A woman has labelled her neighbours 'pathetic' and 'sad' for orchestrating a two-car system to monopolise the roadside parking space outside their home. The controversy, shared on TikTok, has ignited a fierce debate over parking etiquette in residential areas.
The Parking Predicament
Securing a roadside parking spot near your home can be a daily struggle. With over 42.4 million licensed vehicles on British roads, including 34.5 million cars, and only 29 million households, there are more than five million cars than homes to park them outside. For those without driveways, roadside parking is a free-for-all, where no one owns the space outside their property.
Neighbours' Cunning Scheme
Tasha Bonner, from Kent, took to TikTok to expose her neighbours' strategy. Despite having a driveway large enough for two cars, the family devised a plan to keep the roadside space permanently occupied. They park one car on the street; when it leaves, they immediately move a second car into the vacated spot, leaving their driveway empty while reserving the public space.
In her video, Tasha wrote: 'When your neighbours won't allow anyone to park in this space. The brown car [is] about to pounce.' She described the father-and-son duo as a 'double act' ensuring no outsider can ever park there.
Online Reactions
The video sparked divided opinions. One viewer commented: 'My boyfriend's neighbour does exactly the same! We have four cars coming and going, they have two and stay at home all day ... it's so selfish and pathetic!' Another added: 'Someone by me does this and it's incredibly funny to take the spot just because [I can]. I deliver shopping and even took the spot when delivering to someone on my road and she blocked the work van in expecting something to happen.'
However, some defended the practice: 'I don't get what the issue is. If someone is outside my house, I will move my car when they leave. I like to be able to see my car.'
Legal Perspective
In the UK, there is no law granting homeowners the right to park outside their own property. As long as motorists comply with the Highway Code, they can park anywhere, including on the street outside your home. It is also illegal to reserve a public parking bay using items like traffic cones or bins under Section 137 of the Highways Act 1980, which prohibits obstructing the highway without authorisation.
If a driveway or dropped kerb is blocked, different rules apply. It is illegal for another motorist to obstruct a driveway or park across a lowered kerb. In such cases, you can report it to the police via 101, but you must not move the vehicle yourself or arrange for it to be towed, as this could lead to legal action against you.
As for Tasha's neighbours, moving a car into an available parking space is not a criminal offence. While others may consider it 'pathetic', it remains perfectly legal.
