Neighbour using my drop kerb!

[mykerb]

A new family have moved in next door - not attached we are a row of two semi's each and so on..
I have a driveway and a dropped kerb. So it goes my drive, pavement and then the dropped kerb.

My next door neighbours have a make shift drive (from previous tenants) but NO dropped kerb, it doesn't help that their neighbours have 4 cars and two permanently parked outside their garden so the new neighbours have nowhere to park except down the road because of it but again not my problem!

They have started driving over my drop kerb to park in the make shift drive, I have started parking on my dropped kerb to make a point of it and I did block them in, to which the woman politely asked if I could move my car so she could reverse out, I told her I don't appreciate her using the kerb to park in, to which she replied that she is going to be getting the curb outside hers dropped but it will take a while due to getting planning permission etc and it's hard to walk down the road with 3 kids and a newborn so it's just been more convenient, but she won't do it again if it bothers me.

Tbh she hasn't had a chance to park there again as I have started parking in front of my drive, on my dropped kerb but my sister has said I'm being petty for no reason and making her life harder and it's not a big deal! And it's really irked me because now I don't know if I'm being unreasonable or not!

We all agree there's a rule breach, just debating the seemliness of OP's enthusiasm for enforcement (when she didn't care about old neighbour breaking the same rule).

honestly you sound so petty. You don’t own the pavement.
I understand you paid to lower it to make it legal to park on your own drive.
but let’s hope they never have to do any road or pavement works in front of your house, as I can’t imagine they’ll like you using their dropped curb to get on your drive when it’s lowered.

Where’s the community spirit these days? What if you need to borrow a cup of sugar, or this day’s equivalent, a wifi code for a few days if yours is down?

it doesn’t inconvenience you, them using it. if you feel you must, you can check your council website to check they’ve applied if they’re still doing it in a few months.

but really so petty. Would hate to be your neighbour.

You need a hobby

Nope. It’s not. Unless accessing the driveway for which it was intended.

From our local councils’ website:

Vehicle crossings and dropped kerbs

If your property does not already have access to a road you can apply for permission to create a vehicle crossing (a dropped kerb) over a footpath or grass verge.
Do I need a crossing?

It is an offence under Section 184 of the Highways Act 1980 to gain vehicle access to a property or land without a constructed vehicle crossing. For example, by using a normal footpath or verge.

After completion of the work we will accept responsibility for all future maintenance of the crossing. Permission to install a crossing must be obtained before works are carried out. The works to install the dropped kerb is your responsibility.

And:

Report an illegal crossover

Unauthorised vehicle crossovers can cause damage to the pavement and present a danger to pedestrians. This includes driveways without a dropped kerb, and dropped kerbs that were not constructed by us.

Report here.

Google your own council. You’ll find similar.

Old neighbour didn’t drive over her dropped kerb. He accessed his property by driving over the kerb and pavement outside his own property. And no. Not everyone agreed there was a rule breach. Quite a few posters going to extraordinary lengths to convince others it’s fine and dandy to use a facility meant for a specific property to avoid paying for your own access.

Yes, it most definitely is. Are you seriously suggesting that wheelchair users/parents with prams, for example, aren't allowed to use it? Utter nonsense. It is perfectly fine for the neighbour to use it to access their driveway which is directly adjacent to the OP's, meaning that they're literally driving straight over the pavement as the OP and everyone else would.

And your quote from your local council says absolutely nothing to support your argument so I don't understand why you've posted it.

It does, however, state "It is an offence under Section 184 of the Highways Act 1980 to gain vehicle access to a property or land without a constructed vehicle crossing. For example, by using a normal footpath or verge."

And "Unauthorised vehicle crossovers can cause damage to the pavement and present a danger to pedestrians. This includes driveways without a dropped kerb, and dropped kerbs that were not constructed by us."

Well, the neighbour ISN'T driving over a verge or raised kerb, she's using the dropped kerb which is perfectly legal! Good grief.

Yes, the old neighbour was breaking the law by driving up a raised kerb. The new neighbour is not doing anything illegal.

she's using the dropped kerb which is perfectly legal! Good grief

She is using a dropped kerb meant for a different house - it’s illegal - suggest you get your facts right.

She is using the pathway to drive over because OPs dropped kerb does not reach her property.

Okay, I'm going to repeat this one more time before I start to bang my head against a brick wall.

The neighbour's driveway is immediately adjacent to the OP's driveway. Therefore, the neighbour isn't driving across the pathway any more than the OP does to get into her driveway.

What the neighbour is doing is NOT illegal, so I kindly suggest YOU get your facts right.

It's illegal call the police 👮

They are both breaking the rule against gaining vehicle access to a property over a footpath, without a dropped kerb. Old neighbour had no dropped kerb. New neighbour was driving over the footpath to get from OP's dropped kerb to her own property. Its probably the exact same bit of footpath affected!

No-one is going to enforce this. The only question is whether OP will be helpful and stop blocking new neighbour in/out. I wouldn't worry about the damage to the pavement. Rumour has it it's about to be dug up to install a dropped kerb.

But why? Your just being petty for no reason, they’re not blocking you or inconveniencing you in anyway.

We had a mutual agreement that the other neighbours kids should be parking on their drop kerb just for ease of the road and parking available

You mustn't obstruct a dropped kerb, even if it is "yours".

Stop giving this person the attention

Oh my actual god. I know enough people have told you, but this is ridiculously petty and you are very much unreasonable, there is 0% doubt here. I actually can't believe you've had to come on here to ask. This is the kind of thing someone does knowingly to be an absolute arse. It's a great way to have a bad relationship with your new neighbour. That poor woman - welcome to the neighbourhood!

My neighbor is extremely self entitled and demands the use of everything that’s not hers including apparently her right of way across my driveway (definitely no right) and will quite happily abuse us when we say no. Due to her ways of going about things I absolutely stick my heels in refusing.

Thing is… yours sound really nice, polite , asks (not demands) and is absolutely respecting your boundaries when you’ve said no and is only temporary.
Dont make enemies with your neighbors unnecessarily because life can become hell.

Wow you sound lovely!!! Yes YABU! Grow up

Your neighbour sounds lovely and you are making her life harder by being childish

Reverse?

I was on crutches for 5 months last year. My neighbours were kind to me by taking my mail in for me and stuff. You never know when you may need help. Why not just be kind?

My neighbour moaned about my other next door neighbour driving over 'her' drop kerb and the neighbour next to him... wouldn't bother me tbh as long as they didn't park there. She proper went to town (she hadn't much else to do tbh, stuck in house all day in a rural community, can only think she was a bored curtain twitcher as this is not first time she complained about something). It really is petty as she made out it cost her to have it dropped (it didn't..i was living here well before anyone who lives any of next doors now). So she lied for start. In the end all of us had our kerbs dropped anyway as it was cheaper because we all had it done at once.
All that neighbour did was alienate herself from the neighbours.
She was a 2 bit snob.
YABU OP...but i feel youre ignoring any post that doesnt side with you.

Btw this neighbour also kicked off when a car broke down outside her property.. she came out waving arms about... move the car..poor bloke and woman had to push the car away from her driveway!!! I said..push it to mine!.
Petty , drama seeking imho...mrs victor meldrew

You sound like a right kn*b. It doesn't really inconvenience you, she has three kids and a new born and is being forced to walk ages with them and is getting it rectified. Hope you never need a favor from her as I imagine the answer will be a resounding no.

Does it also annoy you if people cross the road there and use the dropped curb to push their prams, bikes, wheelchairs etc up? I've honestly never heard anything so utterly ridiculous in all my life.

Ppl stop giving this person time