Driveway used by neighbours as a drop of zone for friends/work

[Cherryblossom200]

Hi,

The title says it all really. My neighbours have two cars, both cars block off the area outside of their house. I have a double drive and it gets used as a drop area for children (they run a business from home). I have a child myself so before anyone suggests I hate kids it’s not that I just find it quite annoying and a bit disrespectful if I’m going to be honest. It’s happened roughly 3 times already today.

I’ve lived here for two years now and not made a big deal of it. I’ve said something in passing that the parents don’t use my drive and my neighbour was understanding but it continues. Sometimes the parents drop off the kids and leave, but the vast majority of the time they stop and chat 😝

Before anyone thinks I’m being petty, there is a pretty big parking space the parents can use directly outside my house and opposite my house which they can use. They just don’t want to walk an extra 10 steps so use my drive.

Not sure if I’m being petty, but I do find it quite annoying.

Any ideas what to do?

How long are they parking for? are they leaving the car? If it's a drop off and you are not actually trying to get off your drive at the time they do so, what is the issue other than you would rather they didn't?

Next time someone does it, come up with a reason to go out. Knock on next door and ask them to move the car. If you do that a few times then they'll get the message. It's the nicest way to do it in my opinion

Like I said, it varies. Some just drop and go, but the majority stay for a 5 minute chat and some go in the house and stay for 15 minutes or more sometimes 😆 I’m astounded with how cheeky they are. It’s as if the world revolves around them, and I’m a mum myself.

Also to mention, her supermarket shopping van stops outside my house too and drops off her shopping most weeks.

This week I had to wait with my daughter until he had unloaded his shopping into her house so I could move my car. I’m a single mum and work, I had to drop my daughter at pre school first and nearly late for work. I stood patiently but was inside so angry.

The supermarket delivery is easier to solve, take a photo and email it to the supermarket concerned pointing out that it's an offence to block in your car. Contact them every single time it happens and complain on their social media if they don't solve it within a couple of visits.

Why wait patiently though? Tell them to move and they won’t do it again. If you patiently wait they’ll think it’s ok.

Being a single mum has little to do with it, be more assertive

Why go that far without simply asking them to move though black? Or sit with your hand on the horn till they move (this happens often at work as the carpark is shared residential/office workers).

It would give me the rage. But from experience I know that when you do ask people to move they somehow think they have the moral highground and you are being unreasonable. Usually because by the time it has got to the point where I say something, I am so cross that it does not come out well.

Leaving aside the issue of the supermarket van, do these people stopping at the end of your drive actually inconvenience you, or is it just annoying?

I would start parking just over your dropped curb so there is just not enough space for them to park on your dropped curb behind the neighbours car. Then they have to park further back.

There’s a website now where you can upload photos of traffic violations and fines are issued. I wonder if they would fine for parking over a dropped curb and blocking a car in? One way to find out

Make your own laminated sign, with big letters, saying:

PLEASE DO NOT PARK IN FRONT OF THE DROPPED KERB
ACCESS REQUIRED AT ALL TIMES
THANK YOU

and stick it on your wall.

Sometimes it inconveniences me and other times I just find it annoying and rude considering they can park literally in the space a meter away. Today a mum I saw park her car half way across my drive and halfway in the actual proper parking spot. Just to not have to walk a few extra steps..

“Update”

So yesterday I finally said something. One of the parents dropped off their child yet again while parking across my drive. I went outside and said please don’t do that again. Her response ‘I’ll only be a minute’ I said but this happens with all the parents who drop off their children at my neighbours house, I don’t want it to happen any longer.

Then I saw my neighbour who popped out at the same time, I saw this as a prime oppportunity to bring up the issue with my neighbour again. I explained I didn’t want her clients parking across my drive any longer, that it happens some times 2-3 times during one day alone. She looked at me as if she wanted to say something but realised she didn’t really have any argument and turned around, and slammed her door shut

I then receive a text message from her this evening saying the following:

So, when the kids are all in bed, how are you fixed for sharing a bottle of wine this evening? See if we can sort things out.

I honestly didn’t know what how to respond to this! To my mind, there isn’t anything to be sorted out. She runs a business which impacts me. I have a double driveway her clients use as a temporary parking space and I’m not happy about it. She has room to put in a double drive way and she hasn’t - not my problem.

So I said I would have loved to normally, but I’m really tired from a long week at work (which was true) and having an early night. But that I don’t want parents using the area outside of my drive as a drop off zone any longer and that they can use to parking space to the right of my property.

Honestly what is wrong with some people?

Hmmm... I do think it would be a good idea to have a friendly talk about this rather than terse text messages and brief conversations. It doesn't mean you have to give in but it might help with good neighbourly relations.

I had already done the friendly chat which didn’t work. I was honestly exhausted last night and just didn’t want a neighbour who I am having difficulty with at my house on a Friday night. I live on my own with a young DD so she would have had come to my house (which isn’t huge) and would more than likely woken up my DD who hears everything at night 😆

Suggest that neighbour parks her second car in legitimate parking space in front left of your house and leaves the space over her own drive clear.

She sometimes does do that, but there are times like yesterday where she will teach a large number of students at the same time 😝 so she had cars everywhere - except in the spot next to my house which is a designated parking area. Nope one mum was in such a huge rush 🤣 she could t walk an extra 10 steps.

I’m a mother myself, but honestly I just see some women are such absolutely god damn stupid when it comes to parking. Excuse my language but it is the truth. Parking with kids seems just too difficult for some women to fathom.

My view is my neighbour who runs a business from home should invest in having a double drive. She out of everyone in the street needs it the most to accommodate her clients. Instead she impacts her life on everyone else’s.

Who are these CFs who park across people’s drives?? I just can’t believe they are so prevalent (not that I don’t believe you OP, I’m just shocked at the extent of cheeky fuckery reported on MN). I would never park across someone’s drive, whether there is a car in there which would be blocked in or not.

Put a gate up, an electronic gate so that you can open/shut it from your car.

Block your own driveway exit with your own car.

Take photos of the cars and publish on your local social media sites, contact your council to see if permission needed to run a business from home due to the impact of traffic on your home.

Those of you saying it's public/ council property are not getting the fact that you absolutely can NOT park in front of a dropped curb.

I didn't know this and was two inches over my neighbor's dropped curb and came out of my house an hour later to find my car GONE!

They must have watched me park, called the council and had my car towed instantly.

Cost me fucking 100's and hours to get it back!

I’m going to take someone advice and put a laminated sign up. And yes I don’t understand how cheeky some people are. The only time I have ever stopped across someone drive was in a minor emergency. I thought something was wrong with my new born DD and literally jumped out of my car to check she was ok. I was literally 2 minutes and the owners unfortunately arrived at the same time and tried to park their car, they were so lovely and understanding once I explained and even tried to help. This in my mind are the only times a person should park where ever they can find.