Problem with inconsiderate parking / obstruction

[BTB 500]

We live in a row of 5 houses on a short driveway running off a quiet cul-de-sac (entrance to drive circled):

Unfortunately a couple of people have recently started parking directly opposite the entrance to the drive. These pics. are taken with a wideangle lens and make the road look a little wider than it really is:

Obviously this makes it difficult to get in and out of the drive. With the Vito we have to swing across the pavement and off the edge of the kerb. There is no way we would get the caravan in or out, and delivery lorries etc. would simply not be able to make it.

There are no parking restrictions on the road ... normally there are hardly any vehicles parked on it. It's not wide enough for parking on both sides.

Obviously parking right opposite our drive is fairly stupid and inconsiderate. The white van is there permanently at the moment (it's not moved since last week), the car is there in the evening and overnight but gone during the day. I've never seen the driver of either, and have no idea which of the houses nearby they belong to.

First step is going to be a polite/tactful note on the windcsreen of each, pointing out the obstruction and asking if they could perhaps park a little further along the road. Any legal/practical suggestions if that doesn't work? I seem to remember that - technically - it's quite legal to park across someone's driveway and block them in? Do you think we'd be able to get a short section of yellow lines (or whatever) opposite the entrance?

I'm really worried that we're going to come home one evening with the caravan (assuming we've been able to get it out in the first place!), and be completely stuffed.

TIA

 

[BaldGuy]

I bet the Rover belongs to the house with the dish on the side wall Bill....

 

[nick mercedes]

Any legal/practical suggestions if that doesn't work?

Best course of action is to ask them tactfully not to park there, but the lack of lines means that they are perfectly legally parked, so a softly softly approach is needed.

 

[Laters]

You have my sympathy Bill. I have this problem with a family that moved in opposite me a few years ago. They insist to park over their own driveway directly opposite my drive.

I've involved the police and the police support officers which in fairness made no difference at all. I’ve asked politely but has it made any difference. Nope.

They have even resorted to shouting and getting physical.
Due to family members living with me I really don’t/didn't want to fight with them.

Eventually I decided that it would be easier to move my gatepost & give myself more room to get out & let them play their own games.

I wish you luck as there seem to be a lot of ignorant self-centered people in this world at the moment.

 

[ackee911]

Lovely house you have there

 

[mbz 6]

You could report the van to the police if it hasn't moved for a week and nobody knows who owns it. Tell them its restricting access to 5 houses

 

[nick mercedes]

You could report the van to the police if it hasn't moved for a week and nobody knows who owns it. Tell them its restricting access to 5 houses

The police won't care, provided it's taxed and not on lines.

 

[mbz 6]

I think it depends where you live. I reported a car that had been parked outside my house for 2 weeks and the police turned up in about an hour, the car was gone the next day and never returned

 

[Laters]

The police won't care, provided it's taxed and not on lines.

Thats the answer I got. Plus I got told that it makes no difference if I have to make a multipoint turn (shunting about 4 or 5 times) to get out as I can still get out.
But they were quick to point out that if I damaged the car/van I would be totally to blame.

 

[flango]

I have exactly the same problem but the inconsiderate ones park at the entrance to our cul de sac which means when I need to turn right into our cul de sac I have to do so on the wrong side of the road compromising my safety.

I have asked them politely and got the 2 finger response, as one of these is a council vehicle I have written to the council and Police asking them to act as they are contravening the RTA and Lighting regulatings act. I am currently awaiting a response.

If I get none then I will go via my local MP and elected council members, if that fails I'll take them to court on a personal summons, magistrates really love these cases when the Police have failed to enforce the RTA when they have been advised an offence has been committed.

Best of luck with your inconsiderate pratts

 

[spock500]

You maybe able to argue that its restricting access for emergency vehicles,

If you cant get your Vito in and out no chance of a fire engine

 

[BTB 500]

Thanks guys, the emergency vehicle angle is definitely worth pursuing if necessary. There's no way a fire engine would get in ... and we're at the far end.

The house on the corner behind the white Rover has cars parked all over their front garden (on the grass), including two immaculate new-shape Porsche 911s!

 

[nigel cross]

I can see your issue with the parking, but is that a road looks like a drop kerb from a house, how was it built like this?

 

[CE230]

We have a similar problem during daytime as shoppers, workers and commuters park in our road often making a turn into our short drive very difficult, so I had the council paint a white line across the entrance to our property and this works very well most of the time. Occasionally inconsiderate drivers do park on the white line and yesterday I scraped the spoiler on our boundary wall trying to get off the drive.

A while back I couldn't even get off the drive so with the help of a neighbour and a trolley jack we moved a badly parked car out of the way and left it at a angle that caused an obstruction. Someone phoned the police and told them the road was obstructed so they came and towed it away.

 

[mattc]

looking at the google picture it looks as if there is plenty of room above and below the driveway entrance. Could you not lobby the traffic department of the council to put 10mtrs of yellow lines up opposite the entrance?

 

[imadoofus]

A polite notice is definitely the way to startg, I reckon. If these are neighbours, the last thing you want to get into is a vendetta.

Having said which, when I tried a similar tack some years ago, I got "I pay my road tax, and it's a free country, so f**k off!".

At which point I would have considered the gloves well and truly off, except he's never parked there since.

PJ

 

[Druk]

Nice touch to include Google shots to illustrate your argument. :bannana:

Would it be possible to apply to get the drop kerb extended by a couple of metres to the left as facing and adding block paving to create a more curved approach? Presumably your neighbours are also affected so the shared cost would not be much. Get your councillor involved first so that when it goes to planning there is an 'insider' argument. Bummer that you have to even consider something like this all the same.

 

[amwebby]

Our local Watch Committe doesn't allow for the parking of trade vehicles or boats in the street or in your driveway except for vans during the day on business. It might be worth seeing if there are similar restrictions in place in your area.

 

[Deleted member 6183]

My mole in the anti caravan owners organisation tells me that this is one of their latest moves to reduce the number of caravans on the road this Summer.

They have been donated a number of white vans from their sister organisation, the delivery drivers alliance, which are to be strategically placed to prevent caravan owners getting on the road.

As I understand it the obstruction will only be removed upon a solemn oath to only tow said caravan between the hours of midnight and 3am.

 

[CE230]

looking at the google picture it looks as if there is plenty of room above and below the driveway entrance. Could you not lobby the traffic department of the council to put 10mtrs of yellow lines up opposite the entrance?

The cost of such a short stretch of yellow lines would be prohibitive, traffic survey, local notices, appeals etc so they wouldn't even consider it as their traffic calming budget will be allocated to other more 'important' projects such as speed bumps, 20mph limits blah! blah! blah!