To want the car to move!

[honeyandbutterontoast]

Looking for honest opinions here because I’m aware this may make me seem like an AH.

I live in a road where the majority of houses don’t have drives. We park on the road. I knew that when I bought the house, it’s not permit parking but there is usually space for two small cars in front of my house. It has never been a problem in the time I’ve lived here, occasionally if there’s a local event I’ve had to park up the road for a few hours if I’ve been out, or for an evening.

Four weeks ago I came home from work to find a big car taking up both spaces outside. So I parked elsewhere. The car is still there.

Nobody has been to it, or moved it in that time and frankly I’m getting annoyed. I have to now park a long way from my house (else I’m in someone else’s space), which has been annoying with heavy bags of food shopping, or if I’m going out with the dog/DC. It’s meant if my mum has visited she’s also had to park elsewhere, again not ideal.

But what can I do? No point leaving a note as nobody has been to the car in that time (it’s right outside my window so I would see). None of the neighbours know who it belongs to either. It seems a stupid thing to get stressed about but I just want to be able to park outside my house!

And yet weirdly the OP has found similar info to me...

The issue isn’t it’s parked outside your house (which you can do nothing about) but the length of time which is has been sat there. It may well have been abandoned, 4 weeks is a long time for a car to just not move.

I regularly see clowns putting bins and cones out to reserve public land they lay claim too. Hilarious

OP I live in a similar street. I know you're trying to be considerate by not parking outside the houses of your neighbours, but that extra inconvenience is probably making you feel even crazier about the car parked outside your house.

We all park as closely to our houses as we can. I often get to park outside my house and it's brilliant when I can, but I don't mind when I have to park three doors up or even in the next street on occasion. I think the way forward, apart from reporting as you have done, is to park as close to your house as you can when you have unloading to do, and further away when you don't. If you really feel awkward about that you could pop a note through the door of the neighbours whose house you're parked outside. That should make you feel better about doing it, and let you unload your shopping, and maybe feel less annoyed by the abandoned car!

They have as much right to park there as you and if there are no time restrictions they can stay there.

All the council will do is contact the owner. Once ownership has been confirmed the council will not legally be able to do a thing.

But they haven't so why would you?

The people over the road from me parked their work van outside my house for 3 years. A month is nothing!

And I didn’t complain, ever, because mildly friendly neighbours are worth more than a parking space, although I was glad when he stopped.

This is spot on. None of us have spaces on public roads.

yeah sadly if the car is taxed and mot'd, and i would have to assume insured, its not YOUR parking space, you did not buy the road outside your house, so that space is fair game to anyone who wishes to use it.

those suggesting a note on the car, you're being ridiculouse.. its a public highway and as ive said anyone can park there.

if there are no parking restrictions theres very little you can do. but i would just have a quick call to the police, so they can check and make sure its not stolen or that the keepers are not 'missing' or of concern.

but alas it looks like you will have to just put up with it

This happened not outside our house but we live in a cul-de-sac with a turning bay. The car was owned by the son of an older couple in our road who was in the navy. He had gone to sea and left his car there.

Ask on the local Facebook group and knock on neighbours doors to find out if something like this could be the explanation?

Often neighbours have 'rules' about parking in situations like these. We used to have problems with a neighbour who wouldn't park in her drive; our road was narrow and because she insisted on doing this we struggled to get out of our drive. I know what you mean OP you have no legal rights here but there is such a thing as being considerate.

But if you all just park one space away from where you all normally park noone is that inconvenienced.

Just read that back - the car was left in our turning bay for weeks to make it clear!

There are some cowboy airport parking companies who will take the £1,000* for a 2 week parking service and earn it by using public roads miles from the airport with low crime rates.

*I imagine.

The council can write. But the car owner will probably just bin the letter. Why would they do anything different?

When I visit my daughter I have to park on the PUBLIC ROAD as she only has a small drive.
Some sad twat always comes out and stares or takes a video/photo of me and my car. Funnily enough he doesn't when my rather large husband is with me....

@honeyandbutterontoast you're still not getting that although you're irked, there's nothing you can do about it. YABVU to continue to moan and be rude to people.

its a big one 😂

It is wrong though. The council don't tow decent cars that haven't moved for a few weeks. They have to be obviously derelict, flat tyres, smashed windows, no tax etc.

There could be multiple reasons the car has not moved - Driver has had surgery and can’t drive until recovered, been banned from driving, car needs repairs which they can’t afford, or can’t get insurance renewed/can’t afford it.

Pretty sure a car also has to insured, as well as have tax and MOT, while parked on a public road though so you could report it to police who can check that and can seize it if not insured?

If police find the owner and it is insured, they can’t make them move it though.

We had one like this on our road and it was a reload car. Report it to police asap

Ex's car is currently outside someone else's house. He was towed home and he would have parked in front of his house but someone else was there at the time. Sometimes you have to park on the next street. He's saving up to g et it mended.

You don't own the road outside your own house. Anyone can park there if they are legally on the road.