Interesting thread.

I'm going to assume the OP is already using their parking pad to park their vehicles and would like to use the additional street space... it also looks like there is a turn lane in front of the neighbors house, so I'm assuming they can't park on the street in front of their own house due to this.

The OP does not mention how many cars they have to park, or has indicated they know the reason why the neighbor is legally parking on the street instead of utilizing their off street parking.

I also find it curious that OP seems to be so concerned about neighbors son being a cop and a story of a cop shooting dogs... yet in the same breath is contemplating starting an annoyance war with that neighbor... and a sound war wouldn't just irritate the one neighbor, it would also be irritating to all the other neighbors in listening distance. Being a bad neighbor to several neighbors with noise seems like a bad way to try resolving an issue with one neighbor.

The cop shooting a dog doesn't have anything to do with your issue, nor with their son. He didn't shoot the dog, and is no threat to your dogs.

Perhaps a "quiet word" with the police officer SON; "I hate to be a pain...and wouldn't DREAM of bothering your parents but..."

"I'm going to assume the OP is already using their parking pad to park their vehicles and would like to use the additional street space.."

I would not assume that. I would assume that the OP would prefer to not have a neighbor's car taking up the space/view directly in front of their gate, every single day, when they clearly have an abundance of parking at their home. Obviously it is legal. DUH. It's also legal to play basketball in your driveway all day long, but there is such a thing as being a "good neighbor" and clearly these people don't want to be. They are going OUT OF THEIR way and parking in a much less convenient space. There can be only one reason for that.

It's legal to take some furniture out in front of the gate and spray paint it. But...most good neighbors would not do that with a car parked there. But in this case....

You could go over and ask if it happens to be their vehicle parked there, of course you know it is. Ask if they could kindly move their vehicle because you are expecting a delivery truck in the next day or two, it's a tentative delivery, it could be day or night! Ask if they are having work done on their driveway or are they also expecting a large delivery truck, is this the reason for not parking in the spacious driveway? At the same time, you could mention that you find it a very convenient spot for you to park and bring in groceries etc. You have a sore back, don't you?! Tell them how jealous you are of their spacious parking! Try to bring some humour into the conversation to keep if from being tense.

My husband just chirped, maybe that car leaks oil big time, that's why he parks on the street.

I'm sorry that your neighbor is being very inconsiderate. I agree that parking directly in front of your house on a regular basis (especially if you lack other sufficient parking) is rude. If they have adult children living at home, I wonder if they have sufficient parking but find it difficult to get cars in and out if people leave at different times. Often police officers have to store the extra patrol vehicle at home, but may have a personal vehicle for off-duty use. This might be compounding the problem.

As someone with a police officer in the family, it is incredibly disheartening to hear that you would associate the bad behavior of one officer with another completely unrelated officer. Police officers are human beings who often choose the career because they want to help their community, yet on a day to day basis they are treated with cruelty and often violence because they are enforcing the laws that we as a society have agreed upon. No, not everyone treats them this way, but can you imagine spending a good part of your day being screamed at and even attacked? It doesn't sound like this neighbor police officer has done anything at all to cause your distrust. But I think in general starting any kind of drama / war with your neighbors regardless of their career choices is going to get ugly, especially in a small town.

Personally I would start with trying to keep your own car parked there to start re-training the neighbors to find elsewhere to park. If that does not work, start with a civil, neighborly conversation, perhaps with the added baked goods offerings suggested above. Let them know kindly exactly what you have told us. You need the parking in front of your house because your off-street parking is insufficient for your needs. Would they mind choosing a different spot or making room for both your car and theirs in front of your house? I think anything passive aggressive is going to make things ugly and in no way will accomplish what you desire.

Well if the son is a police officer, you would think he would be more understanding of the situation. Maybe he's the one you make the scones for and ask politely.

