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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To expect commuters to park in a carpark rather than outside my house?

177 replies

feelingabitfestive · 15/12/2008 09:57

bought my house a couple of years ago. Like every other house in the street, everyone with a car has to park on the street. None of us has a garage or driveway. This didn't bother me much when we bought the house, as we only have one small car which we use at weekends, the rest of the time dh and I catch the train to work.

What does annoy me and sends my blood pressure spiralling is the fact that commuters take full advantage of the fact my street is a 10 minute walk to the train station, by parking up every morning. There is ample station car parking but it costs about £3 a day, hence why people park for free in my road. Every morning commuters in their cars arrive in droves to park for the day. What upsets me is the fact that DH and I made the choice to buy a house near town, so that we can walk to the train station. We could have bought a nicer, cheaper house outside of town and do what everyone else does, ie park in my road, but we didnt. I feel angry that the commuters who park in my street are benefitting from living somewhere nicer than me ie outside of town and yet benefit from my street.

Was on the train coming home last week and almost lost it. There were 2 blokes having a chat. First bloke says to his mate "do you want a lift home, I'm parked in the station carpark?". His friend says "no thanks, I've parked for free in xxxxxx road, it's very convenient". I end up confronting the bloke and getting myself in a sticky situation.

Everyone else including my dh tells me to just accept this is the way things are, but morally surely this is wrong!

My first time posting here

OP posts:
crokky · 15/12/2008 10:00

I don't think it is morally wrong. People parking on your road have paid their road tax and they are entitled to do this. If you want to do something about it, you could ask your council to make the road residents parking only or some such thing. You shouldn't feel angry about people parking their cars legally on a public road.

littleducks · 15/12/2008 10:05

well it isnt your road

i can see its annoying, but you could request the council make the road residents parking only (so you have to pay to park there)

or be grateful you arent to inconvenienced by it, imagine if you needed to park after all the commuters arrived daily?

SatsumaMoon · 15/12/2008 10:05

It's not really inconveniencing you is it? You are away from home all day... They are perfectly entitled to park there unless there is controlled parking. We have a similar situation in my street - but it does inconvenience residents because it is impossible to find a parking space when returning from the school run, going out shopping, etc. We've all had to learn to live with it though and are hoping the council will introduce controlled parking sometime soon. If some of your neighbours have similar problems they need to approach their local council.

silentnightplease · 15/12/2008 10:05

YABU - roads belong to anyone who pays car tax. Station car parking is expensive plus we are always being told to take more exercise so parking further out and walking is good for you!

Sorry for being blunt - the believing in santa thread has wound me up - don't mean to be rude or mean - it's just my opinion.

Tortington · 15/12/2008 10:06

its not your road.

Tortington · 15/12/2008 10:06

and if you and dh both catch the train, your car would be outside your house i presume?

Tommy · 15/12/2008 10:07

I think you must live in my road...

It is very annoying isn't it but, as the others have said, it is a public road. My visitors often have real problems trying to find a space near my house.

It's a fact of modern life I'm afraid

kitbit · 15/12/2008 10:10

You can ask the council to make it residents parking only but you'll have to pay an annual fee for the convenience. Otherwise, annoying as it is, sadly you'll have to put up with it.

DeckHallsWithFIMBOughsofHolly · 15/12/2008 10:13

I can sympathise.

My house opens directly out onto the pavement (new build = no front garden), my neighbours visitors think it is their god given right to park right outside my front door half up on the pavement and half on the road (you wouldn't get past with a pram to my door). I don't want people parking there and have stuck plant pots out. My dc bedrooms are at the front and I am fed up of them being woken up by car doors slamming, people yakking at all times of the night and the worst tooting when they leave! Arrgh.

Sorry that turned into a rant!

CrackopentheBaileys · 15/12/2008 10:13

I agree with crokky. Although you cant help but be annoyed by this, it's not morally wrong, they have paid their tax and there are no restrictions.
Do you actually need the space? If you do, you culd try putting a cone there, but they are within their rights to just move it if you want to. Maybe you could get some police cordon tape from Ebay?

StephanieByng · 15/12/2008 10:16

It's ridiculous to be worried about this. No-one has a right to a space on the road.

