How would you handle this parking issue?

[MushyMushy]

Our neighbors are getting upset with us for parking our cars on the street by their house. We live in a neighborhood with no off-street parking and it is every man for himself. It took us some adjusting when we moved in, but that’s just the way it is. Our neighbors across one street regularly park in front of our house so we never have a place to park there, and we have to park alongside our house on the other street (we’re on a corner lot). Last summer, the neighbor confronted me for parking in front of his sidewalk (after placing a full can of trash at my porch to get my attention). Every chance they get, they spread their 3 cars out so that only 3 of them can be parked where 5 normally go. A month or so ago, I was sitting in my car getting ready to go somewhere and the guy came home and parked right on my bumper and sat there not moving at all. They were just being really passive aggressive about it.

Today, we found a note on our car writing in big bold letters “Leave us the spaces by our house!!!” The thing is, there are plenty of spaces in front of their house! What on earth do they want us to do, park a block away?

I’m just not sure how to handle this. Ignore it and continue to park like we have been? It’s not like we have a whole lot of options other than parking on another block! This just ticks me off because I feel like we’re getting the short end of the stick in the whole parking issue, not being able to park in front of our own house, and not even being able to park next to it either.

ETA -- I just wanted to add this for no good reason other than to vent. Ever since they bought the house last spring, we have put up with non-stop remodeling noises from there. There was constant hammering and buzz saws going from early in the morning until evening. I couldn't have my windows open all summer because of the noise. But we never once complained! Not once. And it sure was an annoyance when we've been used to such a quiet neighborhood.

 

[okeydokey]

A public street is a public street. Nobody has more or less of a right to park there than anyone else. It would be nice if everyone could park in front of their own house, but that can't always happen. Perhaps you could leave them a note with the proper rule or ordinance highlighted.

 

[KAMLEM]

I would tell him that if he could get the other neighbors to stop parking in front of your house then you will stop parking near his.

 

[disdanny]

I'd rent a tractor-trailer and park it there for a week or so, but that's just me.

 

[PghLybrt]

We have the same neighbors! Except we do have off street. We do park in our driveway. They have 3 cars, only one gets parked in their driveway. Sometimes we have to bring our horse trailer home and if we cant pull in front of our house because of snow (for some reason thats where they plow it to) we pull in front of theirs. 2 times ago that we did this he (the neighbor) super gluded everylock shut on the trailer. He is a nice guy.


I want to get a junker and leave it there...

 

[Lady_Gracey999]

Usually if there are noticeable disturbances before or after a certain time, you can file a complaint with the city. Document it and give it a try. Check your city ordinance for the times. Couldn't hurt.

I don't know about the parking thing though. Do you live in a urban area? You don't have a driveway?

 

[agnes!]

Other than whomping them upside the head, I've got nothin'...

But here are a couple of thoughts...
I'd get a burglar alarm installed on my cars and motion-sensor lights installed around the house. I'd install a motion detector camera from the house that I could adjust to protect my cars.

I'd pray that the jerks would move and that the new neighbors would be nicer .

Give them what they want. Park a block away and don't say a word about it to them. Not to be whimps, but it's just that they've got themselves all het-up about protecting their turf, (which doesn't belong to them anyway) and sometimes when you concede to your opponent, it confuses the heck out of them. And that is *fun* .

Slightly off-topic and I do understand that the streets belong to everybody, but our new neighbors have a corner lot that is HUGE and yet we still get people going there who park in front of our house and we have tiny frontage. It was especially bad when they were undergoing construction this past summer - the workers would tend to park in front of our house rather than around the lot of the house they were working on. Drove me crazy.

I hate any kind of bad blood between neighbors. It can get ugly really quickly.

agnes!

 

[agnes!]

Oooooo, I like the tractor-trailer idea. Childish perhaps, but I still like it.

agnes!

 

[RNMOM]

I think I would get the "laws" from your city government then print a flyer and hand them out to the whole neighborhood. I would invite everyone over for coffee to discuss the parking problems and see if you can't dilute the problem. If everyone has the same problem perhaps you can all work out a solution.

 

[honugirl]

Could you agree to each park one car in front of your houses and park the rest on the next block? That way it's fair all around.

 

[TwinsinCA]

If you are on a corner lot and there are no driveways, you should have quite a bit of parking spaces right by your house. You said another neighbor parks in front of your house on one side. Why can't they park by their house? What about the other street? Is there no parking allowed on it? Is there a fire hydrant there or what? I would do what I could to try to park in front of my own house.

