Parking outside your home

We had a very difficult neighbour fifteen or so years ago, who on occasion attacked people physically for parking outside her house. I eventually called the police for advice after yet another set to with her over parking. A weary sounding traffic policeman told me if it is a public road, you can park where you like, in front of whose house you like, even over a drive. It's not illegal( it wasn't then, this is a while ago) to park over a drive, just courtesy not to. I think he had a bad day as he said " to be honest, if she was my neighbour, I would park over her bloody drive or in front of her house every day". He didn't advise me to do that, though it was tempting as she was was so belligerent. She moved, eventually, thank goodness. It's very difficult to park in some places when visiting these days though.

I have a rear garage, plus a driveway at the front and access over a grass verge. If I am going out a couple of times in a day I leave my car at the front. I reverse onto the access on the verge to make it easier to get out. I have a new neighbour who parks right up to the T on the marked line. It is a narrow lane and I do find it difficult to reverse on with her large car in the way. If I hit her she will probably expect me to pay for the repair. She has a reasonable amount of room. I think she likes to get out on my concreted access and not walk over the grass.

I've not long moved from a road where parking was a real problem. Our garages were in a block out of view of the houses.
I frequently found cars parked in front of my garage ( on the small drive) because people knew I no longer had a car. I thought about letting the space but it was too much hassle when relatives and friends needed it, so I just put a notice up. In fact, other neighbours who did use their garages had to put up "Do not block"notices too.
As for parking on pavements - Oh Boy! I get so cross when I see parents with push chairs and young children in tow having to step out into the road. Not to mention elderly people! It's an offence to park on pavements where my daughter lives and you get a ticket.
It's like bullying with cars when multi car households take advantage.
I've got quite hot under the collar there - for me. Time for a cuppa.

NanaandGrampy do you think your neighbour might actually be running a ' House of multiple occupation' or HMO? If so he has certain regulations with which to comply and may even need a licence in some areas. Just asking! HMRC will probably be interested if there is more than one tenant.

Just asking!

The most important aspect of this is ensuring that emergency services can get unimpeded access.

What is it with folk and the road outside their house? I can understand it if access is difficult or car parking at a premium but when there is plenty of space to be utilized even if you have to walk a few paces more then I really do not understand that at all. It must be a territorial thing.
We are fortunate enough to live in an area where there we all have at least one garage as well as off street parking for at least one car so you can imagine where my eyebrows soared to when we had a phone call from our neighbour opposite asking us to get our gardener to move his car as he has visitors coming soon. Our friend who helps us with our garden was not impressed! We, too, have family visiting as well as friends calling in so the next few days might be interesting to say the least!

I don't have a husband so I do the moaning! When I divorced I moved to a house on an estate. The man opposite has plenty of drive area to park but insists on parking opposite my drive. The time it really gets to me is that as I reverse onto the drive the other road users can't get by and I have to accommodate them because of my bloody neighbour. Rant over

You do not own the space on the public road outside your house. It is not yours, anybody is entitled to use it. As long as your driveway is not blocked, or an obstruction is caused to other traffic there is nothing you do. You are certainly not entitled to demand the drivers of the car to move on.

A woman once parked her car outside my daughter's house, got the train & left it there for the entire weekend. My daughter left a note on her windscreen that was on the lines of:
littlefierce we have had people parking in our road then going off on a couple of weeks' holiday (we are not that far from the bus stop for National Express!).

Choc chip cookie recipe sounds a good idea.

DH did have to park in the street when he went to a meeting a couple of weeks ago in a nearby town. He parked sensibly, no restrictions, not blocking any driveway, however he was outside someone's house. Afterwards he found he had a slow puncture caused by a big nail and a large screw in the tyre. He could have had an accident with an under-inflated tyre.

I get fed up with the holidaymakers parking as they do not want to pay parking fees, OK, but they should have some consideration for the people living where they park
They park over the drive and when they park over the road as well it makes it very difficult for me to get out of my drive. Also there is no room for an ambulance or fire engine to get thro. They should take note why we park half on the pavement. Life would be so much easier, we need holidaymakers but they should look where they are parking !

We live in a Cul de sac with a neighbour who has carers several times a day. She insists on the gates being closed so rather than open the gates the carers just abandon the cars blocking us on the principle that they will only be fifteen minutes but if you are going to meet a train have a n appointment somewhere it can be very frustrating. They also get very cross when they get a ticket as she won't buy them and the carers just think they should be exempt.

We live in the next Street to a school and twice a day the cars arrive and choke up the street. We have CCTV and some move their cars backwards and forwards until they get their car right under the gable end camera. We have had people coming to the door and asking us to check camera footage to see if they dropped their phone when they got out of the car or had it been stolen? Absolute cheek, expect us to wind back through hours of footage.

