Strange parking with diagram!

[PonkyPonky]

So I am prepared to be told I’m in the wrong here but be aware I have so far done nothing or said nothing! I’ve attached a diagram, I live at number 1. Bloke who lives at number 5 works an early shift so gets home when the whole road is totally clear of parked cars, chooses to park directly outside my house. When I get home, he is always parked there despite there being loads of space directly outside his house. I can’t think of any sensible reason why he would do this unless it’s because he’s scared of parallel parking and the space directly outside my house is on one end of the row. Although the other end of the row of cars is closer to his house. WIBU to put a polite note on his car asking him to choose a space closer to his house when there is space? It’s really bloody annoying to come home with a boot full of food shopping and see that’s he’s there again and I struggle up the road from the space outside his bloody house! But yes it’s a public road and we can all do whatever we want essentially as no one has any right to park anywhere in particular but it’s just inconsiderate and irritating. This only started about 6 months ago for some unknown reason. Before that, I think he just parked by his own house

The people at no.2 don’t have a car so I would try to get that one or see what’s available if it’s busy

So if he parked at that end, he’d be outside number 6? I wonder if they got in first and asked him not to park outside theirs?! Would explain why he’s suddenly started doing it.

I just can't get worked up about having to walk that bit further on a public highway. He's got his reasons. Leave him to it I say. I'd just laugh if someone 'politely' told me I couldn't park anywhere I was entitled to. And yes, I really mean it when I say I'm not bothered. Happens at ours all the time.

A guy in the next road parks his works van outside my house, I assume it’s because there’s double yellows outside his house, has only room for his car on the driveway and also because we have cctv cameras outside. I hope it gets broken into, and I will have great delight in telling him to piss off if he knocks on our door. We have a driveway so it doesn’t affect us really, but it’s annoying when he’s out there rummaging around in it sticking stuff on the pavement right outside my house!

I lived in a road where I would typically get blocked in and I would leave the house at 3am for work. I did exactly what your neighbour does, I parked at the end so it was easy for me to get out in the morning. Also, it was less noisy for the neighbours as I wouldn’t be inching forwards and backwards in my car trying to leave a tight space

He gets back first and he's away first in the morning. By parking there he can always get out by reversing to the double-yellows. Maybe the people in six complained about him parking in front of their at the other end? Is he part of a two car household and their other car is in front of theirs?

They are a 2 car household yes, his partner parks her car in the one off road space on the opposite side of the road so I think she has the parallel parking fear also. That space will soon be gone though as a house is being built there so I’ll probably have both their cars parked outside my house then

Perhaps not the most ethical approach but could you feign an injury for a few days and leave a polite note asking if he could park elsewhere as you will struggle to walk the extra distance down your road with said injury? Also agree with someone else perhaps suggest he knock on your door to discuss?

Also if you see him outside watch which house he goes into so you also have the option of knocking on his door.

YABU you don’t have entitlement to any parking space on public highway just because it’s convenient for you.

If you see him do it when you are at home where is your car then? Or does DH use your car if you are at home
Its annoying but i wouldnt say anything, he isnt doing anything wrong, if he doesnt park there someone else probably will before you get home

Am I missing something here? Are these privately owned, allocated parking spaces? Because otherwise this is absolutely bonkers. Don’t get me wrong, it would irritate me if I were in the OPs shoes (we have a driveway because I could not be arsed with fighting for a parking space), but I’d also have one foot in reality and recognise that it’s ridiculous to try to dictate what happens on a public road

It’s not u reasonable to be irritated by it but it would be unreasonable to speak to him about it

Can you have a driveway/dropped kerb OP? Sounds like the parking is about to get worse and it’s one of those things that would annoy me too… even though I knew they weren’t actually doing anything wrong!

What’s your front garden like OP? For a permanent solution you can apply to the council for a dropped curb but you’d have to convert your front garden I’d imagine.

I agree it's likely to prevent being blocked in. Parking next to a dropped kerb doesn't mean you won't get blocked in unfortunately. I once parked at the end of a row of spaces next to a dropped kerb. Someone (the dropped kerb owners guest i imagine as there already was a car on their drive) parked so close to me I couldn't get the car out because the car behind in the legal space had done the same. Even though you're not meant to park over a dropped kerb plenty of people do it to their own drive or tell their guests to do it. I started parking further away after that at the end of a row next to double yellow lines. This worked fine for years but recently I had someone park behind me on the yellow lines! (They got a ticket though at least).

The thing is, for whatever reason, parking outside your house is obviously convenient for him, so you're effectively asking him to prioritise your convenience over his own. Would it be less annoying for him to park there if you knew why?

Even though it's extremely annoying I don't feel you can approach him in person or via a letter. No matter how politely you approach him you will come out of it looking bad.

Is it possible that this is about the early start and car noise? Wondering if his immediate neighbours have commented on it and in his mind, as your house looks like the end of the terrace, the impact of the early morning noise is less down there? Not that this makes any sense of course, but people do strange things!

Is it possible that this is about the early start and car noise?
This was my first thought too.

I’m going to be no help whatsoever I’m afraid… just to empathise and say this would drive me mad and to add that whenever we have been purchasing a house, l have refused to entertain any house that doesn’t have a drive for this reason.

Could he be doing it for security reasons?
If you always park outside your own house it's obvious to potential burglars if you're out. Especially if he works antisocial hours.
Isn't this the reason some flat car parks have numbered spaces which don't match the flat number?

Your longer walk is the space of 4 semi-ds though. It's not 3 miles away. It's nothing.
He's fully entitled to park there, and since you can also park very close, you would look like quite the loon asking him not to park there.

Interested to hear his explanation to be honest! I'm also thinking it's likely to prevent getting blocked in. The owners of the house with the dropped kerb could potentially park across it blocking him in. (We have a psycho neighbour who was regularly blocking us in on purpose with both if his cars - long story - and by getting the council to put double yellows at the steps in front of our house we have managed to solve the problem.)

Looks like he parks at the end by the double yellows knowing he cant* be blocked in when he is leaving early in the morning.
Perfectly reasonable, the joys of parking on a public road - its as much my parking space as it is yours.

I say there's no harm in asking, but I would knock not put a note out. He has the right to say no, but hopefully he'll understand.