AIBU to be irritated at new neighbour (parking)

[FrozenLimeMargarita]

Visualise a London road of the slightly wider villa-style Victorian terrace houses. The road is single track, one way. Parking is in this parallel to the road format:

/|-@-/|-@-/|\

They are little bays marked up for two cars lengthways, then the bay terminates in a traffic-calming outcrop with a big oak tree before dipping back in as the next bay starts then pops back out with another tree and so on. These bays are on either side of the road. There are 10 bays in total and 10 houses. So spaces for 20 cars. There is little to no other parking locally as it is more of the same style streets on either side.

However, these bays do not belong to each house they are just a version of on-road parking. Whilst we all have never agreed to just use the two nearest your house, the road has a consensus that there are 20 spaces for 10 houses so that's has been what has happened over the years. Each house has two spaces and it's the two spaces nearest your door. We knock and ask, or trade off places if there are visitors or a household has an extra car. For example Vera* down the end only has one car but Betty uses the other space on an agreement for when her granddaughter stays, which is most days and so on.

A new neighbour moved in 6 weeks ago and has......

One VW camper (takes up a two bay)
One works van (takes up a two bay)
A tonka toy type truck (takes up a two bay)
and a family of 5 each with a car

So while I understand none of us own the road but buying a house with the knowledge that you have enough vehicles to wipe out over half the whole roads parking is just straight-up CF behaviour.

AIBU

Unfortunately there’s little you can do, some people are just cunts. Some not so mature responses:

A spree of loud noise directed at their house, random shitting on their doorstep, create a catfished Of account for every 18+ member of the household, catch any cats/dogs they have and hand them in to a pound 15+ miles away, buy a really cheap moped for each of the 9 ‘nice’ neighbours and park the fuckers in your bay when the neighbours are out - use it as a very expensive placeholder… the possibilities are endless (and futile!).

Where do you think the other residents should put their vehicles? Or are only those with many cars worthy of parking in your view? The CF knew about the parking situation and chose to move in there intending to take parking away from those already using it.

They should move and buy a bigger house with a massive drive for their fleet of vehicles or pay for parking elsewhere and walk.

One of our neighbours parks a fucking actual tractor (not a Chelsea tractor) outside our house. OK, it's a rural area but just a normal cul-de-sac not a farm.

Before that he had a dilapidated and ancient Reliant Robin. People thought it was ours when it was outside the house. Not sure which is worse, though the tractor definitely takes up more space.

People with too many cars won't give a toss.
Our neighbours (with 6 cars between 4 adults) used to complain about where we parked our single car in the communal car park

So while I understand none of us own the road

There you go, edited it for you.

I would check with your local council about parking such large vehicles in bays marked for cars. There may be some restrictions.

And help with keeping cool in the summer: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2298675-trees-cool-the-land-surface-temperature-of-cities-by-up-to-12c/

And help protect from flooding: https://www.cprelondon.org.uk/news/plant-trees-to-help-protect-london-from-climate-change-flood-risk/

Yes, play this little game of "operation half and half" this weekend, shuffling your cars around, whilst your neighbours get on with their lives.
But I 100% guarantee that they will respond with an equally annoying "game".

You, the big car family and all other residents do not own the road. It's a public highway, free for ANYONE to park on.

Either get over it or buy a house with off road parking

If you can’t afford to buy a house with a driveway / garage / carpark this is going to happen. It’s not the new family’s problem.

Couldn't disagree more, operation half n half sounds like an excllent game, them cfs deserve it

It soon will be hopefully

Hard to think why the BCH would have so many vehicles in London and why they bought a house with no parking. However - you have amazing neighbours to act in unity like this. I'd still try for residents parking again and emphasise the fact their careers might not get a spot to park in soon if they don't!

I think you just have to hope they move or their cars get nicked. Even if the covenants stipulate no trade vehicles it would be expensive to get it enforced.

I feel sorry for you all that such selfish dickheads have moved into your neighbourhood. As you see from some of the comments they are not a rarity.

Rav3 · Today 15:11

buy a really cheap moped for each of the 9 ‘nice’ neighbours and park the fuckers in your bay when the neighbours are out

They'd probably end up being dragged out of the way. I had a motorbike dragged out of my parking spot when I was on project in Aberdeen and the spots had the flat numbers. I spoke to the CF and he said, "Tough, I need to park." I spoke to the management and they said I couldn't prove it was him.

On the day I left, I liberated the air in his tyres.

FrozenLimeMargarita

It may be that, by taking up two spaces with one vehicle, they are contravening a byelaw. Close to me, there are streets with individual bays marked and woe betide driverswho hang over the next bay; it'll be worth asking the council about.

I don’t know anywhere in London that doesn’t have some form of controlled parking. Are you very far out?

Permits are based on vehicle emissions so are only expensive if you have a gas guzzler. Sounds as if your neighbours do so permits would be an excellent idea!

thats ridiculous, and using 11 spaces, thats more than fucking half of them!

Selfish wankers

I’m normally in the “you don’t own the road” camp but this is outrageous behaviour from the neighbour. No one needs this many cars!

Good luck with the scheme to thwart them!

This is always the problem if you don't own the parking space.

Everything will be fine until someone turns up and starts taking the piss.

I mean what they are doing may be perfectly legal. But it's not exactly neighbourly and some people don't care about playing by the rules that others have set.

The good news is there is lots of you who want to abide by a system. And only one of them. So you should be able to co-ordinate efforts in some way.

I'm surprised at all the people who are saying it's not new car family's fault - seriously - how would you feel if your neighbour suddenly took up over half the parking in a street or perhaps 2 neighbours wanting and using all 20 spaces for their many varied work and non work vehicles - I guess you'd all be really happy then ?

I live in a small road where each house is lucky enough to have parking on driveways for 3-4 cars each and we all use our driveways leaving the road free for postman, deliveries and additional vehicles eg we have 2 cars and they are parked on driveway - if we have visitors we can get 2 more on - everyone in the road is happy and get along .... until new neighbours moved in - they do not use their driveway for any vehicle parking and instead park their 2 cars plus a works van on road every day and when their adult children visit which is most days as the lady looks after her grandchildren they park all their cars in the road - can be as many as 5-7 spaces they take up - but it's not just the spaces they tend to park quite badly and in a turning area - not so long ago a paramedic car came to a call for an elderly neighbour and could not get down the road due to their parking - when someone politely asked to move their cars they were told to F off

And felling them can cause all sorts of problems with subsidence etc as the water they take up has nowhere to go

I hope that the trees aren’t chopped down. Agree on the water issue. Also it will be hotter in the summer. I have a friend who lives on a new build estate with no trees in the streets or gardens (shrubs). It is too hot there in the summer. Lots of parking though as it’s all tarmac.

Agree, NannyOgg, as well as the water issue, I think the roots shrivel and can cause subsidence.

Chopping down giant oak trees to facilitate their gluttonous fleet of cars is disgusting.