A very British parking row: Polite notes are being pinned to car windscreens as fed-up locals raise objection to out-of-town drivers clogging up their road
- EXCLUSIVE: Long-standing parking row has been simmering for years in Bristol
- Locals has started leaving notes ‘respectfully’ asking visitors to park elsewhere
- Residents are angry with people ‘dumping’ cars but found notes ’embarrassing’
A parking row has erupted in south Bristol where fed-up locals are politely pinning notes on the car windscreens of out-of-town drivers in an attempt to stop them clogging up their road.
Frustration over car spaces in Bedminster has been simmering for a few years, with locals becoming increasingly frustrated by people ‘dumping’ their cars on their road.
The notes – which request that non-residents ‘respectfully’ park elsewhere – were left on several car windscreens on behalf of ‘the residents of British Road’.
One note left on a car read: ‘Dear vehicle owner/driver, The residents of British Road have noticed that you park on this street regularly, yet do not live on this street.
‘Please be mindful of the residents who wish to park near their own properties. We respectfully ask you to park your vehicle on the street that you live on, in future.’
A very polite parking row has erupted in Bedminster, Bristol, after notes were left on unwanted parked cars in the area on behalf of ‘the residents of British Road’
More vehicles have cropped up on British Road (pictured) since the pandemic as a result of people working from home more regularly
One British Road homeowner has ruled themselves out as the Bedminster vigilante by insisting they are not responsible for the notes left on windscreens
But in a hilarious response to the surge in notes, one homeowner has ruled themselves out as the Bedminster vigilante. A note in their window said: ‘FYI: It’s not us leaving the notes on cars!’
The recent British blizzard has left a trail of destruction, ripping up some of the notes that had been carefully laid down by frustrated locals.
The row threatens to boil over because significantly more vehicles have cropped up in the area since the pandemic as a result of people working from home more regularly.
While there is a mutual agreement that the number of cars on the road is a problem, our reporters who spoke to residents found that some were left ’embarrassed’ by the notes, igniting somewhat of a civil neighbourhood war.
One resident said: ‘The street has been a dumping ground for cars during Covid, it’s still bad now.
‘I have to park on another street as well because the situation is so bad. Even though I can’t park here I don’t think the note is representative of the street at all or proportionate representative and the person who’s done it is a bit of a d***.
‘I’m embarrassed of the notes to be honest it’s a bit ridiculous. Yes parking here is hard, but that’s what happens when you live near town. If you live near a city of course that’s going to happen.
‘We do get a lot of people dumping their cars here to get the airport bus and I guess it can be frustrating but the notes are a bit embarrassing quite frankly.’
One van had the same note left on it but someone added to it: ‘YOU DO NOT WORK FOR BT!!!’
Another note accused a van of being left unattended for months at a time. It underlined ‘Help yourself’ at the end
Another note was left on an unmarked van which had a ‘BT engineer on call’ sign on the dashboard. The furious resident added ‘YOU DO NOT WORK FOR BT!!!’ to the same note seen on the other cars.
Meanwhile another note, this time hand-written, claimed that a van had been left unattended ‘for months at a time’ and added in underlined capitals: ‘Help yourself.’
Forty-seven-year-old civil servant Joe, who is a long-term Bedminster resident, added: ‘I saw the notes down the road. I lived here for 18 years and the situation has definitely gotten worse over the years.
‘When I first moved here I could park outside my house but it’s just gotten worse and worse, I’ve had to park quite far away on other streets before.
‘Parking permits are in place over the other side of North Street so I guess people come and park here instead.’
Joe revealed he has written to the council before in response to a survey but ‘nothing was done’. However, he also admitted that he has been guilty of doing the same in the past.
‘Equally however, if I was working in town I would probably come and park here too,’ he added. ‘I actually did do that before I moved to the area and working in the city so I understand.
‘With the notes I can understand that it’s frustrating if you’re going round and round and can’t find anywhere to park your car but you just have to get used to it and deal with it.
‘I think permits would help but that’s another bit money spender for the council. I would say that we all pay car tax and there’s no reason that people can’t park their cars where they want to park them.
‘This area of Bedminster is particularly bad I’d say because we’re so close to restricted areas so naturally people come and park here, but the parking is getting worse.
When our reporters went down to the scene, the remnants of notes left on windscreens had been somewhat destroyed by the recent blizzard
Residents of British Road are in agreement that parking has got harder and harder but many objected to the notes
‘More and more people are parking here over time and it’s definitely harder to get a space. I think I’m terms of the note it depends how long the cars have been there. If a massive van has been outside your house for three months then alright, but like I said we all pay car tax and can park wherever we want.’
Holly Knight, 31, who works in customer service, added: ‘It is really hard to park your car here, there’s not many spaces on the road and it’s quite small but at the end of the day it’s a public road and people can park their car wherever they want.
‘My friend has just started driving and she said it’s really hard to get a space, but she can usually find one.
‘I’d understand the notes If someone was parking in your actual space like your driveway, but not just on the road. Like I said it’s a public space and the notes are ridiculous really.’
Bristol City Council were approached for comment on Tuesday but have not yet responded.
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