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’s just bad housing design - not putting paths and walkways where pedestrians want to walk. Slim tall planters would be best as I bet the housing designers haven’t bothered designing any green space in either!

While this is very annoying, it's simply how your house was built and there's really not a lot you can do about it.
Some people live in rows of small terrace houses that just open directly onto the pavement, with Joe Public walking right past their living rooms windows day and night.
It's just the set up you have and it can't really be changed.

Yes, it would annoy me, but that’s a me problem I think. Unless I wanted to be one of ‘those’ neighbours who tells people not to stand near their house/car - which I don’t as I abhor those kind of people - live and let live. Unfortunately new build estates aren’t built with privacy in mind.

If they're on your land, block it off.

Like a previous poster has said, you need th planters with trellis attached

GERROFF MY LAND!!!

he he he he he

So it’s just people from 14 and 16? How often is this happening?

It looks like a shit design, and it’s human nature not to choose to walk in the road.

Do you not have cars parked there? Park really close to the wall so they don’t pass through, and put big plant pots right outside your window.

To me this is the same as any houses that open right into a pavement or road. You just get used to people walking past or even standing there.

It happens every day multiple times a day after school.
It houses 8, 14 and 16.
The parents all do it as do their kids who all play together.

I have a car parked there and OH dosent get back from work until 8pm and by that time they have all gone in.

Yes there was a similar one (with a diagram!!) about a month back.

I'd say either a planter, or if you can't "block the path" I'd put a window box planter under the window to A) make it more awkward to walk that way and B) have tall plants which make it a bit more private for you

Would somehting like this work

I used to live in a studio flat on the ground floor where my main window was right on the A5. I didn't mind people walking past my window, talking or not I soon got used to it. Heavy traffic too. But one night there was a minor car crash right outside and that was scary, felt like the building was going to fall down!

I don’t get this so if neighbour at no 14 parks in the bay, they get out of the car they should not go forward but go behind the car & in between the two bays to reach their house?

And if no 16 goes for a walk rather than turning left down the street they should walk past the cars to the road & then turn left.

As pp have said, planters may be an answer. I was lookiing yesterday & Aldi have some large planters/pots on offer from 7th May. Put one or 2 large ones each side of your house & then smaller ones running across the front which you can park up close to.
This will block the "easy access" route your neighbours are using as a pathway.
Although I do like the set up a pp showed with posts, chain & wooden trough planters. That could look really pretty.

And plenty of houses open up to the pavement so I would have thought this was a fairly normal set up.

Just park your car as close to the house as you can (like 10cm), then they'll have to walk round the back, which creates distance.

If you're out, it won't bother you if they do walk close.

I live in quite a rural area, there are 6 houses on our lane. Two women used to walk past and literally approach my living room window to peer in. I only realised this when I was at home off sick for 2 days.
i couldn’t understand the sheer hard necks of both of them. The next day I opened the window and asked for their addresses. When they queried it I said I wanted to look through their windows as they seemed to think it acceptable to look through mine. I also said you are incredibly nosy and rude, do it again and I’ll let my German Shepherd out to chase you off! I don’t have a GS by the way but funnily enough it never happened again! Wishing you the best of luck, some people just don’t have a clue!

oh hang on, we had this exact question a couple of months ago?

That looks like a path.

When you come out of your door would you squeeze between your 2 parked cars to walk on the roadway rather than turn left past nos 10 and 8? I can see that walking past the house doors and windows is a shorter route to the pavement and I would encourage children to do that. Planters could give you some privacy and push pedestrians away from your house.

Make sure there is less than a person's width between the cars and the house.

Can you just park really close up to the house so there's not space?

Be mindful about anything that contains loose gravel, slate etc. The kids will take great delight in playing with that.

I wouldn’t agree put planters along under the window to total block it off……having random people walking past and having conversations would rattle my brain.

I dont think a polite notice would have any effect because people in general are dumb and lazy and will take no notice. If some of your neighbours on the estate already installed some kind of mechanism to stop this access they cannot be forbdden. Or the order is not enforced. I would copy their ideas or maybe ask them where they purchased the fittings. Some of the ideas in this thread look ideal - not too imposing but designed to stop the flow of traffic.

This would annoy me too as I am very private and territorial. I live in a row of "back to front houses". The front doors (where the mail goes) is up an alley behind and a garden gate gives access onto the street. Its possible to cut through from the street via the garden into the alley. I keep mine padlocked and only open it when my gardener comes. One day my garden gate was open as I was expecting a delivery. I was amused when the cctv showed two workmen attempt to cut through my garden and be stopped by a padlocked gate. The language was explicit. They were not MY workmen so I felt no sympathy. They eventually worked out that the path continued around the houses but they would have to walk a little further. And no they dont have to walk on the road there is a pavement and a footpath.

So who is walking Down that stretch?

unlikely to be opposite as no need.

unlikely to be neighbours as they lark in front of own houses.

unlikely to be random Joe Bloggs as a cul and so not passing through.

but I do agree with nice plant pots at the tip of your spaces preventing a path