To think we can park here?

[ShopTattsyrup]

AIBU to just ignore this letter and keep parking?

I live on a very short stretch of street that is just 4 terraces at the back of a church. Opposite our houses is the car park for the church and for it's church hall.

All 4 families who live on this stretch know eachother fairly well, no drives or garages and so the unoffical rule is that you park outside your own house and if you have a second car you park on the other side of the street behind the church (where there is space for two neatly parked cars while allowing a good clearance of the dropped curb entrance to the church car park).

Last week we all got the same letter, seemingly from this church, asking us to refrain from parking on the side next to the church as it impedes entry to our car park.

Now one of my neighbours has lived here for >20 years and the existing parking arrangement has never been an issue. I've lived here for 3 and the street is more than wide enough to have cars parked on both sides and drive comfortably through the centre. There's no double yellows etc.

What makes me think this letter is a load of bollocks is that the letter is signed from "St Christopher's Church" - surely if it were official it would say From Rev. John Smith or similar? Or be from the council?

We've no way of knowing that though.

It could be people blocking their access; or it could be one of the many people who seem to believe that they own the road outside their drive/car park and 'just' prefer not to have other people parking anywhere nearby - whether because they're bad drivers, on a little power trip or just some kind of real-life entitled Hyacinth Bucket character.

It’s just wrong to say that if a car is making visibility poor they can’t park there. I spend half my driving time creeping out of junctions where visibility is appalling because of perfectly legally parked cars. It’s a consideration for the council. If parking somewhere is causing a perceived danger, when it is a legal place to park, you should contact the council to consider restricting parking there.

Excellent point.

True, but if it's out of the way, it's probably the same residents' cars that they see parked there most often.

They might just put a note under the wipers of any car they see parked there, though - although they might not think it worth their time if the 'offending' car is not likely to return.

We have similar issues. And where the two cars are parked is where the hearses etc park for funerals.
they don’t enter the carpark due to obviously mourners and sometimes the hearse can’t do the turns needed. Also if the hearse needs to leave and cars are blocking it ( if it was in the car park) this can cause problems.
just a few ideas. We too got letters .

Maybe so, but why the unpleasant sarky tone?
Kerb/curb: two different spellings, two different meanings.
Details matter.

How many funerals do they have? I bet it's not that many.

All they have to do is put up a prominent sign a day or two before and ask that the space be left for a funeral - people will usually respect that.

Same as if you're moving house and need a space there for a removal van; but you can't expect to permanently take away a legitimate parking space(s) on a public road on the grounds that you may very, very occasionally need it.

The horrid, antisocial self-appointed parking monitor on our road tries to stop people from parking anywhere on the public road near his house (even spaces that are nearer to their own homes than to his) on the basis that 'his visitors need somewhere to park'.

There's no shortage of spaces a minute or so's walk away; he has a double drive and so could easily park a minute's walk away and let them use his drive if they have mobility issues; he virtually never actually gets visitors anyway (can't possibly think why not).

Some people just really do have far too much time on their hands and too little stuff that actually matters to occupy their minds - they're essentially a human version of a cat that wants to claim and assert what they somehow think is their own exclusive territory; except the cats wee in it whereas they leave foaming letters under windscreen wipers and shout at people.

There's no reason not to park there. There are no double yellow lines, and you're not blocking the entrance. They don't have any special rights to decide who parks on a public road. It's not theirs.

Ignore the contents OP. Doesn't sound like anyone is parking illegally. The note is clearly unofficial.
If there was an issue with access to the church car park you would probably be aware of it after 3 years living there.

I would however let the church know a CF someone is sending letters in their name. I think they would be interested in that. Not good for community relations is it?

As pp suggested, write a note on the reverse saying you and all the three neighbours have received this note - ask if it is from the church as it's not on headed paper and to let you know if there is a parking issue and you will be pleased to discuss. Sign and date it. Add your address.

At the very least I would expect either an apology if the note isn't from the church or a reply explaining the issue if it is from the church.

Keep a copy if this escalates.

