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thread: Van parked on the road

  1. #1
    BellyBelly Member
    Add Party-of-five on Facebook

    Sep 2008
    bunbury WA
    2,114

    Van parked on the road

    The ppl directly across the road from us have a huge camper/bus thing parked on the road out the front of their house...completely on the road not on the curb at all.

    Someone is staying in it as it has an extention cord running into it.

    Its right across from the drive way so we have to back out carefully so we dont hit it.

    It hasnt moved since thursday how long do you think it can stay there for?

    DH says he is going to back into it "accidently" I know he wouldnt really but if they moved it it would save me listening to DH rant about it

    The ppl that live in the house have gone away so Im guessing that the person is house sitting

  2. #2
    Registered User

    Apr 2010
    Townsville
    2,832

    Maybe go over and ask them nicely if they could move it up or down the street a little so you can back out?
    Do they have kids, cause it's not school holidays so hopefully they won't be away long?

    I don't understand why you wouldn't just stay in the house if you were housesitting! That's what we used to do...

    Hope they bugger off soon for you!!

  3. #3

    Nov 2007
    Earth
    4,434

    If the owners aren't there, why can't he park in the driveway?!

  4. #4
    Moderator

    Oct 2004
    In my Zombie proof fortress.
    6,449

    Give the council a call as that is really not on. Maybe for a day or two, but really should be fully on the property if someone is staying it. I suppose though the polite thing is to talk to them first, then call the council if there looks like they wont be moving for awhile.

  5. #5
    Registered User

    Jan 2009
    5,235

    I know I certainly would find it a more neighbourly thing to go over and ask if they would mind moving up onto the footpath a bit as you are concerned about accidentally backing into it and you don't want to damage the bus, than if you went straight to complaining to the council. At least that will give them the chance to respond - if they say no, then you can take another path.

    I once had a neighbour have an issue with my rooster - never did they tell me, until I got a note of complaint, I definitely would have appreciated a word from them in person during one of our chats over the fence.

  6. #6
    Registered User
    Follow Pandora On Twitter

    Jan 2005
    cowtown
    8,276

    Sometimes it's difficult to approach them though, there's an assumption that the neighbours and the person in the van are reasonable, but they may not be.

    Have you seen the person who's in the van? If they seem approachable then yeh I'd ask otherwise I might just call the council.

    I'm sorry but we had a similar situation at our old house where the neighbours moved someone in to a caravan out the front. They just weren't approachable, and I'd have been risking my safety approaching them directly. Lucky for us they were renting sooner called their re as they were breaking the law by doing it

  7. #7
    Registered User

    Nov 2006
    Atop the lookout...
    2,777

    No! No! No! Don't back into it! Legally you aren't allowed to reverse out of your driveway, so you (or DH) would be responsible for all damage.

    I would try approaching them first, but if that's not possible (or a dead end), then call the council and voice your concern of safety. Good luck.

  8. #8
    Registered User

    Jul 2006
    Melbourne
    4,895

    I thought you couldn't 'park' opposite driveways?.... could be mistaken

  9. #9
    Moderator

    Oct 2004
    In my Zombie proof fortress.
    6,449

    Sometimes you need to call the council or the road authority for your state, not to report them, but to find out what the law is regarding how they are parked. Nothing worse than being wrong when approaching a neighbour, as they may have every right to be there (doubt it, but it pays to check).

    Frankly though, if there is even the slightest concern that an emergency vehicle would not be able to make it up the street due to how they are parked, then the authorities need to be notified. Lived in street with bad parking and an ill husband, it was always a stress if we had to call an ambulance at night.

  10. #10
    Nothing like a cuddle from DD after a hard day's work!

    Oct 2007
    in my own world
    3,267

    It is actually illegal to park on the curb. We know because we got a ticket for it in front of our own house.

    Have you seen them? If they seem friendly then tell them. Last thng ud want is bad blood between neighbours.

    Good luck!

