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Post by hollymolly on Aug 16, 2014 2:25:13 GMT
I think you should talk to the pastor or church secretary. A note could be read the wrong way and maybe offend, as you can't convey tone in writing. Ask in person, and bring cookies with you. Tell them that you know it's a public street and it's not "your" spot, but it is the spot directly in front of your house and you think it would be more convenient, not to mention safer, if both you and the driver of the van parked so as to not have to cross the street. It may be one particular van driver that isn't thinking, and just needs it brought to his/her attention.
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eastcoastpea
Prolific Pea
Posts: 9,252
Jun 27, 2014 13:05:28 GMT
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Post by eastcoastpea on Aug 16, 2014 2:26:52 GMT
Given this, I would approach the church nicely and ask them to leave the spot in front of you house open if there is room in front of the church. I'm sure whoever is parking there is oblivious to the impact on you and that the church wants to be a good neighbor. I agree with this. I would also add, don't leave a note on the windshield. It could be interpreted as aggressive instead of assertive. Good luck. Tell us what you end up deciding to do, if anything.
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Post by chlerbie on Aug 16, 2014 2:36:36 GMT
I feel your pain. We have a Catholic church near us on our street and I HAVE to park on the street. They have mass three days a week and other church functions and often I come home and have to park a long way from my house. It's annoying, particularly if I have lots of stuff, but as others have mentioned, it's a public street. In your case, though, since it seems to be the same church van, if you have a good relationship, you could always mention it in a light hearted manner.
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Post by spitfiregirl on Aug 16, 2014 2:45:20 GMT
I don't know if I'd say anything, but, if the street spot is open, whoever is home first would take it leaving the driveway for our second car. This. This....and dh should be in the street, not you.
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Post by Crack-a-lackin on Aug 16, 2014 2:56:10 GMT
Isn't it closer for the van to be parked in front of the church and not on your side of the street? It's strange they park in front of your house but the driver probably has never given it a second thought. I think you should ask them but I wouldn't leave a note.
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georgiapea
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,846
Jun 27, 2014 18:02:10 GMT
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Post by georgiapea on Aug 16, 2014 3:47:39 GMT
I understand your frustration completely. We have moved to downtown and have no driveway. There are 2 parking spots in front of my house but one of them has 2 utility poles which makes it difficult to get groceries from the passenger side of the car. So I've declared the other one as MINE. Except I'm the only one who knows this. Customers for the hair salon that recently went in next door and the restaurant beyond that have no clue that I'm at Walmart and might be back to unload and will get all bent out of shape if I have to go around the block and park across the street. Heck, they don't even know that the building I live in is now a house and no longer a business.
I try to tell myself it's a small price to pay to get to live in the downtown area.
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Post by scrappychick on Aug 16, 2014 3:55:24 GMT
I don't see why you don't just pull into your driveway, unload your car, and then move it back onto the street. Learn how to back your car out, or have your DH switch them when he gets home.
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Grom Pea
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,944
Jun 27, 2014 0:21:07 GMT
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Post by Grom Pea on Aug 16, 2014 5:31:55 GMT
You won't know if you don't ask but be prepared for them to be total jerks about it. My parents dealt with a churchthat was completely inconsiderate of the neighbors and went so far as to hire a lawyer rather than deal with the issue at hand. I imagine a lawyer was more expensive (unless it was a volunteer) than actually cutting down and replanting new trees, the church had neglected trees that bordered its neighbors and refused to do anything about it until the town council was called. That being said I hope these people are considerate and let you have the spot.
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Post by penny on Aug 16, 2014 5:54:36 GMT
I live on a street with street parking and I completely get the 'it's a public street but ugh!' aspect...lol If they were blocking the approach to your driveway, then I personally, would feel confident and comfortable saying something to them... I'm afraid that without a fact or law to back up my request I'd get a bit passive aggressive and ask the driver if it was okay if I parked in "his/her" spot on the times when he parks in "mine"... I'd probably do it all naive and 'silly me', and feel like a complete flake afterwards, but honestly that is what I'd do... I'd probably also throw in a "I just don't want to park in your spot without asking you - I know how much of a pain it can be to move stuff back and forth"... I'm not proud, but that's what I'd do Maybe they don't realize (I didn't know all the subtleties of street parking until I moved to this neighbourhood), and even if they can tell I'm hinting at something, I'd hope they'd also be able to tell that I did it because I didn't want it to be a big problem between us...
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Post by kristalina on Aug 16, 2014 5:58:17 GMT
I think it wouldn't hurt to call the church and ask if they could have the van park on their side. I'm sure if they knew they were inconveniencing you, they'd just park on the other side. I'd want to know anyway.
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anniebygaslight
Drama Llama
I'd love a cup of tea. #1966
Posts: 7,402
Location: Third Rock from the sun.
Jun 28, 2014 14:08:19 GMT
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Post by anniebygaslight on Aug 16, 2014 7:49:41 GMT
Pick your battles. I can understand your frustration, but it isn't 'your' spot, it is a public street, and they have every right to park there. It certainly isn't worth upsetting what appears to be a friendly relationship with the church people over such a trivial matter.
