Suzie-Q wrote:
My neighbor occasionally parks his car in front of my house.
It usually doesn't stay there for long -- maybe a few hours.
But as of today he has had his car parked in front of my house
for three or four days.

Now, I know the street is public and that anyone can sort of
park anywhere (with limits). But besides just not wanting to
look out my window and see his car (an old but nicely maintained
VW bug), two things are happening. He's making it very difficult
for the letter carrier to get to my mailbox. I'm sure she has to
get out of her car to put mail in my box. Second, he's making it
difficult for the elderly woman across the street to back
out of her driveway. She's worried that she'll hit his car.

I get along with this neighbor just fine but am worried about my
approach should I initiate a conversation. I don't want to come
across as angry and destroy a good relationship.

Any suggestions?

Well, you could agitate with your local lawmakers to limit parking to a
certain number of hours, or even to ban it completely on the grounds
that the street is too narrow. If his parking is within the limits of
current law, there really is no right way to approach him without
appearing unreasonable, because your desire is inherently unreasonable.
Asking someone to limit their legal use of a public resource is really
out of line.

If your could articulate some concrete benefit -- like you wanted the
spot for your own car, which has to be *somewhere* on the street so it
might as well be there -- then you could simply ask for the favour and
owe him one. Do not imagine that concern for the elderly neighbour and
the letter carrier represents a real benefit; these are shams to cover
up for your control needs. The Post Office is finding your mailbox just
fine (hint: it's their job, and there's harder ones than yours), and if
granny can't back out of her driveway without being a hazard, it's time
to take her license away.

But really, Susie, you need to move to a nice controlled community,
like a condo development or a homeowner's association area, where the
rulemakers think like you. In fact I suspect you will find yourself
welcomed into the ranks of the governing committees. Like many people,
you will never be happy in a free society. After you bully your
neighbour into ceasing this perfectly legal behaviour you will find
something else to complain about.

The car, by the way, is a classic, a more sensible person would be
tickled to see it.

S.