Ethics of parking in a cramped estate

[Sue Ellen]

love thy neighbour.

and not just his parking space.

Its the goin on holidays after taking the parking space that smacks of cheek. He sounds like the type of guy that if you parked outside his house he would not like it especially if you return the compliment of heading off for a week or two also.

 

[S.L.F]

and not just his parking space.

Its the goin on holidays after taking the parking space that smacks of cheek. He sounds like the type of guy that if you parked outside his house he would not like it especially if you return the compliment of heading off for a week or two also.

How is it cheek?

The neighbour is quite entitled to park anywhere on a public road this includes outside the OP's house.

I'm well aware that some people think they own the public road outside their houses but they don't.

 

[justsally]

I know that no one has exclusive rights to park outside their house

Leaving the legalities aside (I know he's not breaking the law),

When the OP knows the law in relation to parking it's unnecessary for contributors to repeat it.

 

[allthedoyles]

I
If you pay motor tax you are entitled to park your car on a public road, if someone puts cones or whatever on the road this is an obstruction and should not be allowed.

This is probably a very valid point ....But only us posters in this tight situation really understands the frustration.

In my location, people dont' even use their driveways , mostly cos' they are afraid they will be blocked in...........this creates less space on the roadway and an even worse bottleneck.

 

[bleary]

Slightly off topic but there are 3 spaces myself and my neighbours and people running in and out to shops etc use for parking its first come first served which is fair enough. Now someone has left (dumped ) their car in one of them for the last couple of weeks. Because there is no tax disc /insurance/ NCt on the car can the council / gardai be requested to move the car? Its not in an estate just on a road

 

[gianni]

The problem is that one particular neighbour up the road (with 2 cars) continually parks one of his cars outside my house, resulting in me having to search around for a spot, often ending up ages away, and no doubt upsetting another neighbour. He often leaves it there for days on end and at the moment on of his cars has been parked outside all week and I suspect they've all gone away.

It's very annoying.

Leaving the legalities aside (I know he's not breaking the law), do people think this is acceptable? Should I say anything to him?

It's a different to similar 'park and ride' or 'commuter' parking problems other posters have had, as it's a small community and we have to live together and I don't want to fall out or appear unreasonable

A lot of the replies to this seem to be of the 'get over it' variety. I don't fall into this camp.

The neighbour obviously likes to park as close to his hall door as possible but I think he should be aware that if he feels this way then his neighbours also feel this way. I think it shows a lack of respect from neighbour by denying others the opportunity to park outside their house.

People like to get close to their hall doors for several reasons; carrying shopping in, transferring young children from house to car, bringing elderly relatives to visit, impaired mobility etc...

I don't think that it's unreasonable that neighbour parks his 2nd car in such a way that he has to walk a bit further to get to his hall door. If he needs to get close to his hall door (for any of the reasons mentioned above) he has the option to do so.

OP, do you have the option to put in a driveway ?

Does anyone here know if this is a viable option for houses with small front gardens? ie can you get a kerb lowered and park your car parallel to the front of your house. I believe that Dublin CC allow for this in some of their areas but I don't know if it would be possible in any other private residential areas?

 

[David_Dublin]

Gianni - you have to get the council to do the work, I think it costs about 500 to lower the curb, not I could be way off.

Nobody in the "it's rude to park outside my house" corner has been able to tell me where someone should park when the pace outside their own house is taken.

Or maybe they can tell us where they park when the space outside their own house is taken.

People of the persuasion of the OP seem to think the people parking outside their house are doing it in the knowledge that their behaviour breaks some unwritten rule or is contrary to common decency. They may, on the other hand, just be being reasonable and trying to park as close to their own house as possible. If there was space outside their own then I'm sure they'd have used that - same as yourselves.

Again I urge you, get over it, move on, try concerning yourselves with slightly less petty things. I can imagine that this issue is on your minds day in day out. How sad.

 

[JoeB]

Yeah, I see this as a problem...

My neighbour called into me moaning about me parking ourside her house, in 'her' space. I pointed out it wasn't her space, it was everybodies space.

When she parks she takes up two spaces... her own, and the one outside our house... crap parking in other words.. room for two cars, she parks in the middle and uses both. I think from now on I will park there and go to war with her. Basically she's unhappy if I park my van outside taking up two spaces.. despite the fact that she parks her car outside and takes up two spaces!

What do people think about vans?, much bigger I know but they still need to be parked.. any restrictions on this besides rules in private estates? (Can private developments enforce the rule they have about no commmercial vehicles on anybody, or just tenants, residents etc?)

In Japan I've heard that you can't buy a car until you demonstrate you have a place to park it... is this true?

 

[spankypat]

i had a really annoying situation over xmas regarding neighbours and parking.bought our house and had 2 spaces allocated to us in contract of sale.moved in and a guy a few doors down parked his work van constantly in one of our spaces while his own car eng reg and his wifes car were parked in their spaces. asked politley dropped hints and got no joy, eventually came to a head when he reversed out one morning and knocked over one of my bins which was left out behind my car all in full view of my girlfriend. he drove off left rubbish all over the road and my girlfriend had to clean it up before she went to work.
needless to say i wasnt a happy camper when i came home. got the number for customs revenue spoke to someone in vehicle registration office and let them know that this prick hadnt paid the vrt and they said they would check it out they wanted the car reg and address. long story short girlfriend rang me in work following friday the local revenue or guards or whoever turned up knocking on doors and impounded his car.
im not normally a spiteful person but this knob jockey got a good sized portion of karma that day. as it happened the guy doesnt seem to be driving the work van anymore either so not sure if he got the road in work too. people mightnt agree with what i did but solved my problem.

