People parking on private property in Scranton? (Reading: house, landscaping)

[nepa76]

We've got a paved two car spot at the back of our property, with signs posted saying No Parking/Private Property, and are having problems with people (it's in our alley) that live around it using it as their own parking lot. How can we put a stop to it? We've had arguments with the two families that live directly adjacent to and across the alley from it about their using it without permission, and they still continue to park there. I was just outside yet again two cars are currently parked there. We've called the Scranton police several times and they always say they can't do anything about it. We've looked into having the cars towed at various times but have been told it'd be at our expense. So any ideas on what can be done short of walling it off?

[theatergypsy]

Maybe you could park your cars there?

[Gerania]

Call a towing company and ask how that works.

Title 75 - PA General Assembly

[nepa76]

When we've had the police here we asked about having the cars towed. I guess they really don't know much, they've always said it'd be at our expense, and there's nothing they can do. I'll be printing up that page to really go over it.



We park our car in front of our house because it's a lot closer to the front door compared to parking in our area out back, you have to walk through our long back yard, and down several steps onto the patio to reach the back door. The problem is we own that two car mini-parking area. We paid to have it paved, sealed, and a decorative wall/fence put in to separate it from the back yard. These people are using it without permission, after being repeatedly told they're not allowed to park there. Family or friends that come can't ever use it because the neighbors cars are always there. We've even written up papers and put them on their car windows saying Do Not Park Here, It's Private Property, and they ignore it.

[DavidWebb]

Video record them parking there!! Maybe that will get their attention!!

[Gerania]

Put a chain across it or barricade it in some way. Drop some cinder blocks at the entrance. Take a picture of it.

[nepa76]

We tried that a few summers ago, seems like we've tried everything we can think of. Put a pole on one side and a short decorative metal fence on the side where the property meets the neighboring house, and put a heavy florescent yellow rope across the entrance. That neighbor in the house directly adjacent to our area had her friend pull sidways across the entrance, daily, until eventually the rope somehow got stuck to her vehicle. She ripped the fence, rope, and pole out. We found this info out from another person living in the alley who happened to see it. When we confronted her about it she denied any knowledge about it. We have tried but nothing works. Even started dragging our weeky garbage out there to block it, that neighbor ran it over twice, and another started moving the garbage to the side so they could park there. Also tried laying wooden landscaping beams across the entrance, they just push them out of the way. A few years ago I also sprayed florescent orange paint on the ground with No Parking across it, didn't deter anyone.



It's just ridiculous the lengths they'll go to to not have to park outside the alley itself because they decided to move into an alley location with no parking. At the point where trowing nails down sounds like a good idea.

[Gerania]

My son recently put a camera in my front window facing toward the front porch, but I can see part of the driveway and to the curb. I have no idea why. I did have some odd person knock on the door a couple of weeks ago. He left no printed material. He didn't look like one of the people offering salvation. Everything goes to his phone.

I think someone should call the Scranton police and let them know that they have been nationally recognized as slacker police. They could do something about this, but they choose not to.

[thecoalman]

This is a bunch of BS, the next thing is it will escalate into a confrontation between you and the illegal parkers and they will be blaming you for not calling the cops. Reading the link posted above the city, someone you employ or you yourself can tow the vehicle.



Call the cops again and be sure to video record it. Show them printed version of that statute and demand they take car of it. If you get no satisfaction take your recording and the statute right to the Mayor's office and tell them your next stop is WNEP.

[DavidWebb]

Originally Posted by thecoalman

This is a bunch of BS, the next thing is it will escalate into a confrontation between you and the illegal parkers and they will be blaming you for not calling the cops.

They've already stated that they had that happen already and that the local police have been called. The risk now is retaliation by those being reported. Another option is to put up a sign they can't get to stating, "Smile!! Your on 24 hour camera surveillance."