Cole my hubby is like yours we also have neighbour like you despite us all having drive he gets his car out every morning puts it opposite ours at it stays there all day .parking is becoming a real problem everywhere we see cars outside school s at 2to2.30 to get nearest place to school it's getting stupid !!

I have a shared drive and after years of inconsiderate neighbours I reluctantly had my front garden block paved so I could park without any bother, now my neighbour seems to think the drive is for him and his visitors alone. I don't get a look in.

I've lived near a primary school for over 30 years, parents park in my road twice a day, it's a narrow road and makes leaving the house at school time a nightmare, not many seem to walk to school anymore.
I've twice pranged a car parked opposite my drive, ironically they weren't parents but neighbours. My fault and makes me feel stupid.

No it's not a man thing, we both get irritated at neighbours not using their driveways. It makes manoeuvring for us difficult when we are trying to park where we should - in our driveway! It's not something I'd kick off about to them though.

Funny story - my daughter used to live at the bottom of a cul de sac near a station, with only on road parking. A woman once parked her car outside my daughter's house, got the train & left it there for the entire weekend. My daughter left a note on her windscreen that was on the lines of:

Just for your information, the two stations either side of this one are park & ride. I wouldn't be so aggressive as to complain about you parking outside our house for days on end,so here's a recipe for chocolate chip cookies (followed by recipe) It went viral & ended up in the local newspaper! She reckons it's the single most passive/aggressive think she's ever done :D

I live one street back from the beach. It is a private road, i.e.owned and maintained by the residents and not by the council and despite a very large sign indicating this, it doesn't stop the beach visitors plonking their cars willy nilly all over the place and leaving their detritus behind when they leave. I had to go out on Tuesday so left my wheely bin in the road alongside a parking cone and when I returned they had been moved to the pavement (which we also own and maintain) to allow 3 cars to park on 'my' space. It's no good arguing or appealing to their better nature as I just get a mouthful of abuse,. When DH was alive and we had 2 cars I would wedge the offending car in so the owner would have to come to the door and ask to be released

We have room for our two cars in our driveway. Our neighbours opposite, have four cars. They park two on the road, but it can be difficult for us to reverse out of our drive because of this. Hubby once hit one of their cars when reversing and ended up paying them around £1,000 to have it fixed!!!

I have a friend whho's a 'barrack room lawyer'. Very well-informed and critical on what others shouldn't do, a keen amateur policeman, full of stories about how HE won a dispute with officialdom. He's still a friend, but only just :-)

We don't really mind people parking outside our house. Sometimes , if parking is difficult, and we are not going out, we would not mind them parking across the end of our drive. If only they would just knock and ask. ( usually neighbours)
Next door did once have a large , very yellow car parked for ages outside our house. Everyone in the street commented on the ' yellow banana' It was alright until the sun shone. Then the whole of my living room turned yellow.

My DH gets agitated not only with people parking opposite our driveway as it makes access a little tricky. When we walk around our town he points out everyone that is parked opposite junctions,too near to pavements,on yellow lines etc etc etc unfortunately no one appears to be policing this here and it is a problem that is getting to be a big issue ( parking on zebra crossings , near to traffic lights , schools ) I recognise that there is a problem but he really doesn't need to point it out every single blessed time.

Too many double yellow lines, signs saying 'residents parking' and traffic wardens to back it up for that to haplen round here.

I miss having off road parking especially having the little ones so often. It's much easier getting three children in and out of a car safely on drive than it is on thd side of the road . Also what is it with people who have dedicated parking bays out back but won't use them ? Is it because they have to walk a few extra steps ? I really can't understand some of my neighbours.

The two up two down terrace where we used to live always had one of next doors cars outside our house. Not a problem as we didn't have a car then. I'm glad we don't still live there though as these days at weekends the road is nose to tail both sides. I could be parked half a dozen houses away.
Where we are now we have a garage plus a drive big enough for two cars. We are set back from the road so it wouldn't bother me if someone parked outside our house but we don't get people park in the road as we all have drives and it's a main road and bus route so not a good idea.

Oh that drives me nuts too. We live in a cul de sac of 7 houses built round a circular road space. Every house has a garage , a drive and space for 2 cars outside. We're right at the centre .

Our neighbours sold their house to a chap who only works one day a week so to be able to keep his house he rents out rooms. It's like living next door to a hotel. There can be 3 cars on his drive , one in his car port and three on the road......and then they start parking in front of out house.

Grampy gets very territorial and moves them on in short shrift !!

Mind you , it's a 4 bed ,2 bath home.... I wonder where he puts all his 'guests'!

It is not only a man thing! It drives me close to crazy. I do not mind if they leave a space in front of my path but if it is blocked, sometimes I cannot get out without pussyfooting around the car, using my stick. Mine is similar to gillybob's being an end terrace of three and after people park across my path they then proceed to use my front garden (which is all open plan) as though it is owned by the council!