Neighbour complained about DD’s parking

[soupofthedays]

We live in a cul de sac. Our driveway (red) can fit 2 cars, but since DD just got her driving licence, we now have 3 cars. Every house, except for the 2 at the end, has its own driveway. Our neighbour (green) parks her car on the pavement in front of her house. The neighbour across the street doesn’t own a car, so DD (pink) has started parking there. Our other neighbour (yellow) has asked if DD could park somewhere else, presumably on the road across from the cul de sac, because it’s causing her some trouble. She mentioned that she can still get in and out of her driveway, but she has to pull out, reverse, and then drive through. She can’t just swing around DD’s car as the neighbour (green) parks on the opposite side. She won’t ask the other neighbour to move as she’s always parked there. DD is reluctant to park on the other road because she wouldn’t be able to see her car from our house. I can see both sides really. Are we being unreasonable by saying no as she’s not actually blocking the driveway, or should we have DD park somewhere else?

Sorry about the terrible diagram!

Neighbour is NBU.

We have a very similar situation. Due to neighbours parking opposite and in front of our house (not to mention parking in the turning section of the cul de sac) it often takes complicated manœuvres to get in our driveway. We haven't spoken to our neighbours about it - but if you have been asked nicely to do something about it, then perhaps you should have some consideration.

Whoever parks last should park somewhere else. You shouldn’t be double parking anyway. Could a fire engine fit through?

I’m making an assumption here… but DD should check she’s less than 10m from the junction. I know people who’ve got tickets from that so it does happen even in quiet residential areas.

couldn’t you put two cars on your drive and the third across your drive? Appreciate that will be a bit of a faff sometimes but I’d probably chose that and keep a good relationship with the neighbours… not sure I understand the need to see the car from the house? … but again I’d feel more relaxed about that than winding the neighbours up.

or could you not cope with two cars between the (3?) adults? 😐

You'lr daughter isn't being unreasonable as its a public highway and she can park where she likes as long as its not blocking a dropped kerb etc.
However, if you want to keep the peace then I would move it if it was me. This doesn't However stop someone else in the future who is less polite and neighbourly from parking there as your neighbour doesn't own the right to that area on the road!

Because it is more dangerous to reverse out onto the road - especially with parked cars further impeding your view.

Can’t DD park blocking your drive if she’s last in. Yes, you might need to play musical cars from time to time, but you’re the house with 3 cars & 2 spaces.
Can you extend your drive?

Yes! I remember this rule from mine😂 having learnt later in life

Why does she need to see her car. If it’s going to be stolen it’s unlikely to be when she’s watching it. Personally I set great store on getting along with our neighbours as do they so I’d try my best to accommodate them.

Green neighbour doesn't have a driveway

To be perfectly honest, it depends who's parked up first. The second car to arrive 'home' shouldn't be parking across from the other one.

We had a similar issue. I found it very difficult to get out of my drive if there was a car parked where your daughter parks. Again too many cars on our road. I solved it by taking DH's car and parking it where your daughter parks but parking it in a way that gives me room to get out. DH doesn't use his car during the week so its more or less permanently there.

Well, your neighbour could just manoeuvre - irritating but obviously not too much of a problem.

But your daughter has literally no need to park her car where she can see it, that's a pathetic response. If she does, she could park in front of your drive?

Daughter and neighbour are being pernickety, but for neighbourhood relations I think it should be the extra car - i.e. your daughter - who should compromise if I'm honest.

I would say you are being unreasonable. A house having three cars should show courtesy to neighbours, and it is clear that from your diagram that the yellow neighbour is being inconvenienced. As the one with three cars, I'd say DD needs to park further away and not inconvenience someone who needs to be able to get out more easily.

We have something a little bit similar where I live; there are 20 homes, some tiny (one or two beds) and some with 4 or 5 beds.

Some of the smaller houses now have three cars per house! Even the largest homes should only have two cars per household (it is actually allocated parking here, but those with only one bed and three cars choose to not understand that) as this is a tiny car park serving solely our development. The arrival of third cars is leading to all kinds of issues for people who cannot get in and out without all kinds of manoeuvres.

It is not viable for you to have three cars all parked close to the house.

Neighbour needs to hand back her licence if she finds it tricky manoeuvring around and between pink/green. Perhaps she would find it easier to pull out if she reverse parked onto her drive? She does not own the public highway. DD is fine to continue parking where she is.

Exactly what I was going to say. If there's room she should park in front of your drive so that you are the only ones who are inconvenienced.

Half the houses in my street do this.

I think she should park on the street at the end of OP's drive, then the only household inconvenienced is her own.

I’m curious as to why your DD needs to be able to see her car from the house? Does she propose to randomly check on it to ensure it’s still there? Our cars are on the drive but we can’t see them once the curtains and blinds are all closed, and it’s never once occurred to me to want to be able to see them.

When my kids got cars, it was their problem where they parked. The neighbour need to have a word directly with your daughter. I personally think your neighbour needs to be more attentive when it come to manoeuvring her car off the drive . In our previous house our neighbour used to park directly at the end of our driveway, it was difficult to get out, it was a pain, but we wouldn’t have asked him to park elsewhere.

If it’s parked legally then not much they can do, depends if you want to have happy relations with the neighbours.
Can you extend your drive?

Why isn’t green parking in their driveway? Are they letting visitors use their drive? If not that’s ridiculous and they are contributing to the problem. Your DD technically doesn’t ‘have’ to change their parking but she also doesn’t have to be able to see her car! Could you sell it to her as her car is less likely to be hit by your neighbour?

They don’t have a drive.

As has been said on numerous posts GREEN does not have a bloody drive!

This is what I have to do. Yellow drive neighbour is entitled.

Can DD mount the curb a little to allow better road access? Assume fire brigade / ambulance can get past? Not sure why the neighbour with the drive can't drive in and out if I'm honest? Looks like my parents street, cars are everywhere!

Depends how wide the road is. If it's only three cars wide then with two parked on it opposite each other there's only one car width available to drive on and the yellow neighbour if she's reversed in might have to do a bit of manoeuvring to get out but it also mean she will need to manoeuvre when she comes home to get onto her driveway forwards. So either way she's got to do a bit of manoeuvring that she didn't have to do previously which is quite annoying. Plus DD's car is obstructing yellow neighbour's view as she leaves. Presumably whoever lives opposite yellow has the same problem though.

So whoever parks last out of DD and green is being rather inconsiderate but perhaps not illegal (unless too close to the junction - which it looks like it probably is as otherwise both parkers could park a little further way from people's driveways to the left in the diagram).

I think it's selfish to have more cars than you have driveway space for if you're in a tight cul de sac or similar unless you are prepared to park elsewhere rather than make it difficult for neighbours.