HankB wrote:A friend of mine had a home with a right of way stretching across the back of his property for power, phone, etc. (The boundary where some folks have an alley.) The thing is, over the years the utilities hadn't maintained this right of way - it was badly overgrown, rendering it unusable.
So one day he comes home from work, and sees deep - REALLY deep - ruts across the front of his yard, across his driveway (he had a side-entry garage) and continuing into his back yard, where he found a power company cherry-picker truck. Deep ruts all across his lawn and landscaping. Asked the guys what they were doing there, and was told it was none of his business. So . . . he just parked his car on his driveway. (Side entry, remember.)
In due course, they rang his doorbell and demanded he move his car so they could leave. He refused - told them to use the right of way. More words exchanged, he closed the door in their faces. They called the cops.
As he pointed out to the responding officer, his legally registered and insured car was parked on private property - HIS private property - and he didn't have to move it, nor did the cop have authority to compel him too.
The cop agreed.
Skipping ahead, the cherry picker didn't leave until late the next day, driver got fired, high executives from the power company got involved, and he got a whole new lawn and landscaping out of it.
That's the way it is supposed to work!
