People with driveways parking on the street

[Hellskitchen24]

I live in a long row of terraces. Most roads are terraced here, as I live in a fairly working class town. This means that the only people with driveways are the end of the terraces. I live a few doors down from the end.

My neighbour has in the last 6 months or so decided to mostly stop using their driveway. It’s a relatively fit retired couple. They probably only use the car a handful of times per week, and instead park it on the road outside our houses. They’ve got this thing now where on the odd occasion they do have it on their drive, as soon as the person moves from the space outside our house, they are up and put their car on it. Even if that’s at the crack of dawn; I’ve seen them peering out at the window at 6:30am, on the rare occasion I’ve got that space and I leave for work. They will be loitering by the door waiting for me to leave.

I don’t quite understand the logic. They are only one of two houses on the street with two dedicated parking spaces, with a perfectly wide accessible drive. I get back quite late at night from work and have to park several streets away when I’m heavily pregnant. So admittedly it does wind me up a bit seeing their empty driveway while all the other residents struggle to park. I know legally they are doing nothing wrong at all. But would I be unreasonable to put a note through their door asking them to possibly use their perfectly accessible driveway to free up more space for the majority who don’t have off road parking?

I have a driveway and can't park on it because I can't see a thing trying to pull out of it. My neighbours have all decided they need 3 or 4 vans or 4x4s per household, and my vision is completely blocked. They never go anywhere so if I'm on the driveway I'm stuck, unless I have someone to help me out.

"Even if that’s at the crack of dawn; I’ve seen them peering out at the window at 6:30am, on the rare occasion I’ve got that space and I leave for work. They will be loitering by the door waiting for me to leave"

If they were standing at their door waiting for her to leave they'd be hard to miss.

overhanging it or parking directly opposite which makes it hard to be able to see clearly when you’re backing out so it could be that. I hated it when the kids were little in their car seats, backing out slowly and trying to look in three directions at once

Try reversing in, yes it's a bit harder but leaving is much easier!

Next time you see them ask if they'd mind you parking on their drive seeing as they don't use it and you're heavily pregnant & having to park streets away. Obviously it's an outrageous CF request, but it might click with them that they are having an impact on others by parking the way they do.

All that being said, the way they are parking is not wrong, and if you want a dedicated parking space you should prioritise that when you move!

Just park on their drive and when they ask what you're doing say it's not being used so you thought they wouldn't mind.

Yep. Nobody hotwires cars any more; they steal the keys or hijack the key signal, and it's easier to do that when the car is helpfully parked in the driveway of the house it belongs to.

People do this where I live. They have garages and driveways but park up half over the pavement as that is easier than actually using their own drives.

I can relate. Whenever I use my drive people park badly meaning using my drive becomes a nuisance. I struggle to get out and visibility up the road is bad. If people were considerate it wouldn't bother me, unfortunately nobody is.

I'd suspect they're worried about getting blocked in.

My neighbour is the same. A perfectly acceptable, albeit quite tatty, driveway. And they prefer to park their two cars either side of MY driveway opening. Granted, they've never blocked me in, but it annoys me a little bit every day that I have to carefully reverse off my driveway, and guide my car between theirs. Whereas I'd like to be able to quickly whip in and out.

Our drives are so narrow that you can only drive in one way or else you can't open the driver's door far enough to get out (I have to reverse, my NDN has to go in forwards, because the fence is on the opposite side for her, ifyswim). It's a nightmare for her backing out, because of cars/vans parked right up to her gate.

I don't use my drive for two reasons: 1) the lawn is a good foot higher than the drive and slopes upwards away from it, so it's easy to catch the bottom of the door on the ground and 2) a less than successful knee replacement makes it impossible for me to get out on to a surface that is so high relative to the car.

