Parking one (with a photo!!)

[DealForTheKids]

Photo taken from my house. Red line is the boundary line. Blue line is where the drop kerb ends. It’s a joint drop kerb serving us and our next door neighbours. Next door neighbours have parked this black car blocking their own driveway, but we cannot get onto ours based on the location of the black car.

AIBU?

That’s totally fair feedback, thank you. I was stressed and focused on being factual because I was trying to get everyone out of the door, but I totally appreciate a ‘please’ would have been appropriate. I did feel in the moment I didn’t need to be grovellingly polite to someone who had fucked up my morning, but I take that on board.

No, as a one off it’s not an issue for the suspension but as mentioned they’re new tenants, we’ve had issues with being blocked in for hours by previous student households so I wanted to maintain a hard line so this doesn’t happen again, as in my experience if you give an inch a mile is taken.

I think you have taken the right approach and hope it resolves the issue.

We’ve actually had good experiences in the past with the uni when parties have gone out of control (which is rare!). One lot had a warning issued and had to send apology letters to the local residents and we were told if it happened again there would be a disciplinary.

Parking issues though I accept are well in the ‘whatever’ bucket for them 🤣

That said there are yellow lines around the area and the council make ££££ every new term so I think they might be invested for want of a better phrase 👀

I'm confused by the second picture, it's parked in ur front "garden" rather than in the drive?

Post this pic through their letterbox (if car definitely owned by neighbour) and include a note saying you will have to contact police (non emergency) next time this happens to get it towed quickly as you needed access to your driveway and they weren't in to move the car.

Remind them it's illegal to park blocking entrances / exits. Weird to do that anyway when they didn't need to. If you have two cars, block them in next time, front/behind. And ignore door when they knock (or answer and say: "yeah, it's annoying isn't it").

Totally fair - the obligatory shit diagram attached

We sent it via WhatsApp (with the lines!) the one tenant I have a phone number for at 8am. She maintains it was ‘slightly’ over the line….

I don’t want to threaten police etc as I know it’s hollow and they won’t give a damn. I’m hoping this is the last of it but as they’re new neighbours and we had bad experiences with the last lot I wanted to get a sense check that I wasn’t being a Victor Meldrew about it (I should hope not at 37 but you never know…)

We have school runs and clubs and work that sometimes starts at 7am and elderly parents who occasionally need a drama call at 10pm and it’s really important that we have access. I have said this to them today.

To be fair the wardens usually do a swoop in freshers week to set down the law and make them understand that bad parking costs - this lot have just come down early!

Well your diagram is a bit off scale, the wall in your actual photo doesn’t even go past your passenger door but in the diagram it’s the length of the car.
If they’re new tenants how do you have their number?

Sorry, I will try and do a better diagram! Incoming.

I have their number as I went around to say hi (as mentioned upthread) to try and keep things friendly in case of issues..

Id get your wall taken down too. Your car is at an angle.

Surely if it’s on your side the pavement issue can’t be that bad?

Next time they do it you’ll just have to keep knocking and banging. Can you go round the back at all?

Awww, mate that's minging. That 'driver' should hang their head in shame.

YANBU to be pissed off!

Is that a pavement between where your car is parked and the grassy area? If so, it looks as though your car is overhanging the pavement so you might want to re-park it before getting enforcement officers round.

(Sorry if I’ve got that wrong).

They shouldn't have parked there, but if you genuinely faffed around getting irate about not being able to get out just to avoid bumping off a pavement that's a bit nuts. This is easy to get out of. Annoying, but easy.

You’re parked over hanging the pavement 🫣

Off topic, but parking there looks so awkward and isn't your wheel on the pavement?

Would you not just park on the road?

Or at least reverse in?

How did you resolve the issue this morning? I was a bit confused whether you were stuck trying to get in or out

Sorry, so many questions 😂

And yes, I'd barely class that as a drive. I assume you're 'meant' to park on the straight bit where the picture is drawn from ?

Why could they not just park outside your house instead! Then they aren't blocking whoever uses their drive, nor yours. Honestly if some folk had brains they'd be dangerous.

Neighbours across from us often half park across their drive menacing we can barely get out as the road is narrow, meanwhile the full "space" outside their house is free so they could just move a metre along.

Your car doesn't fit on your drive, it's on the pavement

We’re over by about an inch - I usually pull in properly but if we have the same shenanigans tomorrow I need the leverage to turn without hitting our bay window.

I hate the low wall and yes I want to get rid of it when we can afford it, but I shouldn’t have to do it as protection for neighbours parking across our access, surely?

Annoying and inconvenient but I think the bigger problem is your car is too big for your drive. You need a lot of space to manoeuvre into that space and the size of that car Vs the size of the drive means you have to work harder to park it. I bet you sometimes reverse onto their drive at the end (where there's no fence) to make life a little easier for you. Live and let live here, I think.

Right, because I am insane and have invoked the MN brigade (entirely my call know!) I have moved the car. Here is my usual parking space aka where I was last night. And the view from the corner just in front of the original pic.

The reason I’d originally not tucked the front in tonight was because if it happens again overnight I can’t get out without hitting the bay window. I have now tucked in the front as usual.

As it’s an HMO, complain directly to the council. They should be ticketed for blocking your driveway. Come on. You need to engage with your ward councillor, find out who the hmo contact is on the council, and point out the impact that’s being created by HMO tenants.

anyway - surely you know the HMO owner can lose their licence if their tenants repeatedly create problems in the neighbourhood? The hmo owners are pulling thousands in rent out of that property and not managing their tenants, who are piss taking twats BTW.

You need to use the licensing process and the council who is paid to administer it - the council is answerable to ratepayers like you.

I will defer to DH (who is watching this thread, hi love) on the car size decision. But I don’t touch their drive on the way out, we’ve been here for years and I’ve nailed the in and out - I have needed to be whiter than white on the parking wars so with the help of the rear camera I know I don’t touch it 😄

To be fair on this you’re entirely correct. But it’s like trying to plug a dam with a finger - the HMOs are big business in a student town and the councillors are trying to walk the line between ‘ordinary’ residents and the student population and what the uni want/need to stay profitable. Parking wars are small fry!