While some people believe they ‘own the strip of road’ outside their house, this isn’t anywhere close to the truth. However, it doesn’t stop people from ‘acting up’ when someone else parks their car in what they’ve deemed to be their parking spot.
That’s exactly what one New Zealand man came to learn after he returned to his car to see a rude note stuck to his windscreen. He’d legally parked up on a street in Milldale, north Auckland, in accordance to the rules or the road – but his selected spot just so happened to be opposite his neighbour’s house.
So, when he returned to his car later that day, he was met with a note that read: “Hey! You absolutely suck at parking” on one side and “MOVE YOUR CAR” on the other.
Annoyed, he wrote a response back – ‘Street parking is public’ – and placed it on his neighbour’s windscreen for him to find.
He went onto explain how his neighbour tries to reserve the parking stop with a traffic cone, storing it in his boot and putting it in the space whenever he goes out in his car.
Speaking to Stuff, the neighbour’s wife said: “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.
“When we leave for five minutes and we come back, then we have to park way up in the street.”
She claims her husband told the man he is welcome to park in the space as long as it’s free from 5pm when he returns home for the day.
She added: “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 settle the debate, Stuff checked in with Auckland Transport on the matter – and they responded: “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.”
Similar to the UK, road users can park in front of your house providing they’re not parked on your property – such as on your driveway.
A statement from Merseyside Police reads: “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.”
