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.

YABU. Imagine being a neighbour with one car always having to park streets away meanwhile you take up I'm guessing 4 spaces from just your household...

Which is what I thought… until earlier today. DC not accepting to take turns parking further away, but I’m sure they’ll get used to it as I’ve said it’s not negotiable and not worth upsetting neighbours over.

She doesn't have 7 cars, she has 3. It's the NDN that has the other 4.

I can see that now! She has told us it was a typo!

She is still unreasonable!!!

Why did the OP even mention '7 cars' then?

To get people frothing..........?

I'm out.

Can't people actually read at least the OPs posts, it's not difficult...OP has 3 cars 🙄

You're being selfish and unreasonable.
And a chicken for not letting us vote

We are in a shared courtyard scenario. Six allocated spaces between three households. However, the householder on the left has four cars, yes four, PLUS a huge work van, when he gave up that job ages ago! Oh no, but now he's converting the van into a holiday home! He doesn't work, so is outside all day (I WFH) converting it very noisily. He regularly has all his cars strewn across the courtyard, yet none in his two allocated bays, as he wants to keep them clear for workmen, so regularly steals my and the other neighbour's spaces. So does his girlfriend, who doesn't even live here. Oh and then his ex drops off their daughter regularly, leaving her car in the courtyard too while she does God knows what.

So I know how utterly soul-destroying and draining people like you can be. I have no sympathy whatsoever I'm afraid, and I feel badly for your neighbours.

I have no idea really but NDN has the other 4

But do you need three cars

Lol, so are you saying that if a house doesn't have a driveway they should only be allowed 1 car on the street....even if there's for example, 3 working adults in the house?

My house only has on street parking, as do the rest of the row of houses. We have an arrangement between us that each of us get to park a car outside our respective houses, and then households with additional cars park further along the street where there is more space. That seems like the fairest way to me. And yes we are a 2, sometimes 3 car household. It would annoy me no end if 2 of the neighbours hogged all the parking between them. If I’ve got a lot of shopping or bags to lug in, stuff to load for the tip, or if it’s pissing with rain, I’d be getting irrationally angry about having to walk further. Obviously it’s not a perfect system as sometimes random people or visitors park in ‘our’ spaces, but 99% of the time it works.

So in a nutshell OP, I would move all cars but one further away so neighbours can park.

well obviously not, as half the roads in the UK were built before cars were even invented!

People can agree with the neighbours' frustrations without stating the bleeding obvious.

FWIW I don't think 3 cars in a household is particularly unreasonable, if you live somewhere with poor public transport and everyone works in different places and different hours there isn't much option. Before my siblings and I moved out of our parents home we had 4-5 cars at one time, although we did have a drive and a garage. When I was in uni there were 8 of us in a shared house. I've lived places where commuters take up all the parking in a street so all the residents are screwed. Unfortunately it's a fact of life, and nothing any neighbours have a right to lay down spurious rules about.

MN is so hypocritical sometimes, whenever someone doesn't drive the first thing they're told is to learn - but are apparently not allowed to actually run a car.

Technically your neighbour is correct to say first come first served but you might end up with all the other neighbours ganging up against you to make sure you start being the ones with the inconvenience of not being able to park. So if there is anything you can reasonably do to take one of the cars off the streets, I'd do it for neighbourly relations.

If the teenagers are still in school, and obviously can't learn until 17, then I'm assuming they're in their last year? If so and they are going away to uni next year they can either take their car to uni or leave it in the car park half a mile away = down to 2/3 cars = more manageable. However if they then start working and need the car every day they are as entitled to park it near their home as anyone else in the street - but might start finding out how annoying it is when they can't get a space when they aren't home until much later than school let out time.

It must be really annoying for your neighbours. However pinching spaces in neighbouring streets will probably annoy different people. Seems an awful lot of cars to have if you don't live somewhere with off-road parking.

Just ignore them

I wouldn't have bought a school aged child a car if I lived somewhere with no off road parking, especially when you already had two cars. I can see why the neighbours were annoyed but I don't know what they thought they would achieve by speaking to you.

I agree. How would you feel if you had 1 or two cars and everyone else had 3 or 4 cars and always came home earlier than you? Yes you have the right to park, but also the responsibility of being a good neighbour.

I guess how wide is your house? I would say it's reasonable to be able to park in front of your own house so if it's two cars wide two cars. Even many years ago there were parking wars with people putting out cones and pushing 'wrongly' parked cars off other peoples fronts. Hope you can sort it out civilly.

Technically you're fine to park wherever. But I think it's be a decent and neighbourly thing to do.

We are in a similar situation to your neighbours. We have one car, my neighbour to the left has 2 cars and neighbour to our right 3 car neither of them have small children only teens, I have small children and I can rarely park on our street, have to stop in the middle of the road to unload shopping etc.

yep when it’s street parking you can’t expect to park in front of your house but I have often hoped those without multiple cars would realise they’re putting others out and park a bit further away/ in a stretch of the road without houses.

I’ve got a car which I only use at weekends. The neighbors for the most part are daily drivers. I park my car at the far end of the next street, which has far fewer houses, so as not to occupy a ‘hot’ space outside.
We only have on street parking, which is currently heavily restricted in the ‘hood because of engineering works.
I can appreciate the neighbors with kids would be pissed off never being able to get a spot, or coming home late and ending up 5 minute walk away.

I'm sorry but this is such a non issue. Of course you can park on the street if you're home before your neighbours. I get it, it's annoying. I've lived on streets where no one has a drive and it's very frustrating. However...everyone's saying they should park somewhere else...and what? Use spaces outside other people's houses. I would bet that the neighbour that's angry about OP's house having 3 cars would be just as upset if people from the next Street over kept parking in front their house. Honestly.

I agree with them. My neighbour has 3 and that’s annoying

I'm so glad I have never had a car. It has saved me a lifetime of grief!

Oh god, you sound like my neighbours who have taken it upon themselves to clutter the entire street with their many cars. It is excessive and unfair to your neighbours. Why is it ok for them to be inconvenienced, but not you or your family?