Zoom-boing
Platinum Member
I live in a cookie cutter house neighborhood, the houses all have a driveway (about the length of a Mercury Grand Marquis) with enough room to park two cars side by side . . . barely. All the houses have garages, property size is just under 1/4 acre. From my driveway to the neighbor's driveway is considered parking for my house (yes, it's a public street and anyone can park anywhere but common courtesy has always stood and everyone respects the other guy's space) with the exception of about 15 feet, which is on their 'side' of the property line.
Five years ago we got new neighbors. Nice people, early 30's, two small kids, a dog. Since the day they moved in he has parked his Ford Expedition on this side of his drive with half of his car parked in front of our house (approx 10-15 ft). It was never an issue as we only had two cars/drivers but when my oldest got a car last year and started parking in front of our house we figured a light bulb would go off in the neighbor's head and he'd start parking in front of his house. btw, there is nothing in front of his house. Nothing.
Well, he never did pick up the hint. The first snow we got just before Christmas dumped over 2ft of snow. He parked his car in the usual spot and never bothered to pull it into his drive so when the snow plow came down the street it completely bypassed plowing in front of our house because the neighbor's car was there. The temps dropped, everything froze and when college kid came home a few days later there was no place for her to park except in 'his' spot (yeah, in front of our house). She parked there for about a week and when she went out he popped his car there with no regard for the fact that Julie had no place to park. As a result we had to dig out tons of frozen snow for a place for her. He attempted to do this with the last snow but I asked him to move, explaining that his parking there affects us. He moved his car so the plow could do it's thing but he put it back the next day.
About 3 weeks ago I bought an orange cone from Depot, put the word 'slow' in black duct tape on it and placed it in the street about 2 ft. from the curb at the very end of our property. Yes, making it impossible for the neighbor to park there. I mainly put the cone there because cars have been flying up our street (despite the 25 mph speed limit signs) and my son (special needs) plays out front and across the street and isn't very good at judging if he has enough time to cross the street with a car coming. I was concerned that he'd get hit, I asked my cop neighbor across the street if he thought the cone was a good idea; he did. He also noticed the speeding drivers.
Last Saturday there was a neighborhood garage sale. We didn't participate but the neighbors did. When I got up and looked out the window, the neighbor had thrown the cone onto the grass, parked his car back in 'his' spot and parked the wife's Expedition in front of that, leaving us one space to park a car. There was nothing in front of their house. wtf? My daughter came home from college and parked her car in the one remaining spot. He later went somewhere in his car so I went out and moved the cone back to where it had been. He came back and parked his car in front of his house. A little while later he moved the wife's car back into their garage then proceeded to move the cone up the road about 12 ft and parked his car back in 'his' spot.
I went over and asked him if he wouldn't mind parking his car in front of his house because when he parked in 'his' spot, we lost parking space in front of our house for our cars. Well, he was nice but was not about to do that. The discussion went back and forth, blah, blah, blah. I asked him why he didn't just park his car in front of his house. His reason? He's an EMT and he said that if he gets a call in the middle of the night and his car is parked in front of his house he had to walk through his garden to get to his car. Uh, his 'garden' are plantings that surround his light post. Um, he can't walk down his drive and into the street to get into his car, like every other person would? Really?? So basically, he has no reason other than he just wants to park where he's been parking for the past five years.
When he gave his reason I felt myself get really pissed and rather than say something stupid, when he again said 'if you really want me to move my car I will, but . . .' I cut him off at the 'but' said, thank you I would really, really appreciate if he did that and left.
He moved his car about an hour later (he went out) so once again, I moved the cone back to where it had been. When he came home he once again parked in his 'spot' .... he just drove right over the cone. <sigh, can you see where this is going?> I pulled the cone out from under his car and just put it in the street in front of his car. He went out again later and I put the cone back where it had been. We didn't pull our car down the street (thus completely preventing him from parking there), just left the cone. He came home that night and parked his car in his driveway.
I thought 'ok, he was a jerk, maybe he calmed down and realizes that we have a point'. I parked my car next to the cone on Monday because I was unloading two 40lb. bags of top soil into the wheelbarrow. I haven't gone anywhere since so I just left my car there. Parked. In front of my house. This morning I look and he took the cone and shoved it under the front of my car. I'm sure if confronted he'd deny it and say it must have been the wind and rain but . . . the cone didn't budge with 40 mph winds three days ago. This was intentional.
Am I being unreasonable? Again, I get the whole 'public street, park wherever' thing but everyone has always been considerate about parking . . . until this. I could just park in front of his house but again, I don't want to stoop to his level. He has always seemed like a nice guy but I'm wondering if he has some kind of 'above the law' type attitude or if I just pissed him off because I asked him to move his car and didnt' back down when he obviously didn't want to comply.
