Insane parking behaviour - intentionally blocked in

[sadkittymum]

I was coming back to my car last night after a shift at work (I’m a vet). The branch I was at does not have a car park, so I was parked on the road next to the practice. I’ve been parking on this road for over a year with no issues, but it is busy as it is also next to a school. I parked my car in front of someone’s house, however no part of my car was over the dropped kerb, and I was in no way restricting access onto their drive. I was behind another car.

Upon my return, the owner of the house that I was in front of had moved their car so it was directly behind mine (the bumper was, and I am not at all exaggerating, 5cm from the back of my car). She had specifically moved her car (leaving her own drive clear of a car, and now parking her car to block her own drive), to do this. This left me completely blocked in as there was also a car in front of me.

Not knowing what to do, I went to knock on the door and I could see that the woman had gone upstairs and was not responding to me at the door. I even knocked on neighbours doors to try to get some help! After about 15 minutes of this, another member of the house arrived home in his car, so I approached him and said the car blocking me needed to be moved. It was also preventing him from getting on his own drive! The woman came out, and said nothing at all other than ‘I’m only moving this to allow him on the drive’.

I really really regret not saying anything but I just was so glad to get in my car and drive away from there. I’m only 25 and very non confrontational and this was a middle aged couple! Surely it cannot be legal to do this - what if I had had an emergency and I was stuck? I was parked on a public road not obstructing them!

Pretty sure I am not being unreasonable, but is this something that people do???

From you post it sounds like you were not unreasonable. BUT i wonder if your assessment of their ability to get out would match theirs? Where I live we have a lot of people coming in to park to go into town and avoid car park fees. I will often have people up to the edge of my drive on both sides and someone else parked opposite- which makes it impossible to actually get out.

I live on a road next to a very large park popular with dog walkers. It is a fairly narrow road with no pavement and is always parked solid on the side opposite my driveway. That makes backing into my driveway quite tight, involving a 3 or 4 point manoeuvre. However, I’m quite adept at it now and I wouldn’t dream of remonstrating with the owners of the parked cars as they are all parked legally.

That doesn’t stop people driving on the road shouting at me if they think I am taking too long to back onto my drive. The biggest CF was the dog walker who ranted at me calling me “selfish” for parking on the road “when you have your own drive”. Which at the time had a skip sitting on it. Apparently he thought random dog walkers should get priority for parking on the road and people who actually live there shouldn’t be allowed to!

I have a drive where people park right up to the edge on both sides. It can make it really hard to pull out as the road isn't particularly wide so you need a slight angle to go in either direction without hitting the parked cars. So with oncoming traffic doing a 3 point manoeuvre can be quite stressful as people aren't particularly patient nor give you the space to do so.
So suspect she just saw red but that's no excuse. Chalk it up, you didn't do anything wrong and gently use your bumpers next time if no-one answers the door.

This

How closely were you parked to the vehicle behind you? Surely that one wasn't bumper to bumper too?
From experience commuters often think they'll be able to get out of their space when they park up but seem to forget things are liable to have changed by the time they return at the end of the day.
Not excusing her behaviour BTW.

They are not 'randoms' though, they are people who need to get their sick animals to the vet, and the vets who care for these animals. They need somewhere to park close to the surgery. I wish someone would organise a campaign reminding people that anyone can park in an unrestricted road and we all need to be considerate of each other.

I had to google that word, but yes, I'm talking about the vets surgery not having a car park as the main issue for the fact the OP had to park on the road?

People who are saying call 101, how long would a response from that actually take? Surely by the time the police arranged to tow the other vehicle the car would have been moved. Or do people mean call 999 ?!

The car might not have been moved until the next day.
It's possible the owner would have moved the car if the police knocked on their door.

I am not sure I would have called the police, but I definitely like the idea of putting a note through the door to say you would call them next time.

So did I. For a minute there I thought the Jackson 5 were about to blame it on the boogie!

Yes, thank you. I've mentioned that on previous similar threads and people seem to think that it's just fussing to care about other people who need those dropped kerbs (not to mention the actual pavement itself).

When somebody applies to drop a kerb, the council considers several factors when deciding whether or not to grant the application. If approved, the kerb isn't just dropped for the homeowner wanting to access a drive (even though they may have submitted the application), and it's breathtakingly arrogant to assume that it is.

