To put spikes in my front driveway flower bed.

[PurpleBugz]

I live on a road where very few houses have driveways. This means there are cars parked both sides of the road. Cars regularly pull into my driveway to allow other to pass/turn around.

I used to have a gravel driveway and the constant cars turning made a massive dip. It was filled in periodically but a reoccurring problem. I saved up and block paved my driveway. it’s got sort of decorative raised brick along one side and I’ve planted nice flowers down the other side. Before it was set people turning on it messed up the brickwork on one side and they have just repeatedly driven over the flowerbed and ruined it.

Every morning I watch one particular taxi turn on my drive and most days he hits the bricks amd they are getting loose. I’ve gone and stood there when I know he’s due and point to what he's doing to make it very clear I’m not happy. This took courage for me as it’s a neighbour from down the street and I don’t cope well with confrontation. He has continued to to it. I’m having the day from hell for other reasons and I just watched another neighbour churn up the flowers with his massive van- he lives in the house opposite and does it every day too. I stood angry at the window with my arms up in a gesture of “what the?! I can see you” he looked directly at me and just carried on and unashamedly parked on his own drive opposite. I’m scared to speak to that family as they are loud and agressive regularly vandalise cars that park near their driveway and I think they were raided by police for drugs a few months ago or it may have been next door to them.

Probably bimonthly on bin day my bin gets knocked over by cars reversing onto my drive and knocking it over. Not so bad when it’s empty but if it’s before the bin lorry has been I’ve had to deal with rubbish bags soaked from rain missed by binmen/ripped open by cats.

Would I be unreasonable to put spikes in my flower bed and on the bricks at the other side? If I do this I will probably damage at least a couple car tyres a day as it happens so much each day. As the main culprits are the taxis work vans and Amazon/delivery drivers it will impact their income.

Put these up like many others do

You don't like confrontation and you're afraid of your druggy neighbours ... and yet you want to start a war on your own doorstep???

How mad are you?

Get a gate.

It'll be a lot cheaper than when they sue you, or cleaning up from when they put dog poo or gasoline through your letterbox.

You're upset because they're killing your flowers.

How upset do you think they'll be when they reverse on your property and "hidden spikes" puncture their tyres.

Their behaviour is anti-social. Your intended behaviour is suicidal.

Find different physical ways of defining and defending your boundaries. Most people I've seen, but large rocks on grass verges, to prevent cars either reversing or parking. But you'll probably sleep easier if you move your flowerbed and put a fence up instead. Or plant scratchy bushes where the flowerbed currently is.

I wouldn’t put spikes, but I’d get one (or two if needed) metal telescopic bollards.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Crystals-Lockable-Folding-Security-Driveway/dp/B078ZB1F8X/ref=asc_df_B078ZB1F8X/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=325407582843&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=6631316017246195714&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=t&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9046752&hvtargid=pla-698328891976&psc=1&mcid=4f1792d4e6c33c478d0c396fa57c2042

What about a line of standard bricks set zig-zag against each other one or two in height like a mini wall bordering your flowers and the other side which will cause damage if someone drives over it? Take video evidence including car registrations and instruct a solicitor to write to these people to say you will be pursuing damages and costs in the Small Claims Court.

This is what I would do.

Also if you wanted it to look nicer, bucket, ready mix quick curing concrete, another bucket, let it cure doesn't take too long about half an hour for the fast curing stuff, and you've created a massive concrete planter.

No fucker is gonna run off with that and if they drive into it it'll serve them right.

I totally sympathise with you. The cheeky twats by me park on my front garden and reverse onto it to turn. And the stuff put through my letterbox by the reprobates when I politely asked them not to. I fantasised about damaging their vehicles too. I sent a letter to the local paper with reg numbers and it got a little better.

Could you put large painted stones , I often see those on rural houses near me.

Is the driveway shared with your upstairs neighbour?

I would be tempted with a large rock at the end of your flower bed.

The rocks should do the trick. My OH scraped a relatively small rock by the side of a driveway in an house we were staying in and it made a big scrape in the bottom of his door. I worry that the van driver won’t care about that sort of damage but it’s worth a go as it’s cheap and quite easy. Good luck!

I had a similar problem - HGVs constantly churning up my verge, along with other vehicles. It used to drive me nuts. I was going to use stones until a friend pointed out that someone was prosecuted for causing damage when they did this. So sorry, I think you might regret it. The lifting bollards might work, or concreting the end of your driveway. Big flower pots will just get smashed by vehicles.

You could get some large decorative pots and half fill with concrete and then soil so they until look nice with flowers but be very heavy

A massive flower pot here 🔴 filled with rocks/sand/concrete and something spiky planted in the top. Something too heavy/spiky to steal, and that will damage the cars that are messing up your flowers

Since the question I asked had already been answered, all I can say is that if it is a big enough problem, you will be willing to move your car as necessary.

The damage they have done to your flowers is disgusting and rude.

We have a large rock on the corner of our front garden. This was placed here by the previous owners for a similar reason. It's not huge, but big enough to know when your wheels gone over it and bangs the underside of your car and can be seen, because admittedly I have gone over it myself 😂

Can’t you put gates ?

You can get those huge rocks. They look quite nice, esp white coloured ones. They won't get nicked, they weigh a tonne. You need to get it delivered and a winch to out it in place. Even a large plant pot could get knocked over. Like this sort of thjnfs:

Put a chain across the driveway. Make sure it’s painted with a fluorescent colour

Have a look at rockcamtok on YouTube - they had a similar issue!

Chains don't always work. Someone took boltcutters to ours. The first one was just plastic; the second one consisted of weighty metal links.

You need a couple of these.
If you shop around you will get cheaper xx

https://www.barriersdirect.co.uk/bollards-c1022/parking-bollards-c1223/parking-post-folding-heavy-duty-most-secure-our-most-popular-inc-padlock-made-in-britain-p518?shopping&ppc_keyword=&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw3NyxBhBmEiwAyofDYUCSH-OfX8wRvyz3ZZXNKGBTq_FwalEBF7vXapHY2Z5m1qr6_YxNYhoCLhAQAvD_BwE

Large rocks painted white

When you know you're not going out throw a handful of carpet tacs or screws on your drive way then when they decide to turn on your drive they'll end up with punctured tyres which you can't be blamed for as they'll have no proof it was caused by you. keep doing it every week until they stop. If they don't stop put up a sign on a big post saying 'PRIVATE PROPERTY - NO TURNING'.

And innocent motorists will also drive over the ones that fall out onto the road!!