Next time you see them, I'd very nicely say, "I noticed you park your car in front of our house often, would you mind trying to park a few feet down & closer to your house? I love to look out my front door & admire my flowers/yard/check out the neighborhood and it's a better view without a car there."

Of course, they may ignore you and the warm relationship may dissolve, those are the breaks for speaking up for . If they don't oblige, I'd start parking right in front of their house.

Agree with most previous posters ... Simply communicate politely with them (no passive aggressive tactics), and you may be surprised at how easy it is to remedy this.

Civil communication goes a long way.

I once parked my car across from the coffee shop where I worked. My car sat right in front of a home. It was busy Main Street but the home owners didn't like staring at my car for a four-hour stretch, and I didn't blame them. They put a simple note on my windshield, asking that I park elsewhere to provide a clearer view of the surroundings. Short and sweet and direct. Nothing offensive, just good old common sense. I had no problem with their request. Putting things in writing make confrontation easier for everyone. A cop should recognize the value of a clearer view (i.e., safety). I recommend tea and cookies afterwards to get to know the neighbors and forget any hidden agendas. Just say thanks in passing for the courtesy.

Thank you all for the advice and opinions. I really appreciate y'all letting me vent. I, of course, would never be rude with the noise, again, just venting.

To answer some questions, my neighbors have 2 cars. I don't think the son would do anything to my dogs, just referencing some of the crazy stuff that happens here. Also, the son did track down a guy and arrest him because he knocked on the front door and scared his Mom (this same guy has knocked on our door, he's mentally ill and odd but not threatening). They liked the lady we bought the house from but they didn't live in the house the 10 years she was here. When we had the neighbors over for dinner we did bring this up but more in relation to the unoccupied house on the other side of us (absentee landlord, I could write a book, lol) and if they ever rent it out we will be scrambling for parking. They are fully aware of our limited options. I can't and will not park in front of their house (the turn lane).

My husband and I go out of our way to be good neighbors. An example, for the 20 months we lived here, before the neighbors moved back, after every storm when we were picking up any fallen tree limbs/storm debris we did the same in their yard and hauled it off. They didn't ask us to but they weren't here and neighbors should look out for one another.

I miss my old neighborhood and how easy this stuff was handled, maybe the fact we were all around the same age made situations like this so much easier to deal with.

An update, too. Fedex, USPS and UPS may fix this issue for me. We always left that spot in front of our gate open so they had a space to deliver mail/packages on our block. They are now upset with the neighbors, too.

Well then that's perfect. Make FedEx/USPS/UPS the bad guys.

"Hey, we receive a lot of packages, and FEdEx, etc. has asked us to please not park in front of our house, so they can access or mailbox/front door/whatever. Thanks for helping out with this!"

Enlarge your parking pad?

Can you just leave a note on the windshield, asking the owner to park elsewhere to give you a clearer view of the street and to help out the delivery people? Sometimes, confrontation is better handled in writing. I'd suggest making a copy of that note, too, and filing it away. Be sure to include the date.

ma in Michigan, we'd love to but there is no room. In fact, the street behind our home (where the parking pad is) is actually taking up a small chunk of our property with no recorded easement. Not ready to get in a fight with Town Hall, lol.

gm-tx The funny thing is it's the neighbors house they have the hardest time getting to.

You know, if I had a mentally ill man knocking on my door, I'd call the cops too. He didn't give his mother "special treatment", he was doing his job. You may not have found him to be threatening, but you can't speak for your neighbor.

suedonim75 I should have been more exact with my terminology, this man is Autistic, not violent, just different. And he absolutely gave his Mom special treatment (as any child would), he was off duty. If I find someone threatening I call 911-I had a stalking situation in my younger days and would never have called my (then) police officer brother exactly because I could have put him in a, potentially, "this looks bad situation".

It's pretty obvious you have a lot of dislike for these people and their family. So what she called her son, again, your way of doing things is different than hers. Autistic or whatever, he obviously frightened her and she is within her rights to deal with it however she wants. And whether he was detained or arrested or whatever, there was obviously a reason for it. You keeps lobbing out all of these grenades to try to make these people look bad, but it's making you look petty.

