enforce against obstructing dropped kerbs if this is reported to us by a resident or a business. This is because the vehicle may be parked with their knowledge or permission, in which case it would not be considered an obstruction*

You don't park in front of a dropped kerb

It is illegal to park over a dropped kerb even if it is your own.

There are certainly some councils who make a distinction between dropped kerbs that are for access to property and dropped kerbs that are put in specifically for accessibility. I've lived in areas with residence parking permits where the councils have deemed people with one car driveways to have two parking spaces - the drive + the space on the road in front of it (number of spaces you had affected how many permits your household could apply for)

Our council says this: Please note that the Council is unable to issue any Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) to vehicles that may be obstructing the highway e.g. blocking a driveway. This can be reported to the Police on the non-emergency number 101.

Interesting they say they are unable not unwilling.

Some councils are more lenient than others - if theres a street with loads of dropped kerbs then some of them being blocked isn't a big deal.

If its a long street with one dropped kerb in the middle, you may fare very differently.

Once the kerb is dropped, it is of benefit to members of the public, and that is correct as the pavement is a right of way for the public - if you pay for a dropped kerb you are paying for the work done to drop it but not the right to infringe on the rights of the public.

It'd be wonderful if there were sufficient dropped kerbs for those who need them for access but there are not, in many places and of those that exist, many are badly done, damaged, ill thought out etc.

You can also request a dropped kerb in a particular location if theres an access issue, and the council will come and assess and may agree to put one in - how does a driver tell, as they're driving along looking to park, whether a dropped kerb is for general access or specific driveway access? It isn't always going to be possible to tell, so the 'don't park across dropped kerbs' is universal, keeps things simpler.

It's also difficult to police parking if some people are allowed to park on a dropped kerb and some are not, anyone checking would need to cross check location of dropped kerb and identity of vehicle.. it's not going to happen.

just behave like a reasonable person and don't park there.
i'm surprised you even need to ask.
this is the kind of thing and attitude that adds to the stress of life. just try and be a good neighbour, to encourage living in a good neighbourhood.
it's everyone's responsibility.

Why would you knowingly park across a drive with a dropped kerb?! Are you looking for an argument?! 💁🏼

It's illegal to park in front of a dropped driveway so you risk a fine. Yabu

Have the same thing with our neighbours - except they regularly manoeuvre two cars that they constantly have a parking space directly outside their house, even leaving the house at crack of dawn to do so!
Even worse - they regularly pull one of the cars forward to save an additional space for visitors and happily watch me struggle up the long road with my baby, child and shopping.

All of that for the tiniest driveway they never use.
Completely entitled arses!

It’s a dropped curb! YABU (and a bit ridiculous) to park across it.