Need a bit of advice here.
Neighbour who lives directly across the street from me - despite having a drive capable of safely parking 4 cars - chooses to park in the street.
Street is pretty narrow - typical housing estate set up.
By going so - getting out my drive involves quite an effort despite the fact it's only a small Peugeot 205.
Weekends are a different matter altogether.
Because I race or practice on the scrambler - getting the van out the drive is a complete nightmare - often taking a good 10 minutes of forward/reverse turning. Again the van is not the biggest - a Vito.
Often I leave early in the morning - noise would certainly annoy me if trying to sleep.
Despite constantly asking the neighbour to show some consideration - he'll move the car when asked but early in the morning - I would be wasting my time to knock/ask.
Question being - the van is fitted with a tow bar and no rear windows. I must be getting very close to clipping his car.
From my understanding - it's illegal to block of someone's driveway and incidents are often seen as knock for knock and that's as far as it goes.
Basically with the darker mornings approaching - it's only a matter of time!
Any advice/help would be appreciated
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Reverse you van in ?
Plenty of advice already on the forum if you do a search.
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he'll move the car when asked but early in the morning - I would be wasting my time to knock/ask.
Have you tried? Do it often enough and I'm sure they'll get the message.
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Park your van on his side of the street opposite your house.
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Park your van on his side of the street opposite your house.
Definitely. Neighbour can only claim exclusive use of space on his own drive - you just have to get there first. But of course he may respond in kind ...
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Or park your van where he parks his car? Like others say, knock on his door and get him to shift, soon get the message esp if its early in the morning!
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From my understanding - it's illegal to block of someone's driveway and incidents are often seen as knock for knock and that's as far as it goes.
You are mistaken. If you hit a parked car, you will be 100% liable.
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Not sure it is illegal to park opposite someones drive. You can only ask the bloke to move it or give you more room.
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Remember those famous words of Winston Churchill.
"Jaw, jaw is better than war, war."
dvd
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is it not the case that if you are parked in such a way as to to cause an obstruction then you are illegally parked. So it wouldn't matter whether you were parked opposite a driveway or not, if the other party couldn't drive out or away would mean you were illeagally parked.
I think that makes sense!
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I think that makes sense!
It does, but it doesn't necessarily make a difference. If this problem arises daily or weekly, the only way to solve it is to reach agreement with the neighbour. If he is okkerd and won't play ball, what enforcement agency have you in mind?
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OK - before I'm shot down in flames, I'm obviously not suggesting this is ideal... It's rather abrupt,a little unorthodox, and it DOES cost money, but it seems to me you've been perfectly reasonable. We had exactly the same situation where we live, and when my father asked the neighbours opposite to please avoid parking (right across, on the opposite side of the narrow-ish road) they actively encouraged their guests (witnessed by next door neighbour) to park there all the more.
SO: We had an old Fiat Uno in the family that was taxed, MOT'd and insured. Dad was that annoyed he started taking the bus to work, and getting lifts. We left the Fiat across the top of our driveway for THREE YEARS, only moving it when necessary to get the other car on or off the driveway. The road was re-surfaced during that time and was even a different colour under the car(!)
YES, I know this sounds a very extreme way of dealing with it, but there are often bangers you can buy with an MOT and possibly tax for a couple of hundred, and you can insure 3rd party, parking there legally. Plus, don't a lot of people buy dirt cheap cars and sometimes sell 'em on for what they paid, or even more?
I appreciate it seems petty, but what the heck - it's tangible. It really has been worth it in our case, working well. The neighbours have taken the hint (despite how breath takingly stupid they appear) and now behave - if it starts again I'll buy my father a banger myself and leave it there again myself.
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I think it's time to give up on people and let something else have a go - dolphins maybe, or ants. Something that can co-operate, that doesn't antagonise others just for the heck of it. But that's the world and you have to cope with it. Some of us have it easier with reasonable neighbours, some don't. Thank goodness I'm not in this situation.
JH
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I'm with the dolphins or ants.
