# Why no, I don't really need to be able to get to my car **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 10, 2013, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-i-dont-really-need-to-be-able-to-get-to-my-car/655321 "2013-04-10T13:09:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2013, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-i-dont-really-need-to-be-able-to-get-to-my-car/655321/61 "2013-04-13T23:46:55Z")
> [@Steophan](#): > > What should happen when the road outside your garage needs mending, or digging up for some other reason? I’d expect the construction crews to maintain access except at times when construction is happening immediately in front of my driveway. It’s impossible to _never_ block a driveway, but the OP is obviously being kept out for much longer than is necessary. They’re just paving. It doesn’t take 36 hours to pave the square of asphalt at the end of her driveway. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2013, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-i-dont-really-need-to-be-able-to-get-to-my-car/655321/62 "2013-04-13T23:56:06Z")
And how much more in HOA fees are you willing to pay to fund this? ---
**Author:** ![flatlined](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb9ed0/32.png) [@flatlined](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flatlined)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2013, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-i-dont-really-need-to-be-able-to-get-to-my-car/655321/63 "2013-04-13T23:58:19Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > This. I can walk a mile and no work is beneath me. I have shoveled horse shit before. \*\*But at a time in my life when I can afford to buy a nice house in the suburbs, I expect to be able to access it by car. \*\* The HOA needs to do one side of the street at a time or make alternate arrangements. Bolding mine. You said it so much better than me. ---
**Author:** ![DataX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@DataX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DataX)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2013, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-i-dont-really-need-to-be-able-to-get-to-my-car/655321/64 "2013-04-13T23:58:24Z")
People need to understand what an HOA is - before they sign up. Don’t like it - don’t live there. Not everything is going to go your way. I’ve been on the HOA board for my community before - and I can almost guarantee you they did it that way to save money - YOUR money. People bitched at me - for not trying a different store for various prices when I volunteered to change light bulbs for the community. They were paying $75.00 to change on bulb - I charged the price of the bulb. Granted it was only a couple people, but still… Anyway - they can either do it cheap and inconvenience you to some extent - or pay extra money to have workers come out on multiple days. I’m fine with paying the extra money, but most people are not. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2013, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-i-dont-really-need-to-be-able-to-get-to-my-car/655321/65 "2013-04-14T00:00:09Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > And how much more in HOA fees are you willing to pay to fund this? I don’t believe that it actually costs more to _not_ block off whole neighborhoods for 36 hours. Again, people are not normally forced to walk miles because of minor road work. The HOA is probably being extremely precious about the whole thing given that they did the same thing to _paint curbs_. I bet there’s actually physical access for most of the period. ---
**Author:** ![DataX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@DataX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DataX)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2013, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-i-dont-really-need-to-be-able-to-get-to-my-car/655321/66 "2013-04-14T00:00:27Z")
Also keep in mind - in most HOAs - at least out here - the people that vote for this stuff - they all live there. What exactly do you think their rational is? They want to inconvenience themselves? ---
**Author:** ![DataX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@DataX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DataX)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2013, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-i-dont-really-need-to-be-able-to-get-to-my-car/655321/67 "2013-04-14T00:04:51Z")
> [@Lord\_Feldon](#): > > I don’t believe that it actually costs more to _not_ block off whole neighborhoods for 36 hours. It absolutely does - you can’t micromanage every detail - if it was our HOA - we would have gotten multiple quotes and gone with the cheapest one. We don’t get to tell them how to do their job (the contractors). We can ask - and we do - and in my neighborhood - we each (five on the board) - were probably putting close to 100 hours a year dealing with neighbors who complained about every little thing, didn’t show up to meetings, and really had no clue how it worked. Don’t like it - run for the board or show up at meetings. There isn’t a giant conspiracy about a faceless HOA - it is your fellow neighbors. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2013, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-i-dont-really-need-to-be-able-to-get-to-my-car/655321/68 "2013-04-14T05:50:23Z")
> [@Steophan](#): > > What should happen when the road outside your garage needs mending, or digging up for some other reason? I’m in a better position than some of my neighbours; my garage opens onto a back alley with two exits, so I’m not likely to be blocked at both ends. If I were, I dunno - go find some big planks so I can get out on the road and get my car out? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-i-dont-really-need-to-be-able-to-get-to-my-car/655321.md?page=3)