Commute parking - snotty windscreen note..

[T4tomo]

Leave a note to the effect that you don't believe the note is "from the whole street" and invite the residents to sign it with their name and house number and whether they agree with Karen or not?

 

[wafter]

While I assume that you usually park legally, it is fairly easy to see how an outsider parking in front of your house every day might upset some people. Especially if they arrive home to find that all, or all of the good spots are taken. Your car should absolutely be safe left in a hostile area all day with no friendly witnesses, but will it be? If anything did happen, it won't be your fault either but is that going to help you? Use your best judgement.

There was a mention of Oxford, if that is where you commute to, may I suggest trying one of the park and rides. They are dirt cheap and you can cycle from there.

Indeed; however it's not every day, nor even every other day, nor in the same place every day.. and besides you live on a residential street with no parking restrictions it's going to be a given that people will park outside your property. I live on a busy A-road and while I'd really like it if people didn't insist on driving past my house at all hours of the day, I appreciate that it's par for the course and that I have absolutely no right to dictate what said people may or may not do on that road, as long as it's safe and legal.

I appreciate where you're coming from with the practical versus idelogical argument, however again I refuse to have my behaviour dictated by the irrational, over-inflated demands of someone who considers their (imaginary) rights above those of anyone else. The car is old and wrecked anyway, and any damage it might incur will only strengthen my resolve to find the culprit.

Thanks for the thought about the park and rides; however they're not viable for a number of reasons - the two biggest being that they're all situated well within the area that's usually gridlocked during rush hour, while the closest would require me to double back to follow my usual route; while finally they might be dirt-cheap; however the parking on the street to which I'm entitled through paying my VED is cheaper.

The parking on the pavement (including half on it) is NOT legal. Your parking may well usually be legal, but in this particular case wasn't.

Doesn't of course justify them saying you "always" do this, but that is something you need to be aware of, and shouldn't do even if many others are doing it.

Thanks - appreciate the clarification. Tbh only did it because others (again, probably residents) were already doing it and at the time it seemed like the least-invasive option.

In which case the fuddy duddy thinks they are correct. Other than the single instance of pavement parking they are not. As frustrating as it may be.

No parking restrictions, no problem. It's a road like any other.

If the residents have a case, they can contact the council (or local MP) to have it as permit parking or restrictions put in place.

The person in question could try having a conversation rather than leaving notes "from the whole street"

Thankyou!

Tbh the whole tone of the note has completely undermined any legitimacy its author's argument might otherwise have had. If it had just been respectfully pulling me up on that one instance of pavement-parking I'd have taken it on-board, but the whole thing just seems like an exercise in ill-informed, self-important, self-entitled, puffy-chested, red-faced over-reach.

To be clear I don't make a habit of being obstinate or contrary for the sake of it. For example when I could actually get to work I used to park, perfectly-legally outside a bloke's house; the garden of which had been deligated to 100% drive space, but the drop kerb only existed on the half that had originally been driveway.

As such I often parked next to the drop kerb, across the remaining bit of the garden. One day I found a note on the windscreen politely asking for me to not park there as the bloke had to ferry around various relatives in ill-health and expected ambulance attendance (how true this was I don't know) however given the respectful tone of the note I obliged, and some time later the guy actually spotted me in the street as I was getting out of the car and thanked me.

Surely that's how things should be handled - if you have a point and approach me respectfully I'll do my best to be accommodating. Treat me like a prick and attack me with over-blown half-truths and accusations, and you'll get nothing. Hardly rocket science, no?

 

[wafter]

Leave a note to the effect that you don't believe the note is "from the whole street" and invite the residents to sign it with their name and house number and whether they agree with Karen or not?

Thanks, although I think that could backfire as I'm sure that, given the choice they'd all prefer third parties not to park there. The difference is that the rest are probably capable of rationally accepting this reality..

 

[Jody]

Tbh the whole tone of the note has completely undermined any legitimacy its author's argument might otherwise have had. If it had just been respectfully pulling me up on that one instance of pavement-parking I'd have taken it on-board, but the whole thing just seems like an exercise in ill-informed, self-important, self-entitled, puffy-chested, red-faced over-reach.

Treat me like a prick and attack me with over-blown half-truths and accusations, and you'll get nothing.

Can't disagree with that and for me it would also be the tone that gets the result.

