[CliveO]

I work on one of the main roads in Cyprus and park my car there every day. One of the shops has left a note on my car saying please don't park here, it is for our customers. Can they do this or is it like the UK, as long as you have road tax, you can park anywhere you are legally allowed to? In other words because it is in front of their shop, can they claim it as their own?

 

[zin]

What the law is (and I'm not really sure) and what the culture is are different. Very common for shop owners to put signs outside saying that parking is for customers only.

If you carry on parking there expect grief, arguements and accusations if you notice a scratch on the car one day. Going by your posts I fully expect you to go all guns blazing and telling the shop owner your rights etc... etc... which might work in the UK, but you're not in the UK.

So much easier to park elsewhere and at the end of the day, if that parking helps the person get customers in why do you want to deny them that?

 

[CliveO]

Oh Zin, you know me all too well.

That is all I really wanted to know, I guess I asked for the wrong thing, I should be asking for general advice, not legal advice. I am fine with that, if that's the way things are then I am more than happy to park elsewhere and I certainly don't begrudge anyone making a living, it just seems a little petty since no customers ever parks outside there hence the reason I did!

The problem is that where I work is all retail and if everyone said "please park elsewhere" the streets would be empty of cars...perhaps not such a bad thing but how do we all get to work?

Anyway, thanks for the advice, I don't wish to cause a problem so like you say, I'll take the path of least resistance and park across the other side of the road.

 

[zin]

Yeah, I only say this because I've seen what happens when someone parks in front of somewhere which they "shouldn't". Saw a bloke come out a shop with a 4x4 once. The worst is when people park in front of an entrance because they are only going to be 5 minutes to pick something up.

 

[CliveO]

No, I'd always park legally, I have too often been on the other end where you can't find a mother and toddler space at the supermarket because some spotty youth has parked his hot-hatch in the space assigned for mothers with young children and you have to park in a regular sized spot and squeeze in the back seat to get the little boy out of the back seat.

Just seems a little silly to see all these empty parking spaces...on the other hand I will be overjoyed if I drive into Limassol to go shopping and I can park right outside the shop I want to go to. I guess it's swings and roundabouts.