I had hoped to have part of the lawn removed and a path laid, level with the drive, so that I can use the drive, but the quotes ran into thousands and I simply can't afford it. I park on the road (as do many others in the street) even though I know it will probably piss loads of people off. If anyone asks why I don't use the drive, I'll happily explain and hopefully they will understand that I don't really have a choice.

why do you need to put a note through their door telling them to use their own drive? they can legally park on a public highway irrespective of if they have a drive or not?

i have a drive and i often park on the street, to be honest, its more about he logistics of being more than ia 1 car family.

mind your own business... i assume the parking issue was there when you bought the house?

I don’t quite understand the logic.

That’s ok, you don’t have a right to understanding other peoples logic behind their own reasonable and legal choices.

Why they park on the road is irrelevant because the same rules apply to everyone.

Personally.......

I suggest that it should be possible for the Local Authority to impose restrictions that

1. Prevent vehicles over a certain size/weight being parked on the roads overnight
2. Set a limit on the number of vehicles that can be parked by the occupiers of a house/flat This could be general or relate to a specific premises
3. I suggest that there needs to be a general review of parking law that includes penalty points for certain offences

@Hellskitchen24 at the very least, why dont they park in front of their own house??

My Insurance doesn't ask where I park my car.

It’s a standard question as to where the car is parked, day or night

Are you sure? I shop around every year and it's always a question.

Perhaps they're not confident drivers. Wouldn't leave a note, as you say, they can park where they like. I'm not even sure you could call it inconsiderate. We didn't have a car all all when I was pregnant and didn't expect people to make allowances. It might be annoying, but not much you can do about it.

Lots of people find driveway parking difficult. They can struggle with reversing in or out, or with tight turns onto the road or blocked views etc. Many people are not confident drivers or at parking and prefer the easier option of road parking.

Yes, it’s a bit annoying to see empty driveway spaces, but it’s their choice and road spaces and equally available to all.

You don’t have a right to ask to use their driveway…it is personal property. It is up to them to choose to use it or not, in the same way it’s up to you to choose to use your back garden or not….and not to have to expect someone who lives in a flat and doesn’t have a garden to ask if they can use yours because you’re not using it.

You could ask if you can use it….but so could all your other neighbours. Can you see how daft that becomes.

You are in the position of only having access to first-come, first-served parking. You will get the. Space if you’re first there. This also applies to everyone else, including your neighbours.

Do you also want to ask them if you can use the spare room they have that you lack? It is essentially the same thing. Yes, empty drives are more visible and cause regular annoyance to people without them. But it is their property whereas the road is for public use. They are totally free to decide for whatever reason that they don’t want to use their driveway and prefer the road.

Try to forget about it. Giving it headspace is making you stressed. Stop watching them at 6am and try to get to the point where you only think about parking at the point where you pull up looking for a space. You’ll find it better.

I don't go through comparison websites, Comparison websites will always ask every question that an insurance company might ask to cover them all, my car insurance is about £200 so I wouldn't save much anyway, I don't use them for house insurance either

They're not selfish or inconsiderate, they're legally parling on a public road.

Writing notes to put on people's cars as they are parked legally on a public road, that you clearly think is your personal space is bikers and entitled.

I would knock and explain whilst you're heavily pregnant if they're not using their drive could you occasionally use it rather than park several streets away and struggle. They MAY get the hint and say "oh we park on the road let's move our cat onto the drive and then hopefully you can park there" I mean its unlikely but it is a backhanded way of shaming them back onto their driveway. I have no idea why older people suddenly get like this - I have a strong feeling its linked to beginnings of dementia- becoming hyper obsessed with something (parking in this case) is often a pre cursor.

Why not ask if they'd permanently like to swap so they park outside yours and you park on their drive?

OP is the only one hyper obsessed with parking, are you saying she has the beginnings of dementia. The neighbours are just parking their car, they aren't obsessed and doing a thread about it.

They aren't doing anything wrong. Yabu. They have the same rights as everyone else to park on the road. Maybe that should change and there should be laws restricting private car ownership to those with their own off road parking space or a limited number of purchasable road-parking licences that gives you a licence to a specific space (with only half the houses in your street getting a licence) but until that happens do not try to affect other people's decisions about things they are legally entitled to do.