AndyBrew

Being a 3 car family due to my 18 year old daughter now owning her own car on occasions when the Scooby isn't tucked up in the garage, she parks her car outside our house half on the pavement and half off.

Now I know this is technically against the law but if everyone who parked in this way in our cul-de-sac was locked up for it the street would be empty!

In the picture below my house is the one to the left with the rubbish waiting for the bin men LOL! Please note the car parked opposite is NOT our car



A gentleman at number 25 who happens to be a retired policeman put the following letter through our door late one night:



incidentally Atul who is the driver of the Merc has since been around and apologised although he knew nothing of this letter and was by no means fuming at the time but admitted he was late for work and was reversing without looking!

So as I know I can receive some independent views here, am I wrong for feeling pi55ed at this situation? Should I take a bottle of champers around to Mr Webster and thank him for showing our daughter the error of her ways?

We no longer park at this point, we park if we have to outside other peoples houses further up the road, which is a bit embarrassing to have to ask guests to do this but the laws the law I suppose!

All comments greatly appreciated

Andy


[Edited by AndyBrew - 1/12/2004 10:18:12 AM]

imlach

Hmm....seems a bit of a w*nk letter doesn't it.
Can't tell he was a cop - NOT!

imlach

Also, no guts to talk to you about it first!

He is weak for doing it that way......

dome

Surely it would have been nicer of him to mention to you face to face instead of doing it this way? If my neighbour had done that(in a nice way) I'd have seen his point, putting a letter like that through my door would have wound me right up.

tiggers

No I think you've every right to feel upset about the whole situation. The letter is cowardly, contradictory and from what I can see from the photograph completely blown out of all proportion.

Sorry, but I would go round and ask for a man to man with him - no need to be aggressive, just firm, but fair - get it sorted out otherwise it could very quickly escalate into a tit for tat war.

I had a neighbourhood disagreement many years ago that got completely out of hand and caused a lot of misery on both sides (interestingly enough this was caused by a retired police officer - hmmmmm) - nip it in the bud now before it goes the same way.

Regards,

tiggers.

P.S. It might be wise to blot out the address on the letter - up to you and only a suggestion.

fatherpierre

What a nobber.

Chuck the letter in the bin and forget about it. The bloke's obviously got nothing to do but moan and construct poorly written letters.

starstruck

Totally over the top reaction from your neighbour. This is how feuds start. I think you are right in feeling pi55ed off with the guy. Especially the "Copies to" on the bottom of the letter, Family Solicitor, Police pending, etc.
Best of luck.

Mice_Elf

"Only by my driving skills and alertness...."
"Written off"...

I can see his point, but there are ways and means of doing this. A letter in the first instance, with copies to solicitors and the police is FAR too heavy handed.

What was wrong with coming round to your house and asking if you wouldn't mind not parking there, please, as it obstructs the view of the road.

Honestly...some people.

If it was me, I'd probably go and see him and say that I received his letter and I'm stunned that he thought it necessary to take it to that level so quickly. No hard feelings, but if anything annoys him in future, perhaps a personal visit would help to "not sour the relationship".

Sounds a bit too power-orientated and World-Revolves-Around-Me type bloke.

Wurzel

iTrader: (1)

If this guy is/was a copper what was he doing driving so fast round a corner in a cul-de-sac that if he hit the other car they would both have been write offs, maybe you should tell him that if he wished to persue this you will report him for dangerous driving, you also have it in writting by him that he would have written his car off, so by his own admission he must have been speeding.

Just my thoughts.

Steve

ScoobyDoo555

Whilst I would have handled it a bit more tactfully, I've got to agree with the ex-copper. Sorry.

I think you're right to feel p1ssed off, BUT only with the manner in which the situation has been handled. All he really had to do was have a chat with you, in friendly, neighbour-like way (as per his 1st paragraph).

However, the letter should be addressed to the owner of the car.... whether you get involved or not, is down to you.

Typical ex-copper attitude <flamesuit ON>, but he's right. You shouldn't be parking the car there.

Solution? Perhaps find somewhere else in the street to park.......

Not much help though, sorry

Hope it all gets sorted amicably (sp?)

Dan

pugoetru

you are advertising your address do you realise that?

AndyBrew

thanks for the comments peeps so far!

My other concern is that if like the vast majority of people do in our road park their cars half on half off etc. and as there are junctions all over the shop, if somebody knocked someone over they could simple say that it was not their fault and hold the owner of the parked car responsible due to their illegal parking?????