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Post by bluepoprocks on Aug 16, 2014 9:49:08 GMT
I totally understand your frustration. We only have street parking. Our regular neighbors usually respect each others "spots" but we have two churches and a Knights of Columbus and various visitors near us. To bad all the church goers and others don't know about "our spots" lol. Winter is a nightmare.
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oblibby
Full Member
Posts: 211
Location: Bonnie Scotland
Jul 10, 2014 10:30:12 GMT
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Post by oblibby on Aug 16, 2014 9:53:33 GMT
Is think in a public street you just have to lump it. I can't always get parked outside my apartment but luckily can usually manage to get parked somewhere in my street. I know plenty of people who don't always manage to get parked in the street they live in.
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Post by monklady123 on Aug 16, 2014 10:12:40 GMT
Isn't it closer for the van to be parked in front of the church and not on your side of the street? It's strange they park in front of your house but the driver probably has never given it a second thought. I think you should ask them but I wouldn't leave a note. This is what's odd to me. The street is a suburban neighborhood type street but it's also pretty busy at certain times of day. It seems more trouble to park across the street and then try to cross with traffic. The church is across the street and on a corner. The other street has lots of parking, as well as parking in front of the church on Rebel's street. Even if the driver was coming from the other direction and was feeling lazy about turning around to park in front of the church (which might explain why he was just pulling over in front of Rebel's house and crossing the street himself) he could turn left at the corner and park right there in front of that side of the church. Putting aside the argument that "it's a public street, everyone can park where they want" (which is true but it's still annoying when someone who has perfectly good parking of their own parks in "our" spots) it's just odd, since there is ample parking on two sides of that church. Rebel, maybe the church or driver had some sort of feud going on with the previous owners. You haven't lived there very long, maybe they think the old owners are still there? Very odd.
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Post by zeutdog86 on Aug 16, 2014 11:11:10 GMT
I think you need to stop thinking about it as "your" spot. Public street, public parking, the end. Sorry but the "public street, public parking, the end" is not true. Not being snarky….this is exactly how parking districts get started. Just because it is public street only gives the person the right to park there until people complain. My city just passed the parking district policy basically giving homeowners the ability to (with 60% of homeowners on board) making their PUBLIC street into a specific parking zone. This came about because the homeowners were not able to park their vehicles in front of their homes. There is also many HOAs in this area that require parking permits on the vehicles to park unless it is designated as 'visitor spot'…almost ALL are public streets.
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Post by *Scrapper*Stamper* on Aug 16, 2014 11:46:07 GMT
I would never ask someone else not to park in a certain "spot" on a public roadway. Ever. I would find anyone that asked me to rude. It's a public street, you park in the closest available spot.
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Post by mollycoddle on Aug 16, 2014 12:09:13 GMT
Of course they can park wherever they want, but since they have plenty of parking on other sides of their church, I would politely take it up with the minister.
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oldcrow
Pearl Clutcher
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Jun 26, 2014 12:25:29 GMT
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Post by oldcrow on Aug 16, 2014 12:28:51 GMT
Ask politely if nothing changes then you will just have to live with it. One other option is to sell your house and buy one with a driveway big enough for two cars.
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Post by brina on Aug 16, 2014 12:35:56 GMT
you deal with it. Nobody owns a spot on a public street.
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Post by luanne on Aug 16, 2014 12:41:56 GMT
I would just deal with it. If you would leave a note they may just park there all the time then. Some people even church people can be funny that way.
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purplebee
Drama Llama
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Jun 27, 2014 20:37:34 GMT
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Post by purplebee on Aug 16, 2014 12:56:06 GMT
I would be tempted to call the church office and ask why the van parks in front of your house when there is ample parking in front of the church itself. Does the church not have its own parking lot? Yes, this is what I was thinking too. I live in a rural area now, but in my childhood neighborhood on LI, where my Mom still lives, neighbors were/are considerate and normally left the spot right in front of your house open for those who live there, especially when they knew a resident always parked in front of their own house. Strangers/visitors to the neighborhood sometimes parked in your spot, but generally neighbors were courteous. I can't imagine a church van taking your spot more than very occasionally, esp. when there is a place to park right in front of the church. I'd be on the phone with the church office and would nicely, politely, ask that question. Good luck!
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Post by monklady123 on Aug 16, 2014 13:01:19 GMT
I would never ask someone else not to park in a certain "spot" on a public roadway. Ever. I would find anyone that asked me to rude. It's a public street, you park in the closest available spot. Right. And it seems that you didn't read much of the thread beyond the original post. There are many more "closest available spots" to the church than the spot in front of Rebel's house. And that's all Rebel wants to do, park in the "closest available spot" to her house.
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Post by myshelly on Aug 16, 2014 13:03:43 GMT
I think you need to stop thinking about it as "your" spot. Public street, public parking, the end. Sorry but the "public street, public parking, the end" is not true. Not being snarky….this is exactly how parking districts get started. Just because it is public street only gives the person the right to park there until people complain. My city just passed the parking district policy basically giving homeowners the ability to (with 60% of homeowners on board) making their PUBLIC street into a specific parking zone. This came about because the homeowners were not able to park their vehicles in front of their homes. There is also many HOAs in this area that require parking permits on the vehicles to park unless it is designated as 'visitor spot'…almost ALL are public streets. That's nice. None of it applies to this thread. The OP specifically said there are no rules like that in this situation.
