Blocking a car park space

[birdsandbirds]

AIBU to think you can’t block a car park space (e.g. at a Woodland Trust site) by having people stand in it until your car arrives later?

We experienced exactly this today. We went for a dog walk in our local forest, which we do several times a week. The car park was absolutely heaving but we spotted one remaining space and indicated to park there.

There was a large group of people we’d never seen before, clearly organising a group walk for New Year’s Day, around 20-30 of them. Four or five teenagers were standing in the only free parking space. When we indicated to park, one of the group told us the space was “taken”.

My DP said, “Isn’t it first come, first served?” and they said, yes, we were here first and walk off.

AIBU to think that a parking space isn’t taken until there’s actually a car in it and that you can’t just reserve one by standing in it?

Yanbu. Its rude to do this.

They were so smug and confident about this too. The man who walked over to inform us that the space is taken literally just said this one is taken and when we said it's first come first serve he said we are here first and turned his back to walk off so he was so rude. Then obviously they had positioned 4 or 5 teenagers on the free space to hold it. It was so strange, I've never seen anything like this.

Yeah, you can't "reserve" a space in this way. I hope you stayed put and didn't give way to their stupidness?

It’s a bit rude of them but what could you do? You wouldn’t drive through them into a parking space would you? The others from the group could have been literally 2 minutes behind you and I could see them wanting to park together - no need but nicer.

No, unfortunately, they meant business and we had to back out.

It's not how it works though.

Moving your vehicle in a forward manner is the way to go. Imo.

Yep just drive into the space, or get out while Blocking the space and walk off.

Yes i had this once when i was parking for work. I did just drive partially into the space, and waited. They did complain at me, i pointed them in the direction of the approaching car park attendant

This happened to me and I just sat there half in the space until they moved. I’m pretty stubborn in that respect and I was not giving up a space when people were queuing around the car park. In this case, the driver was in a queue a few cars behind me and the passenger got out to block it.

She had to move as they couldn’t get to the space until I moved anyway.

I'lll add that the rest of that large group had parked in an utterly anti social way all across the car park making it difficult and potentially dangerous to drive out. For a fuller picture this was in a 'naice' area and the large group of people looked all well off.

This would infuriate me so much I would’ve driven into it, playing chicken with them
until they moved.

The behaviour of the man informing us that the space was reserved and the large group as whole looked intimidating.

Why does a group need to park together? That's not how car parks work

I saw this on the front at Newquay Fistral beach.

Someone standing there reserving a space.

A car ignored them and kept driving in until the person reserving left.

There were lots of very invested onlookers!

If the car park was full I'd insist they moved and refuse to back out again, if it wasn't, I'd huff to myself and go elsewhere. I also find it annoying when people open their doors and I want the space next to them, but usually I can go somewhere else.

This happened to me last year at a football match. I reversed into the space with my hand continually on the horn so they got super embarrassed and moved. The smugness is what pushes me over the edge.

Even if that's true surely you wouldnt them go off on your walk leaving your car for them to vandalize/let your tyres down/cover in mud?

IKR?! But this group clearly felt entitled to the whole space.

Why would they do that? They’re just a walking group at a national trust. You can’t go around being a mug because you’re terrified everyone is a criminal.

besides if they did any of those things, I would obviously report them to the authorities and hope that they would expect this and wouldn’t think it was worth being arrested let tyres down.

and if I saw them, I’d smack them about a bit 😱😂 I feel like they would be the ones who would be scared of how angry they’d made me

@birdsandbirds says they were intimidating

Im the last person to think everyone is a criminal but also I'm not getting into beef with groups of strangers unnecessarily

I'm sure you've heard of discretion being the better part of valour

Are you really stupid enough to assault people?

What an absolute QUEEN

Absolutely bizarre that you got my reply deleted?!? Why?

I would have turned into it anyway and blocked it from their approaching car . Leaning on my horn too.