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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

A parking one (of sorts)

41 replies

SpiderD · 12/10/2023 21:34

Still musing on this from earlier.

Drove youngest to school in bad traffic and rain today.

The road nearest school is on a narrow road where the traffic is single lane - usually queuing far back at 8am - but traffic splits to go left or right near the end IYSWIM.

There are a few parking bays on the right near the end too (restricted, but in middle of day, not morning).

So I parked in one and then, as we were a few mins early, was getting DD to go over her spellings quickly so not looking out of the car.

About 5 mins later, a woman waves at my window and asks 'are you parked?' And when I said yes, she starts ranting and saying 'didn't you see the traffic queue you've caused all the way back?!'

Honestly no I didn't, as I wasn't expecting it and had indicated, pulled right in and turned engine off. I replied, 'well my car is off and I'm legally parked in a marked space so I don't know what else you wanted me to do'.

Did I miss some driving etiquette? Should I have hopped out first and ushered cars past?

I then had a load of angry men in vans glare at me as they drove past like I should never have been there. But- it's not hard to tell if a car is parked is it?

OP posts:

Bobbybobbins · 12/10/2023 22:00

Looks like you were fine.

I did the opposite once, thought someone in front of my was parked up, traffic queuing so went round. Only she was queuing too, oops. She was not impressed!

latenightpartyrings · 12/10/2023 22:01

I'd say you were fine, strictly speaking, but if you stayed in the car (so it looked like it was being driven) perhaps she erred wrongly on the side of caution and as a result overreacted because she then caused the problem...

Original poster

SpiderD · 12/10/2023 22:02

Oh crucial info missing, it's a one way street

OP posts:

MaggieFS · 12/10/2023 22:02

Can't follow the split thing (but I think it's irrelevant). I think what you're saying is: after being in a queue of traffic you stopped in a marked parking space. However, you didn't immediately get out of the car so it wasn't obvious that you'd parked rather than were still sat in the queue. And then this caused a big back log because either they couldn't get around you or because they waited for you. Doesn't really matter which.

I think YABU you'd been in the queue yourself, it was pretty narrow minded not the think of the people behind you. You could, have stuck a hand out/ gesticulated in the mirror that you were parked.

kegofcoffee · 12/10/2023 22:03

Ahhhhh so a marked on road parking space which when used makes the road one lane. I thought you meant an actual one way street with off road bays.

I can see why she might have thought you'd just stopped to let other cars coming the opposite way through.

I personally would have put my hazards or indicator on. But ultimately you did nothing wrong

sunshinesupermum · 12/10/2023 22:04

Great diagram and you did nothing wrong OP.

Awrite · 12/10/2023 22:04

It is the road's fault. Time release parking bays must be confusing as hell. Not your fault and never okay to rant at someone parked in a car. Especially one with a child in it.

Original poster

SpiderD · 12/10/2023 22:06

@MaggieFS yeah I think I will have to wave them past next time or something. Not that we are ever normally early for school!

OP posts:

olderbutwiser · 12/10/2023 22:06

I would have been very cross with you because secretly I'd think I'd made a tit of myself by queueing behind you when you were legitimately parked, even though it was an easy mistake to make given the stupidity of the road layout.

The pond:duck ratio (or lack of) probably unnerved her too.

This thread was made so much better by the excellent diagram OP.

Original poster

SpiderD · 12/10/2023 22:08

Aye the pond to duck ratio throws a lot of folk not from round these parts

OP posts:

Original poster

SpiderD · 12/10/2023 22:20

Ps realised I misled by calling pond 'duck pond' when there are no ducks. That's what everyone calls it though. The one on the left not the one by the school. Possibly a case of wishful thinking - or perhaps because one person saw what they thought was a duck once (but was actually a Lidl bag)

OP posts:

SD1978 · 12/10/2023 22:25

To anyone saying a diagram isn't necessary.....do you even go here? great diagram- 10/10- and I can see both sides- you are and were ultimately in the right- a marked bay, which has no restrictions in the morning (although sounds like it should, and be 'free' parking during the day) and because people 'split' at the tip to turn left or right, she assumed that you were turning, not parked. When she worked out you were parked, by then the traffic had significantly snarled up. Sounds like a stupid place to have a car parking spot, but you weren't wrong- although I see why she was frustrated. Wouldn't have said anything to you though as the error was hers not realising you were parked.

GrannyAchingsShepherdsHut · 12/10/2023 22:27

Did you indicate left to show you were pulling to the side of the road/into the space, or did you just drive in forwards and stop?

Indicated - YANBU
No indication - YABU

Eta: sorry, read that twice and somehow still didn't see the bit where you said you'd indicated. I blame the distraction from the duckless ponds.

YANBU.

IhearyouClemFandango · 12/10/2023 22:30

Presumably they were hoping you were about to leave so they could park there.

Not your problem however.

OldTinHat · 12/10/2023 22:48

Just here to say excellent diagram!

riotlady · 13/10/2023 09:40

Bobbybobbins · 12/10/2023 22:00

Looks like you were fine.

I did the opposite once, thought someone in front of my was parked up, traffic queuing so went round. Only she was queuing too, oops. She was not impressed!

I did worse once. I was queuing up where two lanes split into three, the left one generally being the most popular at rush hour. Some people ahead of me pulled quite tightly into the left hand side of the lane- I assumed they were queuing for the left lane and wanted to let people queueing for the middle one past them, to help the flow of traffic. So off I pootled merrily past them, until a split second later when I realised they were in fact getting out of the way of an ambulance 😣

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