  11. #11
    BellyBelly Member
    Add Party-of-five on Facebook

    Sep 2008
    bunbury WA
    2,114

    DH said if its not moved by tomorrow afternoon he will go have a nice word, he said he is going to blame my lack of reversing skills(so I have one incident ) for his concern

  12. #12
    Registered User
    Add ~Lashes~ on Facebook

    Aug 2010
    south eastern melbourne
    2,533

    not sure if it is the same were you are, but some streets you are not allowed to park on the curb. one area we lived in, would get a parking fine for being parked on the side of the road out the front. yet here, there is a massive truck parked on the side of the road every day and night, taking up half a lane, yet there hasnt been an issue as yet (except near misses with oncoming cars due to lack of room) could you call and see if there is a legal requierment in regards to street parking? if it is near a corner they have to be a certain distance. ETA, a parking fine or warning could get them to move it and they wouldnt know who it was if they dont seem like the nice neighbourly type.
    HTH

  13. #13

    Oct 2010
    Baldivis, WA
    2,873

    Yeah it was annoying yesterday wasn't it!!!!! So didn't want to back out of your driveway! Lol


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  14. #14
    Registered User

    Oct 2006
    Adelaide, SA
    3,962

    No! No! No! Don't back into it! Legally you aren't allowed to reverse out of your driveway, so you (or DH) would be responsible for all damage.
    What the?? You're not legally allowed to reverse out of your driveway? So what are you supposed to do, reverse in? Wouldn't that be "just as illegal". I don't really understand this.

    PO5 - Did the van move in the end?

  15. #15
    Registered User

    Jul 2006
    Cloud nine :D
    6,309

    What the?? You're not legally allowed to reverse out of your driveway? So what are you supposed to do, reverse in? Wouldn't that be "just as illegal". I don't really understand this.

    PO5 - Did the van move in the end?
    I have heard that too. But never heard of it being actually used. I think it's a law that's there but not minorited.


    Love MN ;-)

  16. #16
    BellyBelly Member
    Add Party-of-five on Facebook

    Sep 2008
    bunbury WA
    2,114

    The van moved yesterday and when I was at the shop I bumped into the neighbour and she apoligised, they were away so she didnt realise they parked there. They were ment to park up the side of the house. She seemed embarrassed so Im glad DH didnt say anything after all

  17. #17
    Registered User

    Nov 2008
    Perth
    3,686

    My parents had a similar issue with the guy opposite parking his big truck (a commercial vehicle) outside his house making it difficult to reverse out AND he often parked outside my parents house for their shade

    My folks, who are lovely BTW, approached him one day and asked him nicely if he would mind not parking directly outside their house as it made it difficult to see out their driveway and they had children with kids visiting often who needed to park out the front. He was a rude ***** and basically told my poor little mum to F-off He then threatened my dad when he approached him! They live in such a nice street that it was really worrying so we phoned the council We found out it was illegal for a commercial vehicle to be parked in a suburban street for any length of time and they had received complaints about him before and he'd already received a ticket from them AND they were on the way to give him another ticket.

    Well he ended up apologising to my parents (but was still damn rude) and said he thought they had caused him to get the first ticket.... No, but we were to blame for the second one He had to park his truck in his driveway and he did so from that point onwards.

    We had the last laugh when A. he reversed into the garage one day and damaged the fascia of the garage (it's a rental so he had to pay for it!) and B. he moved to a place around the corner and we drove past one day and noticed his truck, which was on the lawn, had been graffitied!! Karma

    So you may have a leg to stand on and it couldn't hurt to phone the council so you know what's allowed and what isn't it before you chat with them. Hopefully you'll have a better experience than what my parents did!

  18. #18
    Registered User

    Nov 2006
    Atop the lookout...
    2,777

    As far as I know, from the Man (who used to train people to drive trucks, and so is very well versed in road law, even if he doesn't always follow it.... ), you are not allowed to reverse out of your driveway, as visibility up and down the footpath for pedestrians is much less than if you were driving out forwards, as well as the visibility of the road. So, yes, you are supposed to reverse into your driveway, and drive out on to the road forwards.

    Getting further technical on reversing into a driveway, you are not supposed to reverse off your left side (ie, turning towards the passenger side of the vehicle). So this means, that you are supposed to pull up to the kerb on the wrong side of the road, and reverse into the driveway off the driver's side. I get to do this at my place, because our street is quiet, but somewhat impossible on major roads.... This rule is why you will see trucks pull out wide across a road to reverse in off the driver's side. The reversing off your left side rule isn't enforced in cars, but important in trucks where visibility is so much more limited (so next time you see a truck trying to pull out across the road to reverse into a loading bay or driveway, please stop and let them go ).

    I wouldn't want to try the "I'm not liable because I reversed out of my driveway into your vehicle" trick though.

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