Driveway wars - awkward petty neighbour

[Tarytino]

We live on a shared drive way (shared with 3 houses). We’re in the middle. Yesterday we had a friend over and I told him to park just outside of our house (on the shared driveway) as house 3 was out. An hour or so later house 3 arrives home - instead of simply asking him to move the car they sat there honking on the horn. It’s a short driveway, they could have parked at the end and walked down to their house (plenty of parking on street at end of driveway) but no. Friend went out and moved his car - no thanks, no acknowledgment. Once they had got passed friend moved his car back where it was.

10 mins later - horn honking outside. House 3 had decided to go out again. Friend goes out to move car. 20 minutes later more honking outside. I went out and approached neighbour asking why she is honking her horn rather than using her words. She said “I need to get to my house and there is a car in the way” 🙄 I said “yes, but you don’t need to honk the horn, just knock”. She said “can’t be arsed getting in and out of car”. I left her to it and friend moved car. Needless to say, 20 mins later, more honking outside.

now it was very obvious that neighbour was deliberately going in and out of driveway to make some kind of point. So we played her game and this went on for about 2 hours before she eventually got bored.

Today, we are having gravel delivered and they will be parking on the shared driveway. Normally I’d warn neighbour to let her know to get her car out of driveway so she doesn’t get stuck but because of yesterdays performance - I’m not going to bother. This isn’t the first time we have had issues with this neighbour btw. AIBU to let her get her car stuck? Chances are she won’t be going out anyway but no doubt as soon as she sees someone parked there she’ll suddenly develop an urgent need to go out 🙄

I’m not sure what the woman has “started”.

Your friend, ergo your responsibility to ensure they didn’t block your neighbour’s access. Whether or not driveway is shared is almost irrelevant because what you did would be akin to telling your friend they could just park in front of or block your neighbour’s access to their house.

Why should neighbour get out of her car to knock on your door over a problem you have caused for her (not being able to get into her own driveway) just because you don’t like her honking the horn?

Why would you 'lose your shit' every time Tesco man comes? Completely different scenario - you sound like the neighbour from hell!

Yes I agree
I have moved relocated for work 3 hours away. Omd I noticed that people are soo much more polite here. It’s shocking 😮 how rude and entitled some people in some places are. I hadn’t noticed until I was somewhere else.
go round and apologise is your best next step.

I think that shows what sad little lives you and your friend have

We have a shared drive, it's really obvious that it is a shared drive for two separate houses and a dropped kerb. We and our neighbours are very considerate of one another so it works well. It's also not generally a difficult road to find a space on and there are no parking charges. And yet, occasional visitors, workmen in particular, regularly park across one side or the other, blocking one or both cars in. What planet are they on? Don't park like a dick, it's not difficult.

I got a load of abuse one time because I was trying to leave my street and a small truck was stopped in the middle of the road instead of pulling to one side (where there was plenty of space). I could see he was likely picking up a mate and would hopefully not be long, but after a minute I lightly bipped my horn (not a full on toot) to let him know I was there as I had an appointment to get to (and blocking the highway is actually illegal). He shouted an absolute tirade of abusive language out of the window immediately, did pull over to one side, then continued to shout as I drove past. Couldn't hear exactly what he said as I had music on, but it wasn't good judging by his tone and facial expression. Had it all on my dashcam and sent it off to local police after.

OP, tell your mates not to park like a dick.

How on earth did she nearly run your dog over op? Did she drivel into your secure garden? Or was it running around the shared driveway not on a lead or under your control? By your attitude in general I suspect it’s the latter.

OK, stand down everybody. The OP’s last post has shown quite clearly that she’s on a wind-up.

If you have a shared driveway you mustn’t block it end of. Obviously fine if literally dropping something off like a delivery driver but not while someone visits. Moving the car back is just wrong

What she said ☝

No.

It's only illegal to use your horn in a residential area between 11:30pm and 7:00am. It's ok outside those hours.

