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I am seething!

(19 Posts)
sunseeker Sat 18-Apr-15 14:28:17

Just got back home after a spending a lovely morning with friends, did some grocery shopping on the way home and was looking forward to a relaxing cup of coffee - only to find someone has parked at the top of my drive making it impossible for me to drive onto my property. I did a round of the neighbours to ask if they knew who the car belonged to but they didn't. One neighbour did say that she saw the car parking and didn't think anything of it as I get a lot of visitors but she did think it a bit odd when they unloaded bikes from the cycle rack on the back of their car shock

The devil on my left shoulder was telling me to "accidentally" scratch their car bringing in my shopping or let down one of their tyres, but the angel on my right shoulder has prevailed and I haven't done anything like that!

Under normal circumstances I am quite relaxed about people parking on the drive (there are several nice walks in my area and no parking) but most people park at the bottom of the drive which leaves me free to come and go and if these people had done that I wouldn't have thought twice about it.

I have parked my car across the front of theirs (the only way I can park without blocking the lane) so they will have to get me to move my car before they can leave. I was thinking of asking them for a £10 cheque payable to a local charity as a "release" fee but I'm not sure I can legally do that.

So apart from giving them a lecture on their selfishness, any suggestions as to how I should deal with them when they return?

Soutra Sat 18-Apr-15 14:34:56

You could be out?grin but I appreciate how angry you are feeling. If they truly can't get out without you moving yours, let them stew, but if there is the chance they might scratch your car, take a few pics on your phone of both vehicles now. Including clear pic of number plates.

merlotgran Sat 18-Apr-15 14:36:33

I would certainly leave a note on their windscreen stating why I had blocked them in but I wouldn't sound off too much unless it happens again.

People are just stupid thoughtless sometimes so I'd give them the chance to apologize.

pompa Sat 18-Apr-15 14:41:08

This reminds me of an incident shortly after new neighbors moved in. One of their cars was periodically parked across the entrance to my drive. One day it was so far across, I could not get out. I was a bit concerned about complaining as they were street traders and appeared to be rough diamonds, but I was really annoyed. He came out, swearing like a trouper that it was his daughters boy friends car. He proceeded to drag it up the road with his van (brakes still on) and left it on the side of the lane. He apologized and said it would not happen again. They turned out to be the best neighbors we have ever had, and still are.

Charleygirl Sat 18-Apr-15 14:44:44

I agree, people do not think- it is no.1 first. Blocking them in is an excellent idea. Do you have a walking stick or better still a pair of crutches, so that you can show them how much they have inconvenienced you?

glammanana Sat 18-Apr-15 14:47:11

I would certainly not answer the door straight away sunseeker make them wait whilst carefully watching their actions,I would then after a while answer the door and say how inconvienient it was of you not to hear them knocking ask them how do they deal with people who park in their driveways it may make them think about being polite in the future.

Lilygran Sat 18-Apr-15 14:51:37

If you are blocked in or out by someone parking in the wrong place, the police may take action. Unfortunately, if the people have gone on a lovely long bike ride, the police probably won't be able to contact them. Might ticket them?

annodomini Sat 18-Apr-15 15:26:31

I once got the police to ticket a car blocking my entrance/exit. They took pictures. On other occasions I have left a note on the windscreen. In fifteen years, it has happened very rarely.

sunseeker Sat 18-Apr-15 16:17:03

Well, the cyclists have returned! One of them rang my bell and just said could I move my car as they needed to leave!! I told him I would have to look for my keys - after several minutes during which I could see he was getting impatient, I went out and laughed saying that the keys were in my bag the whole time. I then asked him why he felt it was OK to park where he did, he became a bit aggresive and said that just because I lived in the country didn't mean I owned the whole countryside. I quietly and calmly said that was the case but I did own the bit he was currently trespassing on! I asked why he hadn't parked at the bottom of the drive where it would not have caused me any inconvenience and he said it was because they didn't want to have to push the bikes up the steep drive shock.

