Neighbours have decided that myself and NDN park some of our cars in another street to make it fairer for everyone. AIBU to ignore the request?

[SumoFarah]

I live on a street with unrestricted parking and few driveways. I know it might sound excessive but my family and NDN family have 7 cars between us. I can’t get a drive out in as the street is really narrow so I would need the space opposite to be empty in order to exit.

A neighbour on the street knocked on my and NDN to explain that our six cars take up too much space and means that:

1. neighbours who finish work late can never get a space so have to park on another street and walk
2. their weekend visitors can never get a space
3. on weekends they sometimes have to park in the middle of the road to unload their shopping and then go and find somewhere else to park

We we’re told that ‘they all’ think everyone should agree to use a maximum of 2 spaces to use as they wish and any further space needed should be used in the free car park about 1/2 mile away.

Also that the two teenagers (one mine, one NDN) don’t need cars as they are still in school so should have no need for cars anyway.

I get that parking spaces are at a premium, and can be frustrating when all the spaces are taken, but I don’t want myself or my dc to walk 1/2 mile in the dark (or the light, for that matter) just to placate the neighbours when there’s a space available. All our cars are pretty much used on a daily basis.

NDN told the messenger neighbour that it’s first-come-first-served. I do understand the annoyance but don’t agree with the suggestion because some houses only have one car and some houses don’t have a car, so should balance out in theory, but obviously doesn’t in practice.

Would I be unreasonable to ignore the ‘request’?

Suggestions welcomed.

Ah that explains the need to tell others how to behave on a public forum. I thought it was an interesting question, so perhaps not so 'irrelevant' to everyone, but thanks for your guidance officer

In a road with unrestricted parking it's first come first served. I'm guessing you have adult children living with you.

7 cars??? That's taking up the whole street. Be a considerate neighbour

Is there no one who can read/understand a whole thread?

Where did I tell others how to behave? Please enlighten me?? Not just me by the way that pointed out how irrelevant the question was 😘😘 idiot.

I still don't get why you said you (and NDN) have 7 cars? Who counts NDN cars as "theirs"? Unless you were hoping that people would read it wrong and be outraged

I think because OP and NDN are impacting the on-street parking more than the other households, and the complaining neighbour 'targeted' them.

OP's OP was completely clear. It's not her fault people don't take the time to read properly.

If it’s 7 cars and op said her household only has 3 cars.. then living alone ndn has 4 to themselves?

You think asking the OP if she thinks that spending £5k on car insurance is fundamentally wrong is an interesting question?

Car insurance is a legal requirement.. it can't be fundamentally wrong to purchase it, so what was the relevance of your question?

Where did the 7th car disappear too?

IMO (and late to the party) If the cars are used everyday then it should be first come first served.
If a car is not being used then it should go somewhere else

I am also wondering how many of the "2 spaces per household" only have 1 car, so it will be left empty unless they have visitors, which is being a CF.

Fair enough, then - it's obviously not up to me how you bring up your kids.

We live in a world whereby -

(1) In many locations life is very hard without one car per adult / driver. In addition some people love cars and might wish to have a second "fun car" for weeknds. This is allowed!
(2) A three child household, with all of them in late teens early 20s and 5 cars in total is not at all extreme in such a location. Arguably 6 cars is normal too - Dad has a Mazda MX5 for Sunday morning drives in the summer ion addition to the SUV he commutes in.
(3) I am not saying it is right, but we live in a world where government has decided that if there are no restrictions and the car is taxed and insured you can park it up and leave it, potentially, for years outside someone else's house.
(4) I would not be parking further away when there is absolutely no guarantee that someone else won't park where I would have and other people still need to park further away and walk in the dark.
(5) If you buy a house and need a car then the cold hard reality is that you need to accept that you need to find the money to buy a house with enough driveway space for all of your parking needs, or you might find yourself having to park some distance away.
(6) Trying to be a bit considerate makes sense, but please don't be a mug - you have as much right to legally park as anyone else, and the number of cars in the household makes no difference. What are these neighbours doing to go out of their way to help you out despite no legal or moral obligation?

How do we know that the neighbours on the street who are complaining aren't dangerous drivers?

Maybe if OP's and NDN's households make parking less convenient for them, they'll get rid of their cars and stop being lazy/use public transport instead - then that could equally mean more dangerous drivers off the road!!

Dangerous drivers can be young, old or middle-aged - it isn't their actual age (or housing situation) that automatically makes them bad drivers.

In a world where we are asked to buy less cars is it not conceivable that you could share the cars? You say you don't go out much in the evening. And walking is so good for you. You'll be less sumo Farah if you walked more.

I have a car. I also walk and run and cycle and swim. I cannot replace my car usage with walking - grocery shopping, caring for elderly relative, going into the city, socialising.

But maybe the neighbours who also have 2 cars could share cars. Nobody has demonstrated that they are more virtuous in general or that they use their cars 'more worthily' - many of them will just happen to have fewer adults living in their homes.

Incidentally, there's also a housing crisis - so if OP's household own 'more than their fair share' of vehicles, why aren't the neighbours who only have one or two occupants in a house taking up 'more than their fair share' of housing?

Where does OP say NDN lives alone?

Dh and I have shared a car since we first moved in together. Admittedly a major factor is that he wfh and the children either walk or get a bus to school. But it’s amazing how a family can manage perfectly well with one car with a bit of thought and planning. There has been the (very) occasional taxi ordered and we once had to rent a car for a month when he had a string of face to face meetings but the amount of money we have saved in 16 years is huge!

I think my suggestion would apply to all of them. To all of us in fact.

Op and NDN and their families could also be dangerous drivers.

The whole street could be dangerous drivers.

Well clearly if there are 7 cars, and the op owns 3 there are 4 remaining.

I dont say me and my ndn have 8 cats, I say I have 3 and she has 5. We are not dependent on each other.

It’s entirely up to you. They can’t insist. But in their position I would have asked and be very strongly disinclined to be a good neighbour in the future if you rejected my request. Living near other people does require some give and take and if you aren’t going to give, don’t be surprised when people don’t want to accommodate you when you need to take.

TBH in the OP's position I may have looked more sympathetically on the request if they'd stuck to point 1 and 3. Visitors' parking is a separate issue, how many visitors for example, and it's really not their place to tell the OP who in the household 'needs' a car.

On a separate but related note. We have a free car park near us which some people used to avoid parking on the street. The landowners have decided they don't like that and have put in a time limit and ANPR cameras, and have started sending out fines.

A neighbour on the street knocked on my and NDN

The reason they included all the cars is pretty obvious really. Sometimes I read MN threads and wonder how some people manage to function in the world.