# Parking and Neighbour ??



## butterfield (9 Nov 2009)

3 cars in household - park one in drive and 2 on street in front of house usually same space.

At times these spaces are taken and occasionally we have to park on opposite side of street, neighbour always leave note on car saying don't park so close to their drive.   This also happens to anyone who parks there!!   Car is never near or obstructing drive - they are living on street for over 30 years and believe they somehow have rights to space in front of house and are arrogant.  He is called the parking attendant !!

We are respectful of their wishes but it just annoying when they are so thick about it. 

Anyone have any clever ideas to get over this ??


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## Purple (9 Nov 2009)

No clever ideas but as I am sure you are aware nobody owns the road space in front of their house.


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## truthseeker (9 Nov 2009)

Just bin the note and carry on parking.

Or take a pic of your car not obstructing his drive and post it into him with his note explaining that you are not obstructing his driveway and please stop leaving you notes.


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## liaconn (9 Nov 2009)

I agree with truthseeker. Just ignore them. We all have to put up with people parking outside our houses. Yes, it can be annoying at times but if it's a public road then they're perfectly entitled to. The worst he can do is call the guards who will not be impressed with having their time wasted like that.


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## JoeB (9 Nov 2009)

Well, not necessarily.. if he's arrogant like youo describe, and feels he owns the space outside his house he may engage in petty criminal damge to spite you.

In other words I would par there no problem, it's not his space and his attitude would annoy me. However if you come back to your car to find it scraped, or mirrors broken etc what then?

Sometimes it's easier to let the bully have his way...


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## Ceist Beag (9 Nov 2009)

JoeBallantin said:


> Well, not necessarily.. if he's arrogant like youo describe, and feels he owns the space outside his house he may engage in petty criminal damge to spite you.
> 
> In other words I would par there no problem, it's not his space and his attitude would annoy me. However if you come back to your car to find it scraped, or mirrors broken etc what then?
> 
> Sometimes it's easier to let the bully have his way...



That's some bizarre logic you apply there Joe! So not only are you suggesting that this neighbour is capable of criminal damage but also suggesting that the op should submit to bullying? butterfield I'd ignore what Joe says and follow the advice given by the others if I were you!


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## butterfield (9 Nov 2009)

Thanks for replies and I know the right thing is to "rise above it" ... it can be so annoying though sometimes you feel like fighting back !!    We usually ignore it and park when necessary like most of you said.  Just needed to vent a little.


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## JoeB (9 Nov 2009)

Ceist Beag
I don't agree completely.

I believe that the type of person who does what the OP is decribing is different to the majority... most people don't put notes on cars in this situation. The neighbour doesn't own the space, yet behaves as if he does... so his behaviour can't be easily predicted.

I have seen this situation, where my neighbour called into my houose asking me to move my vehicle, so she could park outside her house, in 'her space', leaving her driveway empty. For me not to do this would enrage her to such an extent that she may be capable of anything, including petty criminal damage out of spite.

She had no problem threatening to call the police and my landlord.. even though what could she say?

Simply for my landlords sake and the sake of peace I didn't park there for many months, although I told her to F off... she doesn't own the spaces.

How do you believe feuds start?.. generally over very petty things like this... I'd advise the OP to consider not parking there as the neighbours involved seem a bit daft, and who knows what they may do?


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## TreeTiger (9 Nov 2009)

butterfield said:


> Anyone have any clever ideas to get over this ??


Maybe print out the contents of [broken link removed] & stick it in his letterbox.


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## MrMan (9 Nov 2009)

Maybe the neighbour is used to have a less clogged road having been there 30 years. It can be annoying when houses have 3 cars and then park outside your house. Can the OP not fit 2 cars in his drive one behind the other? The neighbour doesn't sound daft, they are probably just used to people keeping to their own space a bit more.


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## mathepac (9 Nov 2009)

MrMan said:


> ...  The neighbour doesn't sound daft, ...


 I agree, the neighbour sounds more like an unbalanced busybody.


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## Ceist Beag (9 Nov 2009)

You obviously had a bad experience JoeB but I wouldn't go tarring every annoying neighbour with the same brush - to me the neighbour doesn't sound like someone ready to indulge in criminal damage. More like it sounds like someone who has lived most of their life in an area where they had things a certain way and now doesn't take too well having a neighbour who does things a bit differently. More of a Victor Meldrew I'd say than someone likely to take keys to the side of a car!


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## Cruiser1427 (9 Nov 2009)

If it were happening to me i'd call into them with the note and ask what  the obstruction they're are suggesting you are causing is - i've found from experience that face to face posing the question is usually enough to stop this type of attitude, if only for your car. That said i've experienced 'lonely retired with nothing to do' before also - if thats the case, ignore it - you can't get a solution to that one!


