Parking on the Road

[Alfa37]

This is a long one & I know that there is not much we can do about this one, but your views/help & advice is much appreciated if it helps us sort this. So...
On our road we all have drives that have parking spaces for up to 4 cars, some houses even have the added benefit of a garage - Yet for some reason residents choose not to use their drives/garages & park on the road side instead. Now if this was just a 1 off then you could let it go but this is every night, some rain or shine & they don't just own 1 car, but up to 3.
There is a mixture of personal cars & commercial vans.
There are a number of problems which I would love your views on:
1) Parking opposite the enterance to a drive, causing an obstruction when reversing.
2) PArking outside someone elses proprty (on the road) stopping visitors been able to.
3) Parking cars/vans on road side & part of vehicle on kerb - restricting walkers access.
4) Commercial vehicles parking on road causing access restrictions to vehicles travelling down road (3 seperate occasions where deliveries have not been able to be made due to vans parked on one side & cars on the other not allowing enough space)

Please Help me & the other residents who do use our drives!!!
5)

[redcrx]

this will probably be better off in law or motoring.

But looking at it quickly i would say:

1) you should reverse onto drive and drive straight off. Not much you can do unless they are completely blocking your driveway
2) they can park where they want, you dont own the road outside your property.
3) call the local police station for advice or ask for a traffic warden to patrol
4) if large commercial vehicles they would have an operators license on view in windscreen. Report them to the relevent authority quoting their refernce number.

as an aside, have you thought about writing a letter from those residents who are concerned and posting it through every letterbox?

[redcrx]

Im not sure about this, but perhaps have a word with your local fire station and see if they can put out warning notices about access being available.
Im sure these inconsiderate parkers would be mightily peed if there was a fire on their property and the emergency services couldnt actually get to it.

[ChuckFickens]

1) don't know, but it's annoying isn't it, I have the same problem.

2) tough, you have no more right to park outside your house than anyone else.

3) illegal, they can be issued a parking fine for parking on a footpath.

4) illegal, causing an obstruction, if I fire engine needed to get past that would teach them a lesson, they will just use the fire engine to push the vehicle causing the problem out the way

[redcrx]

"they will just use the fire engine to push the vehicle causing the problem out the way "

Chuck is right, the fire brigade are entitled to do this, not sure it happens that often though

[Iolanthe]

Our local council helped to solve the problem we had.

A few years ago, we had trouble on our road, not so much with residents, but with double parking. Ours is a through road, used by ambulances and fire engines as a fast access from one main road to another . often they couldn't get through at all at certain times of the day. It is also used by school buses (19, usually) and parents' parking was causing great problems, not only at school times, but they would leave their cars and b****** off for the day, going to the station.

Since then, the local council has placed parking restrictions, so parking is only allowed on one side of the road, and no parking at all on the opposite side for several hours of the day. Things are much better.

Maybe you could lobby your council ward member to see what can be done about restricting parking of a) certain types of vehicles at all and/or b) restricting the times when parking is allowed. Don't forget, though, that any restrictions will apply to you as well. The other thing we have here, left from workmen years ago, are three parking cones so, if you have deliveries or visitors expected, maybe you could put them out temporarily as we have done.

Diplomatic negotiation is what I would try to do, first, and see what other neighbours say.

[ChuckFickens]

"Chuck is right, the fire brigade are entitled to do this, not sure it happens that often though"

No they will try and find the driver and get them to move it first, which could cause a delay that could cost a life.

Shame it doesn't happen more often though, might make people think twice about how they park if it was better known that the fire brigade would just shunt their cherished car out the way.

[Alfa37]

Guys - Thax for coming back to me so quickly.
I had not thought about the emergency services element.
The only thing I had thought is that if they have stipulated on their car insurance that their vehicle is parked off the road & it's infact on the road side then this would be effected if something did happen.

I am putting an article together for our local neighbourhood watch mag so hopefully this will help tackle things the friendly way.
I have also written a couple of emails this morning to the highways division of the council to see if they can support in a more formal way if the mag article doesn't work.

Failing all that there is a neighbourhood watch meeting in a few weeks & one of the local sgt's will be there. I think I'll get it on their radar to see how we go on getting them to supply some formal leaflets to residents.

Wish me luck - My hubby thinks I'm about to become the most unpopular person on our road!!!

Great support - Thx guys.

[ChuckFickens]

hehe, you'll probably find you become unpopular with a few of the residents that park inconsiderately but I should imagine that there would be a few who feel the same as you and will salute you for taking action.

Good luck alfa

[sanden]

Alfa, I sympathise with your situation cos I have been going through exactly the same, but unfortunately there is not a lot that can be done about it. The house opposite me generally has around 5 vehicles including a large camper van, large transit van and a double cab truck plus a few 'ordinary' cars. The parking is so inconsiderate and thoughtless, and I have had to go and knock even late at night to get a vehicle moved so that I can get on or off my drive. It would appear that the police and local council are not interested and each pass the buck. The only time the police say they would intervene is if a vehicle is parked on the path causing an obstruction so that a mobility scooter or such like cannot get through causing the person to have to go in to the road to get past. I have found this problem so depressing, although I have lived here around 30 years I've found it is a recent problem with younger people living in the property. Now if I ask to have a van moved i get sarcastic comments, and yesterday he shouted out at me as I pulled away in my car. All I want to do is park my car on my driveway and it is becoming more and more difficult. Hopefully you may have a bit of clout with Neighbourhood Watch, but if people are rude and inconsiderate it will probably not have much effect. I know a number of other neighrbours have had cause to complain but they have been met with the same attitude. It is such a wind up!! Aaargghhhh.

[redcrx]

ah chuck, if its a "persons reported" call they will just barge their way through. Mr CRX is praying for the day that he gets called to local high street where on a weekend eve there is barely a cars width to get through as everyone goes to the takeaways.

In fact one time they had the appliance coming down the high street and a car was blocking the way. A guy came out the chippy and had the nerve to say "hang on a sec, Im almost finished here" to a crew on a bloody big fire engine with blues and twos going.

Luckily he realised that wasnt a wise thing to say and moved it sharpish with just a few choice words spoken by the crew