It's a parking one!

[Themermaidspool]

I’m looking for some unbiased opinions and if there is a solution to this issue.
We live at the top of a hill on the corner of two roads. Our neighbours opposite also live on the adjacent corner. We’ve been here two years, our neighbours have been here for four. We both have two cars and they have a driveway for one car. Ours takes two just. It’s a quiet part of town so there is lots of parking space nearby. Our neighbours always park in exactly the same spot directly opposite our driveway. This means you can’t reverse out and swing the car round in one go. You also can't see it as there's no lighting and it's black. Annoying but not the end of the world. After a number of near misses the inevitable happened this week and I reversed into their car. (It was raining, I was rushing to pick up child from nursery but no excuse I’m 100% at fault. To be fair they were very good about it and as the damage was quite minor they agreed to letting us try and polish the scratches out which thankfully removed the damage. While discussing, I asked if they would mind parking slightly up or down (still in front of their house/garden) but this was flat out refused as they don’t want to park under the trees. Fair enough it’s their car and they have a right to
Park wherever. Neither of us can park around the corner due to double yellows. If we park both cars on the drive we just can’t get the cars in/out easily / get kids out so we end up putting one on the road. Now I’m so worried about hitting the car again that partner and I now park both cars on the road. This means that we are making it harder for the neighbours to get their car off their drive. Is there a solution or do I just need to suck it up? My biased view is that they only need to move their car about 2m (which is still not directly under a tree but closer) or outside our house (where there is space) and life’s easier. We generally get on, take in parcels for eachother, have a drink a few times a year so I don’t want to fall out over it.

A frive isn't a junction

If you can't reverse off with ease, you probably can't reverse on with ease either...

That simply isn't true. Visibility is much improved driving out forwards rather than reversing.

Ask them to move, OP. Every single time. Better that than risk another bump because of their inconsiderate parking.

Can only go by what I witness in carparks. I am not misogynistic, just observant

Presumably you won't mind other people observing that you are sexist then?

But you have to reverse on to drive off. Whichever way you need to reverse.

So you are making a very big misogynistic judgement by watching people park in a car park, for all of 5 mins a week.

I think your neighbours are unreasonable as it’s just not neighbourly. The suggested alternative does not impact them and makes it better for you (& the rest of the street as you are trying to keeps both your vehicles off the road).

I think you are very accommodating and they are being difficult

Could you park the car you usually drive on the street and the other car (assume DH's car?) in the drive? That way you don't have to back out and DH has a bit more manoeuvering room when he does.

PS to the ignorant poster....I drive our 1 ton Ford 350 FWD pickup with camper shell AND a bike rack on the front with no problems. Don't generalize. If you see people with larger vehicles manoeuvering in car parks or leaving little space to one side it's generally because the spaces aren't large enough, not that we can't park.

You say you could have the option of widening/lengthening your drive which would resolve the issue. While it may cost a bit of money, and if you plan on living there long term, I would definitely consider this. Your neighbour could move on and be replaced by someone with three cars, or if the current ones have teens, an extra car potentially bought in the future might make things even more difficult for you. I know how car parking outside homes can get really frustrating and stressful, so would do all i could to take the stress away.

op you need to reverse

im in similar position to your neighbour

i have one drive and 2 cars so we park one on drive and one in front which is opposite their drive

but they reverse on daily, just like everyone on the street does

noone in their right mind should be reversing out

That's my point. It should take less than a minute to get out a parking space. If someone takes 5min then they are unable to drive the car they are in (or at all).
Again, nothing to do with misogyny. It is just my reality that I have only encountered women struggling.

Firstly, your posts are all criticizing your neighbour's choice to park their car perfectly legally on a road, and have zero consideration of your own part in this.

You should never reverse onto the highway. You should reverse onto your drive. You claim various reasons why you hit their car (to the point of beeping to make pedestrians aware) but STILL you hit a parked car. You claim that you have kids which make things difficult, or time constraints which make you hasty - entirely within your control.

Your neighbour can park there. You are in the wrong for reversing into the road and hitting their car.

If you can't see a car how the hell can you think that you're safe on the roads op?

revisiting out is one thing

reversing out and into the opposite lane of traffic is just bad driving

You definitely need to be reverse parking onto your drive, I don't understand why you can't do this? And do you genuinely sound the horn each time you reverse off your drive? That would drive me bonkers as a neighbour.

If you can't reverse park then you shouldn't be driving.

My neighbour has a tiny car (Ford Ka), and she is unable to reverse onto her drive. We have had nasty notes due to her inability to reverse off her drive, because it's much easier to drive off than reverse off.

I have no idea how she passed her driving test, I'm thinking she must of not had the reverse parking on her test.

I don’t think enough people have told OP she should be reversing into the drive yet.

Well it just shows how many people agree with that point doesn't it.

I use to park under a tree so I understand why they don't want to although they could use a cover.
You need a car with sensors

Seeing as she thinks beeping absolves her it needs hammering home.

While that is the case between the hours of sunset and sunrise, it doesn't apply during the daytime (The Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989, Section 24).

In any event, looking at the diagram, that certainly looks more than 10m away from the junction.

"noone in their right mind should be reversing out"

It depends on the circumstances. We have quite a wide driveway, it's about 3.5 metres (I just went out and measured it, to make sure, - it turns out it's 3.35 metres, 11 feet).

The other side of the road is entirely on-street parking and so there are always cars parked along the whole opposite side of the street.

I have no problem at all driving a mondeo onto the drive and then reversing onto the road.

Now if our driveway were a lot narrower, then I would agree with you, it would be necessary to reverse into it.

Can you really not see the difference between a driveway and a road with other cars and road users in terms of safety? The OP has had a number of near misses prior to actually managing to hit the neighbour's car and feels the need to honk her horn every time in case she hasn't seen pedestrians yet has managed not to hit the car already on her own driveway.

The Highway Code even says you should reverse onto a drive and drive forward off of it.

You really need to reverse into your drive and yes to getting a reversing camera and sensors