If half the gate was closed would you open it to drive through?

[pontipinemum]

This morning I closed half the gate (standard swing gate that meets in the middle). We have a cattle grid and to get the other half you need to walk over it. Yes only 30seconds work but I didn't do it.

I do this a lot, as DH is in and out a few time a day and will leave the jeep at the gate. Or I have to go out I only need to re-open half the gate.

I let my dog out, who is old and can't hear well, hence I close the gate (partly). We live on a farm in the middle of nowhere so very little comes down our road.

Post man opened the gate and drove through. I caught dog before he heard him.

I asked in future if the gate is closed can he please not drive in, I had seen him and was talking to the gate. He was a bit shrug "it was only half closed".

What would you do in this situation, if the person you were calling to was not expecting you.

YABU - Half closed does not mean don't drive in. I would open the half gate and drive in

YANBU - The gate was blocked so I would stop and get out of my car and walk in (approx 10 meters to door)

Get a box for your postie so he doesn’t have to drive in. If I saw a closed gate across where I needed to go I’d just assume that I needed to open it and close behind me.

Most posties aren’t going to walk through a yard where animals are running loose either.

If I was him I'd be opening the gate if it was closed & i needed access or I'd be telling you to start collecting your post from the Post office. The guys trying to do his job. He hasn't got time to remember or pander to every quirk his customers have. It might not be the same one every day

If you're so precious about the gate do you both a favour & get a mail box

The postman is not an unexpected visitor. Have you never had post before? Maybe he didn’t want to walk through a yard with a dog running loose in it, he’s not to know if it’s friendly or not.

Put a lockable post box on the gate.

If I were delivering post I'd do whatever I thought was quickest I guess, if it would be a mess about to turn around before the gate I'd open and drive through and turn around, if it wasn't I'd probably just get out and walk to the door.
Don't think you can complain if you don't have a sign or anything though - he's delivering your mail, he needs access. I agree a box the other side would solve the problem.

I would assume even a closed gate could/should be opened unless it was actually locked (either by padlock or electronically)

I don’t have a gate but I have quite a long front drive, I really couldn’t care less whether a delivery person drives up the drive or parks on the road and walks up. So I guess I don’t really understand what the issue is, not even the part about the dog makes sense as the gate was open and postman was going to enter either way by foot or in vehicle. 🤷‍♀️

Maybe he or some other delivery people would assume it's open, or at the least left half open for ease if access because if the cattle grid.

Do you have somewhere for him to leave your post if you don't want him entering beyond the gate? I can kind of understand if your house is a canny distance from gate, why he'd think it's ok to drive through what can easily be perceived as an open gate. If it's a faff for you to get out if the car and fully close the gate, is it gonna be a faff for him parking up, walking however far to the house and heading back to the car.

Is it that you're worried the dog will get ran over or that it will bite the postie? A box at the gate for your post sounds like the best solution, for both scenarios.

We live in the middle of nowhere on a farm too.
We have a post box attached to the gate. It works a treat.
If an item is too big, the postie opens the gate and drives down the lane to deliver, he shuts the gate on the way out.

Surely unless you have a sign to say otherwise, anyone would open the gate to drive in to visit you, whether fully closed or half open/closed?

I don't think the half thing is your issue. Your issue is you don't want people driving in. If that's the case, you need to tell them.

YABU.

A half open gate is exactly that, open. One side is open. If a normal one sided gate wasn't fully closed it's open. Get a post box so your poor plebian postie doesn't dare grace your presence again..

Closed gate: possibly keeping animals in. Should remain closed or be opened then immediately closed again after passing through.

Half closed gate: no animals to escape, reason for half opening unknown, but likely because someone couldn’t be arsed or didn’t need to open or close fully. No reason not to pass through. Would probably leave it as I found it, even though it seems pointless.

We have a post box attached to the side of the wall. He had a little package.

If the gate is fully open they do tend to drive past the post box to the back door anyway. One post woman opens the back door and leave it on the floor.

I have the gate fully closed now. I've been half closing it for a good while and he's the first to have opened it.

I'm not sure how a "partially" closed gate is going to keep a dog in.

Either it needs to be actually closed, in which case you need to get a postbox on it, or just leave it open and let people come in and out.

YABU. And if you tell the postman not to drive on to your property but walk through a yard with loose animals, they can tell you to collect your mail from the post office.

What do expect him to do?
He delivers post!
If you want your post left at the gate get a box. Put up explicit instructions for anyone intending to visit your house.

We have a cattle grid so even with the gate fully open the dog can't get out. I close or half close it in order to stop cars driving in.

When I say he was unexpected our post can arrive any time between 8am and 2pm so you never know really when he will come

I'm confused as to how a half open (or half closed) gate keeps the dog in, but a fully open one doesn't 🤔

@AwfullyWeeBillyBigchin @Magnastorm we have a cattle grid. He's not able to walk across it.

I'm genuinely interested. What do you expect him to do with your packages if you don't want anyone opening your gate?

Then it's not clear what the dog's relevance is here 🤷‍♂️

Exactly this.

If you don't want anyone visiting, including post and deliveries, then put up an explicit sign detailing what they should do instead.

I have opened lots of gates to drive though. That's why they are gates instead of fences...

If your dog was safe why was there a problem?

If half open means a car van can easily get in then I’d see that as an open invite

I had seen him and was walking out. If I'm out I leave both gates open and there is a box at the back door.

I am reading that I was wrong and taking it on board. I've the gate fully closed now and will do that in future.