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Original poster

Turning in a private road

214 replies

RoadyMcRoadUser · 04/03/2024 08:57

Preparing to get flamed for this…..There is a large private road literally next door to my kids primary school which is situated in a cul de sac. The public road gets massively congested in this cul de sac as you can imagine. I have sometimes had no choice but to turn my car in the private road. I have never parked there and doing the school run twice a day have never seen anyone else parked up there either. There’s a guy who lives in the road who will literally stand and glare at me if I turn the car round in his road on the school run. It’s like he comes out of his house specifically at school run times to observe this.
I know you aren’t “supposed” to put an inch of the nose of your car in a private road. But equally, there’s a part of me that thinks if you are that enraged by your private road being used by anyone other than the people that live there, then why would you buy a house directly next door to a school in a cul de sac with no other turning options? Am I being an arsehole? Or is this man overly precious?

OP posts:
clarepetal · 04/03/2024 13:21

Cbljgdpk · 04/03/2024 08:58

I think it’s over precious and would agree about buying a house near a school.

Agreed. I also live on a private road and can't stand the other residents getting arsey about drivers.

Cbljgdpk · 04/03/2024 13:24

@DistingusedSocialCommentator maybe but I remember school parking being an issue when I was a child 20 years ago so not necessarily

LadyChilli · 04/03/2024 13:33

Saymyname28 · 04/03/2024 09:38

Pisses me off that people buy a house next to a school then go out to complain at parents trying to drop their kids off at school on their way to work.

Like people who buy a house near a hospital then complain about how busy parking is.

Or people that buy attached houses then complain about neighbour noise.

You bought the house, if it didn't have a school/hospital/neighbour it would cost more. Miserable sods.

Maybe they bought a house near a school having no idea the sheer laziness and entitlement some parents display during the school run. I know I did. It didn't occur to me that people would genuinely believe and argue the case that I should park in the next street because they wanted to use the space I paid for in a clearly signed private car park beside my home. Some would apologise and move but many just refused.

Same at DS school. Parents parking all over pavements and junctions, double parking, sitting on the zigzags with engines running. I feel so sorry for the local residents because the streets are horrific during the school run.

Riverlee · 04/03/2024 13:38

It seems to be the trend in my village
that all newly built roads have been labelled
as private property. I’m
not sure why. They’re not being marketed as private roads when the houses come up for sale
etc.

lookwhatyoudidthere · 04/03/2024 13:45

Hmmmmmm. We live on a private road, a block from the nearest primary school (which we don't attend). You'd be surprised what an absolute pest parents make themselves- even a safe distance from the school - during school run hours (twice a day).

justonemoreuser · 04/03/2024 13:45

Am I being an arsehole?

Yes

Or is this man overly precious?

Yes

Starspangledrodeopony · 04/03/2024 13:59

It’s a private road. They pay for that road. You turning in it because you can’t be arsed to park further away and walk is increasing the wear on the road. That they pay for.

I feel his ire. I live near a pretty well known private school and the dummy parents are forever parking in my drive and totally blocking it. I was trying to leave my house once and a dad was parked in it on the phone. He’d exited his vehicle for his call. I drove up to his car, annoyed but expecting him to dive in and drive off with a wave of apology, but he didn’t. He stood, arm crossed under the phone arm, not moving, facing me, still on the phone. I beeped him and he SSSHHHED ME. I was fucking raging and felt like rear ending him. But I just sat on my horn until he got in, enraged, and angrily drove out and off. Fucking prick. The end of my road has actually collapsed from people swinging in and stopping. And before I’m berated, I do not give a fig what that phone call was about.

DistingusedSocialCommentator · 04/03/2024 14:10

Cbljgdpk · 04/03/2024 13:24

@DistingusedSocialCommentator maybe but I remember school parking being an issue when I was a child 20 years ago so not necessarily

I was at schol over 45 years ago and it was as per my earlier post

DistingusedSocialCommentator · 04/03/2024 14:14

Starspangledrodeopony · 04/03/2024 13:59

It’s a private road. They pay for that road. You turning in it because you can’t be arsed to park further away and walk is increasing the wear on the road. That they pay for.

I feel his ire. I live near a pretty well known private school and the dummy parents are forever parking in my drive and totally blocking it. I was trying to leave my house once and a dad was parked in it on the phone. He’d exited his vehicle for his call. I drove up to his car, annoyed but expecting him to dive in and drive off with a wave of apology, but he didn’t. He stood, arm crossed under the phone arm, not moving, facing me, still on the phone. I beeped him and he SSSHHHED ME. I was fucking raging and felt like rear ending him. But I just sat on my horn until he got in, enraged, and angrily drove out and off. Fucking prick. The end of my road has actually collapsed from people swinging in and stopping. And before I’m berated, I do not give a fig what that phone call was about.

Hi

Great post.
Where we live, thankfully every house have their own drives, the road is wide and nearest school is about 7 mins work and shops 10 mins so no problems

Have you asked your coucil to make your cross-over a no parkig zone, IE if a parking warden sees a car, any car inc yours blocking drive even partially they will book it. If you give the parking lot a call and they have a parking perso close by, they will arrive in a few mins on their bike and ticket the selfish, entitled clown.

ConsistentlyElectrifiedElves · 04/03/2024 14:23

WandaWonder · 04/03/2024 09:03

Private property is Private property but it always amuses the justifying people do when they want something

This.

OP - would you mind if someone drove on to your driveway, or used your driveway to turn around?

