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

SeduLOUs

asdesigned wrote: »

The argument that it's a public street so i'll park where I want is sometimes understandable, but it is also wise to consider the residents. I used to live a few streets from the beach and it was a lovely location....except in the summer it was impossible to park within a couple of miles of your own flat. I know the tourists had as much right to park as me but it really gets you down day after day. All the people's attitudes on here of i'll park where I like, or buy a house with a drive etc really haven't experienced how frustrating it can be, especially when it is not 1 or 2 cars but thousands every day because people are too stingy to pay for the multiple car parks designed to accommodate them. Actually often it wasn't the cars parked sensibly that was the biggest problem, it is the i'll dump it where I like attitude that really frustrated. So while the residents should buy somewhere with a drive, why not move closer to where you work? If you regularly commute then why not rent somebodies space for a cheaper price so that you both benefit? Can't afford too? Well then maybe not everyone can afford a house with a drive.

I'm sorry, but what exactly did you expect would happen when you moved to a property next to a beach that didn't have any private parking? I'm sure it was awful, but you could hardly claim it was unforeseen.

I've recently decided not to make an offer on a lovely house because it is directly across the road from a busy community centre that has a tiny car park. It is obvious I would have difficulty parking outside the house and that's important to me, so am looking for somewhere else.

gloriouslyhappy

If it's a public road and the vehicle is legally taxed, insured etc then it's legal to park there. But what really gets my goat on my quiet residential street with no marked parking bays are the number of selfish inconsiderate people who park so badly they take up two spaces! Fine to park there, as I said it's a public road. But PLEASE pull up close to the 'break-outs' and don't park leaving several feet of unusable space either side as that space if all in one place could have accommodated another car!

I got hooted at by an irate commuter the other day when I had to pull up in the road to unload my heavy bags outside my house as the only parking left was round the corner and down the hill - I walk with difficulty and am clearly struggling, but this irate commuter using our quiet road for his rat-run didn't want to wait the few extra seconds it took me to unload. And before anyone on the forum jumps all over me, I only unloaded onto the pavement, I did not inconvenience him by taking it into the house or even the garden. And he wasn't behind me when I stopped to unload!

ivanissuewiththis

There are many reasons not to park in front of someone else's house not least is common courtesy. There may be disabled people in the house, there may be deliveries expected or family/friends visiting. It may also cause difficulty for emergency services. but most of all it is just plain RUDE!! How would you like it done to you.

asdesigned

SeduLOUs wrote: »

I'm sorry, but what exactly did you expect would happen when you moved to a property next to a beach that didn't have any private parking? I'm sure it was awful, but you could hardly claim it was unforeseen.

I've recently decided not to make an offer on a lovely house because it is directly across the road from a busy community centre that has a tiny car park. It is obvious I would have difficulty parking outside the house and that's important to me, so am looking for somewhere else.

I didn't choose it, I moved in with my girlfriend who lived there. So while perhaps I should have found another girlfriend, or lived in another place, or maybe not had a car myself, or I could buy a bike, or use a bus, or take flying lessons so I can hover majestically above the blocked street. Or maybe, just maybe, people do their bit and consider paying to park their cars like everyone else. As I say I haven't got an issue with people parking sensibly, but i'm sorry, dumping cars wherever people like to save themselves a few quid, making it impossible to get through isn't right. It's an attitude that is all about number 1.

Laura_McMullan

I live in a street where there are station parkers every weekday. It is so unfair there is a car park at the station, but they do not want to pay, instead they make our lives a misery. If you go out in your car you know when you come back there will be nowhere to park. They do not use alternative roads they just keep parking in our road as it is the closest to the station, they could even park further up the road but no this would be an extra 5 minutes for them to walk. I think they are very selfish people.

NBLondon

What it comes down to is inconsiderate parking and then possibly councils' over-reaction.

I live on a street with two schools. On my section there is a low-rise block which has a resident's car park (which appears to only ever be 2/3 full) and because it's a cross street, there are only two houses on my side but space for about 8 standard cars. So it was an ideal place for teachers (and drop-off parents) to park as there were more spaces than residents. Despite this, some of the school-run brigade prefer to park on double-yellows outside the school and on a corner.

The next street has a popular park in it, so residents there have to cope with SUVs arriving and unloading kids and dogs and bikes. We're about 12 minutes walk from the railway station. About 6 years ago, residents in the streets nearest the station got a Controlled Parking Zone which basically pushed the commuter parking in our direction beyond the edge of that Zone. One side-effect was that large vans appeared in our street - because small-business owners who lived in the Zone weren't prepared to pay for an extra (more expensive) permit for a commercial vehicle as well as their car. Annoying when it's directly outside and blocks light into the front room - especially when if it was 10 feet further south it would be alongside a 6 foot fence instead... So about 3 years ago some neighbours campaigned and got one for us too.

So as a result, I now pay £120 per car per year to park in the street I live in. The Zone is only effective from 1000 to 1200 weekdays - so it only deters the all-day commuters and pushes the teachers further away. It doesn't stop the school run mob. It doesn't reduce the park visitors. It doesn't stop the inconsiderate parkers. For example, we live in a semi - the road is now marked to allow two typical car lengths of parking in front - so any two of my Ford Focus, m'wife's Mazda MX-5 and the neighbours Audi Q3 can fit there (since neighbours have 2 small children to load - I tend not to take the space nearest their door unless there is no other). Yet, somehow, there are people who manage to park a Fiat 500 in the middle with not enough room for another vehicle either side.

It makes money for the council though :mad:

jimmijamie

Legal rights are legal rights, but blocking the road for larger vehicles (i.e. emergency services) is just downright stupid and in some cases, dangerous.

My example is having a large area of woodland at the back of our street, which in past summers has had fires, both deliberate and accidental. A specialist fire truck of a smaller size (because they know of the need to fit through small spaces) was sent to tackle one such blaze. It was not much bigger than a bog standard transit van, but as a car had decided to mount the kerb and park half sticking out, the fire truck could not get through for about 30 minutes or so.
In those 30 minutes, a tree branch had caught alight that was overhanging a neighbours car. That car then caught alight. Several acres of beautiful woodland was destroyed, a car was destroyed and several properties damaged. All completely avoidable if the fire truck could get through.

There's legal rights and common sense. Some people need to think or at least show some empathy for others.

asdesigned

Recently at a organised summer party near me tons of people parked their cars on every verge for a wide radius around the event causing so much congestion. Unfortunately for them they had also failed to take into account the parking restriction signs. The traffic wardens must have ticketed around 100 people and counting, so a saving of £5 cost them all £60. I'm no fan of traffic wardens but it was amazing to see so many people coming back to their cars with tickets on because they were clearly too important to pay for the car park.

Marvel1

Norman_Castle wrote: »

If you resent paying to park why did you choose a job which involves £8 per day parking as part of your commute?

They found free parking elsewhere.

fizzking

I agree that parking all day, every day, on a residential street is the height of selfishness.
The culprit has no idea whether it might cause more than inconvenience to the residents and probably could not care less if emergency and delivery services can't access it easily.
You are causing offence just so you can go and earn money.
Have some decency and pay up.