Parking problems outside my house

This is a bit of a recurrent gripe but with a twist.  Yes, it's resident only/permit parking again, combined with arrogant students!

I live on a street where, during a working day and some evenings, parking is an absolute nightmare.  This is due to two contributing factors; the large college and the close proximity of the city centre.

Now I know I shouldn't complain as both of these were established when we bought the house but I'm going to.  I tend to avoid the problem by cycling to work (it's only 7 miles and it doesn't take any longer than driving) and my partner walks (only 2 miles she gets shouted at if she drives).  However, there are occasions when one of us requires the use of the car during the day.  If I need the car and know I'll be back during the day, then I stick a couple of traffic cones out.  Nine times out of ten, they've been moved when I return and someone else is parked in my spot.  Now this doesn't actually annoy me if I can find another spot nearby.  But half the time I have to park over a mile away and wait for some cars to move before I can put my car near my street. This can be quite inconvenient if I've got something heavy that can't be left in the car.  Again, if it's an alright day then this doesn't really bother me.  On the other hand if it's p*ssing it down and I've been up since 4am, driven 500 miles for client meetings and returned home with a splitting headache - naturally I'm none too chuffed!

My biggest bugbear is that just around the corner there are two areas of permit-only parking and they're always empty.  I've asked for a permit, offered to pay and everything.  I'm a good boy but have been told that permits are reserved for the use of the people living in the social housing properties - all of whom have either their own driveway, allocated parking space or a separate area of permit-only parking.  Time and time again either myself or my (now heavily pregnant) partner have struggled to find a parking space and then had to trudge in the rain only to discover these vacant lots.  I've not seen a single vehicle using the space and neither have other residents.

Now to the students.  On the off-chance that there is a space, it is usually occupied by a group of students from the college standing around talking.  Nothing wrong with that, except that they're in the road and refuse to move until the horn has sounded at least 3 times.  I don't have a problem with students in general.  I'm going to be a mature one in September at uni, it's just the attitude of the ones that attend this particular college.

They hang around the front gardens of the houses down the street, sometimes actually in them and frequently drop crisp packets, takeaway containers, bottles (glass and plastic) cigarette butts etc. on both gardens and pavement.  When I went to college there was a strict policy of not disturbing the residents in the area - what happened to that idea I wonder?  My partner used to sometimes work from 10 to 7 and upon leaving the house had to kick the same students off our doorstep each day.

None of the students seem to have any concept of non-pedestrianised streets.  It doesn't matter what car is coming, they just stand in the middle of the road and refuse to move until the last minute.  If there are students around the car when someone needs to go somewhere, it can take up to ten minutes before there is a safe enough opportunity to move.

OK, now in order to try and get some empathy out of the cynics and apologists, my partner had a miscarriage last year.  She had a hospital appointment for a scan which confirmed this.  Obviously, she was very upset.  So she practically exploded with tears, snot and swearing when there were no spaces and a load of college students sitting in our front garden smoking.  Of course, the permit-only areas were free as usual.  My, how the air turned blue, and yes, I've complained to the both the college and the Council.

There, all better now. Feel free to flame away.

By: Grumpy resident