By this time one of my neighbours had appeared in his garden and was slowly making his way towards us. I didn't want there to be any problems so I told the cyclists that if they parked there again I would have them towed away (can I do that?).

I did suggest they let me have a cheque made out to a local charity but they said they didn't have a cheque book with them, which I can believe as not many people carry cheque books these days, they then said they didn't have any cash on them either - which bearing in mind they were on a bike ride is I suppose understandable. I just stood there looking at them and eventually they said they would send me a cheque - I gave them the name of the charity it should be made out to and then moved my car.

Anyone want to give me odds on whether I receive the cheque or not!! grin

pompa Sat 18-Apr-15 16:26:35

Good on you SS. smile

aggie Sat 18-Apr-15 16:28:38

Well done that was a good bit of work xxxx

Mishap Sat 18-Apr-15 18:03:39

Well done!

Would it be possible for you to nail a notice to a fencepost to the effect that people should not park so as to obstruct the entrance?

Parcs Sat 18-Apr-15 18:10:55

Just say Please can you not park on my drive in future.

I get cyclist try to secure their bike outside my door because I have railings, it annoys me because it attracts bike thieves, and so if I see them I will go out and ask politely for them not to secure their bike to the railings, I actually explain my reasons, sometimes their ok with it sometimes I get hostile looks and under breath moaning but I still will stop it every time

gillybob Sat 18-Apr-15 18:16:33

When we lived in our last house we constantly had problems with commuters parking at the bottom of our drive and walking to the nearby railway station. They were often gone all day too. It got so bad that one of our neighbours contacted the police who informed us there was no legal right to get onto your own drive but you do have a legal right to get off your own drive. In other words if you are out and someone blocks your drive making it impossible for you to get onto it then legally it's tough.

People are just so bloody selfish aren't they? Where we live now there are no drives or garages but every house has one allocated parking bay. I often have people parked on the block paved (pavement) outside my front door when their parking bay lies empty but they are too lazy to walk around.

Stansgran Sat 18-Apr-15 18:28:18

I've spent the last three weeks struggling to get in and out of my drive. Both sets of. Neighbours have had drastic building work with skips ,lorries ,vans ,scaffolding lorries. One lot had been told by the neighbours to respect our exit but the obviously thought my car was made of rubber,could bend and it could breathe in. The other lot I think were moonlighting and their hours seemed to be from four pm until dusk.they were on the roof with no scaffolding or hard hats and their cans of beer..... We had to ask everytime we wanted to come in and out.

AshTree Sat 18-Apr-15 19:57:19

Well done Sunseeker, good for you! I cannot abide selfish, thoughtless people. My daughter lives on a 'starter home' estate, where there are very few driveways, so parking bays are allocated one per house. She doesn't drive, so her allocated bay should, in theory, be available to us whenever we visit. But of course it isn't. Not only are all the bays occupied, but every bit of available kerbside is often occupied as well.
What is so frustrating is that in some cases on the estate the parking bays are marked with the house no. they belong to, but not the four outside my daughter's block. It's just a free for all angry

Mishap Sat 18-Apr-15 20:17:56

These starter home estates are quite ridiculous. The planners know that people will have cars and even (heaven forfend!) the occasional visitor who will need to park somewhere. How can architects in the 21st century not realise that people have cars?

glammanana Sat 18-Apr-15 20:51:37

Where I live we have 8 parking bays for 16 apartments,maybe the reason is that they are supported housing and when you are over 55 maybe you do not need to own a car ??
Only 4 of us have cars to be honest but the vacant ones are for visitors or Doctors etc if needed,last summer a lady who lives in one of the apartments (she has a car) had her sister visit for a month,the sister arrived in her car towing a caravan duely parked it up and parked her car alongside so we where down to 1 parking bay spare for visitors etc,the daily warden who visits some of the residents asked the caravan owner when she was moving it and the reply was "do you know how expensive it is to stay overnight on caravan parks" and told her she was staying the rest of the month as it was the only way she could afford to visit her sister.

AshTree Sat 18-Apr-15 23:03:04

glammanana that is completely outrageous!