I honestly don't blame your neighbors for being upset. We have new people across the street who have 5 vehicles -- 3 are huge trucks/SUVs. Something is always parked in front of my house because they want to use their garage as an office instead of a place to actually park their cars.

 

[aprilgail2]

We have off street parking here but the driveways normally only hold one car plus a garage that can hold one (that is if they didnt' do a conversion like we did and make it a bedroom!)and when each house has 3-4 cars it becomes an issue. It is sort of an unwritten "rule" here that you don't park in front of other peoples houses and yes, people do get annoyed if you do. At times when there is someone in my spot I get ticked but then since it is a public street its not like you can do anything but grin and bear it but people do try to keep their cars in front of their own homes here.

As far as someone coming home and parking at my bumper and sitting there so I couldn't move I would just whip out my cell phone and call the cops, let them deal with that crap.

 

[PghLybrt]

As far as someone coming home and parking at my bumper and sitting there so I couldn't move I would just whip out my cell phone and call the cops, let them deal with that crap.

Mine would show up in maybe 2 hours. There is only ever 2 on duty at any given time (if any at all ). They could be home eating dinner. Small towns do not get much police attention.

 

[MushyMushy]

I would love to park in front of our house. There are 3 spaces there, and 2 of them are taken up by the across-the-street neighbors and 1 is taken up by neighbors to our north. We have no legal basis to ask them to move! It's public parking and any old person can come in and park wherever they want.

On the side street, there is no parking allowed on our side of the street, only on the neighbor's side. There are 5 spaces there. They have 3 cars (one of them a super-long SUV), and we have 2 cars. There should be no problems whatsoever. They also have 3 empty spaces in front of their house, but they choose not to use that door.

I want to thank those of you who suggested we get a copy of the local ordinances. I'll do just that! These neighbors are from the country and I'm sure they're just not used to this type of neighborhood. Heck, it has taken us some getting used to! But every other person who lives here manages to get by without complaining, so they'll just have to deal with it.

 

[PaulaSue]

I would tell him that if he could get the other neighbors to stop parking in front of your house then you will stop parking near his.

Bingo! Otherwise there is really nothing you can do.

 

[MushyMushy]

We have the same neighbors! Except we do have off street. We do park in our driveway. They have 3 cars, only one gets parked in their driveway. Sometimes we have to bring our horse trailer home and if we cant pull in front of our house because of snow (for some reason thats where they plow it to) we pull in front of theirs. 2 times ago that we did this he (the neighbor) super gluded everylock shut on the trailer. He is a nice guy.


I want to get a junker and leave it there...

What did you do about that??? OMG, I would be livid. That couldn't have been easy to fix those locks either.

We're very lucky because everybody in this neighborhood gets along wonderfully. Except them. People have tried making them feel welcome, and my husband had even taken them over a bottle of wine, but they really keep to themselves. Which is fine, don't get me wrong! If they want to be left alone, nobody around here would have a problem with that.

I just hate it because up until they moved in, everything was going almost too smoothly. You know that never lasts.

 

[TwinsinCA]

I would love to park in front of our house. There are 3 spaces there, and 2 of them are taken up by the across-the-street neighbors and 1 is taken up by neighbors to our north.

Are they parking there because there is no parking on their side of the street, someone else is parking in their spaces, or do they have too many cars?

 

[DawnCt1]

I think I would attempt to have a meeting with all of the neighbors that affect where you can park your car; the people who park in front of your house, and the neighbors whose house you must park in front of due to lack of space. Attempt to organize it in a cordial way, when everyone is home. If its impossible, than talk to the jerk individually and say, "We need to park our cars. This is a public street. People park in front of our house and we have no other option. By law, I am entitled to park anywhere I want. We can either do this amicably or we continue to argue about it. What is your solution".

 

[MushyMushy]

Are they parking there because there is no parking on their side of the street, someone else is parking in their spaces, or do they have too many cars?

A little of 2 of the 3. There's no parking on their side of the street, but they have a large garage with enough of a driveway to fit 3 cars behind their house. BUT, their garage and driveway is full of firewood and they have more cars than would fit there anyway. The neighbors to the north, I don't complain about because the husband is disabled and it's the closest spot to their door. I would never in a million years say anything to them.

 

[justhat]

Tell him to try parking in DC. We only have street parking too, but you're lucky to get a spot anywhere on the street if you get home after 5:30/6pm. Maybe it's cause we are a block of rowhouses so more cars than spots, but no one ever would complain about someone being in front of their house.

I realize that isn't very helpful, but I guess my point is that he simply needs to deal with it. As long as he still has room for his own cars, what is he worried about?