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AIBU?

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Original poster

10 YEAR PARKING DISPUTE WITH NEIGHBOUR.

419 replies

eastafricanomad · 01/02/2023 17:23

Hi all,

I need some serious advice. I'm probably writing this in the heat of the moment so please ignore any theatrics. Let me break it down...

We've lived in this property for about 17 years. Our charming neighbour moved in on our tenth year. She is our attached neighbour on the right hand side. We all have allocated parking - what is the problem you ask?

See the thing is, we live in a cul-de-sac. Every house has an allocated parking spot and we have several visitor spots (families with multiple cars use these visitor spots as permanent parking spots and it doesn't appear to be an issue with anyone including me). My neighbour, has an allocated parking spot at the back of her house, but due to her mobility issues - she parks in front of her house on a public highway - again, no issues with this.

There is still space for another vehicle to be able to park directly parallel to her with no issues of blocking her car or her house. Yet she has proceeded to block off this empty potential parking space because she doesn't want anyone 'parking in front of her house' - bear in mind, this is a public highway. No one can reserve rights to a public highway.

Living in a cul-de-sac, naturally parking is tight despite the allocated spots we have. Households do sometimes have more than one vehicle and everyone else on the street is incredibly understanding.

However, this woman, has proceeded to put CONES! In an empty slot on the public highway, not reserving it for any reason as she has one car. No daily visitors - her sole reason is 'I don't want anyone parking in front of my house' (???) ITS A PUBLIC HIGHwaaaaay. Anyway.

Now that we are adding a vehicle to our household, this has only really started to irritate me now. We've ignored her a long time, DESPITE her harassing anyone that parks there. She has harassed my family, construction workers, delivery drivers - you name it! I'm at my wits ends. The straw that broke the camels back was this week, when we had a lovely gentleman come out from Hillary's to do measurements for my blinds. She left a note on his car and yelled at him when he left my property.

I've spoken to the local council, they have confirmed - no one can reserve rights to a public highway. I've spoken to the police, they have confirmed - this is illegal. I've sought legal advice, again - confirmed my perspective.

What on earth do I do with these cones? We work 7 days a week in my household, and coming home after a long shift, moving cones to park my car is proving tiresome! It's not even the inconvenience, its the AUDACITY!

Am I being unreasonable? What would you suggest? What would you do with these cones? I want to put them in my boot and dump them 500 miles from my house. Any advice on this issue would be helpful.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
5
ScroogeMcDuckling · 01/02/2023 18:57

We have a row of almshouses very close to us. There is a gentleman in the middle cottage, who is very infirm now, who has a mobility car, and guess what else he has, a disabled bay to park it in, right outside his front gate. It infuriates the other residents, because the way it’s being done, it’s all about him!

one of the bus stops - admittedly a quiet one also has a disabled bay in front of the bus stop and yes tge bus has hit it.

You say it would be easier to rehouse her, clearly her housing officer has been involved at some point and is ignoring the situation, she has one car, someone else is parking in her allocated space, and you want more cars than your allocated space(s)!

dawnc27 · 01/02/2023 18:58

take the cones and hide them, then when you have around 30 or so place them all around her car and on if enough left over.

the blinds try local, we have just got 3 for £199 with fitting, all over 6ft width too.
if local to yorkshire i can pm the details

Whatthetrolley · 01/02/2023 18:58

YABU the rules of creating a parking thread requires a mandatory diagram! 🤣

prh47bridge · 01/02/2023 18:59

Not sure if you have seen my earlier post but just to reiterate...

Some numbers beginning 084 are chargeable. However, if the number begins with 0800 or 0808, EE cannot charge you for calling it nor can they collect a charge on behalf of the council. If they are doing so, they are in breach of their license. If you are being charged, insist on a full refund. If they refuse, make a formal complaint. If that is rejected, refer the matter to Ofcom.

YourUserNameMustBeAtLeast3Characters · 01/02/2023 18:59

Take the cones and put them in your windows instead of £1,700 blinds. Win-win.

Or next time she complains give her the blinds recommendations from this thread, so she doesn’t get bothered by looking at a car parked outside her window.

DailyMaui · 01/02/2023 18:59

Ahem...

We need a diagram which shows colour code cars, your batshit neighbour and an angry man in a high vis vest. We also need to know if your dog has his own bedroom...

Thems the rules.

Twillow · 01/02/2023 19:00

Activelyannoyed · 01/02/2023 18:37

Ok I think folks are winding you up to go to war and probably escalate this. They will then fuck off to the next thread and leave you in formal neighbour dispute.

ok she needs to park at rhe front due to mobility. She’s scared about people blocking her in, so she’s putting cones out.

you wish to use the space she’s blocking in front of her house regularly, is this right? How many cars do you regularly park?

You have misunderstood a little -she has, and uses, her own designated space (not sure where it is exactly) but also cones off the road outside her house to prevent anyone from parking there. Which is illegal:

'Under the Highways Act 1980 it is an offence to obstruct the highway without permission from the local highway authority. We do not allow permission for cones to be placed on the highway by residents.'

Whatthetrolley · 01/02/2023 19:01

Exactly! And I'm surprised we've got this far without one!!

ChatInMyFlat · 01/02/2023 19:02

I'd just drive over the cones, every time.

