Parking Rules - Blocking Driveway Etc 10 March at 10:53PM in Motoring 9 replies 753 views

Chrishazle

I've seen a number of threads on here about parking problems, and saw this item today about the law, so thought I'd post it for referenece.

FYI I've had a discussion with Kent Police about people parking across the dropped kerb access to my garage, and providing it's blocking my access to the road (and not blocking getting my car back into my garage) it confirms what they told me - but don't expect quick reaction if some inconsiderate clown blocks you getting to the road!!

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/cars/news/is-it-illegal-to-park-in-front-of-a-driveway/ar-BB10Zeat?li=AAnZ9Ug&ocid=mailsignout

Jumblebumble

Chrishazle said:

I've seen a number of threads on here about parking problems, and saw this item today about the law, so thought I'd post it for referenece.

FYI I've had a discussion with Kent Police about people parking across the dropped kerb access to my garage, and providing it's blocking my access to the road (and not blocking getting my car back into my garage) it confirms what they told me - but don't expect quick reaction if some inconsiderate clown blocks you getting to the road!!

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/cars/news/is-it-illegal-to-park-in-front-of-a-driveway/ar-BB10Zeat?li=AAnZ9Ug&ocid=mailsignout

My understanding is that this is different in London where the council can and will ticket cars in front of dropped Kerbs if the resident requests

EdGasketTheSecond

It's about time the law was updated to make it an offence to park on someone else's driveway without permission.

Yes the council can ticket cars but that doesn't get the car moved. Is it still the case that if you are completely blocked in then the police should come and remove the car?

Paula_Smith

We are in South London, near a school so we have plenty of "its ok I am only dropping the kids off".
No - its not OK - I need to go out.
But we do have a phone number for the local council and they have sent someone out pretty quickly to issue tickets.

frayedknot

EdGasketTheSecond said:

It's about time the law was updated to make it an offence to park on someone else's driveway without permission.

Yes the council can ticket cars but that doesn't get the car moved. Is it still the case that if you are completely blocked in then the police should come and remove the car?

No-ones parking on someone else's driveway. The road is a public space and isn't part of your driveway, even if you've got a dropped kerb.

AdrianC

EdGasketTheSecond said:

It's about time the law was updated to make it an offence to park on someone else's driveway without permission.

Yes the council can ticket cars but that doesn't get the car moved. Is it still the case that if you are completely blocked in then the police should come and remove the car?

And how will the law differentiate between "someone else's driveway" and, say, the car park of a block of flats. Or a supermarket. Or an office building?

Because the last changes to the law covering unauthorised parking on private land (which covers all of those scenarios and more) saw the actions available to landowners severely restricted. Clamping is illegal. Towing is illegal. All you can now do is send a snottogram with a bill, and even then every single I has to be dotted and T crossed, with more signage than you can shake a now-redundant wheelclamp at.

DoaM

AdrianC said:

Because the last changes to the law covering unauthorised parking on private land (which covers all of those scenarios and more) saw the actions available to landowners severely restricted.

Clamping is the reason why the law was changed ... landowners weren't doing the clamping - it was being subcontracted to borderline criminal gangs who made up a number and threatened violence against people refusing to pay to get clamps removed.

AdrianC

DoaM said:

AdrianC said:

Because the last changes to the law covering unauthorised parking on private land (which covers all of those scenarios and more) saw the actions available to landowners severely restricted.

Clamping is the reason why the law was changed ... landowners weren't doing the clamping - it was being subcontracted to borderline criminal gangs who made up a number and threatened violence against people refusing to pay to get clamps removed.

There should be a law against demanding money with threats of violence!

Whether it's subcontracted or not is irrelevant.

DoaM

Subcontracting is (was) entirely relevant ... if landowners had taken more care about who they subcontracted to then there may not have been a need to change the law.

AdrianC

DoaM said:

Subcontracting is (was) entirely relevant ... if landowners had taken more care about who they subcontracted to then there may not have been a need to change the law.

Taking more care over who you subcontract to is different from good subcontractors being inherently bad simply because they're subcontractors.