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## mayobob (9 Nov 2009)

Report him to litter warden. Sticking things on the car is littering.


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## crabbybear (9 Nov 2009)

I don't like anybody parking in front of my house.


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## mathepac (9 Nov 2009)

crabbybear said:


> I don't like anybody parking in front of my house.


That's hardly surprising, based on your user-name.


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## micheller (9 Nov 2009)

I live on a main road with parking. 
Even though most of the time the driveway is not blocked, sometimes people park so close up to the edges that it can be incredibly difficult to pull into a small drive. Could it be that that's why he's cranky?


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## Complainer (9 Nov 2009)

Cruiser1427 said:


> If it were happening to me i'd call into them with the note and ask what  the obstruction they're are suggesting you are causing is - i've found from experience that face to face posing the question is usually enough to stop this type of attitude!


I'd agree with this approach. If it doesn't work, you could just return each note through his letter box, or worse again, take photos and superimpose his note onto your photographs showing no obstruction and put it into his letterbox.


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## butterfield (9 Nov 2009)

there is absolutely no question of us obstructing the drive in any way.  They are like an earlier post said 'lonely retired with nothing to do' .    But it is their arrogance that annoys me - I would not dream of being like this to any of my neighbours about something as trivial as this   .... and it happens so infrequently I feel it is very un neighbourly to leave notes.


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## AgathaC (9 Nov 2009)

butterfield said:


> there is absolutely no question of us obstructing the drive in any way. They are like an earlier post said 'lonely retired with nothing to do' . But it is their arrogance that annoys me - I would not dream of being like this to any of my neighbours about something as trivial as this .... and it happens so infrequently I feel it is very un neighbourly to leave notes.


A friend of mine lived near a couple who acted like this. To be honest, they were people with too much time on their hands and the neighbours just avoided them as much as they could, because conversations with them were invariably a diatribe about other people in the estate. It's probably better to just ignore it as much as you can. If you react, they will probably just start thinking of further 'wrongs'.


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## putsch (9 Nov 2009)

Two of my former neighbours were like this - it was like living in a police state and one of the reasons I had to sell up!!

One couple (not retired) had done a big job on the house - created a driveway fit to take 3 cars - erected big gates locked them and always parked outside - not even outside their house which was also sacrosanct - but taking up 2 of the communal spaces at the turning circle. If anyone parked within 5 feet of his gateway (no way blocking it) it was war. He'd park so tight to the offending car that it was impossible to move - even though he had lots of other space to park. He also blocked anyone who took "his spaces" at the turning circle. Sick man.

He was always ready for a fight - with a tight white face and extremely rude. His vulnerable young daughter told me once "don't worry he's only jealous of you". I felt so sorry for her but was even afraid to get friendly with her as he'd be sure to create aggro over that too.

I might have moved anyway but this made it certain. The relief now where I am - with sane neighbours is cool.


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## z107 (9 Nov 2009)

Write back, and leave notes on their cars.
Love notes and prayers etc, might be fun. Stuff like 


> 'Thanks for your parking advice. I shall pray to the Lord God almighty, and hope that he guides my steering wheel as I park. May the Holy ghost ensure my engine conforms to thyne wishes etc....'


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## micheller (9 Nov 2009)

butterfield said:


> there is absolutely no question of us obstructing the drive in any way.  They are like an earlier post said 'lonely retired with nothing to do' .    But it is their arrogance that annoys me - I would not dream of being like this to any of my neighbours about something as trivial as this   .... and it happens so infrequently I feel it is very un neighbourly to leave notes.



Well in that case, ok maybe they're just plain bonkers 
Maybe send a little thank you note back for the parking advice


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## MandaC (10 Nov 2009)

Get him a voucher for specsavers.


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## kee101 (10 Nov 2009)

Have to agreed with  , I also don't like anybody parking in front of my house. The last place I lived in I had to put up with looking at a dirty looking white Transit Van parked at the front of my garden, every time I sat down to watch some TV this is all I use to see, and the worst thing about it, I lived at the bottom of a cul de sac and he would rather have me looking at his dirty van than his wife as they didn't have any other cars in their  driveway!I was threatening to send my Husband out one night to let the airs out of the tyres ithings got so bad!


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## markpb (10 Nov 2009)

kee101 said:


> Have to agreed with  , I also don't like anybody parking in front of my house.



Unfortunately if you live on a public road, you just have to put up with it. What other people drive and where they park is no concern of yours.


