Residential Townhome Parking Lot Etiquette

The people who SHOULD read this post, of course, won't ever see it. But I'll feel better for having written it. Deep breath...

I live in a townhouse community that is, for the most part, quite lovely. Quiet, wooded, yet accessible to all of the modern conveniences of an urban setting. The location of my home couldn't be better for me and the boys.

Some of the neighbors' manners, however, leave a little to be desired. Today's post will focus on parking etiquette.

#1: Don't park more than 2 of your cars in the spaces close to the houses.
We have 2 parking lots -- an upper one, which is close to houses, and a lower one, which is located somewhere in the vicinity of Siberia. There are enough spaces in the upper lot for each house to park 2 or 3 cars regularly. The spaces in my development are unassigned, which I love, 'cause guests don't have to park in Siberia or run the risk of being towed when they visit chez Vaughan. But one of our neighbors mucks the whole thing up by parking no fewer than 5 cars in the upper lot. There are two commercial vehicles (he's a plumber by trade, I think), a minivan, a sporty sedan, and a junker driven by one of the teenage children. The end result is that I often need to carry my tyke from Siberia to my house so that Mr. Plumber's hulking van can rest close to his abode.

#2: Park in a space, not in back of my car!
So, I outlined how we occasionally enjoy a parking crunch. But some jokers have taken to double-parking rather than hoof it from Siberia. Even if someone's in the car with the motor running, I still think it's silly rude to block in other people when there are available spots about 40 feet away (Okay, some hyperbole was involved when I called the lower parking lot 'Siberia.')

#3: For the love of God, stop BEEPING for people.
It's winter. It's chilly. I get it. But when you blast your horn to get the attention of someone inside one of the thirty homes in my neighborhood, well, it's just rude. You might think it's no biggie. But you don't know if people work nights and sleep during the day, or if children or napping, or if there are dogs that are sensitive to noise. I can almost let the teenagers who do this slide and don't know any better. But Mr. Plumber, you're an adult! What are you teaching your children if you just keep beeping for them to come out to the car?

#4: Please teach your children to get out of the way of cars if they are playing catch, or football, or roller hockey in the parking lot.
Um, I don't think that this one needs any explanation.

Phew. I feel better. Silly complaints in the grand scheme of things, but when I'm paying a hefty homeowner's association fee, I feel like I oughta live in a gripe-free zone.