Parking Problems and Neighbours who ‘Own’ the Road

Parking Problems and Neighbours who ‘Own’ the Road

10:03 AM, 23rd August 2011, About 13 years ago 12

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"Car parking creates tension on UK streets."

Buy to let tenants parking in the streets near their home can spark huge rows with neighbours who think they ‘own’ the roads outside their homes.

Many rented homes come with inadequate parking – or a free-for-all to find a space on the road nearby.

Research findings have revealed 44% of home owners believe they have rights over the street outside their properties.

In student neighbourhoods where several tenants may have a car, this can stress relationships with other residents – especially as around one in five feel ‘emotionally stressed’ if someone else parks outside their home.

Many home owners (18%) are angered by motorists parking across access to their drives or garages, while 3% have come home to find a stranger has parked on their drive.

Parking perils can even lead to some home owners setting themselves up as ‘traffic wardens’ who block parking outside their homes with cones, tape and illegal ‘no parking’ signs.

Around 45 of homeowners told researchers for insurance firm Churchill, who carried out the study, that they had rowed with neighbours over parking in the last year.

Tony Chilcott, head of Churchill, said: “Many people believe a residents’ parking permit gives them official ownership of the road in front of their homes; unfortunately for them, usually this is not the case.

“Parking issues can lead to heated arguments, but people need to be tolerant of drivers that are parking entirely legally, even if it is directly outside their property. Drivers need to be considerate when parking, making sure they are not obstructing any access to driveways or parking bays.”

Parking is so bad in some cities that motorists and drivers have taken extreme steps to deal with the problem.

In Oxford, universities ban students from bringing cars in to the city if they live in halls of residence – and if they break the rules they face eviction.

Meanwhile, letting agents and estate agents in Westminster, London, are under investigation for fraudulently obtaining residents parking permits. The agents obtained permits for properties listed on their books to save paying for parking while claiming off-street garage expenses from their employers.


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14:08 PM, 3rd February 2012, About 13 years ago

How is it that parking makes our blood boil? I remember city centre living. I vaguely miss parking on a solid surface rather than on mud but OH the aggravation! Enforcement is an option, the parking firms will energetically pursue payment, but I can see the point that it doesn't look too nice in a residential area and would be a definite red flag to any potential buyer or tenant if there were parking notices everywhere. "Is parking a problem here?" "Oh no, not since we introduced the stingers.."

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14:54 PM, 3rd February 2012, About 13 years ago

I think the real issue is that Barratt choose to build the private parking, so they looked like part of the public roads, and the roads themselves
are public.  There are all sorts of conditions in the title deeds to stop anyone charging how the garden/parking are set up, so as to protect the look of the development.

Painting lines and putting up lots of signs so that a parking company could issues fines could make the area look like a social housing estate and down value the area.  Also the defined parking is a bit small for a lot of car, as before the many car households moved in, we would just have 4 cars spread over the 5 spaces with no issues, as professionals in Cambridge living in small “starter homes” are unlikely to be car worshipers owning more than one car per property, most of the properties own two car parking spaces, but some only have 1 with no clear logic as to why.  This is also seen as unfair by people that have no concept of what a title deed is.

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