AIBU to park my van on the road?

[Vantopark]

My family and I live in a quiet village. DH and I have 2 cars between us which we park on the driveway. DH also has a separate work van which can’t fit on the drive, so he parks it down the road. He can’t park it directly outside our house because the road is narrow at this point and it would cause an obstruction. So he parks it legally on the road a bit further down where the road widens. It is not parked directly outside anyone’s house as there are no houses there, but it can be seen from some people’s windows at a distance. The parking is not at a premium, and there is always plenty of space left for other people to park there should they wish.

The other villagers seem to hate this. Their objection is based purely on the fact that they don’t like the look of it (it is sign-written). Not that it is obstruction anyone or using up valuable parking spaces (because it isn’t). They don’t have any objection to the other cars that are parked there. We’ve been asked repeatedly to move it, but as we haven’t obliged they are starting to get more aggressive, stopping me in the street to call me a ‘fucking selfish bitch’ etc. There are things I can see out of my windows that I would rather weren’t there, but I think that’s just village life isn’t it? There isn’t anywhere else that we can park the van in the village, anywhere else would be even closer to people’s houses.

YABU: yes you are a selfish bitch and the van shouldn’t be there

YANBU: You are legally entitled to park the van there, crack on and the neighbours need to get over it.

Sorry everytime someone’s says villager I just picture this.

I blame the children.

I don't think YABU. No one has a drive way on my street and quite a few people own vans that just have to be parked on the road. It's just life.

Presumably OP has chosen to live in this village because she likes the look and feel if it. That hasn't been maintained by accident, it's because small communities self regulate and maintain standards. I wouldn't want to live like that either, but I wouldn't choose to live in a pretty village or a small community.

Just ignore them . Your Dh pays road tax and these people don't own the road . Keep a record of any demands to move it .

😂😂😂

I also thought this and heard the noise in my head

it would either have been being ignored or law changed earlier than the 90's I live on a naice estate in a naice area and a couple of self employed residents have always kept their vans on the estate. We have got plenty of visitors parking bays so they use those.

YANBU. Where I am the main roads and side streets are packed with cars and vans from houses right across the village as many don't have parking (driveways or on-street). It's just how it is. Someone recently popped up on Facebook to complain about a car parked outside her house when they didn't live on the street and they were shut down very quickly!

Is there anything you can do about your driveway to make space for one car plus the van?

The other villagers till they spot ops van lol

But assuming that the tradesperson isn't working 24/7, the van doesn't simply disappear into thin air whilst the tradie is not at work.

Plenty of trades/Self-employed people don’t have a premises so only being able to park it at a work location is a non-starter. We had very similar & I feel for you. Assuming it’s not blocking light or immediately outside somebody’s window, then just being able to see it is simply snob factor in having a van in the vicinity of your house & frankly ridiculous and entitled.

Honestly, I’d either start parking the van where is most convenient and then politely explain to people when they moan that they weren’t happy where you had it before so If they’re going to moan, regardless you might as well patk somewhere more convenient. Either that or swap your two cars for one van for a week - park legally but as close as you can and certainly without any significant consideration for your neighbours and see how that goes down.

I would move the van when swirn at by rhe neighbours. To right outside their house

I would move the van when sworn at by the neighbours. To right outside their house

It sounds like you have picked the most considerate spot to park the van. If the neighbours aren't happy how about parking in a less considerate (though still legal) spot closer to your house for a few days and they might come round to the fact that the first place was better.

This!

Might be a good idea to get a camera installed too.

You are being considerate. Carry on. If you are sworn at again, simply say you will report harassment to the police. This is the downside of village life, offensive twats.

Assuming that the van is parked legally (which it sounds like it is) then as Judge Judy would say, them not liking it comes under the category of too bad.

A lot of it is pure class-ism, as they perceive a tradesperson as 'beneath them' - unless they need him to work for them, of course.

Any of them could be working from home all day too, but because they have what they perceive as a more middle-class job and only need a laptop - rather than a vehicle and tools - they're 'special'.

Essentially, if you EVER want to use a self-employed tradesperson for any job in your property, they will almost certainly have a van. That van has to be somewhere at all times, and the only place that makes any sense when the owner is not at work is close to their home.

These people must lead exceedingly dull lives if all they ever do is spend their days staring out at the road from their window and ponder which of the vehicles parked there are pretty enough to meet with their approval.

Could DH leave the van at his work base and commute in his car? Just a suggestion…….FWIW I think the neighbours are being total knobs though.

YANBU we get quite a few vans parked opposite the houses next to us as opposite us the terrace ends but the houses on our side continue. I’ve never given them a second thought. I think you should park outside the complaining neighbours homes then they will soon realise that when you park down the street it’s not so bad after all.

What on earth is 'a white van man type of area' ? Are villages zoned?
On our city street there are all sorts parked, from fancy big SUVs to work vans, motorbikes and our ancient camper van. Nobody gets exercised about what is where, and until disability bays were a thing, there was an unspoken agreement that a space would always be left for one neighbour that needed it close to their house.

Imo work vans should be parked at the place of work.

One of my neighbours suggested this to my ex. He pointed out that this would make things rather difficult when he was on call out, as the nearest company site was 20+ miles away, and that could be nearly 30 miles or more away from the location of the emergency itself.

The neighbour objected to the van being parked in our drive though, it was never parked on the street, mainly because it had thousands of pounds worth of kit on it.

You can't win with these fuckers and imo it's simple snobbery. Vans are for the manual trades and working classes, not naice middle class white collar workers. They think it "lowers the tone" of the neighbourhood!

Maybe you could just tell them that you are in the process of trying to move house and then they might be happier to wait.

I had a neighbour with two estate cars and a large transit van and they had constant problems with parking. Nobody criticised them but they seemed very often to be frustrated about parking. The only thing that really solved the problem was when they moved house to a new place with a larger driveway.

Your neighbours sound entitled and ridiculous. Why anyone thinks they have a right to complain about legal and considerate parking is beyond me.

Now That is bonkers. You should be allowed to park whatever you want on your drive. Hell an aeroplane if it will fit.