Would this bother anyone or am I just being petty? Neighbours walking past

[thebakera]

I recently moved into a house which is a modern new build with 2 allocated parking spaces outside my living room and front door.
So it isn't a driveway as such but 2 parking bays designated for this property.

A few of the neighbours use it as a short cut to go from A to B and they literally are walking right by my living room window multiple times a day.

At times they will even have conversations.

The kids do it as well and it is really annoying me.

I want to kindly ask them to stop as I feel it's invading my privacy but feel petty doing so.

Would this annoy anyone else?

It would annoy me too but saying something probably won't do much. Humans will always take the shortest, most convenient path which is why architects and planners refer to 'elephant paths'. You have an elephant path outside your window, unfortunately. Your best bet is to put something in place which makes the path feel less direct and intuitive but also means you can still park, like some large pots of plants.

I had this in a new build, I lasted six months before moving!! I’ve heard some people put flower pots in their bays to try and reduce it happening, would this work?

Can you fence it? Add big plant pots?

Have you posted about this before?

There was a very similar thread a little while back where the advice was huge flowerpots or small fences if you're allowed.

I was thinking fencing but I am not sure how I could do it?
I have seen fence barriers on a few of the houses here as it seems to be a recurring issue with some of the other neighbours.

I have not seen a good diagram on MN for a while!! Let's have one!!

Can you post a photo or diagram, then we might be able to suggest what would work in this space.

So can you copy what the others have done?

Maybe if not fencing then as a pp said big flower pots that will prevent them from passing so close to your window. Some kind of obstacle anyway, as long as they still have room to pass but slightly further away.

Freestanding planters with trellis 👍🏻

You need to check your covenants before putting up fencing. I used to live on an estate where fences were explicitly banned in the restrictive covenants and the managing agent would make people take them down.

Some nice large pots, attractively planted, will look so much better than fencing IMHO.

Yes, I can’t actually visualise this. So you have no private front garden/driveway, OP? It’s all communal space out front, but the two parking spaces in front of your house are designated as ‘belonging to number 82’? Is there a path between your front door and the parking area that the neighbours are walking along, or are they walking across your parking spaces when empty? Where are they going?

Need a diagram. Is it a footpath? If its like some of the houses round here, it's just the footpath so nothing you can do...

Like this?

Hi there is no garden/driveway at the front.
Each property is designated 2 parking spaces belonging to each house.
There is no footpath just the spaces and the neighbours are coming onto my parking spaces to cut through.

Yes like this, thanks for the pic. I was just about to draw a diagram lol.

But there is no footpath just the parking bays.

I'd bolt some low trellis to my house and attach it to some heavy planters or something into the parking bays, like you say others have done?

We still need a diagram!!!

Or this (photo)

So they’re walking between the parked cars and your front door/front windows? What about @TeaPot496 ’s suggestion?

I too thought I've read this exact thread- almost weekly.
If there is no footpath between the properties, how else can people walk from one house to the other? Were does the postman walk to get from house to house?

I too was going to suggest large troughs or planters, even if you have them on wheels and can push them with 2 people if needed.

So it's your front 'garden' with just parking spaces?

@TeaPot496 ooh yes, looks perfect

That's what happens in those sorts of new builds unfortunately.