Lives on a public street w/strangers parking in front of their of their house?

[MichelleHW101]

I do!  I live Woodbridge, VA in an upside-down ‘T’ shaped enclosed neighborhood.  That means there is only one way in and that’s how you get out.  We are single family homes and had the opportunity to make it a private neighborhood and the only reason we did not was because we were told that if we did so then we and our family member could not park in front of our own home.  Some of us have a single driveway with at least two cars so we ruled that out.  My house is situated towards the end of the stem of the ‘T’.  A sidewalk encircles the neighborhood.  The problem comes in that there is a townhouse neighborhood literally on the other side of that sidewalk and they are only allowed two parking spots per townhouse but have more than two cars.  Someone over there ended up spreading the word that our neighborhood is a public street.  Now they park in front of our homes--and do it like it's a parking lot.  We'll have drivers sit across the street in front of another neighbor's house watching us, from their car waiting for us to go inside to move their car in front of our home.  We've even had to fight and argue with drivers from their neighborhood who claim they have more of a right to park in front OUR own home then we do!  I've even had one jerk tell me that it's one neighborhood and he does live on the street!  I and my neighbors are so sick of fighting for the right to park in front of our own home.     

[MichelleHW101]

I understand its a public street I live on and I would have no problem having people park in front of my house IF they respected the fact they were parking in front of my home rather than treating it like a parking lot and 'claiming' that spot for themselves.  --Like one jerk.  He actually slammed into my garbage bin and trap it between his car and the curb just so that he could park is piece of crap in front of my house!  I called the police on his sorry butt and waited in the morning for him to approach his car.  I then blocked him so he couldn’t get into his car and told him to wait for the police.  He waited but after fifteen minutes he began to get impatient.  I exchanged not so pleasant words with him and hold him to wait.  I recalled the police who said to just have him give his name and phone number then leave.  A cop showed up when he was gone and my problem with the cop was he sided with the driver and everything that came out of his mouth gave off the vibe he himself does it, (i.e. parks in front of a stranger’s home with no respect for the home owner.) Even had the nerve to tell me to put my garbage bin on the sidewalk!  No garbage company, certainly not the one that I have anyway, will collect my garbage if it's on the sidewalk!  The cop even had no issues about people sitting in their cars watching you and waiting for you to go inside to pull up in front of your home!  I'm sorry, that to me is suspicious behavior and should be a 911 phone call.     

So calling the cops is a waste of time, especially when you get one that is an apartment owner not a house owner.  But I got satisfaction in the end because I was mean and nasty to the driver and purposely inconvenienced him making him late for work so he never parked by my house again. 

[MichelleHW101]

It's a pain living on a public street because you do get strangers parking in front of your home.  They don't even have the decency to introduce themselves or ask if you need the spot since it is your home they are parking in front of (especially in my neighborhood when they don't even live in it they live in the townhouse neighbor a block away).  I got rid of one jerk but like bugs, now I have another that parks his van in front of my home and it’s directly in front of my mailbox not quite blocking my driveway.  He’s usually out of there before my mail-mail arrives so that’s not what bothers me.  And he doesn’t park there for the weekend because the ruling is three days not touched and the police can tow it away like an abandoned vehicle so come Sunday I can call the police.  No, what bothers me is because he’s using my mailbox as his private parking spot on Wednesday nights he puts his lousy hands all over my private trash bin that I put in a location that is convenient for both myself and my garbage man, and moves it just so that he could pull his piece of crap van front of my house.  It’s a street not a parking lot!  Your car don’t fit in the spot you move down the road.  Or better still, park where you live!  You certainly don’t put your filthy hands all over someone’s private property trash bin to move it to a location convenient for you so you park your piece of crap in front of a PRIVATE HOME to a family you don’t know on a street of which you don't live!   

[debidoo]

I don't quite have that problem but that would be aggravating for sure.  My problem is different - I live in a rural area and even though there are places to turn around on each side of us we constantly have people pulling into our yard which freaks us out and I don't understand it.  Sometimes they spin out doing it Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.  Well hope you get your issue resolved.  If I ever get the money I am going to put a fence and gate up and hopefully that will solve my issue.

[aflyingmonkey]

If a car is blocking your access to retrieve your mail, I would think you would have a right to call code enforcement.     The mail can get in, but you can't get it out because he is parking in front of your box.  Obstruction, I would think.

People kept pulling in my driveway to turn around, I put up a security motion sensor spot light that lights up.  It has noticeably become less.  The security light is solar powered, so no electrical wiring.

[bleyd]

I dont have that problem.  I live in a condo and only have metered parking around my area. But I can see how that can be really annoying and frustrating.

