[Closed] Parking on front of dropped kerb...

Probably best to let us know if this is a misunderstanding or trolling, otherwise I'll have to conclude you are a first class doofus.

Kryton is expressing a sigh of relief, as the 'gross profiteering' post is no longer the most stupid thing I've read on STW this year.

Right now, it appears to be the stupidest thing I've read on STW this year. Congratulations :wink:!

The Traffic Management Act does give local authorities the option to enforce against dropped kerbs if they choose. Typically they priorities their own drops which assist people crossing the carriageway but will enforce against private access drops such as this if the property owner is willing to counter sign the Civil Enforcement Officers pocket book.

If the LA, do exercise this power, the police can enforce it, but are often unaware and not keen even if they are aware.

Simple answer, start knocking on doors.

ebennett - Member

Nope. It's exactly the same number.

Um no it's not? If you've got 5 cars parked on the road, one of which is blocking someone's drive, when the owner returns you'll have 6 cars parked on the road rather than 5 on the road and one on the drive.

Again, exactly. I'm struggling to believe someone could be quite this dim, must be a misunderstanding.

Maybe davidtaylorforth has a new login? His efforts under his current one have got a tad obvious of late 😀

For the benefit of anyone that may have misread the first post:

5plusn8 - Member

Grrrrr.
[b] I normally park on my drive[/b], for the last week I have had a few dumpy bags of topsoil on my drive for some raised beds. There are still 2 bags there. So nobody can park on my drive.

Jeez there are some arseholes on here

I would never dream of parking in front of someones drive if it had a dropped kerb regardless if there was a car or not in it, if i did id fully expect to have a big scrape down the side pr flat tyres....its bad enough when its just some one runnign an errand that dumps the car, if this person has actively chose to do so over a few days over a busy christmas period when the drive owner may well want access its totally unnaceptable

How does the owner of the car parked know that owner of thr drive isnt coming back or wants to use the drive over christmas? Purely selfish english attitude if it was outside my drive id be ****in livid tbh any one suggestings its ok ( unless you have permission off the owner or knowingly know the neighbour doesnt use said drive) then you are a utter utter C***

dmorts - Member
are some people seriously suggesting it's acceptable to park across a driveway if there are no cars parked in it and block access into the driveway?
It's more that it's not illegal... which is bonkers. In Scotland it's even worse, there's very little you can do if someone decides to park their car on your property.

ebennett - Member

Maybe davidtaylorforth has a new login? His efforts under his current one have got a tad obvious of late

Yeah, has to be a troll :-).

I had this happen to me several years ago whilst doing up the house.
Had popped to the local DIY store to pick up some bags of sand and cement.

Arrived back to find a car parked across the drive, despite there being an empty road with space for several cars 10ft in front of where they had parked.

Luckily it wasn't in gear and a quick deployment of a trolly jack saw the offending item making it way down the road.

I was quite keen of leaving it in a........well thankfully I had calmed down by then and someone acted as a voice of reason.

However very inconsiderate people 🙁 and yes I did knock doors

Loving the "if its not in use its fair game" comments.

I'm sure you'd be saying exactly that after you returned from the shops to find someones parked across your drive.

Definitely try contacting your local authority tomorrow morning. Take some photos too. Our Council will send an traffic enforcement officer over on a bike to ticket vehicles parked across dropped curbs if you complain. Good luck!

Loving the "if its not in use its fair game" comments.

I'm sure you'd be saying exactly that after you returned from the shops to find someones parked across your drive.

Inconsiderate parking is one o the few things that wind me up. We live on a narrow, windy road with double yellows outside our house and all the way up where it narrows.
There’s a church down the road so weekends in summer it’s people at weddings, Sunday’s it’s elederly people running late, xmas it’s carol services. This year we were out when the army services one was in, its without s doubt the worst offending. Last year 3 cars were damaged as people could barely squeee past them parked on blind corners, double yellows. This year when we came home from the pub the police were there having ticketed every single car and were waiting to have a chat. Good, utter PITA.
2 weeks before someone parked with about 30% of their car across our driveway. My sister, a paramedic had dropped in and couldn’t be get out! Interrupted the church service to get Mr McFat to move his car, he got a ticket and lecture from the cops as well.
I try and ignore it but sometimes I just have to have a chat if we are blocked in. Usual defence is I’m late or it’s a one off - we have it every week though

If he can park on his drive that is one less car on the busy road. What don't you understand here?

nickjb - Member

Loving the "if its not in use its fair game" comments.

I'm sure you'd be saying exactly that after you returned from the shops to find someones parked across your drive.

Eh? You are describing a drive that is "in use" so not applicable.

Apologies for repeating myself, but first line in the first post of this thread:

5plusn8 - Member
Grrrrr.
I normally park on my drive, for the last week I have had a few dumpy bags of topsoil on my drive for some raised beds.

