driveway wars

[MXVIT]

well, not wars, bit dramatic, just want hive mind view

Normal southern terraced street, all have driveways fortunately but kerb parking length of the street is rife because multi car households.

Neighbour has just had her driveway done (pressed concrete so looks like cobbles, lovely tbh) and is refusing to let her household park on it for fear of damage.

Result is my driveway (dropped kerb) has been half blocked consistently by one of the cars from their house since it was done last month. I'm a single car house so can get in with some crafty manoeuvring but tbh its a fucking pain (esp at 5pm when im blocking the traffic trying to back in and round) and also I like to have the extra space for visitors - which I now cant have as theres no access.

Feels like I've lost half my driveway - would you say something>

Knock on the door every time and tell them to move the car? It's not your fault they don't all use the drive.

This is yet another one of those threads where I can't understand why you didn't just knock on the door the first time she did it. Every time you let it go without saying something they don't see it as a problem. You've been squeezing your car onto your drive and they'll be aware of it so just think it's fine because you've managed to get on and off the drive.
All you have to do is knock on the door and ask them not to do it. Then if it happens again, knock on the door and ask them to move the car. Repeat until they stop.
If they don't stop then you can think of another strategy but there's no point in thinking of strategies until you've tried the most obvious thing of asking them not to do it. I would imagine that the vast majority of things like this can be solved just by talking to people. Some people might be assholes and continue to park there but in most cases I think people would stop when asked to.

Or just park on the road where they’re parked. If they ask why tell them you kept being blocked in!

Better to report to the Parking Enforcement at the Council, more likely to come out and ticket the car.

I voted YANBU but actually YABU not to nip it in the bud first off as they now have normalised it and think it's OK.

Definitely knock every time and get them to move it.

Knock and get them to move when they are restricting your access.
Don't mention you'd like space for visitors tho.

I'm amazed you've let this happen for a month.

Go and tell them not to, politely but firmly, then every time it happens afterwards park on their drive.

would you say something

Of course. Why would you not? They are blocking your drive way. You struggle to get in.
Are you worried they'll think you're being huffy about them being precious about their new drive? Did they get it done cheaply or something, is that why they're worried about damaging it. I wonder why they didn't put grass on it if they're not actually going to use for cars.

Let's just hope your NDN isn't a MN'er who doesn't answer the door!

We had this with a neighbour, we politely used to ask him to move every time he did it. He always pleasantly moved it straightaway. We continued to ask whether we could squeeze out or not. He worked night shift sometimes, so eventually he started parking elsewhere and then changed his vehicle for something smaller.
Definitely ask them to move and keep asking. You need to do it consistently to make it annoy them more than it benefits them. Like a PP said, if you can find a time early morning or late at night, when they are day sleeping from night shift etc. it should help motivate them to go elsewhere.
I would be polite though if you can, nothing worse than rowing with neighbours if you don’t have to. I always thought of it as they were winning the battle edging over my drive but I was winning the war by ultimately stopping them altogether. Good luck OP some people are so selfish.