problem neighbors

Doc · #1 07/22/08, 06:34 PM

We live on a narrow, dirt, dead-end road that has two more houses beyond our farm. Daily, our animals cross this road (we have property on both sides). It is also a deer crosing. For all these many years, we've never had a problem with the neighbors slowing down as they drive by our area. Until now.

Their twenty-something year old daughter now has a boyfriend. Where "Julie" used to drive cautiously, she now zooms up the road and doesn't slow down at all. Her boyfriend is even worse -- he drives like a bat out of hell.

I have asked them as nicely as I could to please slow down. I took great pains not to threaten them and to explain that I was pretty worried about it. They have chosen to disregard my request and, it seems, they are driving even faster. These are the kind of folks who talk very rude to you and seem threatened by the least little thing.

Is there anything I can do about this problem? Has anyone had a similar experience? I certainly don't want to get in an argument or confrontation because that's going to make things worse. If I had a legal thread, I think that would work better because they don't have that much money.

Old Vet · #2 07/22/08, 06:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doc

We live on a narrow, dirt, dead-end road that has two more houses beyond our farm. Daily, our animals cross this road (we have property on both sides). It is also a deer crosing. For all these many years, we've never had a problem with the neighbors slowing down as they drive by our area. Until now.

Their twenty-something year old daughter now has a boyfriend. Where "Julie" used to drive cautiously, she now zooms up the road and doesn't slow down at all. Her boyfriend is even worse -- he drives like a bat out of hell.

I have asked them as nicely as I could to please slow down. I took great pains not to threaten them and to explain that I was pretty worried about it. They have chosen to disregard my request and, it seems, they are driving even faster. These are the kind of folks who talk very rude to you and seem threatened by the least little thing.

Is there anything I can do about this problem? Has anyone had a similar experience? I certainly don't want to get in an argument or confrontation because that's going to make things worse. If I had a legal thread, I think that would work better because they don't have that much money.

All you need to do is to call the police everytime the speed up and down theroad. They will make them slow down to the speed limit. If the speed limit is not low enough to satisy you you can go to the plainig commision and get it lowered. All of this will take time so get started and don't give up until things are the way you want. Then of course you could keep your animals off the road like most people do.

james dilley · #3 07/22/08, 06:56 PM

Ask about speed bumbs. they are easy to install, but the county needs to do them.

Doc · #4 07/22/08, 07:00 PM

I didn't make myself clear initially. This is a private road. Most of the road is on our property, but we have to provide them a way to get in and out. We, personally, don't own the road, but our property is on both sides.

They also kick up dust when they drive so fast. We get to eat it!

WeaverRose · #5 07/22/08, 07:09 PM

If it's your property, and they just have legal access to get to their place, gouge a few speed potholes in the road. Sort of a reverse speed bump. After little darlin gets her undercarriage shaken loose a few times, she'll slow down. You could also fill it with big rocks, for drainage of course.

**Tiempo** · #6 07/22/08, 07:54 PM

Lay down some logs? Small enough to drive over with care, big enough to slow them down?

Bentley · #7 07/22/08, 08:14 PM

No logs. That will not work. Someone made the best suggestion. Just take your tractor and blade, and cut some shallow "drainage" ditches. Depending on who "really" owns the road, you might want to check with the county road maintenance crew first.
Being unaware of the road ditches, and adjacent drainage, it's hard to say whether this makes sense or not, but I would sure study it closely just to see.

Put one on the road at each end of your property.

If that doesn't work, then build up a speed bump. Half bury an 8" to 10" pipe.

Question; Who maintains the road?

farmergirl · #8 07/22/08, 08:17 PM

Would it be possible to make more headway by talking to the ill-behaved girl's parents? What moron doesn't know that being kind to your neighbors is mandatory?

needstoknowmore · #9 07/22/08, 08:28 PM

Being a private road. You could post speed limit signs but I doubt that they would heed them. The nudist camp sign probably wouldn't do much good either!! I had a similar problem. Talked to the kid, but it didn't do any good. Never thought about calling the law, that might have helped as it was a county road and he was going far above the posted speed limit. Did think about putting a barrel with a rope attached out in the middle of the road. The rope to pull the barrel out before he hit it. But he managed to wreck his car, from going to fast. And then we moved. So I would probably go with speed bumps. Specially if you can put them in just past where you turn in. Depending on where you live, and how flat-hilly the road is. You could easily get away with putting pipes or logs acrossed the road. Make a trench and put it in. Helps stop erosion from rain!!!

Bentley · #10 07/22/08, 08:29 PM

unfortunately, there are quite a few of those "morons".

But you do make a great point. communicating is always better until it's not.
Just always verify that if you find yourself arguing with a fool, make sure that he is not doing the same thing.

