My parked car keeps getting scratched by passing traffic

spiritus

k3lvc said:

spiritus said:

KimJongUn88 said:

So you openly admit to parking on the apex of a corner which is causing an obstruction.  
You also openly admit to parking so as to reduce the width of the carriageway to a single lane.
You have caused this situation yourself.  

Don't be such a tool.
If you can go back to reading school you will notice that I said the street was reduced to one lane only due to parked car(S)...plural.
I also did not say I parked at the corner. I park outside my house which is at the apex of a curve in the road. 

So the (simple) answer you received isn't the one you want so you go on the attack.
You are one of the car(s) and therefore part of the problem. Curve vs corner is pedantic - the location of your car is causing enough of an obstruction that people are hitting it. Move it and let someone else take the damage

KimJongUn88 went on the attack by accusing me of causing an obstruction when nowhere in my post did I say that.
As others have posted, there are MANY streets in the UK where residents can ONLY park outside their houses on a public road and yes, that will cause traffic on that road to be reduced to one lane. People can pontificate as much as they like about it but it's a fact that many of us have to live with.

KimJong also accused me of reducing the width of the carriageway which again is not true. If I removed my car from the street then the carriageway would still be reduced to one lane due to every other neighbouring resident having to park their car on the street also. I think this shows massive naivity in the extreme expecting some houseowners to park on other streets only for the purpose of maintaining a two lane carriageway.

On a side note, I believe there is a law in parts of the UK where cars are not allowed to park partly on the pavement. I understand the reasoning behind it but it would be impractical in some areas as if both sides of the street were forced to park entirely on the road it would effectively block the street.

Undervalued

spiritus said:

k3lvc said:

spiritus said:

KimJongUn88 said:

So you openly admit to parking on the apex of a corner which is causing an obstruction.  
You also openly admit to parking so as to reduce the width of the carriageway to a single lane.
You have caused this situation yourself.  

Don't be such a tool.
If you can go back to reading school you will notice that I said the street was reduced to one lane only due to parked car(S)...plural.
I also did not say I parked at the corner. I park outside my house which is at the apex of a curve in the road. 

So the (simple) answer you received isn't the one you want so you go on the attack.
You are one of the car(s) and therefore part of the problem. Curve vs corner is pedantic - the location of your car is causing enough of an obstruction that people are hitting it. Move it and let someone else take the damage

KimJongUn88 went on the attack by accusing me of causing an obstruction when nowhere in my post did I say that.
As others have posted, there are MANY streets in the UK where residents can ONLY park outside their houses on a public road and yes, that will cause traffic on that road to be reduced to one lane. People can pontificate as much as they like about it but it's a fact that many of us have to live with.

KimJong also accused me of reducing the width of the carriageway which again is not true. If I removed my car from the street then the carriageway would still be reduced to one lane due to every other neighbouring resident having to park their car on the street also. I think this shows massive naivity in the extreme expecting some houseowners to park on other streets only for the purpose of maintaining a two lane carriageway.

On a side note, I believe there is a law in parts of the UK where cars are not allowed to park partly on the pavement. I understand the reasoning behind it but it would be impractical in some areas as if both sides of the street were forced to park entirely on the road it would effectively block the street.

Indeed there is (as I mentioned in my earlier post).

Plus, although seldom enforced, it is illegal to drive on the pavement anywhere in the UK, except for gaining access to a property via an officially dropped kerb.

Also, parking opposite an already parked car can be illegal if it reduces the available carriageway below a certain figure. The fact that it is outside your own house does not make it lawful.

born_again

spiritus said:

We live in a terraced house around a 1000 metres from a private school.
Our car is parked outside our house right on the apex of a curve in the road. Like many streets in the UK it is technically a two way street but due to parked cars it becomes a one way street. The location of our parked car is unfortunate as it is right at the point of the road where cars approaching each other in opposite directions spot each other for the first time. The patient drivers will stop and allow the oncoming vehicle to pass but the impatient ones will try to squeeze through moving closer to our car in the process.
During school pick up time the road is gridlocked and I have stopped torturing myself by looking out of our window at this time as the stress of seeing cars just squeeze past our parked car is too much to take.
Our car has now been scratched three times in exactly the same spot (rear passenger wheel arch panel).
The simple solution would be to park the car elsewhere on the street but is there anything else that anyone can suggest?

Has anyone spoken to the school about it?
Reported to council about the traffic problems, to see if they can place any restrictions. Some area's will ban parking for anyone picking up from school unless in a designated area.

If you are that worried then stop standing at window and watching and go and stand by your car. You can then catch who is damaging your car and get them to pay up.

EssexExile

If cars can only just get through, how would a fire engine or ambulance get on?

spiritus

EssexExile said:

If cars can only just get through, how would a fire engine or ambulance get on?