 

[gianni]

Nobody in the "it's rude to park outside my house" corner has been able to tell me where someone should park when the pace outside their own house is taken.

Or maybe they can tell us where they park when the space outside their own house is taken.

In most of these developments there are 'neutral' spaces - ie not directly outside someones hall door. These are where people should park if the space outside their own hall door is occupied with one of their other vehicles. Admittedly it does become more problematic if the cars directly outside their own hall door do not belong to them but two rights don't make a wrong.

I have designated parking so this is not an issue for me but if I were in the situation I would not park directly outside someone elses hall door if someone had parked outside mine.

As I mentioned above I believe that all parkers should consider their neighbours desire to park outside their own hall door and adjust their behaviour accordingly. I don't want to get overly dramatic but I do think this attitude to parking is symptomatic of the me-fein attitude that seeped into our culture over the past few years.

 

[SlurrySlump]

As I read this a neighbour of mine is parking both of their cars outside their neighbours house and not outside their own. A couple of times a year they go off on holidays and leave their cars outside their neighbours. They used to do it to me but I had a word with them.

 

[Sue Ellen]

As I mentioned above I believe that all parkers should consider their neighbours desire to park outside their own hall door and adjust their behaviour accordingly. I don't want to get overly dramatic but I do think this attitude to parking is symptomatic of the me-fein attitude that seeped into our culture over the past few years.

Exactly.

 

[gebbel]

Some people will take advantage of those who don't stand up to them.

People who park where they shouldn't need to be tackled firmly but politely.

Most housing estates have parking issues, including my own. I have been forced to tackle many individuals over the last 2 years, who have showed a blatant disregard for others regarding parking. There would be parking anarchy here otherwise. Nip it in the bud.

 

[sam h]

Parents had some horrible neighbours a few years back. They did loads of work to their house decided they wanted to show it off so they started to park outside parents house instead (dispite having a large driveway & plenty of space in front of teir own house). I know legally they are entitled to do so, but they were just being petty.

So I borrowed a old van from someone & parked it outside their house for a few days, They asked me to move it & I said I'd be happy to but there was no space in front of my parent house....within 5 mins they moved both their cars & never parked there again!

 

[S.L.F]

Some people will take advantage of those who don't stand up to them.

People who park where they shouldn't need to be tackled firmly but politely.

Most housing estates have parking issues, including my own. I have been forced to tackle many individuals over the last 2 years, who have showed a blatant disregard for others regarding parking. There would be parking anarchy here otherwise. Nip it in the bud.

Where they shouldn't is really the issue if someone has paid their tax they are entitled to park on a public road.

I have this constantly because I call to peoples houses and will be there for days on end and I have been asked to move my van for various reasons.

If I am approached in the right manner then I might move it if there is another space available or if it is an emergency.

Just because someone wants to park their car outside their house is not a valid reason.

 

[David_Dublin]

Exactly SLF - where they shouldn't, or earlier where they should. None of these have any meaning. "all parkers should consider their neighbours desire to park outside their own hall door and adjust their behaviour accordingly". You are assuming that other people are as hung up as you are about having the "right" to park outside their house. I just think that is nonsense. And there's no talking to people like you. I know you exist, I'm even happy to do my own thing by not parking outside my own house to leave a space for others as I know there are less spaces than cars in my little road, no problem. It doesn't make the approach any less pathetic. Put simply I would imagine the type of people getting hung up on this type of pathetic, small, petty, immature and largely ignorantly held view are the type of people I could never go out for a pint with, or would be bothered befriending, if there is this much geniune upset and annoyance about someone parking on a public road outside your house I cant imagine how made other moans you would have about other thigns, perhaps even things that really affect people, their health, their loved ones, their well being, the world, the economy, the environment. Just sad.

 

[Smashbox]

I have this constantly because I call to peoples houses and will be there for days on end

Does the missus know about these calls?!

 

[S.L.F]

"all parkers should consider their neighbours desire to park outside their own hall door and adjust their behaviour accordingly".

Perhaps you would like to post a link to the legislation

You are assuming that other people are as hung up as you are about having the "right" to park outside their house. I just think that is nonsense.

Have you actually read my posts or are you just trying to stir things up.

As it happens I have people who park outside my house on a regular basis.

It doesn't bother me in the slightest, and why would it?

They have the right to park on a public road.

And there's no talking to people like you. I know you exist.

Reality check

You are on a public forum

I'm even happy to do my own thing by not parking outside my own house to leave a space for others as I know there are less spaces than cars in my little road, no problem. It doesn't make the approach any less pathetic.

I'm far better off than you are there because I have a drive-in parking space but I do agree with you about what is pathetic!

Put simply I would imagine the type of people getting hung up on this type of pathetic, small, petty, immature and largely ignorantly held view are the type of people I could never go out for a pint with, or would be bothered befriending.

What has this petty nonsense got to do with parking on the public road?

If there is this much genuine upset and annoyance about someone parking on a public road outside your house.

Have a drive-in as I said above

I cant imagine how made other moans you would have about other things, perhaps even things that really affect people, their health, their loved ones, their well being, the world, the economy, the environment. Just sad.

Again what has this got to do with legally parking

 

[S.L.F]

Does the missus know about these calls?!

She thinks I'm working

 

[David_Dublin]

SLF - I'm on your side. I was in agreement with everything you said.

I have just re-read my post and it was very poorly articulated. When I said "You are assuming that other people are as hung up as you are about having the "right" to park outside their house", I meant all the people posting that they have some sort of implicit right to park outside their own house, or that others dont have the right to park outside. I think we're coming from the same angle on this.