AIBU to challenge a van blocking the pavement on school run?

[PavementParking]

This morning walking my DS to school we encountered a window cleaning van parked on the pavement. He’d parked the van close to a bramble hedge which meant we couldn’t get through. I asked him why he’d blocked the pavement and his argument was a van parked opposite meant he had to park like that. I countered saying the customers drive was completely empty or even a metre back would have left a gap. He accused me of being “arrogant” with my request. He did move and I thanked him and wished him a good day.

Pavement parking is increasingly obnoxious behaviour. Damages the pavement and makes it very difficult for those with pushchairs and wheelchairs. I could have just crossed the road, but wanted to make a point about his inconsiderate parking.

AIBU?

You’re right to do this. I have done it many times before. The drivers get arsey almost every single time but they know they’re in the wrong.

Pavement parking is a scourge. It’s a shame that outside of London, councils don’t bother to do anything about it. It’s not just people driving vans though, it’s school run parents, it’s entitled older folk, it’s people who just can’t possibly park an inch further away than they have to.

It ought to be illegal. If you can’t park safely on the road then it’s not a viable space to park.

I don't think you were wrong to make the point, but it does sound like you were possibly a little bit arogant in the way you went about it. You could both be right.

I don't think you were wrong to approach him, but you did it in a very passive aggressive way. Just say "please can you move the van because you are stopping pedestrians getting past".

I'm struggling to think of any scenario where blocking a pavement by a vehicle is the right thing to do. Maybe a fire engine responding to an emergency, but I'm not sure that a window cleaner counts as an emergency responder.

I think you could have gone about it in a much more polite way.

I'm also wondering if you do the same with all the parents who park inconsiderately each morning and afternoon? They are much more of a problem than a one off occasion of window cleaner not parking as considerately as he could.

Ignore the driver and all the naysayers. The driver just didn't like being called out on his actions. It's his way of justifying himself.

Yes, I’ve spoken with parents who park on double yellows and the yellow zig zags. Some are apologetic, some just ignore you. Maybe that’s why I came across the way I did. Fed up of people taking the piss.

YANBU they don’t think of anyone but themselves. And I think you approached it fine. Why should you have to be sweetness and light when they’re inconveniencing you in a way they should have foreseen and you’ve had to take time out of your journey to either get them to move or walk around them?

I'm not saying he was right to park on the pavement, but he could be right that OP was arrogant 🤣

I support people who use wheelchairs as my job and the amount of pavement parking is insane.

We just squeeze through. If it scratches the car then so be it. Once we accidentally took off the bumper because the space was so tight.

Ableism combined with main character syndrome. It’s not pretty…

These people should be challenged , every damned time, and it is NOT "arrogant" to do so. Van driver was just having a pop at you because he knew he was in the wrong.

So many paving slabs in my town centre have been cracked by this sort of thing, and the council doesn't fix it by replacing the slab - oh, no, presumably it's cheaper just to lift the cracked slab and fill the gap created with some tarmac! The streets are starting to look really scruffy. The council used to complain about having to clean chewing gum off the pavement, and now they're the ones leaving even-bigger 'blobs' all over the place. Grr!

The real solution is to give drivers parked on the pavement 'points' as points means bans.

I understand that the Police can give points but rarely do.

I am noticing that as the same time as driving and parking becomes increasingly restrictive, so more people get bent out of shape by parking/driving they don't agree with. Despite there being fewer accidents year on year, including fewer accidents year on year near schools. Parking on the pavement is annoying but not illegal.

Why in the name of holy fuck should anyone have to be polite to these selfish gits who block pavements, especially when they are close to schools and used by children going to and from school? Arrogant? Fine - I actually feel like screaming "get off the fucking pavement!" in their thick faces (I don't). The sun might be getting to me but it's every sodding day and no-one gives a damn.

Of course you weren't wrong. Just ask him how he'd get through if he was blind or in o a wheelchair .

It's a bit more than 'annoying' to a wheelchair user who may have to double back, find a dropped kerb then negotiate the road to get past the kind soul parking on the pavement.

The issue very often is that people park on the pavement because they are entitled twats who should not be allowed to drive anything wheeled even a shopping trolley.