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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To wonder why my neighbours all take the P

61 replies

Inspectorflange · 14/05/2025 16:45

Lived here 7 years. Semi detached with a driveway for one car. Convenience shop exactly opposite on a busy main road. Shop customers park wherever they please and I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve been blocked in so can’t get off/ onto my driveway.
So fed up with it that I started parking across my driveway, effectively blocking myself in but at least it stops other people doing it, thereby leaving my driveway empty.
Shop owner has asked me to park on my driveway and not leave it empty because it’s “not fair to his customers and business.”
I was too gobsmacked to argue back about having to park this way in order not to get cars, delivery vans and even tractors parking across my driveway and making me late for getting my children to school.
AIBU?

OP posts:
pestowithwalnuts · 14/05/2025 17:37

Glencocoyougo · 14/05/2025 17:15

Sounds like a him problem. You keep parking across your drive because if you don't, someone else will.

You just ignore him and keep parking across your own drive.
Shop owner is only concerned about revenue....but remember...he's not the boss of you

blubbyblub · 14/05/2025 17:38

So the shopkeeper wants you to park in your driveway so the space across the front of your driveway is free for people to park?
i have no words.

reesespieces123 · 14/05/2025 17:39

Inspectorflange · 14/05/2025 17:33

OMG you must be a mind reader. How did you know I’m single? Divorced actually but that’s weird.
Anyone know if it’s actually illegal for ME to block my own driveway? I’ve googled it but can’t get a definitive answer.

It's not illegal but if you're in a permit zone you'll get a ticket if a warden comes round.

WilfredsPies · 14/05/2025 17:39

They are taking the piss because you don’t shut them down very firmly the second they start with their nonsense.

The second a Cheeky Fucker sees a chink of doubt in your self confidence, or a desire to stay polite and amenable, they will take the piss. It’s in their nature. Take no nonsense from the very start and they’ll move on to the next person.

Daleksatemyshed · 14/05/2025 17:40

Of course it's not illegal Op, everyone can park there ( unless you have a dropped kerb). No one can make you park on your drive if you prefer not to do so

blubbyblub · 14/05/2025 17:40

JulietBravoRetired · 14/05/2025 17:14

You carry on parking across your driveway. It could be worse, I saw somewhere that a woman drove her car onto someone else's private drive, parked up and walked off, leaving the family car blocked in, so she didn't have to pay for on street parking. I would have been furious if that happened to me.

Edited

I would have called the police. It’s illegal to block someone in. Not block someone out mind you. But to block someone in is chargeable

SpidersAreShitheads · 14/05/2025 17:42

I live opposite a school and I now park outside on the road because parents think it's fine to block me in because they "won't be long". I had one CF who refused to move when asked and told me next time he was going to park on my actual drive because apparently there was nothing I could do to stop him.

Some people are just thoughtless pricks.

I need to have access as I've got disabled DC and have, in the past, needed to do an emergency hospital run. I don't have time to faff around trying to find whose car it is to get them to move it.

I would absolutely keep parking in the street OP.

In answer to your question about whether it's legal, do you have a dropped curb? Or are there any yellow lines?

MrsMoastyToasty · 14/05/2025 17:44

Ask him what part of "parking LEGALLY on a public highway" he doesn't understand.

FedupofArsenalgame · 14/05/2025 17:49

blubbyblub · 14/05/2025 17:40

I would have called the police. It’s illegal to block someone in. Not block someone out mind you. But to block someone in is chargeable

Show quote history

By the time the police had arrived the offending car would've been long gone Most people are less than 5 mins in a convience store

cantthinkofausername26 · 14/05/2025 17:52

Inspectorflange · 14/05/2025 16:54

I get that customer parking is limited because every house on both sides of the street has a driveway, but it’s always mine!
appreciate that it’s the customers who are parked badly, not the shop owner, but it would be nice if he could ask THEM to park with more consideration, not me.
In my position would you carry on parking across the driveway?

Yes I absolutely would! Your house, your driveway!! What a bloody cheeky bastard!

Original poster
Inspectorflange · 14/05/2025 18:02

I have a dropped curb but so does every driveway on the street. Does that make a difference?