DifferenceEngines · 01/02/2023 19:02

prh47bridge · 01/02/2023 18:51

You can have a disabled parking bay on a public highway. However, to get one she would need to have a blue badge, be receiving the higher rate of DLA or PIP, find it very difficult to get a space outside or near her home, and not have a specific place to park. From what you've posted, it sounds like she doesn't qualify.

Show quote history

She also does not need one. She already has a spot to park at the front of the house, she's reserving the second spot, which she can't use! On addition, she has her allocated parking at the back of the house, which she doesn't use ( due
to her mobility, although her very entitled behaviour makes me wonder ).

MrBallensWife · 01/02/2023 19:02

I'd stick a large candle under each cone and watch them melt 🤣😂

clarrylove · 01/02/2023 19:03

Surely you remove the cones and helpfully return them to the council..😉 They must've put them there in error. Keep doing it till she gets the message.

BooksAndHooks · 01/02/2023 19:05

Report to the council each time. If need be report as fly tipping. We had a similar issue with people using shopping baskets and all sorts to reserve spaces. The council did eventually start coming and removing them and sent letters to the nearby houses as it was counted as flytipping.

AxolotlEars · 01/02/2023 19:05

I would put the cones by her door with a note saying 'thanks for keeping a space for me' and then repeat

Wdib78 · 01/02/2023 19:05

eastafricanomad · 01/02/2023 17:41

@Slowingdownagain I've reported it 4 times. I'm wary because my council charges me to speak to them... I've calculated roughly £82 on calls to them regarding this issue.

There's a website called "sat no to 0870" that you can find out the land-line number of 0845, 0870 etc numbers so that you only get charged normal rate 😉 Not all numbers are on there but its worth a try.

Emmelina · 01/02/2023 19:06

Is she elderly?
we have an elderly parking loon next door. Proper busybody. Our spaces are not allocated! But she has assigned herself one and anyone who parks there gets a nasty note and she’s out like a shot when she sees them return to their car to give them an earful. Obviously sat watching out the window and seething! Also has mobility issues with a walking stick but can move bloody quick enough when she wants to.

I don’t have further advice, others have given great ideas! Just a solidarity post.

BooksAndHooks · 01/02/2023 19:09

eastafricanomad · 01/02/2023 18:03

@LampLamp Yup, they have a dedicated highways contact number and it is an 0800 number unfortunately.

Can you not report on fix my street or similar online? We can report parking issues, fly tipping etc online or using fix my street app.

StaunchMomma · 01/02/2023 19:09

Just give her a big, beaming smile as you repeatedly move the cones to the side and park up in front of her house.

NEVER steal them/throw them away though, as then she can say you stole her property.

You are absolutely in the right, OP. I know it's really annoying as we had a neighbour like this years back on a row of terraces and it is intimidating when they shout at you but it's her problem, not yours.

pigwood · 01/02/2023 19:12

Well it sounds like she is committing benefit fraud for starters - To qualify for a Motability vehicle you are supposed to be severely disabled ( on higher rate mobility ) We have one as our daughter is permanently wheelchair bound so has one in her own name which we drive her about in. Even those on middle rate mobility are not supposed to be able to walk unaided, and they don't qualify for a vehicle .
Put up cameras, move the cones onto her property, park the vehicle. Grab the popcorn!
Next blinds are great OP 😂

Builtforcomfortbutnotspeed · 01/02/2023 19:12

We’ve had the same with our neighbour
at least once a week for the last 3 years,she hammers on our front door,to howl abuse at us
our crime?
we park in front of our house

shes tried it all-ringing the police
the council
abuse in the street
abuse on our doorstep
bad mouthing us to anyone who will listen to her
coming to my work to scream at me
Telling anyone who is daft enough to listen to her,that we’ve hit her car every week since she moved in but refuses to claim on the insurance

the latest one is that she’s going to ring our landlord,and on her word,’he’ will evict us and we’ll be homeless

the best bit is,we don’t have a landlord-we bought our house,but she’s council and I’ve had enough (she doesn’t know we own our house)

shes unhinged and a bully who’s used to getting her own way,and she’s picked on the wrong people this time

CleaningOutMyCloset · 01/02/2023 19:13

Does she have a front garden or door step, remove the cone every single time and leave it there. Tbh I'd park there out of principle now even if another space was available

SunSandAndLotsOfGin · 01/02/2023 19:16

Take the cones
Sell the cones
After another 10 years you'll have enough to buy the blinds!!

Failing that, drive over the flimsy fucking things.

DontTouchMePlease · 01/02/2023 19:20

eastafricanomad · 01/02/2023 18:39

@ScroogeMcDuckling But the thing is, she has had the council come out and survey her property, you can not install a disability parking bay on public highway, it isn't even a legitimate parking space - let alone try and make it disability friendly. Like it just can't happen.

DGM had one outside her house. It was a narrow two way road, through a busy village, without any pavements. They still gave her a disability marked space, right outside her house, because she was disabled.

kafkascastle · 01/02/2023 19:21

AxolotlEars · 01/02/2023 19:05

I would put the cones by her door with a note saying 'thanks for keeping a space for me' and then repeat

Best solution so far!

CrazyCorgi · 01/02/2023 19:22

We used to have ‘Cone Lady’ next door. We just used to move the cones and park there. Exactly like your neighbour, Cone Lady would try and reserve ‘her’ space on a public highway and we were having none of it. Just move the cones and ignore her idiocy, you’re in the right here.