School pick up

[trinity0097]

So I live next to a junior school, end of the day is 3.15pm. All well and good, I'm a teacher so never at home normally for the parking chaos outside, one of the reasons why we didn't care. They don't block us in or anything and we have a white bar line across our drive on the road to avoid that anyway. However I'm only working part time at the moment as I am ill, and discovered today Mum's parked outside when I got home at 2.40pm, ok, fair enough if you went to waste your life away by the side of the road, but they had their cars running. AIBU to think that they should be turning off their engines if they are parked up?

[TeaBelle]

I'm parked at the moment - not outside a school but stuck with a sleeping dd in the back as this is the only way she will nap. I have had to put the engine on at times as it's so cold and she can't wear a thick coat in the car seat.

[2cats2many]

It's actually against the law to sit with your car engine idling. www.confused.com/on-the-road/driving-law/stopped-parked-engine-running-idling-breaking-law-police-fine

[leccybill]

Same as you, op. I'm a part time teacher. Live next door to a high school which let's out at 3.05.
Always one parent right opposite my house in first space after the bus bay at 2.30. Why??!!

It's mildly annoying but we knew when we bought the house. Having a school for a neighbour isn't too bad, it's closed for 14 weeks of the year after all.

[EB123]

YANBU
There is a school at the end of our road and drop off and pick ups are crazy. People start arriving and parking up an hour before school finishes and block driveways. Loads of then only live a few minutes walk too so I have no idea why they don't just walk.

[Reality16]

Why does it bother you? It's bloody freezing just now there is no way I would sit with my engine off

[PosiePootlePerkins]

YABU to type Mum's when you are a teacher.

[Eevee77]

Really reality? What do you think all the parents and kids do who walk to and from school? No need to keep the engine on IMO. YANBU OP.

[MrsTerryPratchett]

YABU to type Mum's when you are a teacher. My auto-correct sprinkles apostrophes around like confetti.

[trinity0097]

It's pretty disturbing when it's right outside your house, constant car running as opposed to just a car driving past. If you don't want to sit in a cold car then perhaps don't turn up for pickup over half an hour before pick-up.

Sorry about the apostrophe, the autocorrect went mad!

[Stormwhale]

I can think of plenty of reasons to turn up early and sit in your car. Work to do from your mobile etc. Sitting with the car running is not great, no, but it is bloody cold at the minute and my car cools down very quickly once I have stopped and turned the engine off.

[Youremywifenow]

I hate this as well. When I'm working from home (desk at front window) there is always some twat who pulls up outside and sits with the engine on. It's really distracting, much worse than traffic.
Even worse when they make calls on speakerphone with the windows open.

[Reality16]

Really reality? What do you think all the parents and kids do who walk to and from school? I don't think anything, why would I? My comment was about sitting in a car for ages in the cold. Nothing to do with people walking

[WorraLiberty]

Same as you, op. I'm a part time teacher. Live next door to a high school which let's out at 3.05.
Always one parent right opposite my house in first space after the bus bay at 2.30. Why??!!

Because they've come straight from work and live to far away to go home and make it back again by 3.05?

[Looneytune253]

Lol funnily enough someone on my fb was ranting tonight about an old busybody tapping her window and telling her she shouldn't be leaving the engine running. She says she needed to keep her kiddies warm. Never really thought about it but I hate the whole subject of cars on the school run. Round where I live it is completely ridiculous with dangerous parking etc etc. There's just no need. It's a small town. Most of them live locally and could easily walk.

[trinity0097]

I didn't do anything, I'm too fragile for a confrontation at the moment, but the one right outside my house was just a lady by herself, no kids to keep warm. So it wasn't me on FB!

[Allthewaves]

iv had a little sleep before if iv been early for pick up (usually small person is snoozing in the back). it's too cold without running the car and if i have the radio on my car battery goes flat super quick as my cars rubbish

[Bushymuffmum]

What bothers you, is it the noise? I have people doing this outside my home and can't honestly say it bothers me or that I really notice(I'm a sahm so in house most of the day). I think maybe the change in your routine has made you over sensitive to what's going on outside at a time you're not usually there?

[notangelinajolie]

Living outside school or not, it is bloody annoying having people sitting in cars outside your house with the engine running. And yes, it is an offence.

[Goingtobeawesome]

On the odd occasion I have to pick up my secondary school aged children I have to get there 30-40 minutes before they finish as there is nowhere nearby in which to legally park. My children can't walk home but I never block a driveway nor have my engine running.

Two schools, 2200 children. No parking between 10-4 on one estate and no parking on the main road 8:30-9:30 or 2:30-3:30. What do you, and the council expect parents to do?

[trinity0097]

I have no issues with parents parking up legally, as most of them do. It's busy at drop off and pick up, but only for 10min or so of proper busy, this isn't the main entrance to the school, just the back gate.

Interesting the number of people who consider it OK it sit in an idling car for ages.

My experience as a teacher has told me that 99% of the time the parents who arrive at school well before pick up have children that tend to take their time to come out and those that have kids who come out promptly tend to be later and the kid might hang around for them a couple of minutes.

[BurnTheBlackSuit]

You might live close(ish) to a school, but need to drive because you need to go to work. This is also a reason for arriving early to the parking before school drop offs and pick ups (i.e. Needing to make a swift get away to get to work and not having time to go home after work and get back to the school in time are two examples).

[Coffeethrowtrampbitch]

It is utterly disgusting.

Some cars sit outside my house for half an hour running engines in order to get their kids from the school at the end of the road.

They drive off within 45 minutes of arriving, but the whole street stinks for two hours afterwards, and every child leaving school and nursery has to walk through filthy air.

It is also illegal to run your engine within 200 yards of the school gate in our LA but it doesn't seem to stop anyone and there is zero enforcement.

But despite the number of deaths due to pollution, and the fact that it is especially dangerous to children as emissions are expelled to the height that they can breathe them in, and indeed it even being against the law, I can see how serious it is that car owners might become slightly cold .