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.

Utterly selfish!
Why should your neighbours be inconvenienced because you are too damn lazy to walk from a parking space further away 🤷🏻‍♀️

I rather dislike your sense of entitlement.

Is it excessive? I have my car, dh has his, adult dd and DS each have a car and their partners ( who stop 4/5 nights a week) have cars. Thats 6 cars but we all work/have responsibilities and need cars. Luckily we have 2 drives that hold 4 cars. So worst case scenario is two cars on the street.
I agree, first come, first served.

Yes it's excessive. Its where it starts to get unreasonable having too many grown adults in one household. It sounds like your adult children are of an age & in established relationships where perhaps its time they formed their own households rather than overcrowding one house with 6 cars. If they can work and afford 2 cars per couple, they can afford rent.

Hang on. So the neighbours are moaning about 7 cars between you and neighbour. You've said you have 3 cars and NDN has a partner that visits every now and then so they have 3 permanent cars plus one that is occasional taking it to 7?

Or is it really you thay has majority of the cars but you didn't want to say cos you know it will make you sound like an even bigger selfish twat?

I think at the point you’re looking at buying car 3 or 4 you need to start thinking about getting a house with off street parking to be honest.

Why no poll?

Yabvu 😭

I disagree. I think this is becoming more common @SumoFarah as DC find it hard to move out as house prices/rents are crazy.

When I was young, women generally didn’t drive and the majority of households were one (or no) cars. People didn’t travel as far for work other than “the man” of. the house - my mums only job was at the local butcher’s. DC left home when they got married or went to Uni.

It’s very different now. Women generally work outside the household. DC often stay at home longer as they cannot afford to rent or buy. Most DC now have a car to enable them to get to work and socialise. Public transport leaves a lot to be desired outwith major towns and cities.

Part of the blame lies with planners and house building companies. Too many are squeezed in and based on the “one car per household” which doesn’t “fit” anymore.

Planners should be made to ensure adequate parking in new build estates for a start.

But other than that …yeah, first come first served 🤷‍♀️

If the parking is legal then you're allowed to use it. But having so many cars is unreasonable, and I can see why your neighbours find you difficult

I am always astounded at the entitled behaviour of car owners who seem to think they're somehow entitled to take up communal space to store their monstrous machines.

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.

This reads to me that you have a drive that you can’t exit because you need the space opposite to be free for you to get out your own drive and therefore you park all your cars on the road instead of your drive and this is why the neighbours are so frustrated, so why are you saying you don’t have a drive? and why would the neighbours target you and your NDN if they are all drive less like you? Surely you aren’t the only family in the street with 3 cars? None of this is adding up.

Glad you're not my neighbour! YABVU

My poor DM has a neighbour with three cars and the biggest drive on the road but insists on parking his obscene, stupid lowered BMW in front of my mum's house leaving her with nowhere to park a lot of the time (she can't afford to put a drive in). This is purely because hes a dick he thinks his shit car is too low to get on his driveway 🤯

I cannot believe how many more cars are in the road compared with even 15 years ago. It's absolutely ridiculous and there is absolutely not enough room for them all.

Taking the piss. I moved when I needed more parking.

You know you’re being unreasonable, antisocial and unneighbourly. 2 spaces per household is the fairest.

It's annoying having neighbours taking up so many spaces on the road but I wouldn't say anything. I moved house over it as my last street used to drive me crazy. Essentially, if you are unhappy about the parking situation then you move house to one that has a driveway... not have a go at the people parking on the street!

Dear God, really? SIX cars? Why do you think that is ok? Fine - have six cars, but buy a house with a large drive and private parking.

The people opposite us have about that many. They have a drive which can accommodate four cars, but they decide to park on the street, creating a massive problem for everyone else. People strongly dislike this family for this reason.

No you're not "technically" doing anything wrong. Except that if you live around other people, the done thing (or it least it was until recently) is to show some basic bloody consideration.

” I can’t get a drive out in” is a typo and should read “I can’t get a drive PUT in”

I don’t really know who lives in most of the other houses, as we just pop a card in letterboxes at Christmas and nod hello if we bump into each other. There are a few primary age children who live on the street and a few older people, that’s about as much as I know, but the parking situation is obviously is an issue although I don’t know all the ins and outs of different families.

YABU.
Seven cars for one household on a street like that is utterly unreasonable.

When we lived on a street with limited parking , DH always parked his car round the corner out the way of everyone. Of course he had every right to park on our street but it seemed selfish. You have to live with these people nearby. Could you at least limit the number of cars you park in the road some of the time?

This. I live in a terraced house and it is really annoying that two of my neighbours opposite have three cars / vans each taking up the parking spaces when there's very little off-road parking and not much space per house. Most households have one car. Luckily we can usually park within 100 metres.

How can people say that’s too many cars for one household without knowing how many people live in the house. If you live alone and have 6 cars I would agree and say it’s too many but if the number of cars equals the number of people that live in the house then no, it isn’t excessive.

I wouldn’t agree to only parking 2 of my household cars on the street. It’s first come first served, that’s just life. As for visitors can’t get parked on the weekend, tough residents take priority over visitors.

if you have a usable drive and you aren’t using it, then that is unreasonable of you but it does sound like it isn’t usable as in you can’t get out of it if someone parks opposite it. In that case you aren’t being unreasonable by not using it.

For many years I lived in London and it was street parking and I often had to park on the next street or further away, so I appreciate their frustrations but in all honesty it’s just tough, having now had a drive, I’d never go back to street parking.

This is almost funny. You have a driveway that you CBA to use 'coz it's a it hard getting in and out' and you and your NDN have SEVEN cars between you, and other neighbours have (understandably) complained, and you are shocked by this?!

You are the most unreasonable person on MN this MONTH, and there is stiff competition!!!

I LOATHE with a flaming passion, people who park on the road WHEN THEY HAVE A DRIVEWAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 😠

Surely this is a reverse?

Tbh if you've got 3 cars and no driveway and it's free on street parking for residents, then I actually don't think you are being unreasonable to treat it as first come first served. However it sounds stressful and it might be easier to sometimes use the car park 0.5 miles away, that's what, a 5 or 10 minute walk. However, I'm a bit confused whether I've got the situation summed up correctly!

If my household had three cars and parking was tight I’d do the decent thing and park at least one of them further away. You can’t all be coming home late at night otherwise you wouldn’t be getting three spaces outside the house!

You are a better person than me cos I would be parking my 3 cars in the street if there was space. If there is 3 people that can drive that live in your house, then this is not an unreasonable number of cars.

Yes, unreasonable.

We had a HMO in our development. 5 cars for a three bed house, caused chaos with parking. Stressful for everyone. (and against the covenants and deeds of the houses).

We could have had three cars but as we didn't have space for parking, my DC’s couldn't have a car. Simple.