Driving on private property is, ultimately, no different from driving on someone else's driveway.

It would piss me off too.

coureur · 04/03/2024 14:33

ButterflyTable · 04/03/2024 11:21

Oh I didn’t know this, there is a Private Road that’s a short cut to my friends house, I always drive down it!

A lot of unadopted (private) roads, especially ones that are through roads, are BOATS (byways open to all traffic), so everyone actually has the right to drive on them. Check the OS map to see if that is the case with this one.

penjil · 04/03/2024 14:55

Well, if the man is only glaring at you, I'd ignore him! 😂

Dorisbonson · 04/03/2024 15:03

I was brought up on a private road, we wanted the council to adopt it and make it a normal public road but they wouldn't do it.

Anyway as you arent paying for the repairs on the road you probably shouldn't drive on it. It's not a snob thing its a bill thing.

Tessasanderson · 04/03/2024 15:17

I think the crux of this post is you saying you had 'no choice' but to use the private road.

Please tell me why you had no choice. Are you sure you had no choice or was it the route of least resistance?

PansyOatZebra · 04/03/2024 16:01

WandaWonder · 04/03/2024 09:03

Private property is Private property but it always amuses the justifying people do when they want something

This

They won’t want people turning on their road as it’ll have more traffic and wear and tear. If it’s for a group of houses those houses likely all contribute to the up keep of the road.

Also if you buy a house with a private road you expect people to respect that, regardless if a school is near.

ItsAllAboutTheDosh · 04/03/2024 16:02

People do not understand the law. A private road means the residents are responsible for the upkeep. It does not mean they can stop people driving on it. It is a public right of way.

ItsAllAboutTheDosh · 04/03/2024 16:05

It is like a public footpath over land. The owner of the land has to pay for its upkeep, but anyone can still walk along that footpath.

Phillippeflop · 04/03/2024 16:07

I think I live on a private road. It’s a new estate so not council adopted and we all pay a monthly fee for its upkeep. So I’m guessing that makes it private? I wouldn’t be arsed if someone turned in it but they’re not likely to need to given it’s location. There is another private road right by our school and it says private road in big letters (unlike mine) and you can’t park there because they get really pissed off. I’ve never parked there but school have sent so many messages on the app to say parenting not park there but they still do. I don’t think it’s ideal really op but I see your dilemma

fleurneige · 04/03/2024 16:08

Tempnamechng · 04/03/2024 09:06

A private road means that the residents pay for it and it's upkeep. It won't just be you "forced" to do a quick turn on their property, it'll be 20+ people a day who are causing wear and tear damage that they are contributing towards. It does matter and he isn't being precious.

Probably causing damage to roadsides, grass, plants, etc.

PansyOatZebra · 04/03/2024 16:12

Riverlee · 04/03/2024 13:38

It seems to be the trend in my village
that all newly built roads have been labelled
as private property. I’m
not sure why. They’re not being marketed as private roads when the houses come up for sale
etc.

We live on a new build estate and it’s because the council don’t adopt the roads. We have to instead pay c£300 a year service charge for maintaining the roads.

ItsAllAboutTheDosh · 04/03/2024 16:32

They are still public roads i.e. anyone can still drive on them. It is simply that the council do not have responsibility for upkeep.

Dartwarbler · 04/03/2024 16:38

Tempnamechng · 04/03/2024 09:06

A private road means that the residents pay for it and it's upkeep. It won't just be you "forced" to do a quick turn on their property, it'll be 20+ people a day who are causing wear and tear damage that they are contributing towards. It does matter and he isn't being precious.

This.
people just don’t get that unadpoted roads, or private driveways (and shared dreiveays) are just as susceptible to damage as a council owned adopted road.
if just one car starts to us it, and nothing happens, everyone will follow. A driveway is not even built to take the same weight and wear and tear as a standard road. Any car will start comparing the hard core, driveways often have depressions in them after a few years of normal single household use - that will be massively accelerated by a load of entitled parents.

Hence you put up signs. When people ignore the signs angry 😤 owners WILL be reduced to “policing it” by glaring or shouting at you. What the fuck do you think they should do.

in years before council adopted most roads you’d be asked to pay a toll! Just stop take the piss and either talk to this chap to pay towards his road upkeep and receive a pass to drive on it even a little bit, or take your car elsewhere.

Dartwarbler · 04/03/2024 16:41

ItsAllAboutTheDosh · 04/03/2024 16:32

They are still public roads i.e. anyone can still drive on them. It is simply that the council do not have responsibility for upkeep.

It’s a private road in that it is owned by the lease holder and residents pay the maintenance fees
There will be easement rights in that deed to allow residents and their visitors to use it. But not the whole village school as a parking lot !
Residents have every right to complain - their maintenance fees will increase if road wears out faster, or grass etc gets damaged.

ItsAllAboutTheDosh · 04/03/2024 16:42

@Dartwarbler you are the one who does not understand the law. They are public rights of way that anyone can drive on.
This is the equivalent of people who put cones on the road outside their house to bagsy "their" parking space.

Starseeking · 04/03/2024 16:43

It sounds like you don't know how private roads work. As it's not been adopted by the council, residents pay for its upkeep.

So although you are not turning on the driveway directly by his house, you are effectively doing the same thing by turning in the road that he owns.

Multiply that by however many other parents do the same, multiply it by the number of school days in a year, which will in turn increase road maintenance costs.

I'm not surprised he's cross.