[vickysue]

It is so sad that people are such jerks about things, they care naught for anyone but them selves. I live on a public street, park our car and truck in the driveway. But so far we have never had anyone  just park  in front of our house and leave their car. Our neighbors had a death in the family and needed to park in front, but they were so polite and ask if they could. We told them they could as long as they left the mail box clear from 2-4 as that is when the mail runs after that they could park there also and to leave our drive  clear. Also told them they could park in front of our neighbors house as she was gone. Everything was good for three days. It is nice to have good  neighbors.

[dreamyxo]

Have them towed.  My neighbors across the street used to park in front of my house and it drove me crazy because they had plenty of space in their drive way.  They have about six cars.  There were the parents cars and their two grown daughters' cars and the daughters boyfriends cars.  It was one bf in particular that did that.  We had words and they stopped doing it.  One daughter moved and I guess maybe they broke up with the bf so he doesn't come around thank goodness.

[moonangel]

i needed to go to work one day. opened my door to leave and saw that someone had parked his car blocking my driveway. i waited a few minutes.  then decided to call the cops. i was actually told they could not do anything about it that i would just have to wait it out!! wait. what if it had been an emergency?finally someone came walking down from a few blocks away got in their car and left. i tried talking to them but they was not hearing any of it.  well of course i was late for work and sufficiently docked plus points.

[countrygirl12]

It's a pain living on a public street because you do get strangers parking in front of your home.  They don't even have the decency to introduce themselves or ask if you need the spot since it is your home they are parking in front of (especially in my neighborhood when they don't even live in it they live in the townhouse neighbor a block away).  I got rid of one jerk but like bugs, now I have another that parks his van in front of my home and it’s directly in front of my mailbox not quite blocking my driveway.  He’s usually out of there before my mail-mail arrives so that’s not what bothers me.  And he doesn’t park there for the weekend because the ruling is three days not touched and the police can tow it away like an abandoned vehicle so come Sunday I can call the police.  No, what bothers me is because he’s using my mailbox as his private parking spot on Wednesday nights he puts his lousy hands all over my private trash bin that I put in a location that is convenient for both myself and my garbage man, and moves it just so that he could pull his piece of crap van front of my house.  It’s a street not a parking lot!  Your car don’t fit in the spot you move down the road.  Or better still, park where you live!  You certainly don’t put your filthy hands all over someone’s private property trash bin to move it to a location convenient for you so you park your piece of crap in front of a PRIVATE HOME to a family you don’t know on a street of which you don't live!   

That seems odd.  Looks like the police would do something if he is just parking there and has no reason or business there.  I would not be comfortable with him parking right in front of my mail box.  And if he is moving your trash bins I would think that would be reason to call the police.

[crisstar]

I don't like it when people park in front of my home either. Where I live, there is nothing I can do about it. The only way to have a car towed on our street is if it's been parked in front of our house for days.

The only thing I can suggest you probably do is put cones (those bright neon orange traffic cones) in front of your home to deter people from parking. It may or may not work.

[hawkeye3210]

Have them towed.  My neighbors across the street used to park in front of my house and it drove me crazy because they had plenty of space in their drive way.  They have about six cars.  There were the parents cars and their two grown daughters' cars and the daughters boyfriends cars.  It was one bf in particular that did that.  We had words and they stopped doing it.  One daughter moved and I guess maybe they broke up with the bf so he doesn't come around thank goodness.

Towed for what? They are well within their legal rights to park on a public street.

[BlackSheepNY]

It seems to me the REAL problem is HOAs.  You were given the chance to make your neighborhood "private," yet you were told you wouldn't be able to park on your own street.  Sheer stupidity, and that's a rule an HOA would come up with.  It's usually like that when a neighborhood is fairly new.  Until hands change within the HOA over the course of years and they relax their rules, don't expect much else.  Streets are public thoroughfares and there aren't any cops that will ticket someone for parking in front of your house (unless they're blocking your driveway).  It sounds like you're stuck between a rock and a hard place for now.

[camellia0]

That is crazy. I went to Woodbridge to visit someone and they had to move their vehicle on the side of the road so that I can park there. I don't know how you guys deal with that. I couldn't live in that area, it's so congested.  Good luck.

[countrygirl12]

I don't like it when people park in front of my home either. Where I live, there is nothing I can do about it. The only way to have a car towed on our street is if it's been parked in front of our house for days.

The only thing I can suggest you probably do is put cones (those bright neon orange traffic cones) in front of your home to deter people from parking. It may or may not work.

If it is in the street that would probably be against the law.  And if the idiot is moving the trash bins they would most likely move the cones as well.  : (