Some drivers mistakenly think they ‘own the road’ outside their homes, leading to heated disputes over parking spaces. A New Zealand man discovered this the hard way when he found a nasty note on his car’s windscreen after parking legally on a street in Milldale, north Auckland.
The message left for him was blunt: “Hey! You absolutely suck at parking” and “MOVE YOUR CAR”. In retaliation, he left a note of his own stating ‘Street parking is public’ on his neighbour’s car. He also revealed that his neighbour attempts to reserve the spot with a traffic cone, which he places there whenever he leaves in his vehicle.
The neighbour’s wife defended their actions to Stuff, saying: “It’s not really a public parking space. People keep parking their cars on our spot, we’ve got three vehicles and this is the parking allocated for our home and that’s the only reason why.”
She expressed frustration about having to park further away if they leave for just a short time.
According to her, her husband has told the man he can use the space as long as it’s available until 5pm when he needs it upon returning home.
She expressed her frustration, saying: “They are moaning about it, but like we said and explained to them, have a little bit of common sense.
“We said we don’t mind you parking there but my husband is coming home later. Where the h**l is he supposed to park?”.
To clarify the situation, Stuff consulted Auckland Transport, who made it clear: “Regardless, in this case, it’s being cheekily used to reserve a parking space, which is a no-go.
“Parking spaces on the road, including this parking space on this street… are for everyone to use.”
In line with UK regulations, motorists are allowed to park in front of someone else’s house as long as they do not encroach upon private property, such as a driveway.
Merseyside Police provided guidance on the issue: “If someone has blocked your driveway so you can’t drive in, we appreciate this can be very frustrating.
“If you can find the owner of the vehicle, we’d first recommend asking them politely to move it. If you can’t find them, try leaving a note on their windscreen. After all, they may not realise they have caused a problem.
“If this doesn’t work, please contact your local council. If a person has blocked your driveway and is preventing you from getting your own vehicle out, we may be able to help. You can report antisocial behaviour online.
“If someone parks their vehicle on your driveway without your permission, this is trespassing. This is a civil dispute and not something we can help you with.
“If it happens repeatedly with the same person / vehicle you might want to seek advice from Citizens Advice or a solicitor, but we would always recommend having a polite word with the driver first, as there may have been a simple misunderstanding.”