Stop Vehicles from Using Driveway

[cnbecker9]

Been having a lot of problems lately with vehicles using my driveway to turn around, park, etc. It was bearable until I came home from work today to find a box truck (work vehicle) blocking 2/3rds of my driveway and laying cones across it.. it's a semi-busy road and had to park in tbe opposing lane with my 4-ways just to get in my driveway. Bought this house 3 months ago and am aleady fed up!

I doubt something of this seriousness will happen again as I gave them and their company an earful but what are some deterrents I can use to keep people from using my driveway like that? I wouldn't mind an occasional turn around but this is getting ridiculous. Was thinking about narrowing the entrance of my driveway and decorate it at the same time as opposed to just throwing up a chain, random stones, or cones. Anyone got an ideas that wouldn't be an eyesore to look at?Thanks

 

[ABMax24]

A giant wrought iron gate with automatic opener...

If that was here there wouldn't be much you could do, I don't own the first 10 feet of my driveway anyway, the city does.

 

[cnbecker9]

A giant wrought iron gate with automatic opener...

If that was here there wouldn't be much you could do, I don't own the first 10 feet of my driveway anyway, the city does.

I thought about some kind of gate but not ready to cough up a few thousand lol especially when I don't even have any fences, landscaping etc to accompany that gate.

 

[begreen]

A couple posts with a chain across would stop them but it will be a nuisance to have to unlock the chain twice or more a day.

 

[cnbecker9]

A couple posts with a chain across would stop them but it will be a nuisance to have to unlock the chain twice or more a day.

Would be more inclined to do that if I had more room to pull off. Still open to the idea. Was thinking about edging the driveway and narrowing the front of it with large stones but not sure how that would look

 

[heat seeker]

You could narrow the drive's entrance with a simple fence that looks nice. Can you put a fence on what may be technically city property?

 

[brenndatomu]

If that driveway is as large as the pics make it look, then that is a major invitation for turnarounds, etc...I'd narrow it up if you can.
I feel your pain though, we live on a corner lot and have a concrete circle drive out front...and it gets used, a lot! Doesn't particularly bother me, except for its not very wide, and a tight circle...pretty much made for cars only...but everybody and their brother comes through there, sometimes a 4 door pickup, pulling a trailer...no way they can make the turn and stay out of the yard! So that often leaves ruts...I am so sick of fixing ruts! And even if they can stay on the concrete, its a 4" thick pour, its not made for 10,000 lb trucks! I'd be so pizzed if I found cracked concrete after one of these morons comes through!
And this is only one part of the problem...the other one is semi's trying to turn the corner and go down the (small) side road, where they don't belong! They can't make the turn through the small tight intersection, so off in the yard they go with the front tire(s)...when the ground is soft this will leave 1' deep ruts in my yard...which of course nobody ever apologizes for, or offers to fix...I guess I have become the old grouch that yells at people to stay off my lawn! I drove a T post in the yard right where they always leave ruts...that has done a pretty good job of keeping them on the road, even if it is a pain to mow around.
If I ever buy another place (probably won't...HATE moving) it WILL NOT be on a corner!

 

[cnbecker9]

If that driveway is as large as the pics make it look, then that is a major invitation for turnarounds, etc...I'd narrow it up if you can.
I feel your pain though, we live on a corner lot and have a concrete circle drive out front...and it gets used, a lot! Doesn't particularly bother me, except for its not very wide, and a tight circle...pretty much made for cars only...but everybody and their brother comes through there, sometimes a 4 door pickup, pulling a trailer...no way they can make the turn and stay out of the yard! So that often leaves ruts...I am so sick of fixing ruts! And even if they can stay on the concrete, its a 4" thick pour, its not made for 10,000 lb trucks! I'd be so pizzed if I found cracked concrete after one of these morons comes through!
And this is only one part of the problem...the other one is semi's trying to turn the corner and go down the (small) side road, where they don't belong! They can't make the turn through the small tight intersection, so off in the yard they go with the front tire(s)...when the ground is soft this will leave 1' deep ruts in my yard...which of course nobody ever apologizes for, or offers to fix...I guess I have become the old grouch that yells at people to stay off my lawn! I drove a T post in the yard right where they always leave ruts...that has done a pretty good job of keeping them on the road, even if it is a pain to mow around.
If I ever buy another place (probably won't...HATE moving) it WILL NOT be on a corner!

My thoughts exactly! Your situation seems like it was a lot worse and glad you found a fix for it! As much as I would love to throw something in both corners of the driveway, I don't think it would work out too well. A fence right now is out of the question as the whole .5acre+ of land is fence-less and pretty open, seems kind if silly to me. So try to find a way to narrow and edge the driveway like you said but have it look half decent. Trying to figure out whether to use plants, stone, etc but am also not 100% familiar yet with what I'm allowed to do - I wouldn't think there would be too many restrictions

 

[peakbagger]

If you dont need the width all the time, removable bollards work pretty well. We use them on projects to protect equipment. When we need to do maintenance on them its not that hard to lift them out.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

I had that issue with a neighbor who was having work done and their workers kept parking in my driveway, even after being asked not to. I parked behind them. I got out and yelled to them I had to use the bathroom and hurried into my house. A couple hours later, well past their quitting time, I came out and moved my truck. Never had a problem again.

In your case, I'd invest in those police spike strips. Raise them when you arent going to use your driveway.

(broken link removed to https://psemc.com/products/nighthawk-police-stop-sticks/?amp)

 

[Rob711]

Strips of 3/4” plywood with framing nail through it, lay them 10’ into driveway, buried at the surface. I’d set up a camera just for fun! Don’t forget to remove them when you need driveway!

