Driveway U-Turns

[scotpens]

Maybe I'm alone on this but is this really *that* big of a deal? I get that it's annoying, but people do this all the time everywhere.

I'd certainly call it a big deal when, as the OP says, people are pulling into his driveway several times per hour, it makes his dogs start barking, and it happens frequently at night so strangers are shining their headlights into his living room. That would drive me absolutely fucking nuts.

Sure, I'll occasionally use someone's driveway entrance to turn around, but I avoid it if there's an alternative. And I never pull more than a few feet onto the driveway apron and sidewalk, which are public property anyway.

Oh, and just to be an anal-retentive nitpicker, what we're talking about is called a three-point turn or Y-turn, not a U-turn.

 

[Kestra]

I can see the headlight thing being annoying. Otherwise I wouldn't care personally.

 

[doubleohfive]

Well, I guess that would be rather irritating. Still... I don't understand why they don't just park their car at the head of the driveway, thus blocking it off?

 

[scotpens]

I can see the headlight thing being annoying. Otherwise I wouldn't care personally.

Besides the annoyance, there's the matter of simple courtesy and respect for others. I'd certainly care if people were constantly driving their cars onto my private property without my permission. And making my dogs go crazy while they're at it.

 

[Kestra]

I guess I don't consider it disrespectful to use someone's driveway as long as you're not hindering their own use of it, or driving over the lawn or something. I assumed the dogs would get used to it since animals are so adaptable.

 

[the 4th hanson bro]

Maybe I'm alone on this but is this really *that* big of a deal? I get that it's annoying, but people do this all the time everywhere.

An easy solution would be to park your car in the driveway so that no one can pull in to it. Alternatively, park both cars in the driveway rather than having one on the street. You've obviously got the room for it.

What he said.

Park your truck at the street end of the driveway. No room to pull in, no room to turn around.

 

[Yoda]

Spend a day hanging out in your driveway on a lawn chair with a baseball bat and smash the shit out of any vehicle that doesn't pull back out quickly enough?

 

[doubleohfive]

I'm serious. The easiest, most effective way to handle this is for Flux and the future Mrs. Flux to just park their cars at the end of the driveway, preventing anyone from pulling in to turn around.

 

[Roger Wilco]

He already said he did that but that it isn't a satisfying solution.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

He already said he did that but that it isn't a satisfying solution.

Short of destroying the vehicles that come into his driveway without permission, I don't think there's a "satisfying solution" to be had here.

 

[Trekker4747]

Hang a sign telling people not to use your driveway or you'll prosecute for trespassing on private property. Erect some-sort-of monitoring system that'll capture the front license plate of cars that use your driveway and then submit those numbers to the local authorities and have them cited for trespassing.

Granted this is complicated and likely expensive way of doing this but, maybe, the sign alone will deter people.

The more complex solution I can think of is an automated road-spike system embedded on the threshold of the driveway, one that can be de-activated by remote that you can give to relatives. Sort of like a garage-door opener. It may be possible to automate this so that cars with the system can deactivate the spikes on approach.

A gate with a code-entrance system or similar remote system or just spend a week out there on the driveway and directly confront the people who use your driveway to do this.

I can understand your frustration with this, it's your driveway and your property and people are using it to turn around. You've the "right" to retain control of your property and to not have it used in this manner. I mean it could potentially preclude you from using it (if someone does this at the same time you're trying to get in/out of it) and there's the annoyance factor it causes you.

Hell, you may even be able to get the police involved to watch over it during a certain time of a day and ticket people who do this, again for trespassing.

 

[Lindley]

A few prominent "NO TRESPASSING" signs may help. However, keep in mind that the first few feet of your driveway are usually public property.

 

[Yoda]

He already said he did that but that it isn't a satisfying solution.

Short of destroying the vehicles that come into his driveway without permission, I don't think there's a "satisfying solution" to be had here.

Pretty much, since it's people trying to get into street parking for the apartment complex, there will be high turnover and plenty of fresh turners with the same idea.

The actual solution is to move. It took me a few living situations to figure out what is and is not acceptable for me, so hopefully next place I'll get it right. The biggest annoyances all stem from being on/close to busy streets.

 

[wamdue]

I was going to suggest a good soild wooden gate, but that does cause hassle for you, unless you remote control it. However that isnt cheap.

 

[Holdfast]

I don't understand what the cones would do, unless you guys mean as an actual barrier? That seems incredibly inconvenient.

Only slightly inconvenient; it takes a couple of seconds to move a cone or two out the way. But enough of a deterrent to cause others to use other people's driveways instead.

In the end, there's no "no inconvenience" option for OP here, including the status quo, so...

The actual solution is to move. It took me a few living situations to figure out what is and is not acceptable for me, so hopefully next place I'll get it right. The biggest annoyances all stem from being on/close to busy streets.

Agreed. That's one of my personal rules too: no busy road.

 

[scotpens]

A few prominent "NO TRESPASSING" signs may help. However, keep in mind that the first few feet of your driveway are usually public property.

The street, curb, driveway apron (the ramp from street to driveway), sidewalk (if present) and landscaped area between sidewalk and curb (if present) are public property. Generally, the driveway itself lies inside the property line (unless you can give an example to the contrary).

 

[Trekker4747]

I'm sure the part of the end of the driveway that is public property is shorter than a car is long.

 

[Tiberius Jim]

Like I said before, backing the cars up to the far rear of the driveway isn't an ieeal fix, as the car on the right would block a car from uaing the small lot to the right of the driveway. We did try it, and it semi-worked. (A car tried the pull in but had to rethink its strategy) but when the father in law came home he was blocked from getting in. Plus I'd rather not run the risk of someone pulling in too fast and rear ending one of our parked cars, not expecting there to be one so far back.

 

[nevermore]

Park your cars at the end of the driveway at night. If you have someone coming over, move them. If they hit your car, get their plates and go after them for the insurance money.

And put notes on "repeat offenders'" windshields, politely asking that they please stop using your property as a turnabout.

 

[Yoda]

^If they hit your car chances are they're speeding away never to be heard from again.