Double yellow lines, can we enforce the law?

[jarney]

Hello, I live in a cul-de-sac and we've recently had double yellow lines put outside our home because of people parking infront of our driveway and blocking it.
The way the cul-de-sac is shaped resulted in drivers parking infront of our driveway.
Now the problem has been reduced quite a lot because of the lines, but some people park there from late afternoon through to early morning because they know wardens dont patrol then. So some evenings we still have the same problem with our driveway being blocked.
Does anyone have a solution to this problem?
Is there such a thing as self employed traffic wardens?, that would stop the evening parking menace on the spot, I've got the yellow lines outside my home so that should make it easier as a start.

[Jemisa]

Who put the double yellow lines there?

[Answerprancer]

Put up a surly sign in your front garden saying "driveway blockers will be reported" (but make sure it's vandal resistant and firmly planted !)

We had problems with our driveway being blocked in the past and I consistently put previously printed notes under the windscreen wiper of the offenders' cars that read something like this:
This driveway is in constant use, please do not block it, school-runs are a daily occurance, your car has been photographed and your number plate has been noted.

[Answerprancer]

..ps. I reported a couple and they got towed.

[Buenchico]

(2-part post):

Firstly, I'll assume that the road is a public highway, not a private road.

I'll also assume that the lines were put there by your local council after the relevant notices had been displayed. (If you put them there yourself they have no legal validity and you're guilty of criminal damage to the highway).

Your post refers to 'wardens'. It's not clear whether these are 'proper' traffic wardens (who work under the control of the police) or a civil enforcement officer (who work for the council). It makes quite a big difference. If you've still got the old-fashioned traffic wardens (or their duties are now covered by police community support officers) it means that parking violations in your area have not been decriminalised. (i.e. it's a criminal offence to park on double yellow lines). If so you should speak to your local community constable, who will hopefully try to ensure that a police officer or PCSO makes some evening visits to your street, and issues some 'tickets'.

If your area is patrolled by council employees it means that parking enforcement has been decriminalised in your area. It's only a civil 'violation' (rather than an 'offence') to park on double yellow lines. Your first point of contact might then need to be with your council. Perhaps they would consider employing a single member of staff (or offer someone a bit of overtime) to do a few evening patrols in areas, like yours, where people have reported problems?

[Buenchico]

However, if your local parking enforcement is done by council employees, it might be best if you completely forgot about 'yellow line violations'. Even though it's no longer a criminal offence for people to park on those lines (so the police can't take any action against people doing so), it remains a criminal offence to 'cause an obstruction' on a public highway (including blocking access to a driveway off that highway). So, once again, your local community constable might be able to assist you. (Remember to stress that your complain relates to an obstruction, not to yellow lines).

Finally, to actually answer your question:
No, you can't have private traffic wardens. Parking enforcement is a matter for either the police (or those who assist them such as traffic wardens or PCSOs) or for local councils.

Chris

[Hopkirk]

Failing that, try the dogsh1t on the windscreen approach.

[Nosha123]

if you are already parked IN your driveway and they block your exit - then they can be towed.. its not deemed safe to block someones own drive as supposing they had an emergency they had to get to.

The police in that instance would tell you who to call - but dont dial 999 obviosuly!!

[saxy_jag]

Have you spoken to the police? If a number of you have similar difficulties and these illegal parkers are becoming a significant nuisance, then a chat with your local PC/PCSO might well get them down there at an appropriate time.

My bloke had this problem at work. There's a narrow street with a religious building across the road, and people were coming to services, parking on double-yellows, and sometimes double parking, blocking the street completely - including any emergency access. My bloke had a couple of chats with the local bobby and the people in the building next door backed him up and, a couple of weeks ago, the police came down and handed out a wodge of parking tickets to the offenders.

I guess it will only deter them for a short time, at which point he'll speak to the police again and the process will repeat as many times as it takes to get the message home to the ignorant so-and-sos.

[jarney]

Thanks for the responses. I think I'll try to get the traffic wardens and the local Special Constables to do evening visits to dish out fines or contact the towing away people, through the police.
It was the council who put the double yellow lines down by the way, thanks.

[joko]

do you have a dropped kerb and a wide H symbol painted on the road?

this is the usual for a dropped kerb... if however you have just knocked your front wall down and paved the garden, you have no rights as you are committing an offence everytime you drive over the pavement...

[boxtops]

Joko, I was going to say similar - I used to live across from a parade of shops and people regularly blocked my drive. I had to pay but the council painted the white "Bone" in the road deliniating the drive way to show that it was in use and people shouldn't park across it.

[R1Geezer]

Just call plod and they'll come round and stick a ticket on them. Keep calling them every night make a nuisance of yourself. In the end they'll get a panda car to come by when they are in the area and they'll slap a ticket on them.

[jarney]

Thanks for the responses. The pavement/kerb in the whole cul-de-sac is very low, just a tiny bit higher than the road itself, and it stays like that the whole way through, so theres not really a kerb to speak of like you get on a terraced road. The cul-de-sac is in a horse shoe shape with a 'turning in' at the top to allow cars to reverse. The part that turns in happens to be right infront of our drive way, and drivers just leave their cars there sometimes. The houses are semi detatched.

[joko]

it is still a kerb though... and therfore you have no rights to keep it clear..as your drive has no legal access...

if you involvce the police you may find it is you that gets in trouble

speak to the council and get them to install a proper legal dropped kerb...it costs a few hundred but you solve your prob because people generally wont park on a dropped kerb