Snide notes left for people always undermine the legitimacy.

 

[All uphill]

I've tried the direct approach to obstructive parking in a courteous way on two occasions locally. On each occasion I was offered abuse, and the second occasion earned me an offer of violence. Because of those experiences I understand why someone might use a note to convey the message.

That note should have been courteous, of course, but some of us do like to rant, don't we?

 

[FishFright]

Don't park on the pavement . You know you shouldn't do it .
Everything after that is your fault.

 

[cougie uk]

I hate pavement parkers. They do it even when there's no need.
Pavements are for pedestrians not cars and vans.
There was a kid crushed to death by a van parking on the pavement near to us. Just don't do it.

 

[richardfm]

Park somewhere else for a while. It might be legal apart from the time you parked partly on the pavement but it's still impacting the residents' lives/perception of the quality of their surroundings. Take the hint not the high road.

The only place you can "legally" park is a designated parking place. Anywhere else is obstructing the highway, which is an offence.
Of course no one is going prosecute you for sensible parking.

 

[Electric_Andy]

Are you sure about that?, where is @Drago when he is needed

A trifle worrying that on a cycling forum, there are so many "entitled" drivers.

If no restrictions i.e. yellow lines or signs up, and if not parking on the pavement or within x metres of a junction, then yes it is perfecty legal. I don't know where entitlement comes into it (when used like that). Everyone is entitled to park where they want as long as it's legal

 

[Alex321]

The only place you can "legally" park is a designated parking place. Anywhere else is obstructing the highway, which is an offence.
Of course no one is going prosecute you for sensible parking.

That is simply not true.

If there is still room for traffic to flow normally, then you are not obstructing the highway.

You can legally park anywhere on the road except where there are designated restrictions, normally conveyed by signs or road mrkings.

Note there are only a relatively small number of cases listed in the Highway code where you MUST NOT park:
You MUST NOT stop or park on

• the carriageway, an emergency area or a hard shoulder of a motorway except in an emergency (see Rules 270 and 271)
• a pedestrian crossing, including the area marked by the zig-zag lines (see Rule 191)
• a clearway (see Traffic signs)
• taxi bays as indicated by upright signs and markings
• an urban clearway within its hours of operation, except to pick up or set down passengers (see Traffic signs)
• a road marked with double white lines, even when a broken white line is on your side of the road, except to pick up or set down passengers, or to load or unload goods
• a tram or cycle lane during its period of operation
• a cycle track
• red lines, in the case of specially designated ‘red routes’, unless otherwise indicated by signs. Any vehicle may enter a bus lane to stop, load or unload where this is not prohibited (see Rule 141).

 

[BoldonLad]

I've tried the direct approach to obstructive parking in a courteous way on two occasions locally. On each occasion I was offered abuse, and the second occasion earned me an offer of violence. Because of those experiences I understand why someone might use a note to convey the message.

That note should have been courteous, of course, but some of us do like to rant, don't we?

exactly!

 

[glasgowcyclist]

Why? Do you usually reward irrational, bullying behaviour by unquestionably complying with said antagonist's demands?

Of the two behaviours; writing a grumpy note and parking on the footway, I’d say it’s the latter that constitutes bullying.

 

[BoldonLad]

If no restrictions i.e. yellow lines or signs up, and if not parking on the pavement or within x metres of a junction, then yes it is perfecty legal. I don't know where entitlement comes into it (when used like that). Everyone is entitled to park where they want as long as it's legal

I am not a lawyer, Policeman, etc, but, I think you are wrong, I refer you to the post above yours (ie post 23).

Where is that @Drago when you need him?

 

[markemark]

My gawd, the OP could have walked from home in the time it took them to write that essay. Yeah, it only happened once. Yeah you have a right to park there. Yeah the note was snotty.

But I dislike one-time pavement parkers far more than I dislike snotty note writers. I have utter contempt for any car I find on the pavement and it is not minimised by them only doing it the once.

 

[oldwheels]

In most residential areas with no off street parking residents generally have "their" place where they always park. If they have to park away from their dwelling they can get very annoyed particularly by people coming in from outside the area for free parking.
I live in such an area and the residents respect that unspoken agreement by avoiding places they know to be used regularly by a neighbour. Everybody gets upset by interlopers.