At some point there won't be one of our cars parked there and I think he's going to put one of his cars there (he has 3, two Expeditions and a sedan. Just he and his wife for drivers so I don't know why they have 3 cars). I think he's going to put a car there that he doesn't drive much and just leave it there for spite.
Any thoughts?
Sorry this is so bloody long . . . it does feel good to get if off my mind though.
Five years ago we got new neighbors. Nice people, early 30's, two small kids, a dog. Since the day they moved in he has parked his Ford Expedition on this side of his drive with half of his car parked in front of our house (approx 10-15 ft). It was never an issue as we only had two cars/drivers but when my oldest got a car last year and started parking in front of our house we figured a light bulb would go off in the neighbor's head and he'd start parking in front of his house. btw, there is nothing in front of his house. Nothing.
Well, he never did pick up the hint. The first snow we got just before Christmas dumped over 2ft of snow. He parked his car in the usual spot and never bothered to pull it into his drive so when the snow plow came down the street it completely bypassed plowing in front of our house because the neighbor's car was there. The temps dropped, everything froze and when college kid came home a few days later there was no place for her to park except in 'his' spot (yeah, in front of our house). She parked there for about a week and when she went out he popped his car there with no regard for the fact that Julie had no place to park. As a result we had to dig out tons of frozen snow for a place for her. He attempted to do this with the last snow but I asked him to move, explaining that his parking there affects us. He moved his car so the plow could do it's thing but he put it back the next day.
About 3 weeks ago I bought an orange cone from Depot, put the word 'slow' in black duct tape on it and placed it in the street about 2 ft. from the curb at the very end of our property. Yes, making it impossible for the neighbor to park there. I mainly put the cone there because cars have been flying up our street (despite the 25 mph speed limit signs) and my son (special needs) plays out front and across the street and isn't very good at judging if he has enough time to cross the street with a car coming. I was concerned that he'd get hit, I asked my cop neighbor across the street if he thought the cone was a good idea; he did. He also noticed the speeding drivers.
Last Saturday there was a neighborhood garage sale. We didn't participate but the neighbors did. When I got up and looked out the window, the neighbor had thrown the cone onto the grass, parked his car back in 'his' spot and parked the wife's Expedition in front of that, leaving us one space to park a car. There was nothing in front of their house. wtf? My daughter came home from college and parked her car in the one remaining spot. He later went somewhere in his car so I went out and moved the cone back to where it had been. He came back and parked his car in front of his house. A little while later he moved the wife's car back into their garage then proceeded to move the cone up the road about 12 ft and parked his car back in 'his' spot.
I went over and asked him if he wouldn't mind parking his car in front of his house because when he parked in 'his' spot, we lost parking space in front of our house for our cars. Well, he was nice but was not about to do that. The discussion went back and forth, blah, blah, blah. I asked him why he didn't just park his car in front of his house. His reason? He's an EMT and he said that if he gets a call in the middle of the night and his car is parked in front of his house he had to walk through his garden to get to his car. Uh, his 'garden' are plantings that surround his light post. Um, he can't walk down his drive and into the street to get into his car, like every other person would? Really?? So basically, he has no reason other than he just wants to park where he's been parking for the past five years.
When he gave his reason I felt myself get really pissed and rather than say something stupid, when he again said 'if you really want me to move my car I will, but . . .' I cut him off at the 'but' said, thank you I would really, really appreciate if he did that and left.
He moved his car about an hour later (he went out) so once again, I moved the cone back to where it had been. When he came home he once again parked in his 'spot' .... he just drove right over the cone. <sigh, can you see where this is going?> I pulled the cone out from under his car and just put it in the street in front of his car. He went out again later and I put the cone back where it had been. We didn't pull our car down the street (thus completely preventing him from parking there), just left the cone. He came home that night and parked his car in his driveway.
I thought 'ok, he was a jerk, maybe he calmed down and realizes that we have a point'. I parked my car next to the cone on Monday because I was unloading two 40lb. bags of top soil into the wheelbarrow. I haven't gone anywhere since so I just left my car there. Parked. In front of my house. This morning I look and he took the cone and shoved it under the front of my car. I'm sure if confronted he'd deny it and say it must have been the wind and rain but . . . the cone didn't budge with 40 mph winds three days ago. This was intentional.
Am I being unreasonable? Again, I get the whole 'public street, park wherever' thing but everyone has always been considerate about parking . . . until this. I could just park in front of his house but again, I don't want to stoop to his level. He has always seemed like a nice guy but I'm wondering if he has some kind of 'above the law' type attitude or if I just pissed him off because I asked him to move his car and didnt' back down when he obviously didn't want to comply.
At some point there won't be one of our cars parked there and I think he's going to put one of his cars there (he has 3, two Expeditions and a sedan. Just he and his wife for drivers so I don't know why they have 3 cars). I think he's going to put a car there that he doesn't drive much and just leave it there for spite.
Any thoughts?
Sorry this is so bloody long . . . it does feel good to get if off my mind though.