OP posts:
Pleaseshutthefuckup · 14/05/2025 20:17

Inspectorflange · 14/05/2025 17:33

OMG you must be a mind reader. How did you know I’m single? Divorced actually but that’s weird.
Anyone know if it’s actually illegal for ME to block my own driveway? I’ve googled it but can’t get a definitive answer.

I'm not a mind reader. You're sending very strong vibes out to people around you without realising it. If you're a lady on your own it can be so much harder to stand strong and be assertive against the CFs. The shop keeper probably wouldn't do this if there was a big guy living there with you. He wouldn't would he?

So you have to be the assertive one. You must show them through behaviour. Find a way and stand strong and then they tend to leave you alone.

They do it because they sense you are a people pleaser and won't stand up to them.

I have done this people pleasing too - so often, it's not meant to make you feel bad. It's so you see it.

I wouldn't even be surprised if the shop keeper had even somehiw given the message that your drive is ok to park on. Why yours and no one elses. If he has regulars, they took will notice it's been ok and you're ever so sorry to ask them not to.

You can stop this OP.💪

Notanotherwig · 14/05/2025 20:20

Inspectorflange · 14/05/2025 18:02

I have a dropped curb but so does every driveway on the street. Does that make a difference?

A dropped curb just indicates a driveway and shows people that they shouldn’t park there. However you can park there, it’s your dropped curb and driveway.

Clownsy · 15/05/2025 09:37

Of course you can park there.
Your house.
Your drive.
Your drop kerb.
You cannot block yourself in.

The shop owner is a CF, just like his customers.

IfYouPutASausageInItItsNotAViennetta · 15/05/2025 11:02

Tell him that you'll park instead on the pavement right in front of the entrance to his shop.

Of course, this means that nobody will be able to come out of, or go into, the shop whilst you're there... but you won't be too long on any one occasion, so it isn't a problem at all.

IfYouPutASausageInItItsNotAViennetta · 15/05/2025 11:04

The only issue with blocking your own drive is that it then means that wheelchair and mobility scooter users can't use your dropped kerb to safely cross the road. However, if there are lots of other dropped kerbs within a short space, this will cause less of an issue.

latetothefisting · 15/05/2025 11:13

Of course you're not being unreasonable but tbh if he's causing you this much inconvenience why are you still giving him your business? Stop going there so he can't nag you and keep parking outside your own drive!

Goody2ShoesAndTheFilthyBeast · 15/05/2025 11:18

Just ignore him and carry on parking across your drive.
Practise what youll say if he says anything again.
Something like you want me to move my car so your customers can block me in whenever they want for as long as they want. I'm not doing that.

Veganvenitia · 15/05/2025 11:21

IfYouPutASausageInItItsNotAViennetta · 15/05/2025 11:04

The only issue with blocking your own drive is that it then means that wheelchair and mobility scooter users can't use your dropped kerb to safely cross the road. However, if there are lots of other dropped kerbs within a short space, this will cause less of an issue.

It’s illegal for anyone to park across a dropped kerb where I live for this reason. As I use a pushchair for my child still, I 100% agree with this rule. It also allows the police to ticket a car blocking my drive without having to wonder whether the car is mine.

ButteredRadish · 15/05/2025 11:24

It’s actually illegal to park on/across a dropped kerb, even if it’s your own driveway, astonishingly. And if it’s a street with a shop on, then there’s likely to be a parking warden at some point. So don’t be shocked if you get a ticket.
I agree the shop owner is a CF absolutely but had to point this out

ItGhoul · 15/05/2025 11:36

Of course YANBU. Shop owner is a prick and you can park where you like.

bigboykitty · 15/05/2025 11:38

Don't stop parking across your driveway, OP. Shopman is a CF.

S0j0urn4r · 15/05/2025 11:40

Could you look into collapsible bollards? Do you have a no parking sign up? The area around my local shop has lines painted to show no parking across driveways. Noone ever blocks the driveways. Might it be worth contacting the council?

Swiftie1878 · 15/05/2025 11:45

Just TALK to the shop owner. They’ll understand if you tell them what’s in your OP.
As for the CFs who block your drive, I’m afraid there’ll be no changing their habits unless they start getting ticketed. If there set particular times when it’s bad, you could ask your PCSO to attend and move people on. It might put them off (for a while).

Renabrook · 15/05/2025 11:46

Well i thought it was illegal to park across even your own drive, if people are are parking illegally thry are wrong if not then I can't say who is right or wrong

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