car parked across my drive

[joe1]

Hi
Can anyone tell me what the legal ( if any) position is regarding a car blocking my home driveway - has a drop curb.
Thanks

[marje]

Hi joe, this is from Hillingdon Council, but may apply countrywide.

Inconsiderate parking alongside dropped kerb can prevent residents and businesses from getting their vehicles back on the road or in their driveway.

It could also prevent residents, particularly people with disabilities and persons with pushchairs, from crossing the public highway in a safe manner.

Vehicles must not park on the carriageway (road) adjacent to the footway, cycle track or verge that has been lowered or where the carriageway has been raised to the level of the footway, cycle track or verge for a purpose of:

Assisting pedestrians crossing the road
Assisting vehicles entering or leaving the off street parking areas such as driveways across the footway, cycle track or verge.
Assisting cyclists entering or leaving the road.

The motorists who park their vehicle alongside a dropped kerb, in Hillingdon, could come back to find a parking fine on their windscreen.

[douglas9401]

I'd suggest that offenders should count themselves lucky to still HAVE a windscreen on which to place a ticket.

[marje]

I think this says it all joe.

New Parking Laws in England and Wales since 31st March 2008

A drop kerb is a roadside kerb / pavement that is angled downwards towards the road to allow vehicles to easily drive up and down the kerb.

Parking in front of drop kerbs is not allowed. It causes obstructions to driveway access, road crossing access and both pedestrian and driver visibility. Blocking driveway and crossing access is inconvenient and selfish but obstructing visibility can be very dangerous to pedestrians and road users.

Parking in front of drop kerbs has been against the rules in London since Section 14 of the London Local Authorities and Transport for London Act 2003 came into force.

"Part 6 of the Traffic Management Act 2004 repeals section 14 and gives all local authorities in England with civil parking enforcement powers the ability to take action when a vehicle is parked alongside a dropped kerb in a Special Enforcement Area (that is, an area where parking is, in all other instances, permitted)."

For more detailed information visit The Department for Transport "Parking on pavements and alongside dropped kerbs".

[marje]

I agree Douglas, it seems that some people either don't know the rules or just think they can park where they like.

By the way joe, have you registered your drop kerb with your local council?

[percypineapple]

A bit of a grey area. In dulwich,london, a car with a bloody great camera strapped to the roof comes round and videos all vehicles that are parked. any parked on the white line where a dropped kerb to a property is, will get a parking ticket. so, when you have friends round, they can't park outside your house in front of your drive as they might get a ticket. I am reliably informed from a ticket recipient that they also come round late at night with the video car.( wouldn't see sod all here. like the black hole of calcutta after dark)
problem is in this road in dulwich, now every one has a dropped kerb, there is no where for anyone to park except disabled vehicles, so when you visit you may have to park streets away. glad i live in the countryside, dark it may be, but parking not an issue.

[atalanta]

You used to be able to get hold of stickers which said things like "Don't park here" which you could put ( if nobody was looking) on a windscreen right in the middle of the driver's view. These stickers were so sticky they took about half an hour of scratching and scraping to get off .
I can't help feeling that if such a rotten parker complained to the police about ultra-sticky stickers, s/he would get little sympathy.

[shoota]

The Police should assist you if you are blocked in but if you are blocked out then you are on your own.

[Coldicote]

Interesting to read shoota's comment. I believe what he says is right but cannot find an official source to confirm.

[mrs_overall]

A friend of mine had a similar problem. He came home one day to find the cheeky so and so had actually parked on his drive while he was out.
He built a breeze block wall around the offending vehicle

[Bazile]

//A bit of a grey area. In dulwich,london, a car with a bloody great camera strapped to the roof comes round and videos all vehicles that are parked. any parked on the white line where a dropped kerb to a property is, will get a parking ticket..//

Percy - what if you park your own vehicle there - you get a ticket ?