car parking hogs

[bob57]

I am plagued by drivers from the police communications office workers parking in front of my house nearly every day its not so bad because I'm away most of the time but last week I had to stay at home for personal reasons I went away with my car for a few minutes and when I got back a woman from the communications office was parked outside my house I told she can't park there as I needed to park there she said she pays roadtax and she has right to park then I said I pay road tax and council tax as well so what about my rights. question is how can I stop them parking outside my house?

[furrycheeky]

I am afraid you cannot stop them using a public road. I had this problem too its a pain but you have no rights to park outside your house.

[Dollie]

Furrycheeky is correct - anyone and everyone can park outside your house if its a public highway. Some householders put up a sign telling people - no parking - but they are not within their rights - they just hope that people will think they are and not park there, but unfortuantely for you, if you do not own the road outside your house, then the police drivers have as much right to be there as you. Blasted nuisence I know !

[Coobeastie]

Have to agree...though your road tax only entitles you to the use of the highway to travel, not for storage of your vehicle.

You could ask you local council to instigate a permit scheme, but that'll cost you to become a permit holder (probably �30 - �50 a year)

[kempie]

Just to clear up a common misconception...

Legally nobody has a "right" to park on the public highway unless it is an area specifically set aside for that purpose; outside of these areas all parked vehicles technically constitute an 'obstruction' under Section 137 of the Highways Act 1980.

http://www.havant.gov.uk/havant-208

However it is very unlikely that a local authority will enforce this parking restriction on public roads where vehicles have traditionally been parked, so everyone has the same "non-right" to park in front of your house as you do.

[bob57]

then answer one more question the hospital in my area charges for parking (I have no problem with that) but a few years ago residents around area complained about people parking on the roads outside their houses and there was a big hullabaloo about it inthe papers and plenty done about. so it must be one rule for one rule for another thanks for your answers

bob57

[Hammer]

Can you not get a driveway with a dropped kerb put in? Then no-one can park there except you.

[JudgeJ]

Even Hammer�s suggestion is not fool-proof. The Highway Code (para 217) covers this situation.

• �DO NOT park your vehicle�where it would inconvenience or obstruct other road users or pedestrians. For example do not stop [among other places] in front of an entrance to a property.�

However, this is not a �MUST/MUST NOT� obligation (that is, one that is backed up by law). If the road where the driveway is has no parking restrictions, the existence of the driveway does not preclude anybody from parking there. It certainly does not, in law, reserve the space for the occupant, though most drivers respect the right of property owners to have access to their property.

If not, the inconvenienced property owner would have to find a constable, persuade him to locate the driver of the vehicle causing the obstruction, and persuade him to move it. His only powers would be to invoke the principle correctly outlined by Kempie. However, the officer�s answer may well be that, as he has not chosen to enforce the law elsewhere (i.e. those parked without causing an obstruction) he would be exceeding his powers to enforce it selectively.

All most unlikely and, taken together, most unsatisfactory.

[stellaqueen]

we have the same problem where i live as i live just off the main stretch of shops, banks, hairdressers etc....

im glad to say we are getting residential parking soon, with no waiting times.....

i'v only been driving 2 years but my father has been driving 22 and we have lived in the same house for 19 years.......

the bad news....... it has taken him and many others in the street 19 years to get it!

you may be in for a wait!

[Grunty]

Years ago (and I accept that the law may have changed since), drivers were prosecuted for causing an unnecessary obstruction if they prevented someone using the road to reach a private drive. The presence or otherwise of a dropped kerb made no difference.

[L&L]

lo