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Post by mnmloveli on Aug 16, 2014 13:06:14 GMT
Tough situation as everyone had said. But I agree that a friendly conversation with someone at the church might be the best way to go. I love the idea from hollymolly to present it as a safety issue. Good luck.
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Post by hollymolly on Aug 16, 2014 13:13:29 GMT
All of you who are saying she should just deal with it, and you would would never ask someone not to park in a specific spot, and "first come first served," are you paying attention to these basic facts?
1. There is one spot that borders Rebel's house, and many many spots on two streets that border the church. 2. This church van driver (or occasional church van driver) is choosing not to park in any of the empty parking spots that directly border the church, but is choosing instead to park across the street, in the one spot in front of Rebel's house, which is less convenient for him than the empty spots he is choosing not to park in.
I would never intentionally park in front of someone's house if there were multiple options available to me that were not in front of anyone's house, but were, in fact, in front of the place I intended to be. It would be a whole different story if the church side of the streets were constantly full and the van had nowhere else to park. This is not the case. He has lots of places to park, all of which are more convenient for him. Why is he choosing to park in an inconvenient spot that also inconveniences another person?
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Post by maureen on Aug 16, 2014 13:30:05 GMT
All of you who are saying she should just deal with it, and you would would never ask someone not to park in a specific spot, and "first come first served," are you paying attention to these basic facts? 1. There is one spot that borders Rebel's house, and many many spots on two streets that border the church. 2. This church van driver (or occasional church van driver) is choosing not to park in any of the empty parking spots that directly border the church, but is choosing instead to park across the street, in the one spot in front of Rebel's house, which is less convenient for him than the empty spots he is choosing not to park in. I get your "basic facts" but the real fact of the matter is, there isn't assigned parking on the this street and so that van can park anywhere it wants.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Oct 9, 2024 20:24:15 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Aug 16, 2014 13:35:57 GMT
All of you who are saying she should just deal with it, and you would would never ask someone not to park in a specific spot, and "first come first served," are you paying attention to these basic facts? 1. There is one spot that borders Rebel's house, and many many spots on two streets that border the church. 2. This church van driver (or occasional church van driver) is choosing not to park in any of the empty parking spots that directly border the church, but is choosing instead to park across the street, in the one spot in front of Rebel's house, which is less convenient for him than the empty spots he is choosing not to park in. I would never intentionally park in front of someone's house if there were multiple options available to me that were not in front of anyone's house, but were, in fact, in front of the place I intended to be. It would be a whole different story if the church side of the streets were constantly full and the van had nowhere else to park. This is not the case. He has lots of places to park, all of which are more convenient for him. Why is he choosing to park in an inconvenient spot that also inconveniences another person? None of that matters. It is a public street with public parking. That's the end of it.
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Nicole in TX
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,951
Jun 26, 2014 2:00:21 GMT
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Post by Nicole in TX on Aug 16, 2014 13:38:12 GMT
You can politely ask but if they keep parking there I would just drop it. Not much you can do since as you know it's a public street. That is what I would do.
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Post by hollymolly on Aug 16, 2014 13:40:27 GMT
I know Rebel doesn't have a right to the spot, I'm just saying she can ask (nicely) for the van driver to be a little more considerate. Seriously, it's about consideration, not who has a right to park in a specific spot. I don't understand not being considerate.
ETA: Of course if they do not respond well, then she should drop it. But it doesn't hurt to ask nicely, in person, with cookies.
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mallie
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Jul 3, 2014 18:13:13 GMT
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Post by mallie on Aug 16, 2014 13:40:34 GMT
All of you who are saying she should just deal with it, and you would would never ask someone not to park in a specific spot, and "first come first served," are you paying attention to these basic facts? 1. There is one spot that borders Rebel's house, and many many spots on two streets that border the church. 2. This church van driver (or occasional church van driver) is choosing not to park in any of the empty parking spots that directly border the church, but is choosing instead to park across the street, in the one spot in front of Rebel's house, which is less convenient for him than the empty spots he is choosing not to park in. I would never intentionally park in front of someone's house if there were multiple options available to me that were not in front of anyone's house, but were, in fact, in front of the place I intended to be. It would be a whole different story if the church side of the streets were constantly full and the van had nowhere else to park. This is not the case. He has lots of places to park, all of which are more convenient for him. Why is he choosing to park in an inconvenient spot that also inconveniences another person? Probably because like most people he doesn't give a thought to anyone else or the impact of his behavior on anyone else. Especially because it's a public street without any rules/restrictions/resident passes, so he's just doing what he's entitled to do -- park anywhere he wants anytime he wants. I would probably go and have a chat with the pastor/church admin and ask nicely if it's possible for the van to be parked elsewhere. And then I'd seriously consider moving if simply parking, backing up, and unloading groceries is such an ordeal. Doing those things should be a no-brainer. If not? A house isn't great if it causes this many problems over parking.
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