Car causing obstruction

Manxman_in_exile

Our neighbours across the street have had access to their drive blocked by a parked car for the last three days. Our neighbours have left a note on the windscreen but the car's been unattended all that time. Parking on our street is very tight so our neighbours have been forced to add to the problem by also parking on the street rather than their drive which is what they'd normally do.


The offending car doesn't seem to belong to a local resident but it does display a staff parking permit for our local NHS general hospital. This particular hospital is some distance away but our street also contains a small community hospital/hospice and NHS staff frequently park in this street. But no-one's ever left a car for three days before and of course the NHS permit is irrelevant in this instance. Their are no parking restrictions in the street, not even residents only.


Is this car committing an offence by blocking the neighbour's drive? If so what should they do? Notify the police of the obstruction? Or contact the appropriate NHS trust, quoting the staff permit number, and complain about the obstruction? (I'm a retired NHS employee and am embarrassed that another member of staff could be so inconsiderate.


We have wondered if the car might have been abandoned as it's in a right state inside even though it's only a 57 plate.


Apologies if wrong board but thought this more of a parking than a general motoring question.

unforeseen

If it is not blocking a vehicle that is on the drive then there is no specific offence.

However there may be a general offence of obstruction. HOWEVER, that will also apply to the neighbour's and anybody elses car parked on the road

HappyMJ

Manxman_in_exile wrote: »

Our neighbours across the street have had access to their drive blocked by a parked car for the last three days. Our neighbours have left a note on the windscreen but the car's been unattended all that time. Parking on our street is very tight so our neighbours have been forced to add to the problem by also parking on the street rather than their drive which is what they'd normally do.


The offending car doesn't seem to belong to a local resident but it does display a staff parking permit for our local NHS general hospital. This particular hospital is some distance away but our street also contains a small community hospital/hospice and NHS staff frequently park in this street. But no-one's ever left a car for three days before and of course the NHS permit is irrelevant in this instance. Their are no parking restrictions in the street, not even residents only.


Is this car committing an offence by blocking the neighbour's drive? If so what should they do? Notify the police of the obstruction? Or contact the appropriate NHS trust, quoting the staff permit number, and complain about the obstruction? (I'm a retired NHS employee and am embarrassed that another member of staff could be so inconsiderate.


We have wondered if the car might have been abandoned as it's in a right state inside even though it's only a 57 plate.


Apologies if wrong board but thought this more of a parking than a general motoring question.

Push it out of the way.

I would. You'll need another car to do it.

Johno100

Piece of vital information missing - Is there a dropped kerb leading from the road to the drive?

unforeseen

HappyMJ wrote: »

Push it out of the way.

I would. You'll need another car to do it.

There's always one when this sort of thread appears. Nothing like a bit of criminal damage if you try to push a vehicle with the handbrake on using another vehicle

Keyboard warrior strikes again

HappyMJ

unforeseen wrote: »

There's always one when this sort of thread appears. Nothing like a bit of criminal damage if you try to push a vehicle with the handbrake on using another vehicle

Keyboard warrior strikes again

Wheel skates borrowed from the local towing company will enable me to do that with no damage.

Manxman_in_exile

Thanks.


Post #2 - so is it an offence to block somebody in, but not out? I wondered about that. Not sure why other parked cars would be an obstruction? There are no parking restrictions and our neighbours are the only house on this street with a drive, so they are the only people being obstructed.


Post #3 - the parked car would have to be pushed about 250m. It's parked where it is because there's nowhere else.


Post #4 - I also wondered about this. There is no dropped kerb. Does that mean it's ok to block access to the drive?

fisherjim

As I understand it, if there is no dropped kerb giving acces to the driveway, then driving over the pavement to the drive is against the law.

So it could be said that the driver blocking the drive has no reason to believe they cannot park there for as long as they like, as this is not an official access to the drive.

Manxman_in_exile

fisherjim - I see.


Does it matter that everybody who parks on that side of the street parks on the pavement anyway? Including the "offending" car? So our neighbour does have to cross the pavement to get into his drive, but there are cars parked up and down the pavement anyway.


I know pavement parking is generally an offence in London, but not necessarily elsewhere.


(I referred to our parking issues in an earlier thread. Our street has relatively wide pavements and the road between them is relatively narrow. If parking on the pavement was not condoned it would be impossible for emergency vehicles to gain access to the street. Parking on the pavement causes no obstruction to pedestrians and wheelchairs etc. It's like this in many neighbouring streets and roads and in 30 years living here I'm not aware of anyone being ticketed).

unforeseen

Manxman_in_exile wrote: »

Thanks.


Post #2 - so is it an offence to block somebody in, but not out? I wondered about that. Not sure why other parked cars would be an obstruction? There are no parking restrictions and our neighbours are the only house on this street with a drive, so they are the only people being obstructed.

That is correct. No offence if nobody blocked in.

The point I was trying to make is that if you report the 'offending' vehicle as an obstruction then it would follow that vehicles parked either end of it must also be causing an obstruction to the carriageway. It's all or nothing, you can't have one car in a row of parked vehicles causing an obstruction to the carriageway and not the others.

unforeseen

HappyMJ wrote: »

Wheel skates borrowed from the local towing company will enable me to do that with no damage.

Based on the OPs post then moving it 250m leaves you open to being accused of TWOC'ing

Still a keyboard warrior.

Go the whole hog and get to towing company to lift the vehicle. Stop fartarsing around go for the kill.