I've found over the years, that going out of my way to be "helpful" to my neighbors has always paid off. If I rented a ditchwitch for a weekend, I'd always ask my closest neighbors if they needed a ditch cut while I had the machine. I would do the work, and let them lay their own lines (water or elect)
Although, time permitting, I would be glad to give them a hand.

There have been a few times where several of us would pitch in and rent one together, sharing the cost equally. All of us got our work done, and all of us saved money.

Teenagers are often a challenge though. Takes a lot of patience.

tip: never lose your temper. They've "got" you then.

EDDIE BUCK · #11 07/22/08, 09:37 PM

If its just one family,go talk to the head of the house like you would like to be talked to and see what happens. If it don't get better, then do what you have to. Eddie

ozark mike · #12 07/22/08, 09:57 PM

private road?? law can't and won't help....potholes can and will get you sued...you are the one that gave the easement to cross your property... you can try the parent route, but do you think that will do any good?? if when I was that age someone had told my parents, they would have lived in a dust cloud most of the time...best thing you can do is keep your animals away from the road and suck it up, the young ones won't be there forever

agmantoo · #13 07/22/08, 10:11 PM

A precedent has been set with them having egress and ingress and that will have to remain. However, if your property will permit them another access you can reroute the road. I had a similar situation and the "neighbor" was coming too frequently by my house to suit me. I rerouted the road and I put a gate on it and gave him the key. He said, "what is this for?" I told him it was his new access. End of a problem. IMO, you should have never given the neighbor an unencumbered right of way. Maybe it was there when you got the place, it is difficult to take it away. I would insinuate to the neighbor that if the situation did not improve that you were going to see if you could get the right of way altered or rescinded. Probably won't happen but he may not know that.

soulsurvivor · #14 07/22/08, 10:18 PM

If you know someone that's familiar with laws regarding right of ways, then I'd be asking what rights I had or didn't have. I know of one case here locally that when a new owner took possession of the farm that provided a right of way to a guy's deer hunting property, the new owner decided to put up gates and locks, and kept giving the deer hunter the "wrong" keys to the padlocks. It was dragged through the courts for some years, but the farmer ended up getting to keep his gates and locks. The deer hunter ended up selling his land to the farmer, which was probably the reason for the gates and locks in the first place. The farmer had a lot of money and lot of friends in the right places.

quadcam79 · #15 07/22/08, 10:20 PM

you dont even have to make speedbumps, just make some little rumble strips, enough to rattle the fillings our of their teeth when they roll over em at a good clip.
I grew up living on a dirt road, same deal, people would fly up past our house and this road was filled with nice sized rocks jutting up and potholes, didnt seem to matter.

back in the day we used to spray oil on the road to keep the dust down...cant do that nowdays

blufford · #16 07/22/08, 10:34 PM

Maybe you could find some inconvient times for an old clunker that you have to break down in the middle of the driveway. They might get the picture when they have to wait a couple hours for you to get it moved before they can run the roads again.

PhilJohnson · #17 07/22/08, 10:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doc

I didn't make myself clear initially. This is a private road. Most of the road is on our property, but we have to provide them a way to get in and out. We, personally, don't own the road, but our property is on both sides.

They also kick up dust when they drive so fast. We get to eat it!

I am curious, who actually owns the road.

Shepherd · #18 07/23/08, 12:09 AM

Yes, that's somewhat unclear. Is this a means of egress to their property that you're providing thru your property (a legal transaction so they're not landlocked)? Or is this an actual road that's owned and maintained by the county?

If you are providing a means of egress through your property, I would think you could put gates up where they'd have to stop and open them just to get through. It wouldn't take long to get the point across that way. Or you could create speed bumps. You can just about bet there will be repercussions however, and things could get ugly.

If you're saying there's a county owned and maintained road which you happen to own land on both sides of, then there's not a lot you can do but try and reason with them. It sounds like you've gotten along with the neighbors just fine until the boyfriend showed up. Would it do any good to go have a friendly chat with the girl's parents and explain the problem to see what could be worked out?

Why do your animals (I'm assuming you're talking about cattle?) have to cross the road to the other land? If it's to get to a water way or to their feed, why not just go up to the road and sit on your tractor (blocking the road) until the cattle have crossed over?

As Ozark Mike said, "the young ones won't be there forever".

james dilley · #19 07/23/08, 12:28 AM

If the road is on your land, Why NOT bill the folks A few grand to repair the road from the speeding cars.

pheasantplucker · #20 07/23/08, 08:35 AM

video tape them racing down the road a few times, and when you have a half dozen scenes, go confront them with their parents there. Get ugly, act insane, rant and rave and appear "unstable"...that's what I would do.