"When we had the neighbors over for dinner we did bring this up but more in relation to the unoccupied house on the other side of us (absentee landlord, I could write a book, lol) and if they ever rent it out we will be scrambling for parking."

So, you're parking in front of your other neighbor's house? If that's true, I don't think you can be upset that they are parking in front of your house. Park your car there, and if they still want to park on the street, *they* can park in front of the other neighbor.

Thanks suedonim75, I thought I was trying to present a more complete picture but whatever. I do NOT dislike my neighbors, hence my angst over confronting them.

suedonim75

It's pretty obvious you have a lot of dislike for these people and their family. So what she called her son, again, your way of doing things is different than hers. Autistic or whatever, he obviously frightened her and she is within her rights to deal with it however she wants. And whether he was detained or arrested or whatever, there was obviously a reason for it. You keeps lobbing out all of these grenades to try to make these people look bad, but it's making you look petty.

HUH?!?! Are you the neighbor??? ;-)

Reece C, nothing you have posted gives the impression that you dislike the neighbors. I think the above poster must be having a rough day.

@Hillside House NO, we are not. The previous owner of our house had to plant shrubs to keep the (left side) renters from parking on the grass area (between street and sidewalk) in front of her (our) house. We make sure to respect our neighbors, even when absent. I don't want to get used to using their frontage.

@Chess-yeah Thank you for actually reading everything and not assuming I'm a petty, horrible person.

"So, you're parking in front of your other neighbor's house? If that's true, I don't think you can be upset that they are parking in front of your house."

*headsmack*

@Chess-yeah that's me I am NOT parking in front of any house except mine.

Off topic, but this thread is worth the read if only to learn the word "sercy". I will be trying to find ways to work the term into my vocabulary; this will almost certainly require practice in front of a mirror :-D

Yep lindsey. I had to look that one up ("sercy").

Maybe you could ask the neighbor if you could park in their driveway that is closest to your house?

OT, but Hahaha, Lindsey! Sometimes my Southern drawl gets in the way, and I forget not everyone uses the same colloquial terms.

For those who haven't heard that term before, 'Sercy' (also spelled 'Circi' or 'Sirsee') is a Southern term for gift. It's usually something small and inexpensive, and a way to tell the recipient that you love them and/or are thinking of them. Sometimes a Sercy is given to say, 'Thank you!' for a kindness, such as helping someone move, doing yard work, picking up the mail while out of town, etc.

ReeceC, have you decided to approach your neighbors with this dilemma? We're all wondering which action you're going to take, and cheering you on for a good outcome.

Well I can't believe I just read the entire idiotic thread. Go get a Starbucks gc, stick it in an envelope with a note, and next time the car is in front of the gate? Put it on the windshield with a note.."Hey ________ could you pull up a bit so my guests can park in front of my home? Thanks so much!

Simply ask your neighbor if they would mind moving their car because you would like to access your gate for whatever your reason and you don't have to be impolite. Also, you may as suggested

Cont'd - You may as suggested start parking there to change up their routine a bit. But stop being frustrated, you're over thinking this, they seem like decent responsive neighbors. You just have to tell them, I bet they have no clue this even is problematic to you. So just take a deep breath and simply ask. If it helps, I say a little prayer before that these people be receptive and then go and get on with it.

Scones and a cozy talk, neighbor to neighbor. There's a chance they don't realize they're being rude and inconsiderate. Seriously. It happens!!!
Also love the idea of as soon as they move that car, park yours there and leave it as long as possible.
I think the fight fire with fire approach is all wrong here. To flood the air with noise pollution won't do anything but piss them off. You don't want that.
Good luck!!!

Did you say that the neighbors are up in age? Maybe they don't drive well enough any more to negotiate their driveway.