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## Kine (10 Nov 2009)

What used to annoy my paresnts was someone parking on the verge outside our house. We were on the main road, but there was enough space on teh grassy verge between the foortpath and the road for a car. Where does that fall into the equation?

It became an issue when people started using it for free parking during the day (i.e. not a neighbor, but someone shopping etc). 

Needless to say repeat offenders were "discouraged"


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## dereko1969 (10 Nov 2009)

kee101 said:


> Have to agreed with  , I also don't like anybody parking in front of my house. The last place I lived in I had to put up with looking at a dirty looking white Transit Van parked at the front of my garden, every time I sat down to watch some TV this is all I use to see, and the worst thing about it, I lived at the bottom of a cul de sac and he would rather have me looking at his dirty van than his wife as they didn't have any other cars in their driveway!I was threatening to send my Husband out one night to let the airs out of the tyres ithings got so bad!


 
There's this new invention see here
[broken link removed]


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## markpb (10 Nov 2009)

Kine said:


> Needless to say repeat offenders were "discouraged"



By reporting them to the gardai or local traffic authority presumably? Parking on the grass verge is illegal and I know people who have been ticketed for doing it.


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## z104 (10 Nov 2009)

If you have a drive that exits onto a road can somebody block your exit legally?


This would really annoy me if I could not reverse out of my own home


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## mathepac (10 Nov 2009)

dereko1969 said:


> There's this new invention see here
> [broken link removed]


 I've noticed them on a few new houses, but they seem to "twitch" all the time. Is "twitch" the correct technical term? It brings me back to a more relaxed and tolerant time - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valley_of_the_Squinting_Windows



Niallers said:


> If you have a drive that exits onto a road can somebody block your exit legally?...


No, it's illegal and a ticketing offence (unless its a private estate were it can be a clamping issue).


Niallers said:


> ...
> This would really annoy me if I could not reverse out of my own home


It is illegal (driving without due care and consideration) to reverse out of your driveway onto a public road.


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## Caveat (10 Nov 2009)

mathepac said:


> It is illegal (driving without due care and consideration) to reverse out of your driveway onto a public road.


 
Indeed, and this is no doubt going to sound mean to many, but it is for this reason that I _never_ give way to people attempting to do this.


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## LS400 (10 Nov 2009)

Caveat said:


> Indeed, and this is no doubt going to sound mean to many, but it is for this reason that I _never_ give way to people attempting to do this.


 

I Agree, Every house should come with a car turn table.. Think what you guys are saying.


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## Caveat (10 Nov 2009)

Of course. The non lazy option.


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## z104 (17 Nov 2009)

Contrary to popular belief it is not illegal to reverse out of a driveway. It is illegal only to reverse onto a major road from another road.

The legal position as laid down by Section 12 of the Road Traffic (Traffic and Parking) Regulations 1997 is as follows;

(1) Before reversing, a driver shall ensure that to so reverse would not endanger other traffic or pedestrians
(2) A driver shall not reverse onto a major road from another road 
(3) A driver shall not reverse from a place adjacent to a public road save where it is clear to the driver that to so reverse would not endanger other traffic or pedestrians.

Driveways are covered by Section 12 (3).


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## z104 (17 Nov 2009)

LS400 said:


> I Agree, Every house should come with a car turn table.. Think what you guys are saying.


 
No Need LS400,You are perfectly entitled to reverse out of your driveway.

Caveat ,banie01 and mathpac have got their facts wrong.


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## Caveat (17 Nov 2009)

Niallers said:


> No Need LS400,You are perfectly entitled to reverse out of your driveway.
> 
> Caveat ,banie01 and mathpac have got their facts wrong.



From your own quote, I think it's far from clear cut.



> (3) A driver shall not reverse from a place adjacent to a public road save where it is clear to the driver that to so reverse would not endanger other traffic or pedestrians.



In many cases it is quite obvious that it simply *cannot* be clear to a driver that he would not endanger traffic/pedestrians.

In any case, what is pretty clear to me is that it is not good practice anyway.


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## becky (18 Nov 2009)

Caveat said:


> From your own quote, I think it's far from clear cut.
> In many cases it is quite obvious that it simply *cannot* be clear to a driver that he would not endanger traffic/pedestrians.
> In any case, what is pretty clear to me is that it is not good practice anyway.


 I have to reverse out my drive way.  After reading this, I asked my brother, who can park a jeep and horsebox in a shoe box, if I should reverse in.  He said no way, couldn't believe I manage to park there in the first place and I'm a 'terribe parker'-his words.