Are you saying it is not active because he has temporarily put some bags of topsoil in his drive rather than his car? At what point does it become fair game to park your car on the dropped curb in front? 5 minutes after delivery? 10?

What about when all the topsoil has been moved to the back garden and the bags are empty? Does it immediately become 'an active' driveway the moment that last spadeful had been moved, or not until you have decided to move your car that is blocking him out? Nonsense :roll:.

nickjb - Member

If he can park on his drive that is one less car on the busy road. What don't you understand here?
One less car but also one less space so neutral. This is in your made up scenario of parking in front of an active driveway that I'll emphasize again no-one is advocating.

It's not a made up scenario. We are discussing the OP's scenario. The space in front of his driveway is not a parking space (and thus cannot be counted as such) - it needs to be kept free for access. The only way your argument makes sense is if you class his driveway as non-active (it clearly is active - that is the point of the OP's post!). Please go ahead and tell us why the OP's driveway is non active?

it needs to be kept free for access

There's been bags of topsoil in the way for the last week.
Use it or lose it.
Space is at a premium in this country. The OP seems to want to have his cake and eat it.

These lines also run across my driveway.

A couple of years ago, the council wanted to put yellow lines at the side of my house, just where my neighbours and I park. Think they wanted to go 15 metres in from the main road which would have put the yellow lines straight across my drive.

After some advice from here, think it's was Onzadog, I got them trimmed back to 10 metres only so I can block my own driveway off. Might sound stupid, but the yellow lines won't stop anyone parking there but I'm in a bit of a catch 22 situation as, if my car is in the drive, I block the drive with the van and vice versa.

The guy at the council understood fully. When I'm out, I block my own drive off so I can get back in.

Amount of times I've been blocked despite it being a dropped kerb and massive " keep clear " signs on the gates is ridiculous. I think that as they are big double gates you cant see the other side of, people just think it's not in use.

I've even had it where I've just jumped in the van, which was parked across the drive, and only gone up the street to turn round then park up again and some idiot has come and parked across the drive. I even had the Hoover on the footpath which is the reason I was turning the van round.

I now open the gates in those situations so that they can see a car is on the drive

davidtaylforth - Member

it needs to be kept free for access

There's been bags of topsoil in the way for the last week.
Use it or lose it.
Space is at a premium in this country. The OP seems to want to have his cake and eat it.

😀 Have to admire a man unafraid to live up to his reputation 😀

davidtaylforth - Member

it needs to be kept free for access
There's been bags of topsoil in the way for the last week.
Use it or lose it.
Space is at a premium in this country. The OP seems to want to have his cake and eat it.

How do you know that today isnt the day that the owner of the house is going to move the top soil to the rear/somewhere else of the house for what it was intended to be used for and then park on his drive.

No one, other than the home owner would so that's useless inexcusable rationale.

Larry_Lamb - Member

davidtaylforth - Member

it needs to be kept free for access
There's been bags of topsoil in the way for the last week.
Use it or lose it.
Space is at a premium in this country. The OP seems to want to have his cake and eat it.

How do you know that today isnt the day that the owner of the house is going to move the top soil to the rear/somewhere else of the house for what it was intended to be used for and then park on his drive.

No one, other than the home owner would so that's useless inexcusable rationale.

Larry, taylforth is just trolling for humorous effect (see above). nickjb is not, but I fear he may just have misunderstood the original post, but now feels he has to stand his ground to save face :roll:.

I wonder if those saying it's fair game to park across his drive would feel the same if it was their drive?

How do you know that today isnt the day that the owner of the house is going to move the top soil

I'd never even consider parking over someone's drive, It's a simple case of consideration for others & if you think it's ok then your'e an inconsiderate, selfish dick. End of.

Park across my drive & you'll find yourself well & truly blocked in, legally of course. Bring a fork lift cos you'd need one.

I wonder if those saying it's fair game to park across his drive would feel the same if it was their drive?

I understand the OP's case is a grey area. He's stated his drive isn't and cannot be used for parking so I can see why someone may have have parked in front of it but this is only a temporary situation so I can also see why it has caused friction.

Larry, taylforth is just trolling for humorous effect

I'm not sure about that 😉

nickjb - Member

I wonder if those saying it's fair game to park across his drive would feel the same if it was their drive?
yep. No problem. I don't use my garage for vehicles so have no problem with people parking in front of it. Same as several others on my road.

I understand the OP's case is a grey area. He's stated his drive isn't and cannot be used for parking so I can see why someone may have have parked in front of it but this is only a temporary situation so I can also see why it has caused friction.

😀 so the presence of the bags of topsoil, which any sane person would deem to be temporary, would be enough for you to think that the driveway is inactive? It's not a grey area.