An update, my husband got a call while we were at dinner tonight (out on my husband's motorcycle) that we had blocked in the neighbors car when my husband returned from his business trip and parked behind their car but still in front of our house. Turns out they had some work going on their home. This would not have been an issue if they had shared that bit of info. DH kindly offered a lesson on parallel parking and offered our parking pad if the need arises in the future. He further explained that we have frequent overnight guests and the UPS/USPS/Fedex dilemma. All is good. We, as neighbors, just need to communicate a bit more.

While I did come off a bit unhinged when I was thinking of how to "get them" that's not my normal way. I really was venting my frustration that this only happens when DH is gone. I was kind of right, the neighbor is very old school and I guess only man to man communication is going to happen.

I really appreciate all who offered constructive advise and/or plain old empathy.

Whew. I love it when a major issue, dissolves before DW implodes!! Amen for DH's. WE do not understand their ways...Men from Mars and Alll.....but once in a while, somehow unknown, they really can stop the shtf before it really DOES! God Bless good and kind and considerate neighbors. The world needs more of them! This post proves that things can work out for both sides. I hope you have many more hours of good communication and good times with all the neighbors and us, too, everywhere!! XXOO

@redsilver Thank you for your wisdom. I am very independent and it is so hard to defer to the DH on this old school BS but he was right. I'm in NC so I'm going to give this analogy, ""if you get caught in a riptide, you can't fight it, you've got to go with the flow."

What a great way to look at it Reece C. I love that analogy. It fits this situation perfectly. I'm glad you were able to work it out.

And parking right behind them and blocking them in was really what cracked that situation and started the communication. Some people just need a bolt of lightning to get their attention. Others just “get it”. Good job on getting it all worked out.

"We, as neighbors, just need to communicate a bit more." Amen to that! Glad it turned out well.

Heck yeah! TY DH! That's got to be some sort of good karma sign. "Things" happen for a reason. I see.......a winning lottery ticket in your near future.

Don't go low when dealing with this situation. You have to live with this neighbor, or move. And you know that old adage about the devil you know being a more sure bet than the one that you don't know.

We don't chose our neighbors. But, we do chose how we deal with them.

Don't disgrace yourself with an action that will further poison the waters.

She didn't. She just had to have a place to vent and this is where she chose to go. DH took care of it, the situation is resolved at present and so far it appears that venting to a 3rd party, is safer than releasing frustration on the opposing party.. We all got a reminder in Neighbor Diplomacy here! It was great!

Great resolution! Communication saves the day.

A great example of why living by The Four Agreements is the best way to go.

If you're not familiar with it, some say the book by don Miguel Ruiz is life changing. It certainly makes my life far less anxiety prone. :-)

I LOL'd at the parallel parking bit. trapped at a curb spot, oh no! :)

glad it seems to have worked out. and you have your man-network set up too. ;)

Did asking nicely work? Hope this issue is resolved by now but if it isn't:

Is there an actual curb alongside the road?

What color is the curb of any "no parking" curb, such as next to a fire extinguisher or at a corner/turn lane -= painted in your town? Can you get some of that paint and paint an appropriate stripe about 6' wide in front of your gate?

If that fails ...

Do you have a wheelbarrow and a hoe? A half dozen or so bags of concrete mix -- the kind to which you don't need to add sand -- could create create a handicap/delivery "ramp" if sloped on three sides and placed directly in front of your gate from the curb to the road … and it would create just a bit of a speed bump … and you'd not want to create a hazard for any transmission pan or other parts of the underside of any car, including yours.

I did want to address one last thing. DH did not intentionally block in the neighbor, she just could not maneuver with 2+ feet in the front and back of her car-hence the comment on parallel parking lessons.

Thanks for helping on an issue that was making me crazy!

I thought I should provide an update on cop shoots dog, I'll allow you make your own conclusion but mine was very knee jerk and I should not have posted that as an example with regard to my parking problem. Also, all is going great with our neighbors :)

Happy Labor Day!