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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Neighbour issues

54 replies

Ioutme · 07/05/2023 11:48

I live on a a road that can be quite tight in places, few houses without drives hence not much parking space. We have a drive space for one car, then we park the other on the front (which is a public road - first come first served) but generally we’re parked there. Recently we’ve been having a bit of trouble from a house down the road with two cars and no driveway, left notes on our car and knocked on asking us to block each other in rather than taking up an extra space, also been quite aggressive towards me. It’s a bit of a faff if we do as we have to let each other out when the other needs to go out etc. AIBU by not blocking each other in and letting them have the space? I have to say I find the whole situation a bit pathetic. There is also parking available the other side of their house that’s where there is always room but it’s further away for them (extra minute walk) than being outside ours.

OP posts:
RedBonnet · 07/05/2023 17:02

Just ignore the note and park where you like. House opposite parks outside mine, sometimes slightly over the drive. They've got a drive that they never use! People confuse me every day

GloriousGoosebumps · 07/05/2023 17:05

It doesn't even seem as though these people are your next door neighbours so have they made the same request of every home with a car on the driveway plus second car taking up a parking space on the road? If not, why are they focusing on you?

Toytransportemergency · 07/05/2023 17:13

Where is OP supposed to move first car to in order to get second car off her drive? In my street that would mean blocking the street with one car, getting the other out, leaving it on the other side of the driveway (blocking another part of the road) then putting first one back in.

Original poster
Ioutme · 07/05/2023 17:14

@GloriousGoosebumps no they are not.. very good point.. he has actually told someone further up than us to move his car too! 🤣

OP posts:
Original poster
Ioutme · 07/05/2023 17:15

@Toytransportemergency exactly!

OP posts:
SunnySideDownBriefly · 07/05/2023 17:18

@BanditsOnTheHorizon is right - it's illegal to park over a dropped kerb...even if it is yours. Someone could report you and you could be ticketed for it.

totallydriving.com/parking-on-dropped-kerb-law-uk/

daffodilandtulip · 07/05/2023 17:29

You could still get fined parking over your own driveway. You can legally park wherever you like.

There's four houses in our street that don't have drives and the parking shenanigans and tantrums keep me constantly entertained. Buy a house with a drive or accept that you don't own any parking.

FeeFiFoFumble · 07/05/2023 17:36

As someone who walks everywhere with a pram, please don't block your dropped kerb! It's incredibly infuriating when you can't cross the road because there aren't any dropped kerbs available to cross at, and obviously can't cross at the kerb because there are cars parked there. And that's for me, a healthy 30 something year old. Imagine how annoying it would be for a wheelchair user. You're doing nothing wrong by parking on the road. It's just tough luck for the neighbours. Maybe they should consider getting rid of one of their vehicles if they can't find any parking for it 🙃

Original poster
Ioutme · 07/05/2023 17:44

@daffodilandtulip my thinking too..

@FeeFiFoFumbleanother very good point, thank you 😊

OP posts:
TheRussiansAreComing · 07/05/2023 18:07

Fuck ‘em.
Their problem.
Should’ve bought a house with a drive.

Shroedy · 07/05/2023 18:13

SunnySideDownBriefly · 07/05/2023 17:18

@BanditsOnTheHorizon is right - it's illegal to park over a dropped kerb...even if it is yours. Someone could report you and you could be ticketed for it.

totallydriving.com/parking-on-dropped-kerb-law-uk/

Not quite so black and white. Most councils explicitly say that you can if you have the permission of the driveway owner (different from parking over a dropped kerb specifically designed for accessibility to cross a road). Where there are other parking restrictions that mean an area is patrolled you can often register your car so you're not ticketed for parking over your own drive.

That's not to say the OP is being unreasonable. The neighbour has no right to ask for this.

Reasonableadjustments · 07/05/2023 18:24

TheRussiansAreComing · 07/05/2023 18:07

Fuck ‘em.
Their problem.
Should’ve bought a house with a drive.

Where did it say they bought the house?

mummyh2016 · 07/05/2023 18:49

We park in the same sort of way and it would be a bloody nightmare if me and DH had to keep moving our cars to let each other out. I'm sorry for your neighbours but no way would I be putting myself out when by the sounds of if they'd rather put you out than park 1 minute away.

Snugglemonkey · 07/05/2023 19:53

They are twats, ignore them.

luckylavender · 07/05/2023 20:03

CityCommuter · 07/05/2023 12:58

@Ioutme your neighbours sound a bit annoying but I can see their point... you need to park in front of your own house regardless of whether you or your DH don't like driving each others car. It's not that you 'can't' drive either of them, you're just choosing not to. There are car seats in both cars so just suck it up and get used to driving both. Everyone likes to park as near to their own house as possible and preferably outside it!

I don't agree with that at all. DH & I have a similar set up & neither of us would ever chose to drive the other's car.

Inkblue · 07/05/2023 20:38

CityCommuter · 07/05/2023 12:58

@Ioutme your neighbours sound a bit annoying but I can see their point... you need to park in front of your own house regardless of whether you or your DH don't like driving each others car. It's not that you 'can't' drive either of them, you're just choosing not to. There are car seats in both cars so just suck it up and get used to driving both. Everyone likes to park as near to their own house as possible and preferably outside it!

No she doesn’t need to park in front of her house at all. She can park where she likes. She also cannot legally park where there is a dropped kerb and is liable to get tickets for this.

lunaloveroo · 07/05/2023 21:14

We had similar situation though nobody every complained. We used to live in a main road, had one driveway space and then a lay by. We had s dropped kerb then a big white line which indicated you couldn't park there (the only white line in the lay-by). We always parked second car up a bit as I didn't want people to think they could park there. People often did though- usually just for a minute as they needed to go to post office/ shop etc. very annoying. I'd ignore them.

Boujee11 · 07/05/2023 21:16

As it’s a public road you can park wherever you like. Unfortunately if you want to guarantee parking, you need to buy a house with a drive!

PsychoHotSauce · 07/05/2023 21:18

Just tell them it's against the highway code to park over a dropped kerb to allow wheelchair users and mobility scooters etc to cross safely and leave it at that.

theGooHasGone · 07/05/2023 21:23

Not your problem, it's a public road. Anyone can park there.

Paq · 07/05/2023 21:30

I don't see any problem with blocking yourself in on the occasion that it suits, it feels like a neighbourly thing to do.

But if it's not convenient you are of course perfectly entitled to park anywhere on a public road.

JessieJoJames · 07/05/2023 21:37

TheSnowyOwl · 07/05/2023 16:26

I don’t see why you can’t just move your cars to use the one you want. Surely it just adds a couple of minutes to your journey?

Surely the neighbours parking at the other side as the OP mentioned only takes a few mins so why should the OP be the one to 'add the extra time'. Parking spaces are first come first served.

Blablablanamechangagain · 07/05/2023 21:49

This baffles me. Me and my DH work opposite shifts, when I'm leaving for work, he's only been in bed for 3 hours. So if I was OP, I would have to move his car out the way, blocking the road, get in my car, move that into the road, blocking it further, and also leaving my child alone in that car in the road, move his car back on the drive, lock the house up.
Absolutely not a prayer 🤣

70isaLimitNotaTarget · 07/05/2023 21:53

I really wouldn't want to be starting my car from cold, driving along a bit , moving the other car then moving one back .

Not good for your endine or the exhaust .
And if you don;t switch off and lock you risk someone stealing your car while it idles .

GabriellaMontez · 07/05/2023 21:59

They want you to be inconvenienced... so they don't have to be. They're cf.