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.

We have 3 vehicles and park 2 on our street. The 3rd goes in a nearby car park. In an ideal world we'd have them outside our house but it would be unfair to our neighbours. So, yes you're being unreasonable!

A lot of 'children' now live at home into their 20s because they can't afford to move out/makes no sense to move out, and they will likely have cars that get them to school/jobs. Not unusual in a lot of family situations.

This is a very good point. Why is it OK to say that one house being shared by multiple adults, each with one car, is selfish; but one or two adults taking up a whole property on a busy street just for themselves is not?!

It's also racially biased, as Asian families are much more likely to live multi-generationally - thus more adults per house equals more cars per house.

It does seem very odd 'higher moral ground' to take, complaining about one (larger) household using three spaces on the public street when you have no drive yourself and thus are also dependent on (and expecting to occupy) one or two street spaces. How would they like it if the people with drives (on which they can park all of their vehicles) accused them of being selfish by impeding the free flow of traffic on the road when there's a free car park nearby?

I haven't read the full thread. I live on a first come first served parking street. So in theory, you have the same right as everyone in the street to park no matter how many cars you have. That's just the way it goes. I would never ask you to park anywhere else. But oh my god would I hate you and your family!

I know that grammar policing is frowned upon, but must say this "myself (and NDN)" crap irritates the shit out of me.

NDN and you both park your cars inconsiderately OP. You may, at times, park yourself inconsiderately too, but that is different.

And with a drive she refuses to use.

This is where I fall too. I’d be very (quietly) annoyed, but I’d accept that you can do as you please.

I wonder if they can ask council to make it a permit parking road?

I am not sure what you think will happen to you or your offspring if you walk half a mile in the dark. People without cars have to walk that distance all the time to catch a bus or go to the shops. In fact people with cars walk that distance all the time as well, because walking in the fresh air is good for you. (and enjoyable!)

If your work or school was half a mile away would you really drive there?

I bet you use your three cars to take you to the gym where you can use a treadmill.

I don't think three cars is that extraordinary but it does sound like its causing challanges for your neighbours. I am sure they would be more understanding if you or your family members had mobility issues.

Suggestions welcomed.

Sell 5 cars and be a lot less selfish.

Use your damned legs some more as well. Half a mile is hardly a marathon.

Our neighbour have approx 11 cars for one house. They get a lot squeezed on their drive but obvs spill over on the street making it hard to get in/out for the rest of us. Drives. Me. Crazy. Houses and streets were not built to accommodate so many per household.

And you don’t feel there is something fundamentally wrong about spending that much?

It's extremely out of order for the neighbours to believe they can decide whether or not a young adult needs a car or not.

Especially as the teenagers will be paying far, far more for the privilege of insuring their cars than they will; and if they want to be petty about it, they've already had many more years of priority parking on the street than a very young adult who can only possibly have been driving for a matter of two or three years or less - maybe it's very much their turn now!

You're being selfish and you know it.
Park one or two of the cars further away and walk just like you're forcing your neighbours to do.

Bit difficult for OP to sell two cars that belong to the neighbours - and then have no vehicles at all for her own household.

Gosh walking half a mile or so in the dark. How awful 🙄

Neighbours from hell. You should cycle.

So because you don’t want to walk half a mile your neighbours have to every time

How does that concern you?

This. I am astonished at the selfishness, sense of entitlement and lack of ability to see how unreasonable this is.

That's a bit like judging and blaming people who live in the south east for spending so much on housing, though.

One car per adult, when they routinely work and travel to different places, is hardly excessive - I'm sure most of us would prefer it if car insurance weren't such an expensive thing to have to pay for; but if we need a car, we don't have a huge amount of choice.

How on earth can your cars all be used on a daily basis? Do you swap ‘em around for funsies?

Park a couple further away and be reasonable and normal to the rest of the street, for goodness sake.

YABU

have some consideration for others

Huh?

That’s just the reality of insuring young ones to drive their own cars. Why is spending that be ‘fundamentally wrong’? It’s not as if I ask the neighbours in the street to chip in towards the cost!

YABU. Very selfish behaviour. If I was your neighbour I’d be petitioning the council to make it permit parking only with only 2 cars allowed per home.

That’s what we did on our street, made it permit parking only to stop the selfish people who were parking loads of cars on our street.