AAARRGHHH Frustrating People

[nstreet]

I came home yesterday to find a car parked directly opposite my drive way, I therefore couldn't get my car in. We live on a fairly steep hill and the road is just wide enough for two cars to pass and a three point turn was not possible. The car owner was visiting the house opposite, who incidentally have a double width drive with at least parking for eight cars. My drive is narrow with a hedge on side and a 5ft drop to the neighbours garden the other. I asked the owner of the property if they would ask their visitor to move the car so I could get into my drive, which she quite happily did. Turns out the car belonged to her mother. She came out with a face like thunder and begrudgingly moved it. I parked my car and then thanked her, to which she barked, "I wasn't going to be long anyway!". She then parked her car back in its original position???.

Are some people just born pure ignorant and awkward or do they just practice hard How the hell I am supposed to know how long she was visiting for and most people with any common sense would realise that parking directly opposite someones drive entrance would cause a problem.?

 

[TexMex]

You should have gone back over and said, "sorry, can you let me back out. I've just realised I need to pop down the shops, but don't worry, I won't be long!"

 

[big-all]

i think i would just count my lucky stars that i
didnt have a grumpy mother in law like that

big all

 

[planenut]

Odd how these things can be the most frustrating......to get into the driveway for our little block of maisonettes one has to negotiate the telegraph pole that encroaches the drive by about eight inches, and avoid the low, below wing height wall on the other side. It's bad enough coming home after a night shift to find some clever s*d who insists on parking square to the drive, therefore giving you no room to turn in, but you do get the pillock who is only visiting the neighbours "for a little while". Is it really in their minds that you can then wait in the middle of the road (the vehicles park either side on our road) just "for a little while"? I do get stroppy enough to sit there with my hand on the horn for five seconds, ( a long time in the life of a horn) then when they come out and move, I drive in and say nothing at all.

 

[AdamW]

You think you have it tough (not that I am for one-upmanship you understand )? My little block of maisonettes has allocated parking, but the spaces aren't marked so it relies on people checking the deeds when they buy one. However, some t*sspots who live in the houses next to the hardstanding treat it is a free-for-all. I don't want to park my car there, to be honest (there is an on-road bay right next to my front door, much nicer and safer!) but when several people have barbecues at once, and I come home late on a Friday night it would be good to know that I have a parking space to fall back on. But no. Some idiot will have parked in it, and I don't know whose bell to ring. Don't want to block them in and find my car has been keyed.

The major problem is vans. I appreciate people need them for their work, but if you need a bigger van, buy a house with a bigger driveway!

Perhaps I should buy a large tin of concrete paint and paint some freaking numbers on the spaces? Even better, buy a wheelclamp and make some money... £95 release fee should do it

 

[dingbat]

Mine is the only house in the street with off-road parking, but even then it's sometimes a struggle backing my van in. It is fun though, to watch what happens in the evenings. If a car is heard pulling away you'll see the nets twitching and within seconds somebody will be out to shuffle their car a few feet closer to their house. There's also a narrow private road twenty feet from my 'drive', leading to about a dozen houses and some parking spaces. Every now and then somebody from my street must steal a parking space because - until they get fed up with the bother - a chain bearing the handwritten sign 'No Entry - Private Road' gets strung across the entrance. Hilarious it is.

 

[sparkyfrog]

I remember when we were having problems with our boss - a nasty piece of work - and he had upset the forklift driver.
When he shut the factory for the night he was somewhat surprised to find his Jag sitting precisely between the walls of the factory gate - it was still there on the monday.
Now don't say you aren't tempted!

 

[legs-akimbo]

I live directly against the cemetery gates and not only can you drive and park in the cemetery there is also a car park facing my house about a half acre in size ...... but still every now and again some half wit still has to park right outside the gate and blocks my driveway for my car van and trailer, I dont give a fiddlers fart who they are visiting I dont mince words.
Worse still was the last place we lived there was a hospital across the way and all the tight gits would park on our street rather than pay 50p for the car park...despite the fact the residents put up signs all along the road it got no better, if they parked outside my house the van went one side the car the other so they couldnt get out, when they knocked I made them wait ten minutes as I would say I was having the spuds, when I have finished I will come and let you out, if you dont like it then phone the guardai (police) great to see em sitiing stewing.

 

[AdamW]

Every few weeks there will be a situation where I go home, my sister goes home and my grandad comes to dinner. So, in all, 7 cars parked outside my parents' house (one each for everyone but my dad, who has two).