There's more than enough space for a vehicle to pass-the problem is when a car is travelling in the opposite direction. The sheer volume of traffic at school pick up time plus the increased volume of parked cars creates a bottle neck. 
Our street is unusual in that it is two way but 80% of the cars will only travel in one direction due to a "no entry" sign at the bottom which can be circumnavigated by accessing from side streets.born_again said:

Has anyone spoken to the school about it?

Reported to council about the traffic problems, to see if they can place any restrictions. Some area's will ban parking for anyone picking up from school unless in a designated area.

If you are that worried then stop standing at window and watching and go and stand by your car. You can then catch who is damaging your car and get them to pay up.

I do not stare through the window-it's too stressful! The car isn't getting scratched every day so the chances of finding the culprits are slim to none

Jono111

I would move it, it's only a matter of time before there is a major scrape down the length of the car. If two passing cars happened to collide would they be in a position to lay some of the blame on you for obstructing the view.

Undervalued

I think the original question was fully answered in the very first reply!

Even assuming the OP is parking 100% lawfully (and they probably are given how they describe the width of the road) it still doesn't mean it is wise to park there in the face of repeated problems! There are no lawful steps the OP can take to reduce the chance of their car being damaged, other than parking somewhere else where it is less likely.

AdrianC

spiritus said:

KimJongUn88 went on the attack by accusing me of causing an obstruction when nowhere in my post did I say that.

If your car is getting hit regularly, then - yes - it is an obstruction. Kinda by definition...

As others have posted, there are MANY streets in the UK where residents can ONLY park outside their houses on a public road and yes, that will cause traffic on that road to be reduced to one lane. People can pontificate as much as they like about it but it's a fact that many of us have to live with.

No, it's one you choose in preference to the minor inconvenience of parking elsewhere.

I think this shows massive naivity in the extreme expecting some houseowners to park on other streets only for the purpose of maintaining a two lane carriageway.

Can I remind you of the Highway Code? In particular, rules 239, 242 and 243.

On a side note, I believe there is a law in parts of the UK where cars are not allowed to park partly on the pavement.

Highway Code, rule 244.

k3lvc said:

OP has 2 options, either park somewhere else or continue to receive damage

Close, but there is a third option. Move house...

I'd definitely be careful of the lobby-the-local-authority suggestion. They may decide the best solution is simply to prevent parking there and implement resident passes (for which you wouldn't qualify) in neighbouring streets.

Undervalued

AdrianC said:

spiritus said:

KimJongUn88 went on the attack by accusing me of causing an obstruction when nowhere in my post did I say that.

If your car is getting hit regularly, then - yes - it is an obstruction. Kinda by definition...

As others have posted, there are MANY streets in the UK where residents can ONLY park outside their houses on a public road and yes, that will cause traffic on that road to be reduced to one lane. People can pontificate as much as they like about it but it's a fact that many of us have to live with.

No, it's one you choose in preference to the minor inconvenience of parking elsewhere.

I think this shows massive naivity in the extreme expecting some houseowners to park on other streets only for the purpose of maintaining a two lane carriageway.

Can I remind you of the Highway Code? In particular, rules 239, 242 and 243.

On a side note, I believe there is a law in parts of the UK where cars are not allowed to park partly on the pavement.

Highway Code, rule 244.

k3lvc said:

OP has 2 options, either park somewhere else or continue to receive damage

Close, but there is a third option. Move house...

I'd definitely be careful of the lobby-the-local-authority suggestion. They may decide the best solution is simply to prevent parking there and implement resident passes (for which you wouldn't qualify) in neighbouring streets.

I agree with everything AdrianC has said except possibly the last paragraph.

I don't see why the OP wouldn't qualify for a residents permit if a scheme was introduced.

Where I live, residents parking is divided into areas, not individual streets. If you live in the area you are entitled to buy permits for up to three cars registered to your address. You can then park in any residents only bay in your area. You can also buy a limited number of single use permits to give to visitors. Obviously if you live close to the edge of your particular area you may not be able to park in the next street in one direction as a line has to be drawn somewhere. Any new property built in the area after the scheme is introduced is not eligible for residents permits. So, either you build with off street parking or accept a very long walk! 

AdrianC

Undervalued said:

I'd definitely be careful of the lobby-the-local-authority suggestion. They may decide the best solution is simply to prevent parking there and implement resident passes (for which you wouldn't qualify) in neighbouring streets.

I agree with everything AdrianC has said except possibly the last paragraph.

I don't see why the OP wouldn't qualify for a residents permit if a scheme was introduced.

Where I live, residents parking is divided into areas, not individual streets. If you live in the area you are entitled to buy permits for up to three cars registered to your address. You can then park in any residents only bay in your area. You can also buy a limited number of single use permits to give to visitors. Obviously if you live close to the edge of your particular area you may not be able to park in the next street in one direction as a line has to be drawn somewhere. Any new property built in the area after the scheme is introduced is not eligible for residents permits. So, either you build with off street parking or accept a very long walk! 

Exactly. If the street the OP lives in isn't in the scheme, it won't be in the qualifying area.