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## Caveat (18 Nov 2009)

becky said:


> I have to reverse out my drive way. After reading this, I asked my brother, who can park a jeep and horsebox in a shoe box, if I should reverse in. He said no way, couldn't believe I manage to park there in the first place and I'm a 'terribe parker'-his words.


 
I don't understand this. If you can drive in you can reverse in.


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## callybags (18 Nov 2009)

It is harder to drive into a narrow driveway. You need a lot more room to line up the car.

It is much easier and safer to reverse in.


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## woodbine (18 Nov 2009)

Caveat said:


> I don't understand this. If you can drive in you can reverse in.


 
that's just what i was thinking.

anyway, surely for your own peace of mind, it is easier to reverse into your driveway than reverse out. reversing in you're quite visible because you're exiting the road whereas reversing out, you can't see where you're going, what's behind you, how fast they might be going etc etc.


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## TheBlock (18 Nov 2009)

Just to tag on here as it seems an appropriate enough thread. I have a neighbour who has parked (abandoned) their car at the side of my house. It hasn't moved in about a year and is untaxed and out of insurance NCT etc. I've been meaning to approach him about it but would like peoples opinions first as I don't want to come across as a bad neighbour/busy body.

The problems I have are...

There is a significant build up of debris under the car and aslo some plant life now growing through a drain it makes the place look dirty and its at my house not his.

He has another car and parks this outside the house also. Parking is at a premium in the area and I think it's unfair that this spot is continually in use by a car that is clearly not been used. I find that extremely selfish of the neighbour. (We have one car and park off street so it's not as if I want the spot for myself)

The car has attracted unwanted attention from undesireables. People hanging around it and even on occasion knocking on our door asking if the car is for sale or if we would like to get it taken away (tempting).

Any suggestions on how I should approach the neighbour without seeming like a moaning old tosser?


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## truthseeker (18 Nov 2009)

TheBlock said:


> Any suggestions on how I should approach the neighbour without seeming like a moaning old tosser?


 
Dont bother reporting it to the neighbour, report it to the council/guards as an abandoned car - if its on a public road it will be removed. If you live in an estate controlled by a management company report it to them.


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## Caveat (18 Nov 2009)

truthseeker said:


> dont bother reporting it to the neighbour, report it to the council/guards as an abandoned car - if its on a public road it will be removed. If you live in an estate controlled by a management company report it to them.


 
+1


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## liaconn (18 Nov 2009)

Friends of my parents have had a white transit van parked across the road from their house for weeks and weeks and it hasn't been moved. Tax, insurance and nct are all out of date. When they rang the Guards about it they were told it was a public road and the owner was entitled to leave it there .


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## Caveat (18 Nov 2009)

I think they need to describe it as 'abandoned' though for the gardaí to take notice. Mentioning that kids have been sniffing around won't do any harm either.


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## TheBlock (18 Nov 2009)

Thanks for the advice Caveat and TS. The estate is private so the management company may be the route to go down. I don't know if I'd feel like I was being a bit sneaky/underhanded by directly approching the management company with a view to getting it towed before giving the neighbour a chance to move it. Maybe I should call them and ask them to have a word with the neighbour in question? By the way I'm not the only neighbour who has a problem with this others have mentioned it to me in passing.

O/T (The cars not a banger either a 03 in quite good nick) maybe they can't sell it.


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## truthseeker (18 Nov 2009)

TheBlock said:


> Thanks for the advice Caveat and TS. The estate is private so the management company may be the route to go down. I don't know if I'd feel like I was being a bit sneaky/underhanded by directly approching the management company with a view to getting it towed before giving the neighbour a chance to move it. Maybe I should call them and ask them to have a word with the neighbour in question? By the way I'm not the only neighbour who has a problem with this others have mentioned it to me in passing.
> 
> O/T (The cars not a banger either a 03 in quite good nick) maybe they can't sell it.


 
I think they contact the owner before towing it (not to be nice, but to get the owner to pay up for the towing!!). This gives him the opportunity to move it himself before its towed.

Maybe just call into him and point out that its unsightly and is there any chance he would remove it. If he is unhelpful you can always go down the route of contacting the management company yourself.


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## ULS (18 Nov 2009)

Not v legal but if "someone" takes the number plates off it and it is reported to council they will take it away.  Got on to the council about somilar problem and that is the direction I was pointed in!!


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## becky (18 Nov 2009)

woodbine said:


> that's just what i was thinking.
> 
> anyway, surely for your own peace of mind, it is easier to reverse into your driveway than reverse out. reversing in you're quite visible because you're exiting the road whereas reversing out, you can't see where you're going, what's behind you, how fast they might be going etc etc.


 
It's hard to describe, even driving in frontways is difficult. I have to mount the kerb on one side.


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