As some may be aware I currently split my commute between car and Brompton; driving to the outskirts of the city, parking and doing the rest on the bike.
I park in a housing estate where there usually appears to be plenty of space and no parking restrictions (no signage or kerbside lines / road markings anywhere). As always I try to park considerately, usually entirely on the road and on the same side as other parked vehicles.
Yesterday there were a few more cars (parked on opposite sides of the road, fairly close to each other and both half-on the pavement). I tucked in behind one (which was familiar and possibly belongs to a resident); leaving a similar amount of room on the pavement to that already afforded by this vehicle. This appeared to be enough for a pedestrian, single buggy or wheelchair and I figured this would have the least impact on others using the road / pavement, relative to what was already there.
I got back to the car last night to find a note on my windscreen referencing how I "always" park blocking the pavement (it wasn't blocked and this is, IIRC the first time I've parked partially on the pavement). The shouty woman apparently responsible for the note went on to explain how she allegedly couldn't get her double-little-baby-asbo carrier past the car on the pavement; which (assuming she / it even exists and isn't just a construct to suggest that the situation was more problematic than it was) was probably a fair point.
However, I wasn't the only car parked in such a way and parking on the pavement isn't unprecedented; I often see other (residents'?) vehicles parked half on the pavement. I wonder if the other, similarly-parked car(s) were present when mine received its love-letter and if so whether their windscreens were littered too..
The note went on to rant about how I park my car there and cycle into Oxford, suggesting how I might like to park elsewhere, and was signed off by "the whole street".
So, to read between the lines - it appears that someone has seized on this small, isolated instance of parking on the pavement as a foot in the door to attack me for their own irrational reaction to my parking on their street / outside their house. They reference that I "always" do this (three days a week
) and they know I cycle so have clearly been watching me.
I'm confident that there is absolutely nothing wrong with my parking - being legal, usually all on the road, not blocking driveways or causing any other obstruction... although this does little to arrest the discomfort arising from this entirely unjustified hostility. While I'm very happy to change my behaviour out of courtesy if given a good reason / approached in a respectful manner, I refuse to bow to the irrational, self-entitled demands of some delusional curtain-twitcher. Being treated with such disdain will only cause me to dig my heels in.
Of course I parked there again this morning (although not on the pavement) and will continue to do so; although am concerned about potential recriminations from this individual so I guess will have to start checking my car for malicious damage before setting off for home.
I was tempted to leave a written response inside my windscreen stating how I'm parking legally, always try to be considerate and that this muppet continues to have a problem to send photos of my parking to the police (who will obviously just tell them to do one); however my mystery accuser is clearly unhinged so I supect any effort to engage them rationally will simply be a waste of my time. I think for now I'm just going to ignore the note as it's the path of least resistance, while being both overtly the most passive response - while at the same time hopefully riling my new nemesis at my lack of concern for their bullsh*t.
I've kept the note and will keep an additional eye out for twitching curtains when leaving / returning to the car; I suspect this muppet lacks the balls to speak to me directly but has clearly been keeping an eye on me so I suspect might betray their identity if they've developed a pavlovian reflex to jump to the window as soon as they hear a car door outside.. I'll also be photographically documenting any further notes or damage in case there's need to bring this to the attention of the Police; hopefully if the see me recording evidence of their work they might reconsider their actions..
Tbh if this does escalate I might look to leaving a camera in the car or hiding at the end of the road to catch, film and confront whichever sad little individual is responsible.
Just posting this here as a point of record and to vent really.. of course any advice is always welcome
Pity we have to share a world with such knobheads, isn't it?
I park in a housing estate where there usually appears to be plenty of space and no parking restrictions (no signage or kerbside lines / road markings anywhere). As always I try to park considerately, usually entirely on the road and on the same side as other parked vehicles.
Yesterday there were a few more cars (parked on opposite sides of the road, fairly close to each other and both half-on the pavement). I tucked in behind one (which was familiar and possibly belongs to a resident); leaving a similar amount of room on the pavement to that already afforded by this vehicle. This appeared to be enough for a pedestrian, single buggy or wheelchair and I figured this would have the least impact on others using the road / pavement, relative to what was already there.
I got back to the car last night to find a note on my windscreen referencing how I "always" park blocking the pavement (it wasn't blocked and this is, IIRC the first time I've parked partially on the pavement). The shouty woman apparently responsible for the note went on to explain how she allegedly couldn't get her double-little-baby-asbo carrier past the car on the pavement; which (assuming she / it even exists and isn't just a construct to suggest that the situation was more problematic than it was) was probably a fair point.
However, I wasn't the only car parked in such a way and parking on the pavement isn't unprecedented; I often see other (residents'?) vehicles parked half on the pavement. I wonder if the other, similarly-parked car(s) were present when mine received its love-letter and if so whether their windscreens were littered too..
The note went on to rant about how I park my car there and cycle into Oxford, suggesting how I might like to park elsewhere, and was signed off by "the whole street".
So, to read between the lines - it appears that someone has seized on this small, isolated instance of parking on the pavement as a foot in the door to attack me for their own irrational reaction to my parking on their street / outside their house. They reference that I "always" do this (three days a week
) and they know I cycle so have clearly been watching me.I'm confident that there is absolutely nothing wrong with my parking - being legal, usually all on the road, not blocking driveways or causing any other obstruction... although this does little to arrest the discomfort arising from this entirely unjustified hostility. While I'm very happy to change my behaviour out of courtesy if given a good reason / approached in a respectful manner, I refuse to bow to the irrational, self-entitled demands of some delusional curtain-twitcher. Being treated with such disdain will only cause me to dig my heels in.
Of course I parked there again this morning (although not on the pavement) and will continue to do so; although am concerned about potential recriminations from this individual so I guess will have to start checking my car for malicious damage before setting off for home.
I was tempted to leave a written response inside my windscreen stating how I'm parking legally, always try to be considerate and that this muppet continues to have a problem to send photos of my parking to the police (who will obviously just tell them to do one); however my mystery accuser is clearly unhinged so I supect any effort to engage them rationally will simply be a waste of my time. I think for now I'm just going to ignore the note as it's the path of least resistance, while being both overtly the most passive response - while at the same time hopefully riling my new nemesis at my lack of concern for their bullsh*t.
I've kept the note and will keep an additional eye out for twitching curtains when leaving / returning to the car; I suspect this muppet lacks the balls to speak to me directly but has clearly been keeping an eye on me so I suspect might betray their identity if they've developed a pavlovian reflex to jump to the window as soon as they hear a car door outside.. I'll also be photographically documenting any further notes or damage in case there's need to bring this to the attention of the Police; hopefully if the see me recording evidence of their work they might reconsider their actions..
Tbh if this does escalate I might look to leaving a camera in the car or hiding at the end of the road to catch, film and confront whichever sad little individual is responsible.
Just posting this here as a point of record and to vent really.. of course any advice is always welcome
Pity we have to share a world with such knobheads, isn't it?
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