I have a question I'm hoping I can get some opinions on, featuring the exciting topic of... PARKING.

So, I currently car-share half my journey to work with a colleague. I drive to his place, then hop into his (nicer, more fuel-efficient) car for the rest of the journey. He lives in one of those large, multi-branch cul-de-sacs, so clearly a residential area, but far enough from his town centre for there to be no permit requirement or similar. Just a completely standard road.

Fore reasons not relevant to the question, I can't park on his driveway, so I park on the street. However in the last two weeks I have been approached on three separate occasions by three residents.

Spot 1. The first demanded very imperiously that I not park where I had because it would interfere with her reversing out of her drive (untrue, I could have reversed a small aeroplane out with the space she had, but I moved to avoid the argument). Moved to spot 2.

At spot 2: The second commented that I was completely within my right to park where I had, but advised that she was getting some builders in to have some work done etc etc, reasonable stuff. Moved to spot 3.

Spot 3. Parked there day 1. Day 2, arrived to find that the owner of a house nearby had moved all of his cars off his drive to fill up the area, and was sitting on his wall. Parked half up on a kerb somewhere else (illegal?). Day 3, Spot 3 is as normal, but man is still on his wall. I park, he comes over. Tone was less imperious than the lady from spot 1, but the message was: you are not allowed to park here and if you do I will call the police / council and get you towed away. He tried to persuade me that it was a private road. It's not, so he backed down to "residential road", however the threat of police calling remained, so today I'm up on the kerb elsewhere again. That's more because I'm a polite non-confrontational type than due to any concern about his threat.

So. Questions:

First: wtf?!

Second: Since I have valid car tax, my colleague's area isn't permit only or similar and my colleague has given me the green light to hold my ground, shall I do as I should have from the start and park wherever it is convenient, legal and safe to do so?

Any thoughts, comments and "watch out for this rule"s appreciated. Shall I ignore their outrage? Maybe get new tires fitted first, just so they're above reproach (looking like there are only a few hundred miles of legality left in them at the moment)?