Money Moral Dilemma: Should I park outside someone else's house to avoid paying?

Tammykitty

PeggyM37 wrote: »

We would all choose a house with a driveway if we could afford to do so. Unfortunately it is well outside of the budget of many of us.

And most people would choose a job with free onsite parking too, if it was available - but most people can't afford to turn down or leave jobs because there is no free onsite parking.
They also can't afford to pay £160 (£230 + gross, almost £3k of their annual salary) a month to park in the nearest paid parking.


For one off events - like going to the beach, or a sports match etc, people are more likely to pay for parking (I know I am, almost always pay for parking on match days, as its more convenient)



Most people would love to be able to just drive to work and park and not have to worry about driving round nearby streets, looking for a parking place. And most employers will not give £3k pay rises just so employees can park easier


It is a circular argument, people can't afford to pay to park, people can't afford to pay extra to buy/rent houses with driveways

skintscot

If you're parking considerately and not causing residents any issues then I don't see a problem.
Having said that, I initially had no problem with people using the street I live in as a park and ride but more and more people started doing it and got more and more inconsiderate. They were parking across people's driveways, across the dropped kerbs at the end of the street, in a designated bay meant to be for the sole use of a very severely disabled local resident and with part of their car protruding into a busy main road, causing several collisions with buses. Eventually you couldn't cross the street as the cars were parked so tightly you couldn't squeeze between them. This was a huge issue, especially for people with prams or in wheelchairs who had to actually go into the busy main road to get across the street. Result, a parking zone was brought in and the street is now mostly empty again. I don't even have a car but now have to buy (expensive), vouchers to allow visitors to park.
The argument seems to mainly be about whether or not people have the right to park outside their house but many people need to be able to park for short periods during the day - doctors and nurses on house calls, home-care workers, council buses picking up people to take them to day-centres or schools, bin-men, delivery and repair men, the list is endless. It is a very real problem if these people can't get parked close by.

gaving7095

Wow this has really fired some people up! :rotfl:

To answer the original question, if you feel there's a "moral dilemma" then it would seem logical to me that you don't park there. Just be governed by your own sense of morality.

Personally I don't see any moral dilemma, the circumstances as described are common throughout the UK and the traffic rules and laws which we have are there to dictate what is and is not OK.

Amazing how fussy people can get over where they can park and how annoyed they get over perceived rights.

andygb

Mercdriver wrote: »

Strange, I thought most employers paid extra due to London Weighting. You made a choice to work in London and take advantage of the weighting which was designed to help with living expenses within London. Perhaps this should be reviewed for those that live outside Greater London?

No, they do not pay "London weighting", that is a thing of long gone past history unfortunately.
In my case, I was earning around £18K, so had to save every penny I could to pay for travel to work (a 1 hour commute by train to central London).
I worked for a professional firm with clients and was doing an underpaid, skillfull job.
The alternative was unemployment, and no doubt I would have been criticised on another part of this forum for accepting that fate.

Come on down from your "Ivory tower" Mercdriver and live in the real World.

Mercdriver

andygb wrote: »

No, they do not pay "London weighting", that is a thing of long gone past history unfortunately.
In my case, I was earning around £18K, so had to save every penny I could to pay for travel to work (a 1 hour commute by train to central London).
I worked for a professional firm with clients and was doing an underpaid, skillfull job.
The alternative was unemployment, and no doubt I would have been criticised on another part of this forum for accepting that fate.

Come on down from your "Ivory tower" Mercdriver and live in the real World.

I'm not in any ivory tower. You will find many major employers do indeed pay a London weighting. I've worked for some of them in the past and my London employed (but not necessarily based)colleagues were paid a higher basic than me. Hence why some people dump their cars in the suburbs and get on the train.

I could make the same decision as some of you. I could save having to pay for airport parking when I am away on business. I'm away for two weeks now. I will be away for a month in October and the same for most of November and much of December. I could just park my in one of the streets close to the airport and get on a bus or the train.

It needs no ivory tower building to not have an "I'm alright Jack stuff everyone else" attitude.

HornetSaver

My moral money dilemma.

I need somewhere to store my collection of old nails and tacks. I don't see the benefit to buying a container, and my children have an obsessive compulsion to put all empty contraptions which I might otherwise re-use into the appropriate recycling bin. I do however live in a neighbourhood where theft is a virtual unknown.

Would it therefore be appropriate to store my collection of old nails and tacks on the road outside of my house, in the name of saving 50p?

JP1978

Definition of Moral" Concerned with the principles of right and wrong behaviour.

The question posed is not a legality question, it's a question of morality. Although perfectly legal to park as the OP is, is it moral to do so?

I wonder if all the people answering that it is perfectly fine to park in such a way, are themselves living in a busy residential street and are so used to it, its part of life - so expect everyone else to think the same?

Some have said that the residents should know what to expect living in such an area close to a train station etc - what if they have no choice to do so - finances etc?

What if their house has no driveway and due to many commuters parking in the street, they themselves are forced to park elsewhere - possibly even having to pay themselves, or walk a certain distance back home. Or as suggested, risk getting their car damaged?

Some say that 'they chose to live near a station' - well the commuters chose to drive to the train station as a means of getting to their place of work - they chose to work at that particular place - its much easier to move job than it is a home. Infact, here's a novel thought, instead of parking in a nearby street, why not buy a house in that street?

Just playing devil's advocate really, put yourself in their shoes - you wont be the only one parking in that street.

JP1978

jgriggle wrote: »

I haven't chosen to inconvenience anyone. If somebody owns a car and chooses to live on a street where the only parking is on the public road they have chosen to inconvenience themselves.


The street I have been parking in for 14 years has always been used for parking in the daytime. Anyone who knows the area knows that. Anyone moving there would have struggled to park when viewing the property. That would normally be a dead giveaway that parking is a potential issue.


In terms of 'that's all they can afford', these houses cost far more than mine, which has a drive. That's the deal with living close to the town centre.


However, I am prepared to compromise. Send me a cheque for £2000 and I'll park in the car park. It's right opposite where I work so that would be brilliant.

What about those who have lived there longer?

OK, if you move into an area that has a 'problem' then you argument stands but what if the problem developed after?

neilmcl

JP1978 wrote: »

What about those who have lived there longer?

OK, if you move into an area that has a 'problem' then you argument stands but what if the problem developed after?

This is a good point. My parents have lived in the same house a stones throw from the town centre for nearly 40 years and back then there was hardly much traffic and cars in the street, now the so-called "young professional families" are moving in with multiple cars and parking has become a premium.

vikingaero

If you don't want someone parking outside then buy a house with a long drive and adequate parking. People can still park outside your house but it's less likely to affect you.

If you can't afford a house with a long drive and adequate parking then it's tough!