How do you know that today isnt the day that the owner of the house is going to move the top soil to the rear/somewhere else of the house for what it was intended to be used for and then park on his drive.

No one, other than the home owner would so that's useless inexcusable rationale.

Several people have raised this. Are you going to address it?

davidtaylforth - Member

Larry, taylforth is just trolling for humorous effect

I'm not sure about that

The rest of us are 😆

We have a work site with 20 foot of dropped kerb to allow access for plant and lorries, inevitably, people park in front of it, despite the timber stack, despite the working machinery and despite the Land Rover parked down the track.
Best thing we find is to nip down with the tractor and put a load of stumps down to stop anyone else parking there before we get fully blocked in. Also good practice with the crane to see how closely you can place the stumps. We're usually off-site before they get back from their walk.

This bit of dropped kerb is also where people park after they have filled up the area marked "No parking, turning area".

I used to live next to a footy ground - people used to park wherever there was a couple of feet of space, including one muppet who parked over a neighbours garage door so he couldn't get out. Suffice to say when he got back from the match he didn't have the ability to move his own car for a very long time whilst the neightbour gave him some grief and told him his missus had taken the car keys so he couldn't move the other cars.

With the amount of selfish people in cars these days I don't even know why I'm surprised that some people think it's ok for them to make the decision on whether or not the occupant of a house can use their drive 😯

That decision to any normal person with even the slightest bit of consideration for others is an easy one 😕

MarkBrewer - Member

With the amount of selfish people in cars these days I don't even know why I'm surprised that some people think it's ok for them to make the decision on whether or not the occupant of a house can use their drive

That decision to any normal person with even the slightest bit of consideration for others is an easy one

Based on the 'logic' displayed by some in this thread, you might need to clarify exactly what that easy decision is :lol:.

I had my car dragged from in front of a storage garage by a caretaker once. I’d have probably throttled him at the time but by the time I spoke to him next day I could see his point, so chalked it up to experience.

Give the car a good rocking till the alarm goes off, when the responsible person comes out do your rant. If not the trolley jack trick works really well once you know which are the braked wheels.

I've had the 24 hour access signs ignored, by church goers on a Sunday. I needed access to a telephone exchange, with an entrance that needed three cars to totally block. Whole pile of equipment that I needed to move, so walked across the road into a packed church gave a bloody loud announcement (and I do real loud) gave it 15 mins, called the local copshop and had all three cars towed away none too gentile.

none too gentile.

Church or synagogue?

Good spot, the bunch that eventually morphed into supplying the nails.

simondbarnes - Member

Yes, criminal damage is always the best answer in these cases.

Agreed.
Put all the windows in, that'll learn 'em.

nickjb, your crystal ball need to go on the best xmas presents thread!

The driveway wasn't in use needing vehicle access as stated by the OP. Also as clearly demonstrated by a car being parked there and not being an issue. Now that situation has changed and it's become a problem but this is four days after the original parking

The driveway was in use, as a place to transit goods and materials in and of the property. Car is not king, I think it is ok to use my drivewayway to store a car, topsoil, my shopping whilst I look for my keys, etc, etc

Can you lean a bin on it or something?

Have you asked neighbours if they know whose it is ?

They all know - they're in cahoots. They all chipped in and hired a car to park there to prevent the OP doing any DIY on Boxing Day

maccruiskeen - Member
Have you asked neighbours if they know whose it is ?
They all know. They're ganging up to prevent the OP doing any DIY on Boxing Day

You evil genius! 😀

I may have once moved a car with a mini digger. Bell end parked right in front of our site entrance. We might have moved it actually on to site and also fenced it in. He was a charmer when he found it not where he left it 😉

[quote=5plusn8 ]The driveway was in use, as a place to transit goods and materials in and of the property. Car is not king, I think it is ok to use my drivewayway to store a car, topsoil, my shopping whilst I look for my keys, etc, etc

Well, no it wasn't, which is why the OP wasn't bothered (and it appears wouldn't have been bothered for the last couple of weeks). Drive was in use as a place to store stuff, but the drop kerb wasn't - if you're just using your drive for storage then you don't need the drop kerb. As far as the law is concerned the car is king.

Inconsiderate parking is one of my bugbears though - but personally I tend to be bothered by people who are actually breaking the law by parking on the pavement (something which the police are less likely to be interested in than blocking dropped kerbs, because as pointed out the car is king). Went down the park with my kids yesterday and had to squeeze past cars to get there - I understand parking gets difficult with lots of people visiting, but in all cases there was space to park without blocking the pavement if people could be bothered spending a minute doing it properly. What really grinds my gears though are the people who consistently park on the pavement at the end of a line of other cars all parked on the road, where there is plenty of space to park on the road.