My Apologies For This Little Rant!

I wouldn’t be walking on the road and for all the driver knew you might not have even noticed him so I don’t think he/she was in the wrong. The people blocking the pavement were the real problem and I would have just said excuse me and walked through them.

This is one of the things that really gets my goat. When my late husband was on his mobility scooter he could never get past the cars so had to go onto the road. People pushing push chairs had also to walk on the road. If these people got knocked down who would be to blame, the car owner hogging the pavement or the people having to walk on the road because there was no room on the pavement. It is about time that all pavement parking was band throughout the UK. In the cul-de-sac where I live every home has a garage and a drive, I agree there are families with more than two cars but they park them all on the pavement. They are too idle to put the cars in the garage or on their drives. One of these days someone will get run over because of the pavements being blocked.

Surely the men occupying the pavement could just as easily have been women? They were probably just chatting. I would just say ‘Excuse me, please’ in a loud voice and smile. 😎 Most people respond positively to a smile.

I have several strategies that I use. I am a car driver - have been a hospital car driver for 10 years and am very aware of the problems of poor parking and misuse of disabled bays etc etc. But although I can drive easily I have problems walking and now have a mobility scooter that can be used on road or path - which I call the yellow peril. So I have customized it slightly by having two good mirrors put on it so that I can see what is behind me and also there was the problem of passing people in a civilized way. I wanted something that would alert people to my quiet machine being close to them and yet not a hooter which could sound quite agressive. So I have a good bicycle bell put on it . works a treat. Firstly I am a lecturer and teacher and can say Please with quite a strong tone to it. I begin by simply saying excuse me, then may raise my voice, especially to the zombie telephone watchers , but at the same time I just do a simple ting ting on the bell. that definitely alerts people to my presence and if that does not work I ring it quite a lot more. Regarding the bad parking of cars I also stop and appear to take a photo of the front and back to make it look as though I mean business but in actual fact dont take a photo at all. If they feel guilty they may bluster or just go . If I park in a disabled bay and see another car without a badge in it but a driver there, I politely say excuse me you have forgotten your badge. this can sometimes be the case and they immediately find it and put it on the dashboard. On the occasion where one man was quite rude and said Im only here for a few minutes, I simply replied I suggest you move now. He did not move so I moved my car across the back of him and got out and locked the car. I actually only crossed to the bread shop and came back out. As he blustered about I could not do that etc etc, I replied "Its very annoying when people do things like that isnt it? you were lucky I chose to come back quickly please do not park here again and I have your registration to show the police if I see you again. No doubt one day I will get a black eye but I do not intend to back down from this sort of thing. Sometimes I take another tack and ask in a very soft voice to middle aged men " Is your mother still alive? " To which I get a rather puzzled yes or no and I then ask if they would treat her in the same way as they were treating me and it usually works quite well!!

As a fully paid up scouser I would have called "Mind ya back sonny!" in a pretty loud voice.

The pavements where I live are pretty narrow. One day the bin men left mine several houses along. As I dragged the big clumsy thing back I made sure it "accidently" banged against every car that was part parked on the pavement. I dont suppose a plastic bin can damage a metal car but it gave me an immense feeling of satisfaction.

Typo - that should have been ‘good luck everyone’ of course! 🙄🌺

Spuddy: almost everyone will move out of your way if you ask them, please don’t step in the road for this reason. I’m sure that quite a few of us have been inadvertently and unintentionally lacking in consideration when chatting near our cars. Not sure that there’s any need to be martyred or imperious or whatever, either!

And Jocook, as you suggested, do just remind the school or the school governors that some of their parents are being thoughtless, very poor role modelling to their children and actually dangerous for their children too.

Good much everyone 🌺

Parking on pavements does get a ticket from time to time round me.
Would have just said ‘hi, excuse me’ to the guys blocking your path. They were probably just not thinking.

I think I must agree with those that say folks can be thoughtless rather than disrespectful whilst. Using a mobility scooter when waiting for two hips I found when asked to let me pass they where positive and moved quickly I think it’s also how you ask a smile and a thanks goes a long way

Just politely ask the men to excuse you .

What I do is stand in front of the obstructer(s), hold up my hand and say 'Invisible woman alert.' Usually works.

A tradesman's lorry was blocking my drive no worker in sight. loads of parking nearby. I got out of my car climbed into the lorry looked to the rear, and examined the controls. The owner very soon emerged, I got out and he and moved it elsewhere.

That’s men for you. Still delusional about the world being theirs alone. Exclusively. I do like men, so useful I find. But every so often so many just need to be reminded of their place

Years ago, I was pushing DS in a large pram (remember those?) when a car parked on the pavement mean to going into the road. I marched into the offices where the offending vehicle was parked and asked if the owner would kindly move it as I had a pram which I wasn't minded to push into the road. They moved it and apologized.

I live by a primary school so inconsiderate parking is a daily experience. There are yellow lines near the school entrance as well as white lines across all the residents' drives but people are so entitled. There is a school car park but it fills up, however a lot of parents arrive early to get a spot on the road so they don't have to queue to get out of the car park!"

One day a saw a woman parked half on the pavement and half in the road OVER the yellow lines! I was feeling mischievous so I pretended to take a photo with my phone. At the time I had a basic pay as you go phone with a rubbish camera but the driver didn't know that. She got out and asked why I was taking photos of her car. I replied that she was parked illegally and children and their parents were having to walk in the road to get round. She said she had broken down! When I continued she got back in her car and drove off! I should do it more often as it really annoys me!
For a while some of the school staff in hi-viz patrolled the road to ask people to move their cars and assist residents who were struggling to get in or out but that doesn't seem to happen any more. I feel another letter to the school coming on!

i often ask people to let me through if they are blocking my path. I cannot remember anu occasion when anyone didn't move or complained, most apologise for being in the way.

I am fully fit and have been doing it since I was a child, as far as I can remember.

The police in my area did spot checks one morning, and warnings issued to all those illegally parked on the pavements.

In reply to MadeinYorkshire..Why dont 'you call police as the inconsiderate parking is probably illegal if blocking your access across dropkerb area.

Keep to the pavement for your own safety. I'm sure the nincompoops will move out of your way.

Just smile and say "Excuse me"

Rant away, you have that right but I agree it would be quicker to say, "Excuse me please," to the gentlemen. However, my daughter would find that difficult as she is wary of men in a big way, so I have sympathy for your plight.

As others have said, if someone is blocking the pavement, just ask them to move. Honestly.

It took you longer to write that post than it would have done to say excuse me lads/ chaps/ gentlemen
They would probably have been very apologetic. But you’ll never know.

I have discovered that if I stop when 2 men or a group of youths are walking 4 a breast but don't move out of the way, it has the effect of making them stop too and let me pass.
I say nothing apart from thankyou.
I am sympathetic with you though. People can be thoughtless.

Could have been someone you know in the car and it was a beep of recognition. Hence 2.