Now, 3 or 4 of these cars are parked on the driveway, and the remainder will be parked on the street outside the house. If you drew a line out from the property borders into the street, all the cars would be within this, i.e. no parking outside others' houses.

However, the neighbours on one side of them always (without fail) believe it is then necessary to take all their cars off their driveway (4 of them) and park them on the street. On a couple of occasions they have even double parked me and I have looked out of the window to see some poor s*d trying to squeeze his car through the remainding gap, with folded in wing mirrors.

It isn't a coincidence, because all that happens is their driveway sits empty for the duration of my visit. The cars aren't washed, the driveway doesn't get scrubbed. It is very strange behaviour indeed!

 

[TexMex]

I think I've mentioned this before, but in a street where I used to live, a few years back, not only did people park on the road outside our houses, but would even have the cheek to park on our own driveways. This happened our next door neighbour on one occaision.

Upon arriving home (about 2pm), he found a car on his drive, he called the police but they are powerless to do anything about it as it's on private property, furthermore, he is not allowed to touch it himself as that would be trespass! (the car is not his property).

He then parks his own car across his own drive. At around about 5pm, this fellow knocks on the door and casually asks, "excuse me, do you have any idea whos car that is, only it's blocking me in".

After recieving a fairly large dose of verbal abuse, the interloper calls the police (who turn up about an hour later ). The police then inform my neighbour that he must move his car as it is parked illegally. (You're not allowed to park across a drive, even if it's your own. It's the law).

After a rather heated exchange my neighbour recinds and aks the copper "well is it alright if I just have my dinner first. The policeman answers, "I suppose that's fair" and then leaves.

About another hour on, and the villain returns, knocks at the door and asks, "Have you finished your dinner yet", the reply is "Not yet, the wife hasn't even started cooking it yet. Tell you what, you give me your phone number and I'll give you a call when I've eaten it".

Finally, at about 11pm, the offender is let out, and our neighbour finally parks his car, back in it's rightful position.

On another occaision, a car had parked on my drive. With the help of my stepson (a rather large lad), we managed to bump it out onto the road, and then slightly further down the road, (where the cars were double parked). Finally left it parked directly across the middle of the road. It's nose tight up against the side of one parked car, and the tail tight against the side of another.

It was there for at least a couple of hours, but we finally had to go out, so we never saw how he got out of it. I wouldn't be surprised if he got a parking ticket as well. (we had parking meters down the street, and the wardens were pretty active there).

 

[AdamW]

In such a situation, the best thing to have would be a driveway sloping out to the road. Chock the wheels, then snip the handbrake cable. Chocks away, the car removes itself from your property. If it hits anything else, then the idiot loses their NCB!

If you have a driveway that slopes forwards, do the same and then sue them for the damage!

 

[2scoops0406]

In such a situation, the best thing to have would be a driveway sloping out to the road. Chock the wheels, then snip the handbrake cable. Chocks away, the car removes itself from your property. If it hits anything else, then the idiot loses their NCB!

If you have a driveway that slopes forwards, do the same and then sue them for the damage!

Apart from the slight problem of trespass and criminal damage

 

[AdamW]

If someone is in your house, uninvited, and refuses to leave, you are allowed to use "reasonable force" in order to chuck them out. Reasonable force is obviously subjective: bludgeoning them with a cricket bat might be acceptable if they are 7 foot tall and have a swastika tattooed across their face, but would be frowned upon if it was a confused old lady who thought you had stolen her cat.

So, if you can use reasonable force (and thus reasonable damage) on someone to get them off your property, surely the same is true of getting their property off your property? I would think that provided you didn't endanger anyone then it should be OK. Obviously, take pictures of the car on your drive before you do it. Might need them in court.

It would be interesting to see what would happen if you stood guard at your driveway, and told them that if they stepped on to your property you would remove them forcefully. They would no doubt call the police, but what can the police make you do? You aren't breaking the law, there is no law that states you must let complete strangers on to your property. Provided you don't breach the peace you will be fine. If anything, the person who left the car there will get irate and get themselves sent to walk home (or arrested). All the police can do is try to reason with you and say "Go on, give him his car back mister!"

Even better, erect some very sturdy gates, and then go on holiday for a month with a CCTV camera filming the drive... When you get back to find they have taken down your front wall then sue them for cost of repair, the inconvenience caused and the mental anguish caused by you knowing your house is less secure without the two-foot wall. If they crane it off, then file a complaint of trespass against them. If it sticks then it should make it interesting when they want to get insurance, loans or a new job.