Parking wars

[Whoosher]

Another parking thread I’m afraid. Am I within my rights to ask someone not to park outside my door all day..?
backstory:

We live in a semi detached townhouse with a drive and on street parking, our drive is really thin with a metal gate down the neighbours side, my car doesn’t fit on it - I can’t open the doors both sides, and have 5 children including a baby in a car seat who I can’t get in or out if I park on the drive. So DH parks on the drive and I park on the street directly outside of my house. Attached neighbour parks on the street directly outside of their house. The drives are to the sides of the house so where we park is literally outside of our doors.

My DC go to a school that I have to drive to, but there is a school at the end of the joining road to ours, so at school drop off and pick up time lots of cars come and park on our road and the surrounding roads. I leave for school just as these parents are arriving, so once I’m gone someone parks outside of my house but this causes no issues as they’re always gone by the time I get home.

However, for the past couple of weeks I’ve noticed a car parking on our road and staying there all day - I think they work at the school. The last few weekdays she’s arrived just as I’m getting in the car, she waits for me to go then parks outside my house and stays there all day. I know I don’t own the road and it’s not legally my space, but it’s a big inconvenience as I then have to park down the road, which is annoying when I’ve got a baby in a car seat. When I get shopping etc, I have to either leave the baby in the car down the road or in the house while I go up and down the road bringing the shopping in. I’m always lugging things in and out the car - car seats for older kids etc and it’s annoying especially when it’s raining.

There are plenty of on street spaces that aren’t directly outside of someone’s front door, and she can clearly see that I’ve got a baby.. AIBU to ask her to park somewhere else if she’s going to be there all day?

No you don’t have a right morally, ethically, or legally. The end.

Nailed it

You don't own the public road

Hi OP - Sympathies.

If there is indeed a lot of other parking available, you are not unreasonable to ask. But it will be just that, an ask, as it seems that your street is not under any parking restrictions.

Of course you're not in your rights. It's a legal parking spot on a public highway.

What you could do, is engage her in some friendly chat. And ask if she could sometimes park elsewhere? Pref when holding the baby, for extra sympathy.

No, you have no rights at all. And I think you are a CF, too, to even think you might be right.

I know I don’t own the road and I said in my original post I know it’s not legally my space. This isn’t a legal debate, more of a - can I ask her to park in a different space rather than waiting for me to go and parking outside my door every day. There are plenty of other spaces that wouldn’t inconvenience anyone, so it’s frustrating that she’s picked this space as her all day parking spot

Surely once you’ve taken the older kids to school, you can then park on your drive and get the baby out. You only need to be able to open the doors on one side of the car.

You don’t own the road and you bought a house near a school. This is life.

No I can’t park on the drive at all with the baby, it’s hard to explain but the drive has the brick wall of the house on one side and the metal gate on the other side.. me and DH can squeeze in and out of our door if we park really close to the wall, but you couldn’t get a car seat in or out or even have enough arm room to get the baby in the car seat and strap them in

Can you park over your drive during the day?

You can ask her OP but she's well within her rights to say no. It's not her fault after all that you have a driveway you can't park on.

You can ask of course, but she can also say no and be within her rights to. Having lived on a street with shitty parking I know how frustrating it can be but as others have said she is parked legally and so there is nothing you can do but ask.

You can ask her not to park there, she can also say no.

I think you can politely ask. She may have started parking in front of your house because others have asked her not to park in front of theirs.
With 5 children any car is not going to be small, but are there things you can do to ease you lugging things around like to getting a spare car seat? Can you use your husbands car?

The OP has every right to ask. Equally the other person has every right to tell her to fuck off.

What the OP does not have is the right to TELL others not to park there

You can ask and hope to appeal to their better nature (if they have one), but you aren't "within your rights" because you have no rights to that space.

This all comes with the territory of buying a home without sufficient off road parking and near a school I'm afraid.

You could ask, but you will likely be perceived as fruity as it’s a public road and you don’t own the space.

The way you describe your drive - you can’t do anything about the common wall with next door, but surely there is scope to remove the iron fence (or whatever it is) on your own side. Why don’t you do this and solve the problem so there is room all around the car?

You can ask, and you might get somewhere if you do it politely, but she doesn’t have to listen.

Is there no way of making your drive more accommodating? Could you remove the gate?

You can ask, don't bank on a yes though.

Well, if I was the car owner and you explained your situation to me, I’d happily park elsewhere if I was able to.

she probably hasn’t thought that you return after school drop off and are unable to park there. In her mind, it’s a legal spot which someone else would take if she didn’t.

but once she understands how it impacts you, she’ll probably try to park elsewhere.

Somebody parks outside my house every week day. There is nothing I can do about it. They have as much right as I do to park on that bit of road. Yes it is annoying but you bought the house knowing the drive was rubbish and you’d got a load of kids to get in and out.

In the real world, many people would consider a request like this as they would hope for the same consideration outside their own home. Not everyone, but many people.

It won't hurt to ask politely.

If I was the woman you were asking and you explained the problem, and were polite and there was somewhere else I could park, I would help you out and park elsewhere. There are still some reasonable people out there- maybe she’s one of them.

This.

Or if you do think they work at the school, ask at the school if they can ask staff to respect the neighbours and not park directly outside of people’s houses (especially if there are other spaces that wouldn’t inconvenience anyone).

Wait until you can talk to her. Put your best smile on your face and very kindly explain the situation.

Military it VERY clear that you are not demanding anything and totally understand she has the right to park there, you are just bringing it up in case it would make no difference to her to park a little bit further.

See how it goes.

That's 'make it clear' 😀