Having had neighbours who keyed my car, urinated on my driveway and who jeered at my wife and family simply because I suggested their teenage children turned down the music at 2.00 a.m. I sometimes despair for the human race.
How upset I was when their house was reposessed
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I'm with the dolphins or ants. >>
Agreed. These days, if you want to make enemies of your neighbours, then certainly follow the advice given in some threads here to go and have a chat with them. Where I live, all the neighbours know each other by their names, have drinks together at New Year, have a street party now and again, and yet no one will dare to talk to any one about someone's behaviour that is causing concern.
It seems that pretty much the only way these days to get your message across to a miscreant is to copy their behaviour and do unto them what they do to you. They mostly soon learn the error of their ways and change. At least that is what I find to be true in the leafy lanes of Surrey and Kent.
Edited by jbif on 25/08/2009 at 21:46
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Interesting observation jbif. As an "ex-patriot" Scot I do find myself quietly amused at the subtle subliminality of the English when in conflict. Scots tend to be rather more direct and transparent about these things !
Perhaps some of us at least are just closet "Rab Cs"
;-)
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I think it depends where you are Humph! In the leafy suburbs, as we've seen in another thread, it's very indirect and more like chess.
In South London, where I was dragged up, it's definitely very direct and much more colourful!
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biker rob:getting out my drive involves quite an effort despite the fact it's only a small Peugeot 205 >>
Because I race or practice on the scrambler - getting the van out the drive is a complete nightmare >>
Start leaving your Peugeot and the van parked in the street outside the neighbour opposite. Do that for a month or so and see if it changes their behaviour.
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Hi, we have had exactly the same situation with our neighbours and it became so heated that the Police became involved.
If their cars are taxed and insured, there is absolutely nothing you can do about it. If, however, they were blocking the dropped kerb outside your house on your side of the road, then you would have a case.
In my experience, no one wins in these situations and it can easily get on top of you. You can only rely on their good grace and hope they either move their cars or, best case, move house!
Edited by V4 Heaven on 25/08/2009 at 23:01
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In my experience no one wins in these situations and it can easily get on top of you. You can only rely on their good grace and hope they either move their cars or best case move house!
What we found (again, exactly the same situation) is that you can't count on good grace, and that putting a banger outside the entrance to your driveway solves the situation besides being cheaper than moving house. The secret is, as you say, don't let it get on top of you! Park something there and move it when you need access. Take a deep breath and walk away. Almost therapeutic :)
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The Ka Huna's of ancient Polynesia had the power to pray someone to death, I'm not saying one should resort to such but - its surprising what the power of prayer can achieve!
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I thought it was the human sacrifice part of that particular religion that was the effective ingredient... :-)
JH
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schneip I agree entirely with your approach.
The difference between us and them is that we have to change our behaviour to get even, for them it just comes naturally.
Not quite the same as you for obvious reasons, but we have a family next to us, they are a nice family and considerate - normally. At others they just just don't seem to think and are a real PITA.
He is a tradesman and has a van the size of a small bus. In fact it may even be bigger than some small buses. At times it is parked in a way that causes big problems for us getting off the drive.
They are also extending their house and it is taking years. There are many things that go with that that I won't list here, but you can guess, dust, noise, deliveries, weight damage by the deliveries etc.
As nice as the kids are, they seem to be allowed to do what they like when they like, even if it is making a racket in the back garden at unearthly hours.
My daughter parks her car outside our house. But their visitors (who are numerous) also park outside our house if the space is available. Presumably because his verge is in such a bad state, full of craters and mud due to said deliveries and his van.
Whenever I mention anything to him he is apologetic and things happen to rectify. If this reads like a tale of woe then its not. It is manageable, I just wish I didn't have to and I do feel like the nagging neighbour.
Is it important? Well in the scale of things no, its just a PITA at times. But I have to admit that I feel that the stress is all passed to us from them, and at time I have to admit that I have wondered what I could do to irritate them like they irritate us.
schneip you are not alone. We just have to work at it!!
Regards.
FTF
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>>schneip you are not alone. We just have to work at it!!
Should also have mentioned the OP - biker rob. Appol's.
FTF
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