The legal restriction you are looking for and which applies here is that it is illegal to use your horn when your vehicle is stationary - unless there is danger from another vehicle that is moving.

(See para 99(1) - The Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 )

Whilst the neighbour at number 3 is in breach here, the OP and her friend were behaving so unreasonably and provocatively that I'd have no problem with the use of the horn

This is so funny. Never did I think people would assume it acceptable to block someone's access to their own drive. Tesco deliveries do not block cars in the same way that visitors do. Your friend obviously should have parked elsewhere or politely asked your neighbour in advance if they were planning to go out on X date as you're having a friend over and wondered if she'd be ok with them parking over her drive.

Yeah sorry, if there's lots of parking on the street then that is where your guest should have put their car. It was really mad to keep driving back into the space that blocks their way/parking when your friend could've just left it on the road.... I don't get why you're surprised they were getting annoyed, and I especially don't get why you kept continuously annoying her. You don't really know what is going on in their lives, imagine if she'd had a family emergency or was taking a pet to the vet, or was late for an appointment- I don't blame her for just honking as you could obviously see who it was and why they needed to get past, why should she have to switch her engine off, coke and knock and have a conversation when it's clearly your error.

Are you really making a post where you are thoroughly in the wrong and expecting people to side with you?

She has right to access to her driveway and house, your friend has zero rights and should not be there... why don't they park on the street and walk (like anyone with common sense would).

I’ll say this again. Don’t bite anymore, people. Wind-up (the lawn-mowing reference not being early at 8am on a Sunday was a clue).

You sound like nightmare neighbours

You may think you are funny but no-one else does.

8am on a weekend is bonkers. You would be feeling my peri-menopause rage.

@Tarytino your household is the problem. Well the main problem.

Where was the plant pot that it needed moving? See also dog almost getting run over. Parties, early car washing and drive blocking sounds like cunty and entitled behaviour. I'd complain about you too.

Strikes me that you and the neighbour are as bad as each other! A shared drive is exactly that….. a shared drive!
Of course there’ll be awkwardness if you tell visitors to park there, little wonder that your neighbour got pissed off yesterday but playing games no one anywhere other than stressed and angry. Be the bigger person and take some responsibility.

If I was your your neighbour, I would have parked at the opening of the shared drive, blocked everyone in and gone out for a very long walk. Your visitor's behaviour sounds very juvenile.

You sound like the neighbour from hell @Tarytino

Both dicks and well suited to each other 🤣🤣

Issues in the past - her husband continually moved a plant pot of ours - we had to get a massive concrete one eventually that he couldn’t lift

why? Why could you not have “ used your words“. And compromised on where to put pot? It’s just a pot not worth this drama

Whinging about DH cleaning his car on a Sunday morning (not early, about 8am).

that IS early ffs! On a Sunday wait till after 11 at least , on finding out you woke them up did you apologise and stop doing it ?

Whinging about a party we had a few summers ago.
did you invite them? warn them it was a special occasion and turn music down at 11 and off at a reasonable hour ? How was the parking situation then ?

Slagging us off to house 1 (who don’t like her either!)
its not nice to trash talk our neighbours

Almost ran our dog over once.
it should not have been loose on the street. Most neighbours are not deliberately out to kill dogs

The list goes on.
I bet it does ..,

op get a job and life / hobby that occupies you better and stop being a neighbourhood drama Queen

Don't park on their drive. Problem solved!

Other sharing issues aside, you are repeatedly blocking your neighbor's share of the driveway. We had a neighbor do something similar years back, repeatedly. We found her lack of consideration to be not just rude but also territorial. She was indignant about using our empty spot as she pleased when it was convenient for her, without any regard that we never did this to her and also that it was our spot that should be open to us for when we needed it. When I complained to her, she created so much drama that we ended up moving.

To this day, I think she was one of the shittiest, most entitled people I've ever met in my life.