Can anyone clarify the law on waiting i.e. sitting in a car with engine running as opposed to parking across a drive with a dropped kerb?
I've seen several sites and forums, which state it is causing an obstruction if one parks i.e. actually leaves a vehicle blocking a drive, with variations stating it is only an offence to block a car which is in the drive, not if the drive is empty.
These are also almost exclusively posted by homeowners complaining about their drives being obstructed. I am enquiring from the opposite view of someone being harrassed by homeowners when I stop for 5 mins and remain in my car when dropping my granddaughter at infant school. It is in a cul-de-sac and almost inavariably there are no vacant spaces apart from those covering driveways. I always have another person, either wife or daughter with me, specifically, so the car doesn't get left unattended and I can remain in the car while they take her in. On a couple of occasions recently, when parked by a drive, I have been asked not to stop there. Upon trying to be reasonable and pointing out that if they want to drive in or out of their drive, I will gladly move, I get varying degrees of abuse and told I will be reported to the council.
As I see it, I would only be committing an offence if I left the car, or refused to move it when someone wanted access in or out.
Can anyone confirm the legal position?
BC
I've seen several sites and forums, which state it is causing an obstruction if one parks i.e. actually leaves a vehicle blocking a drive, with variations stating it is only an offence to block a car which is in the drive, not if the drive is empty.
These are also almost exclusively posted by homeowners complaining about their drives being obstructed. I am enquiring from the opposite view of someone being harrassed by homeowners when I stop for 5 mins and remain in my car when dropping my granddaughter at infant school. It is in a cul-de-sac and almost inavariably there are no vacant spaces apart from those covering driveways. I always have another person, either wife or daughter with me, specifically, so the car doesn't get left unattended and I can remain in the car while they take her in. On a couple of occasions recently, when parked by a drive, I have been asked not to stop there. Upon trying to be reasonable and pointing out that if they want to drive in or out of their drive, I will gladly move, I get varying degrees of abuse and told I will be reported to the council.
As I see it, I would only be committing an offence if I left the car, or refused to move it when someone wanted access in or out.
Can anyone confirm the legal position?
BC
