16-01-2014 09:07 - edited 16-01-2014 09:20
16-01-2014 09:07 - edited 16-01-2014 09:20
My view is that if you pay road tax then you can park wherever you want (obviously not preeventing someone else getting to their property or where it is illegal to do so: such as on double yellow lines). I wouldn't be disrespectful and park across somebodys driveway - I'd always make sure there was enough space for them to get in and out of their home and if there wasn't then I would find another space. However, I have learned that not everybody has the same views.
My road is quiet, yet almost every day of the week there are builders (working on properties around the corner where there is no road) or there are visitors to neighbours (some are several houses away so why they park outside our house I do not know!).
People who buy properties with no roads attached to them or at least no driveway should be aware that there will be issues with parking and I have been very lenient and I only ask them to move their cars if I am going out. If they have no road outside their property then it is their issue. They will have to walk an extra few feet to park further down the road where they will not be blocking access to other properties. It's more annoying when I have a lot of bags of shopping and I have to carry it halfway down the road from the car to the house as I cannot park by my own house.
If people pull up and park over the driveway and I am going out shortly then I ask them if they are going to be there for long. On one occasion a man said he'd only be a few minutes. I told him that would be OK as I am going out in about half an hour. An hour later and I am still waiting to go out and the car is still there. I wait a few more minutes and in the end I walk to the property that he went to (which he is outside talking to other people) and I ask him if he can please move his car. He kicked off on me!!
Also, there is a big office building 2 roads from my house and even though they have a large FREE car park which would facilitate enough cars for the workers, they'd still rather park outside mine or my neighbours house all day.
A few months ago when I went to the local shop I came home within half an hour and there was an enormous lorry parked right across the driveway and I was unable to get onto my driveway and to my house. Although I was angry, I kept calm. The workers were not at the lorry but it looked like they were unloading stuff and taking it around the corner. I decided to park a few feet behind the lorry. I got out of my car and walked up my driveway and as I was putting my keys in my front door one of the workers came from around the corner and shouted to me. I thought 'he must be a decent fella as he'll move for me now.' WRONG! He told ME to move my car so that they could unload. He was over MY driveway and, even though I left him plenty of room, HE asked ME to move.
My conclusion was that I couldn't park on my driveway, nor could I park across my driveway (outside my house), nor could I park further down the road.
Highway Code 243
DO NOT stop or park
https://www.gov.uk/waiting-and-parking/parking-239-to-247
Rant over!!!
P.S. There's a car outside my house already.......
on 16-01-2014 10:31
on 16-01-2014 10:31
@Anonymous wrote:I'm assuming the kerb has been lowered so you can go into your drive, so I'm wondering if your local council could paint road markings saying 'No Parking'
Or get some Traffic cones {ive seen that done before}.
The kerb has been lowered and there are white lines across the driveway.
on 16-01-2014 10:35
on 16-01-2014 10:35
on 16-01-2014 10:40
@Bambino wrote:If the car blocking your driveway is on a public road you can report it to the police. If you don't want to go that route you could leave a note on the offending car's windscreen and ask politely for them not to do it any more or you will phone the police. Sometimes the threat is enough to stop them doing it again.
A possible issue with this form of action is the car owner knows where you live.
I'm not saying they will do anything but they could cause alot of stress.
Who knows what may be ordered to your door !
on 16-01-2014 10:46
on 16-01-2014 10:46
That's a little paranoia. The driveway is there for a reason, and if someone is blocking it, then the owner has every legal right to have access to it. Easiest way to stop it is put cones or bins across the drive to stop anyone parking there. It's a little extra effort to move them on and off all the time, but that would stop most people parking there.
on 16-01-2014 11:18
on 16-01-2014 11:18
I have a single driveway for only me to use. Obviously people can park in front as there is some space on the road to park (where the tree is) and allow me and my neighbour to get out of our driveways, but for some reason people do the opposite and leave the empty space empty and park right across the driveway.
My neighbour has a bit of a private road and he has the same problems - people parking on his road. If he is home he tells them to move even when he is not going out. On one occasion when he did not know who the van belonged to, he reversed his car right up to their drivers door so that they could not get in to their van and they had to knock on his door and ask him to move - it was quite funny to watch - i'd never do that though - it's a different outcome between a man standing up to a man and a woman standing up to a man.
The neighbour next to him has bollards and on at least 2 occasions I saw workmen drive past the bollard (on the neighbours front lawn) and drive to the back. He once has a lovely neatly cut lawn and now it's a heap of mud.
The workmen are the worst. The second neighbour works away and on many occasions i've seen workmen open his back gate and go in to his garden! We told the neighbour this when he came home but obviously nothing can be proven.
Too many people have no respect for others these days!
on 16-01-2014 15:00
on 16-01-2014 15:00
I thought enforcement of this lies with the local council if taken over parking fines and the law stated that they cannot block your exit but you have no right to free access to your driveway from the road.
So once you are out it can be blocked.
Will try and find the exact piece of legislation
on 16-01-2014 15:08
on 16-01-2014 15:08
Thanks adamtemp64.
I don't know what is more frustrating - the driveway being blocked so I can't get off the driveway or so I can't get on the driveway.
on 16-01-2014 15:18
on 16-01-2014 15:18
some councils advice I would check your councils website http://www.hillingdon.gov.uk/article/7310/Parking-enforcement-of-dropped-kerbs
on 16-01-2014 15:26
on 16-01-2014 15:26
Thanks adamtemp64 - i'll have a lot at those sites and hopefully they'll help me out
on 16-01-2014 18:57