The first thirteen properties in the close have dropped kerbs, a drive with space for at least one car to park off-road AND a garage. We are fortunate to be on the corner [round the bend !] and so we have plenty of space. The remaining ten have no vehicular access, but at the end of the Close there is access to their 10 garages - two rows of five. Built in 1973 they are rather small, and 80‰ of them do not contain cars The turning area at the end of the Close will take half a dozen cars parked perpendicular to the pavement, and residents often double park. It is mayhem at weekends, and when the bin lorries, tankers full of heating oil, grocery deliveries, ambulances or hearses arrive they often struggle to get out again. And such vehicles come most days. From my kitchen window I see all the cars parked in front of Cornerstones. I did a double take one day this week
They were actually touching! These belong to the members of the same family.
Two days later, another family member added his car. Three in a row, bumper to bumper.
Their mobile catering van takes up 1½ spaces at the end of the Close. When these bungalows were built nobody envisaged ordinary families having more than one small car.
Fortunately I'm not too bothered by all this. Other residents write regularly to complain to the Parish Council.
When neighbours ask why I'm not complaining about the cars outside my home, I politely explain that I do not own that space. And if I were living in a Victorian property in Manchester or London the parking situation [and 24 hour passing traffic] would be infinitely worse.
I am grateful for my home, and my car. Romans 12 verse 18 has wise advice for those seeking to be good neighbours
Do everything possible on your part to live in peace with everybody.
Oh Ang, I could do with that saying for some of the residents here. Some of us like to live in peace, other argue and squabble about everything.
ReplyDeleteI try to avoid conversations with the grumpy ones
DeleteWe are fortunate to have a double space on our drive (plus garage full of junk!) although we only have one car. We have people parking outside our house which we don't mind except for that on the left of our drive, a neighbour parks the most humongous van that completely obscures all vision of the left when coming out our drive which is dangerous as often a car will be coming along. Kx
ReplyDeleteBlocking people's vision is so dangerous
DeleteParking was a huge problem in one place we lived with garages on-bloc but people would park outside their garage making it impossible for others to get out.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad we moved from there before it got really nasty and someone was threatened and abused.
At least one family moved out a few years back because of rows about parking.
DeleteYour pictures reminded me of the sitcom “Butterflies” where the three sons each had a car on the drive. If the first one in needed to be the first one out, there was much reversing at top speed with loud reving of engines which used to annoy both their father and the neighbours.
ReplyDeleteButterflies was such a clever programme. Geoffrey Palmer was so wonderfully lugubrious and Wendy Craig so utterly scatty!
DeleteI was just about to make the same comment!
Delete😉
DeleteOur 70s close is much the same, Angela, and over the last few years seems to have more and more cars parking in such a way to make it difficult to get out of a drive. As you say, the road doesnt belong to us, but it is a bit hard when visitors such as family, friends, Dr, carers, have to park well away from the house they are visiting.
ReplyDeleteIt is hard for visiting carers.
DeleteWell said. Having spent most of my life in London, and all the parking woes that brings, a few cars parked in front of our home doesn't freak me out. Having said that we live in a very quiet cul-de-sac and all the homes have generous drive ways so parked cars in the road are quite rare. We do get quite a lot of large vehicles like delivery lorries coming up to turn round thinking there is a large turning space and there isn't so they have to reverse back down a winding steep hill not much fun. Regards Sue H
ReplyDeleteIn our 15 years of owning Cornerstones there have been about a dozen funerals. The hearses always reverse into the Close. Turning round at the end with all the cars would be very difficult and rather undignified
DeleteIn our 15 years of owning Cornerstones there have been about a dozen funerals. The hearses always reverse into the Close. Turning round at the end with all the cars would be very difficult and rather undignified
DeleteFinding adequate parking is a problem where I live, too. I think I am one of the very few people who still parks their car in the garage. Many have converted their garages to additional dwelling units or use them for storage. People park in their driveways, on their front gardens, and the street. I only mind when they park in a manner that block access to my driveway.
ReplyDeleteI am frustrated by people who park on the pavement making it too narrow for buggies or wheelchairs to get past
DeleteOn our cul-de-sac every home has parking for one or two cars thanks to driveways and paved over front gardens, and usually a garage too, although garages built back in the 1970s are far too small for most cars ... and there are dropped kerbs at every property. Any visitors can park in front of the off the road cars of the houses that they are visiting and it's never a problem. The only problem for us is caused by people that work nearby and park right on the corner where our road meets the main road. It makes for difficult visibility when turning out of our road. We don't complain but we do call them names under our breath as we pull out. ;-)
ReplyDeleteVisibility issues again!
DeleteMy sister has just moved to a new flat in the shadow of Arthur's Seat. Lovely place but I don't reckon I'll be visiting much with parking fees of £4 per hour!(she and her husband have one designated parking space in the basement of the building). I have the same scenario as you with vehicles parked nose to tail and don't even mention when they bring their caravans into the cul de sac to wash them!
ReplyDeleteFortunately no caravans in the Close (yet)
DeleteGreat advice. On the whole we only harm ourselves when we get irate with neighbours over parking, boundaries etc.
ReplyDeleteAlison in Wales x
👍❤️
DeleteWhen we moved into our small 1970s semi every house had a drive and a front lawn with a flowering tree. Now most are paved for parking three or more large cars, and still they park on the pavement. The grown up children still live at home, now with their partners and children.
ReplyDeleteIt must be stressful.
Least said, soonest mended.
😉👍
DeleteWe now have no drive, but 2 designated parking spaces with electric hook up. No garage either, so all the garden/car stuff is living in plastic lidded crates on the patio until Thursday when the shed is being built. Fortunately the roads are very wide, so lorries turning seems to be no problem.
ReplyDeleteYou will be glad when the shed is in place. I hope the weather is kind to you till then! When we had our garage put up, we madd provision for an electric hookup to be fitted some time in the future.
DeleteWe live in a house built in the 1960’s and have made a driveway and turning circle as we had 3 cars when our daughter was at home. We are plagued by parking for the nearby school which regularly blocks our drive. We try not to go in or out at drop off/pick up times and stay in the back of the house at these times so that we don’t get annoyed by the selfish parking. Catriona
ReplyDeleteThe pictures I've seen if your new driveway look super. Why do people park across access routes? So selfish.
DeleteYou are so wise to not allow this situation to bother you unduly. Sometimes our own reactions to awkward situations drive us crazier than the situations themselves!
ReplyDelete... And then people get Road Rage sometimes with terrible consequences
DeleteModern cars are now often too wide for a single garage, sadly, which is why many are turned into living space. People who regularly complain to the local council here have ended up with a residents parking scheme (payable permits) or yellow lines, so your neighbours need to be careful what they wish for!
ReplyDeleteI can't see the council wanting to employ a parking warden out here in our village, so neither yellow lines nor permits are likely
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