 

[zrock]

Call a tow truck and have them removed

 

[Grizzerbear]

You don't have to have a fence just one good post on each end to carry the gate and another for the latch. Old electric poles that you can get free aren't the prettiest bit work well. I would probably set brace posts along with the corner post but you could get away with just a single post most likely. You would need to sink it deeper if you do a single post.....probably four foot or so....so they don't lean in time. Narrow the drive to just a tad over 16' A simple farm gate is around 100 bucks or so for a 16 footer. I've seen ghost automatic gate openers for I believe a grand all together. Might be something to think about for the future. Believe me....getting out to open a gate....and in to pull through...then out to close it....then back in to pull to house....or feed cows in my instance...gets old in a hurry.

 

[gzecc]

If you leave the garbage and recycling cans in the middle it will deter turn arounds. Happens to me all day long too. Mine is much narrower than yours. My asphalt is being torn up by turnarounds

 

[gthomas785]

Buy a junk car and park it out there
Or use planters, garbage bins, etc. to reduce the width so people can't pull off right there.

 

[begreen]

I'm curious. What brought you to Hearth.com to post this question? This is mostly a stove and furnace/boiler heating site.

 

[CaptSpiff]

Buy a junk car and park it out there
Or use planters, garbage bins, etc. to reduce the width so people can't pull off right there.

Winner winner chicken dinner!
Take some scrap wood and build a pair of 3' high, 8' long, 2' wide wooden planter boxes; mount some 10" wheels from HF.
Build a slat floor about a foot from the top and load it with 4 or 5 flowering bushes. Then paint "PRIVATE DRIVEWAY" in 6" high letters on the side facing the road.
Takes up 16' of driveway width. Wheels make it non-permanent, should the town come by to look.
Better than trying to start a war!

PS, I see you have a grate next to the driveway. That tells me there's town managed drainage, as opposed to simple roadside ditches. Which means the Town will likely eyeball whatever you do. The wheels will help a lot. Oh, and if you like your across neighbors, you can make the letters 4" high.

 

[sloeffle]

If that was here there wouldn't be much you could do, I don't own the first 10 feet of my driveway anyway, the city does.

Interesting. I'm not sure if it based off county, state or country. Where I'm at, I own to the middle ( theoretically ) of the road and the county has a right a way for x feet for the road, and the utilities have x feet also. I live on the county line and they widened the road in the next county over and the county actually had to buy more right of way from the land owners to make the road wider.

 

[ABMax24]

Interesting. I'm not sure if it based off county, state or country. Where I'm at, I own to the middle ( theoretically ) of the road and the county has a right a way for x feet for the road, and the utilities have x feet also. I live on the county line and they widened the road in the next county over and the county actually had to buy more right of way from the land owners to make the road wider.

I have both. The city owns a portion, presumably if they wanted to build a sidewalk ( which there is one on the other side of the street), and for snow removal so they can push snow onto your front lawn, and people can't say "you can't do that, it's my lawn", well actually it isn't. I also have a small utility right of way in my front yard of the portion I own, for things like under ground telecommunication, electrical and natural gas services.

Really though I might as well be renting the place, I can't do much without the cities permission, and I'm paying $4500/year in property tax for my 4327sqft lot, over a $1 per sqft.

 

[BCC_Burner]

The first thing you need to do is find out where your property line is, what the front yard setbacks are, and if there is a city/county ROW/easement over your property.

Odds are there is very little you will be able to do within your frontyard setback without drawing the ire of code enforcement, which is as it should be.

Owning a piece of land does not make you sovereign country. There are rules.

 

[brenndatomu]

Odds are there is very little you will be able to do within your frontyard setback without drawing the ire of code enforcement, which is as it should be.

Owning a piece of land does not make you sovereign country. There are rules.

What, are we living in communist china now? OP shouuld be able to narrow up his driveway as he see's fit (unless in a HOA area, or something like that) now then, that may still be limited to something as simple as more grass, less gravel, but even something simple like that would/should be enough to make most people drive on past...

 

[mellow]

Here is my go. This solution will require that you run 120 out to the end of the driveway.

Take and buy a winch that can controlled by remote. Install orange flags on the winch wire. When you need to enter the driveway you operate the winch to loosen the wire and you drive on, then tighten the wire back up when past. I have seen this done before, easier than getting out and messing with a chain or rope across the driveway.

 

[bholler]

What, are we living in communist china now? OP shouuld be able to narrow up his driveway as he see's fit (unless in a HOA area, or something like that) now then, that may still be limited to something as simple as more grass, less gravel, but even something simple like that would/should be enough to make most people drive on past...

Planting grass over what has been a gravel driveway for years isn't really all that simple. But yes that would certainly be allowed

 

[billb3]

Often there are bylaws and easements alongside the road that limit your use and maintenance of the easement. Here you have to maintain a ten foot clear area for a fire or utility truck to pull completely off he road. So things like fences and gates have to be ten feet from the edge of the road. Even when there is a ditch there. Kinda sucks that you pay taxes to the center of the road and thirty feet is pretty much for public/utility use and access.

 

[Highbeam]

I had exactly the same problem. I don’t care where the right of way line is. I looked at adjacent properties and installed raised bed planters (could have been bermed soil), bushes, and a farm fence to match what the neighbors did. Narrow driveway is the key. Make your driveway less attractive to these unwelcome guests compared to the others but don’t do anything crazy.