Quick question on parking

frosty03 · 30 Mar 2008 at 11:43

A narrow road with a pavement on one side, allows 1 car to be parked before causing obstruction.

Does the person parking on the road have priority over the person who parks half on the pavement? Assuming the road parker was there first. Said pavement is outside a house, but NOT part of a driveway.

Reason I ask is because I parked on the road. A visitor to the house subsequently partially parked on the pavement, and the road was thus blocked. The house owner then called the police (plastic police came round), who told me I had to move because the road was obstructed. From my understanding, you cannot park on the pavement, so I am wondering if I should complain.

Guv · 30 Mar 2008 at 12:12

I wouldn't bother complaining, although I would lean towards the other person being wrong as I would say it's stupid for the other person to park if by them parking there they are causing an obstruction.

I guess when you parked it wasn't causing an obstruction so you were fine to park, whereas when they parked it causes problems.

MrFunex · 30 Mar 2008 at 12:20

I doubt compaining would do anything tbh, but you are technically in the right - parking on the pavement is wrong. Sucks to live on a narrow road.

Attu90 · 30 Mar 2008 at 12:22

Its a difficult one as some times you cant do right for doing wrong. I suppose really the car that parked across the road from you was in the wrong but how do people usually park on the road ?
On my street for example everyone parks half on the pavement because if not there just isn't any room to pass, again not strictly legal but its the common sense thing to do and as such the police would also uses some common sense otherwise the whole country would grind to a halt as most of your roads was designed for a horse and cart.
I would say in your case you were legally in the right but the other person was in the in the right to park half on the pavement as far as common sense goes but a mumpty for parking opposite another car knowing it was going to cause an obstruction.
Do you really think its worth complaining about ? its not going to get the road widened which is really the only solution to the problem, or park half on the pavement but try and leave room for pushchairs etc to get through ...cant think of any other solution.

MrFunex · 30 Mar 2008 at 12:24

If you both park a little bit on the pavement, leaving room for pedestrians etc. as Attu suggests, will there be room for more than one car before the road is blocked?

Street · 30 Mar 2008 at 13:33

I got a ticket not long ago for parking on the pavement to leave more room on the road. Still plenty of space on the pavement for a heard of elephants to walk past..

Wasn't even a traffic warden that did me.. Was an actual fixed penalty from a copper!

So now I tend to park on the road most of the time if I'm out and about.. Might be blocking the road but at least I don't get a ticket!

Clarkey · 30 Mar 2008 at 13:46

Obviously the other persons fault. You had done nothing wrong while they had both blocked the road and parked illegally on the pavement. The police officer obviously didn't know their job. I'd have argued my point and not moved the car tbh.

frosty03 · 30 Mar 2008 at 18:26

Clarkey said:
Obviously the other persons fault. You had done nothing wrong while they had both blocked the road and parked illegally on the pavement. The police officer obviously didn't know their job. I'd have argued my point and not moved the car tbh.

Exactly! It was the other person who caused the obstruction by parking incorrectly and illegally on the pavement. By what do you expect from a "Community Support Officer", who really didnt know what they were talking about. He didnt even bother to establish the facts before mouthing off. Gave me the impression he was on a power trip. Came round in a car with 2 others, what a waste of police time.

What i'm ****** about is that the owners think they have the god given right to park on the pavement in front of their house, regardless of the fact if anybody else was across from them. I'm pretty sure it was them who called the police and alleged that we just parked up and caused the obstruction. This same house has also "warned" us several times not to park on the road in front of their house as it was "theirs".

I've since typed a letter to the IPCC detailing my unhappiness and included a nice aerial diagram annotating the situation. Will let u know if anything comes of it.

frosty03 · 30 Mar 2008 at 18:29

Guv said:
... I would say it's stupid for the other person to park if by them parking there they are causing an obstruction.

/QUOTE]

Sure. You just park where u want, call the cops and tell them it was the other person who just caused the block. When they arrive, bluff them into believing that the pavement in front of your house is "your driveway" and you have a right to park there.