I feel this has opened a big can of worms, and people should be at least aware of the legal implications of how and where they choose to park.

Scoobydid

Sad old b@stard with no friends, and no job any more, with too much time to sit and brood over things that could be sorted with a casual polite word.
I used to have a next door neighbour (retired woman) she used to write us letters up to six pages long over things like my the grass being too long, walking on her grass (shared garden with no boundary) and when I killed some of "my" grass by spilling some petrol on it, you would have thaoght the world had ended . My wife got home from work to find her digging it up.

I'd just humour him and hope he crawls back under his stone.

davegtt

What a prat, I cant believe he had to write a letter out in such a way that didnt even sound friendly like a neighbour, Id probably retailate... parkt he car there on purpose...lmao problem is if he is an ex copper then chances are he can make your lfe a misery more than you can make his a misery so I wouldnt park there again but Id defo go round witha bad attitude saying I do see his point and you wont park there anymore BUT at the same time your relationship as a neighbour has been destroyed for not having the decency adn respect to talk to you face to face about the matter....

the rip his letter up and go home for some beers...lmao

least you have acknowledged his request and stopped parking there and you wont have to deal with the prat again.

on the other hand you can write back to him pointing out the childness off his ways and hopefully hear no more off it

AndyBrew

address removed

As I already mentioned I know the car was not parked technically legally but then neither are the vast majority of cars in the road, so should everyone not do it, or does this just relate to us??

I have myself moaned about cars parked right on the junctions making it difficult if to pull in etc. however I am also a realist and understand that due to where we live this is something that is going to happen and sometimes you just have to live and let live??

Is this a daft attitude, I thought it was the sensible one

andrewdelvard

Are those road managed by the council or is it private?

AndyBrew

Davegtt

Your on my wave length I have written back to him, and everyone in the street LOL, I will post the reply shortly!



I felt compelled to perform a public duty

davegtt

I agree with the no parking on the junction but tbh if its in a cul de sac then personally I dont see a problem with it. does the statement that he provided about the law relate to that in a cu-de-sac???? might be different for a no through road?

AndyBrew

council managed, its a road with lots of little junctions leading to cul-de-sacs typical suburbia I could go outside now and take photo's of numerous cars parked illegally its laughable!

fatherpierre

Why not send him the letter back but all his grammar errors rectified with red pen, with a percentage score with 'see me' written at the bottom!

Do it just to wind him up.

SiDHEaD

Get her to park legally outside his house (if possible). That should p!ss the **** off.

I agree she might not have parked in the best place, but he is talking rubbish. Write off? Must have been speeding - get the police to investigate!

Also why has he put [Road Traffic Accident] in the second to last paragraph? Is he so stupid he doesnt know the difference between an accident (contact) and something that didn't happen?

Andy

[Edited by SiDHEaD - 1/12/2004 9:55:36 AM]

SJ_Skyline

Fit a BPM Twister to your scooby!

Tiggs

hes right your wrong...no point moaning about the style in which he's right or the lack of bravery????? whats that all about? ppl moaning about him being a coward? he's in the right and can communicate that anyway he likes.

if it were me i'd write back and say "thanks for informing me...wont happen again" why would you do anything other than that?

T

pugoetru

because he is a sad git with nothing better to do tiggs


I have a similar model living next door

he has complained to police council etc about lots of trivial things lauyers letters etc

some people just like to feel powerful and if you go and say sorry then he will find more to moan about thats just the way we are

AndyBrew

Tiggs

So you agree then that anyone found to be parking illegally in the road should park elsewhere or be prosecuted

[Edited by AndyBrew - 1/12/2004 10:04:27 AM]

suprabeast

as there was me thinking you could just park anywhere where there wasn't a yellow line!!!

AndyBrew

ok peeps finished scanning here's the letter to my neighbours informing them of their legal position:



and here's the covering letter for friendly Mr Webster:



says it all I think!

ajm

I would go and have a word with him. Apologise for the parking but tell him you are disappointed he couldn't come and talk to you face to face before running off to his solicitor.

He sounds like a curtain twitching jobsworth but it isn't worth falling out over - I have been down the neighbour feud route before and its not fun.

fatherpierre

A few grammar errors there, mate

Hanslow

I'd change the last line in the second to last paragraph. It should be believe, not belief

On the whole, if I was in his situation, I would have just popped round and mentioned it. Whatever happened to friendly neighbourhoods