That aounds good, but I wouldn't ask if there's 'a parking issue', as that makes it sound like there could be genuine concern that OP and neighbours might need to make compromises to resolve - when they're doing absolutely nothing wrong.

Maybe frame it more neutrally as 'a complaint about parking' - which leaves it more open for discussion as to whether the complaint has any validity or is silly/unreasonable/vexatious without suggesting that you acknowledge that there is an actual issue.

My 9 year old DD has dyslexia. It makes me sad she’ll have to encounter nobs like you all her life. Any other disabilities you enjoy having a pop about to make yourself feel superior?

@DalzielOrNoDalzielAndDontPascoe good point about keeping it neutral

I would bet that its a church goer that turns up late and has issues getting parked in the car park or surrounding area, so they are trying this on to get a regular parking spot outside the church.

I think some faceless person having an unjustified whinge and leveraging the church as an entity to get their own way is quite despicable.
You're all being considerate and don't see a problem, even if there was then they'd need to forgive you 🙏

Yes, it could easily be. And therein lies the rub of the anonymity, as if it’s some CF who just wants the space for themselves and their plan worked, you wouldn’t know that they were the note-writer, and the residents would have no basis, ironically, for telling them not to park there as it’s a perfectly legal place to park.

Maybe drive into the car park when the 2 cars are parked in place, then try and exit the car park to gauge for yourself if it's tricky for parishioners to leave - maybe visibility is affected by the 2 parked cars; maybe the road is busy with cars approaching are driving at speed; maybe their elderly or nervous drivers who need a clear view of oncoming traffic.

I always read parking threads with wonder as, most answers will be based upon whether it's legal or illegal. I would hope that you would also consider whether it's right or wrong to park there.

nevertheless spelling is important hun 🤷🏽‍♀️

nevertheless spelling is important hun

I agree. In a letter or important document, absolutely. On MN? Not so much. Hun.

That's just part of driving, proceeding carefully and being mindful of less-than-ideal visibility.

You just have to go forward very slowly and consider the 'entrance' to the road as the edge of the parked car instead of the kerb - after all, if there's a car parked there, no moving traffic can suddenly appear right in the same space from that direction.

Unfortunately, if you're no longer alert or safe enough to keep driving, it's not on everybody else to restrict the normal use of the roads to keep bailing you out indefinitely.

To add, ALL cars parked on the road reduce visibility and impede traffic, requiring drivers to manoeuvre around them.

It would be nice if every house had their own huge drive and all roads had large parking bays all along the side, but in the real world, people are always going to need to park on the roads, where it's legal to do so.

Rule 243
DO NOT stop or park:

• opposite or within 10 metres (32 feet) of a junction, except in an authorised parking space

As a very boring conclusion to this mystery (if anyone was invested) a lovely curate emailed my neighbour after he had contacted a nearby vicar to ask who was the best person to speak to.

The letter was not from the church in any official capacity, neither he nor any of the the others who do the services at the church had any idea it had been sent, he was incredibly apologetic and said that as he and the other ministers use the car park they can honestly say that they have never had a specific issue getting in or out.

He said that he didn't know who had sent it, any as far as he was aware no-one had raised any concerns to the team about parking etc. But he said he would ask around and politely ask them to not send letters pretending to be from the church. He did suggest it could have been from someone parking there to use the Church Hall (which is on the left of the junction in the diagram - but that has it's own carpark with the church carpark acting as overspill when needed) he did say there was a few very popular groups that meet there, some of which have some "enthusiastic group leaders".

Thanks, OP - so it was as many of us thought, then: just a maverick terrible driver or (like the chap on our road) somebody who likes to mark 'their' territory and be controlling, even when it makes no difference to them whatsoever.

Glad you got it sorted - and that the church are as annoyed as you are.

Sending letters pretending to be from the church is a serious matter: it might 'just' be a parking bully today; but what if some random parishioner presumes to speak for the church on something much more far-reaching in the future?

A dropped kerb and driveway isnt a junction

“Enthusiastic” is a rather wonderful euphemism.