OK, a pram/pushchair might be slightly different, as it's very useful to have a dropped kerb, but it's probably not overly difficult to lift up the wheels carefully to mount a standard kerb; but for an adult using a wheelchair, mobility scooter, rollator, other walker etc., it's an absolute lifeline for their independence. Ironically, a car can usually mount a standard kerb anyway at a bit of an angle (even if not recommended long-term); a wheelchair not so much.

It could be very satisfying, actually, as the kind of people who do this are probably also the kind who would notice a police car pull up on the street, and would dash out to see what some naughty, antisocial person had done to lower the tone of their street... only to be told that it's them!

Urgh. What a petty twat. I’m really cross on your behalf OP!

I ‘expect’ the police have more to deal with!

Where do we draw the line, though? Do we avoid reporting burglaries, shoplifting or sexual harassment to the police because they have murders to deal with? The police are there for a wide range of duties; some of them will be gravely serious, others may be less so and more routine.

Deliberately blocking somebody from being able to use their car IS serious. They could have life-threatening circumstances for which their car is imperative - it absolutely isn't up to some random resident to decide when or where a stranger is free to travel or not.

Someone did this to me once. They did not move for me and said that they had called the police, about me. I had to go home on the bus. Went back several hours later with husband and they finally moved their car. We were about to go on holiday for a week and i was tempted to leave it there while we were away to teach them a lesson lol.

One day I will tell my own tale of parking woe.
I live in a cul de sac, have a drive which I use. Residents of nearby retirement flats have their own car park which is restricted.
My son has a small car and parks on the road out of the way. A new resident moved into one of the flats and decided he didn’t want to park in the car park and he wanted to park on the road. No mobility issues apart from being an arsehole. There are usually 8 or 9 spaces in the car park.
We obviously don’t own the road but he was caught one day squeezing into a tiny gap between my son’s car and our neighbours car and he had hit my son’s car in the process.
Scuff marks on my son’s bumper which I photographed.
Then I wrote a polite note saying that there were plenty of spaces in the car park, he had been seen hitting my son’s car and then walking off and inviting him to a chat with me and my husband later.
He didn’t park there again and now uses his allocated car park. I had Vaseline at the ready to smear on his rear windscreen!

They're called bumpers for a reason

I had that happen to me many years ago when I parked on a public road near a station. One of the people in a local house had vans and he parked them both right up to me both front and back. I did manage to get out by moving back and forwards a million times, not sure if he planned for that! But i was lucky as my next door neighbour got her car keyed twice. Both of us parked on a straight-forward road with driveways and garages and weren't causing an obstruction. This was a while ago too so cars were smaller and households didn't have as many.

The problem is that they used to get away with wee bumps, but nowadays, they're not nearly so robust and sprayed in matching paint so that any scuffs are seen.

I preferred when they were just plain metal.

Yes, do this.
Blocking a dropped kerb is an offence (even your own), so they would get a ticket.

I would go back the next day, park a ross the drive and then say “oh sorry, I assumed because you parked here yesterday that it was ok” with a big smile.

But I’m small minded and petty.

was it the same car in front of you as when you parked? How close to it were you? I’ve been pretty hemmed in (not your situation but someone parking very very close), but through 100 manoeuvres got out.
However what a petty woman. She should be ashamed of herself and I’d be tempted to park there again and call the police as suggested, but also I’d be leaving enough space to the from to get out.

Ha! You have no idea how many people think NHS workers have carte blanche to park where we like .
Most of our housebound patients wouldn't have OSP they didn;t need them. Any spare spaces were taken .
They would say "but you SHOULD have a Permit / be able to park on a yellow line /double yellow" .
But we don;t have them and I am treated like any other motorist . (They would rant for five minutes about how I should but that changes nothing )

Putting a note on the car can draw attention to it ( A Vet might be carrying animal drugs and syringes )

I parked (legally) and came back to see a man hurrying away from his car that he'd wedged in front of mine . I thought I could get out if I tried but it was one of those Wheels On The Kerb Parking ( there was a sign ) so if I drove forward my wheel was wedged and I couldn't bump back up.
I followed him ( he was in a hall) and got him to shift . I was in my Uniform , he saw me approach my car in uniform when he left his .

If the space that the OP occupied is taken by another driver I hope they won;t be so polite to this pair .

Every parking thread where the driver knocks , the advice on MN is "Say you've had a glass /bottle of wine so cannot possibly drive "

(Though I'd be thinking you pair of piss heads if I was your son )