I bought a house two years ago on a block that doesn't have any parking.

Some residents park on my sidewalk, block the access to my steps and leave me with grease and oil stains on my pavement. I'm scrubbing them constantly.

Putting a planter on the sidewalk blocking access to it hasn't worked. They move it. So I'd like to buy the removeable pole and cable assembly that I've seen installed in front of some Bella Vista houses.

Does anyone know where to buy this and know a good concrete contractor to install it?

Sorry, can't help....just a suggestion. Why not put in a bike rack? That should block cars from pulling in and give people a place to lock their bikes that they'll hopefully use to visit friends on your block instead of cars.

That's really frustrating. You should join the thread about how cars are evil...

I highly recommend calling the cops every time. I have this problem on my street and it's about 70% better since I started calling the cops.

My biggest beef is it blocks the street and blocks emergency vehicle access. Plus, it damages the sidewalks, makes it a nightmare for walkers, etc.

Unfortunately, you dial 911 for all calls in the city.

Why not just a few poles that allow pedestrians to walk between but make parking impossible? Maybe you could find attractive ones.

There's a lot of sidewalk parking in my neighborhood, too, and I've noticed some people have put out concrete planters that are harder to move. Sometimes they get hit and broken by people trying to park in front of or behind them, but if they're heavy enough, at least they won't try to move them.

I have a similar problem. Our garage, behind the house, opens onto an alleyway where there's supposed to be no parking. There are poles installed along most of the street, but not right next to or across from our garage. Several people use that as their regular parking spot (directly under the No Parking sign). And lots of residents on the alley leave their cars right in the middle of the street, not just while they unload groceries but for much longer stretches. A Comcast Cable van was there doing an installation once and we had to get the baby to the doctor in an emergency and couldn't get our car out. We've called the police and talked to the parking authority. Nothing helps; the parking authority says they don't have jurisdiction over that street. We're planning on putting trees in at some point, but I've thought about the heavy planters too.

The worst offender is my neighbor that only bought the house last year---a real newcomer to the block.

He's been backing into my tree, and with a few more hits by his car, my 12' tree is going to be no longer. These removable poles should be enough to protect my sidewalk and tree. Ironically I got the idea because he installed them on his sidewalk very recently so that others cannot do what he does himself!

A bike rack is a great idea (thanks!!), but it wouldn't cover enough of the sidewalk.

That's hysterical. I think you should ask him where he got his and see if he picks up on the hint.

Great idea to ask him, but I doubt that I'd be able to rationally do that today. I'm seething today because I just discovered that he's been backing into my roof drain, bent it so much that it has to be replaced and unseated it from the housing into the sidewalk so no wonder my basement is wet.

What a neighbor!

Hmm. Now I'm starting to think you need to get those sawhorses with the flashing orange lights, set them up around the perimeter of your sidewalk, and then tie yellow "caution tape" from the house to the horses and tie them all together in a big chain until you can get poles put in. Maybe that will make the point -- he is, after all, turning your property into a hazardous area subject to falling drainpipes and tree limbs and even flooding!