TheSweetLittleBunny · 15/12/2008 10:19

It is annoying, but it's not your road. People pay road tax to use the public highway.
It makes me really cross when people who choose to live near schools, train stations, etc, moan about people who rightfully park on the PUBLIC highway. Especially when they take to leaving, wheelie bins, chairs, etc outside on the road to stop people legitimately parking there.
I'm sorry if you don't like it then don't live somewhere like that - live in a suburb. It's like people who live near airports and complain about the aeroplanes. Grrrr!

unavailable · 15/12/2008 10:20

YABU - for the reasons already mentioned. It sounds as if you are regretting the choice of home you made, and wish you'd gone for the "nicer, cheaper house on the outside of town". Well, you live and learn.

What did you say to the man at the station? He must have been gobsmacked?

CrackopentheBaileys · 15/12/2008 10:21

sorry that should read 'if they want to'

kslatts · 15/12/2008 10:23

I agree that YABU, you do not own the road and as long as the cars that are parked there have a valid tax disc then they have every right to park there.

I would always choose to walk 10 mins than pay £3 a day to park, I think most people would.

spicemonster · 15/12/2008 10:27

I understand that it's annoying but they are legally allowed to park there. I pay 100 quid a year for the joy of parking outside my house as I live very near a tube station. If it really riles you, contact the council. If you and enough of your neighbours feel the same way, you could possibly get residents parking introduced. Then you wouldn't feel powerless at least

amidaiwish · 15/12/2008 10:28

this reminds me of when i was at university and the locals had a real problem with any student who dared to park anywhere in the town.
I was getting bollocked by some old man once about parking in a residential street near to the campus, i just pointed at my road tax and told him that gives me the right to park where i want to if it isn't a controlled parking zone.

but i do understand that it is annoying. if the parking situation is that difficult for residents then the council will introduce a controlled zone. The one near our station doesn't allow parking between 8.30am and 10.30am which stops all the commuters parking there.

lizandlulu · 15/12/2008 10:30

we put comes outside our house when we absoloutley need a space but are lucky enough to have space to park on the drive.

but i agree with the op about it being annoying.

one woman who parked outside our house, earlier in the year was waving widley making gestures to me, so i went out to see what she wanted and she was shouting at me to move my car as she couldnt get out of the space as my car was parked too close to hers.

it wasnt even my car, she just thought it was cause it was outside my house.

KatieDD · 15/12/2008 10:33

I used to live in a street with the same problem it does drive you mental especially if you can't get a parking space outside your own front door.
Write to the council and ask them to introduce a permit parking system, that worked for us although the council also put in a pay and display machine that was more expensive than the car park but some people still used it.

nappyaddict · 15/12/2008 10:34

If you buy a house with no off road parking the fact of the matter is you're going to have to learn to live with the fact that you might not always be able to park right outside your house and other people might park there instead slamming their doors and waking your kids up.

malovitt · 15/12/2008 10:35

We live near a tube station, and our council introduced 'residents only' parking from 10am until noon, thereby stopping commuters from parking all day.

After it was introduced, we realised how much of the space was actually taken up by commuters. Although we now have to pay for a permit, there is loads of space now, and having a short residents only period means that visitors can park after 12 for free.

DeckHallsWithFIMBOughsofHolly · 15/12/2008 10:39

Well I still think its wrong, not just for my dc but for people trying to get past. It's not really legal to half park on the pavement and road.

UnquietDad · 15/12/2008 10:40

I used to live in a street near a tram stop which was convenient for a football ground. Every other Saturday it would be full of people parking for the football. Not the same annoyance as every day, granted, but it used to piss us off, especially if we'd gone out to do the shopping and then, with a young baby, had to park half a mile up the bloody road when we got back.

nappyaddict · 15/12/2008 10:41

No that part is not on and you should ring the police.

edam · 15/12/2008 10:42

Everyone's right that people are entitled to park on a public road with no restrictions but I can see that it's annoying if yours attracts commuters. Since all the other roads round our town centre got residents' parking lots of people have started to use our road - a dead end so not somewhere anyone would usually come unless they live her or are visiting. It's irritating because people have been pushed in our direction!

There ARE plenty of parking spaces in car parks by the station and town centre but people are cheap. And the little buggers obscure my vision as a pedestrian when I need to cross with ds. Some of them are cheeky enough to come and park in the resident's bays - we don't have controlled parking but these bays are clearly intended for residents. I haven't bothered to push for parking restrictions as it would be a hassle for visitors. Just one of those minor irritations.