Terrible parking during school run

[grey12]

At both DD's schools, the amount of people who are terrible parkers is mind blowing!!! The double yellow lines and school zigzag markings are barely visible with cars parked on them!!!! Do they not know it's illegal??? Or why it's illegal??? A small child is going to be run over one of these days!!!!

Is it just my council?! Or does this happen everywhere?

[Aroundtheworldin80moves]

I sometimes wonder if the highway code applies near schools at pick up and drop off.

[SparklyOwl]

We have a tiny village school and even there, some parents park terribly and loads block others in. It just seems to be the norm for schools.

[Flamingopants]

It’s awful where I am too.
When DS started secondary school I applied for a blue badge for him so I could park near school to collect him (there are double yellows on the road outside the school which you can park on with a blue badge). Everyday after school the road is full of cars parked in the double yellows and the only way to get a spot is to arrive at least 30 mins before school finishes!
So many letters have been sent out and occasionally traffic wardens patrol but it makes no long term difference.

[justanotherneighinparadise]

Yep. It’s got slightly better due to the staggered starts but I can’t get over those who regularly park on the zigzags in full sight of all the parents queuing. I just wouldn t have the nerve!!

[PresentingPercy]

I suspect it does. If it’s known the Police don’t come near at drop off time, then parents take advantage. Most schools write to parents about considerate parking though and this must happen. Often Heads are out in the playground and have a look for themselves. Many schools organise walking crocodiles and parents are encouraged to drop off DC at the start of the crocodile route.

You are right. Its dangerous and people are very selfish. It is a minority of course but they need a Police presence to stop.

[Reborn2020]

I think many just don't care.

[PickleWithEverything]

I think it happens everywhere. Thick white lines are completely ignored, double yellow lines are completely ignored, people try to do three point turns in HUGE vehicles to save themselves time but stuff everyone else up royally. All so they can park as close to the school gate as possible. Despite the fact there is a perfectly lovely place to park 3 minutes walk down the hill.

I do understand, as when you are rushing to work it is tempting to assume you are the only person on the planet rushing to work.

It is a good way of getting your kids to appreciate the dangers of being a cyclist or pedestrian I suppose!

[ivfbeenbusy]

It's nothing new

That's why parents shouldn't be allowed to apply to non catchment schools - it would cut down on the traffic if everyone lived within walking distance. Especially now with lots of parents now working from home there really is no excuse

[PresentingPercy]

You are not meant to park outside a school with double yellow lines even if you have a blue badge. The Government web site says that’s unsafe for all the other children. It’s a difficult one but often disabled DC are eligible for transport.

[Sirzy]

Police patrol near school every few months, all gets better for a week or so then back to normal.

The zig zag lines obviously indicate where the drivers who are too important to follow the rules can park

[jmh740]

Its crazy, I live in a cul de sac with a school near the end its impossible to get in or out at school drop off times due to idiot drivers, the first property on our st is an old peoples home dread to think if an ambulance needed access

[Flamingopants]

@PresentingPercy I know you can’t park at the entrance or on the zigzags (neither which I would do) but can’t see anything that say you can’t park (with a blue badge) on double yellows on a school road.

[Sirzy]

It’s the pavement markings which would show if you can park on double yellows with a blue badge

[MiddleClassMother]

My children's school is on a very narrow residential street (it's a private school) and the parents are terrible parker's. As the parents normally have more money they buy stupidly big cars that they can't park and just dump in the road. There is frequently small bumps and scrapes and there was even another school mum who was knocked over as a driver reversed into her. It's mayhem.

[Hugepeppapigfan]

It’s quite normal for some parents to feel that rules don’t apply to them with regards to anything to do with school....

[Charleyhorses]

Literally happens everywhere.
I have proof. We moved to this tiny town. 1 primary school. It is next to the huge car park in the town. (Large due to tourist industry)
People have to drive through the car park practically to park on the double yellow lines outside the school. So they don't have to queue to exit the car park.

[Herbie0987]

It happens everywhere, near one school my children went to a mother lived less than 100 metres from the school, drove her son and collected him everyday. I knew the parent and child and there were no special needs.

[lorisparkle]

Certainly happens everywhere. I think it is a sense of entitlement that parents can park as close as possible to school. There is a mini roundabout near our primary school and a crossing place just before it, A parent parked on the hashings in the middle of the road next to the crossing place!! They also park on the path/road near the crossing point so any buses or lorries can't fit through the gap. Luckily my youngest is now in year 6 so walks or cycles by himself.

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

It's been going on for years,

I noticed it when my DC were in Primary/Junior ( youngest DC has just started University so you can tell how long ago !)

One parent used to amuse me . I could see her house from the road where the school was .But she always drove , got there really early to bag a space right outside
And no, there was no additional or mobilty issues in parent or child .

[Elieza]

It’s the pace of life coupled with a sense of entitlement, thinking bending rules is ok as it’s “not that bad”, and little fear of repercussions.

People are busy to take the time to walk to collect dc or too busy to park in the next street and walk round to the school gates. They are in a hurry. Possibly to get home to continue working from home. Busy busy busy. Rush rush rush. No time to smell the roses.

Society seems to encourage us to be individual to not be afraid to go for whatever we want. To strive to earn more and more money as that means success. Unfortunately to some that means do what you want to make life work for you even if it means bending the rules, as long as you don’t bend them too much that’s ok isn’t it, it’s not like we are committing a major crime is it...

Then there aren’t enough police or traffic wardens as governments and councils try to balance finances so people aren’t asked to pay even more tax. So crimes that should have financial consequences don’t get touched as the courts are full and the public servants that would previously have done the paperwork have either left and not been replaced or made redundant or because of increased workloads lumped into them there aren’t enough staff/isn’t enough time any more to do any of it.

The answer is more staff serving the public. More tax inspectors would recoup more money from catching tax evaders than their salaries cost. More parking wardens and police could also bring in more money in fines than their salary costs.

But it doesn’t happen as governments and newspapers tell us there are too many public servants stretching the public purse and downsize the services. The man on the street believes this and goes along with it. Successive politicians (not just one party) and council leaders don’t want to lose his vote so they agree.

This is just one example of the result.
Which I will probably get flamed for saying by the people who want to continue to break rules or who think I am having a go at a particular political party, which I am not.

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

Often parents with older relatives who had BB would park (really badly) leave the relative in the car and fetch the child ( which is not corrrect use of a BB)

I used to fantasise about being a Parking Warden ( I'd 'ave you . And you . And every bloody day you do that . I;d have you too )

[BecomeStronger]

It's a small snap shot everyday of just how selfish a lot of people are. Of course they agree children need to be safe but their child is safe, getting out of the car onto the pavement directly outside the school gate and they really dont care too much about anyone else's. Even when there is a tragedy, people aren't really upset for the bereaved, they're thinking about how they would feel in the same circumstances.

[PresentingPercy]

Yes, a blue badge can park on double yellows in a school road. However I thought the conversation was about double yellows at the school entrance. The government web site says no to this. Which is sensible. If you are not at the entrance then it’s fine. My mistake - I didn’t realise you were further down the road.

[PresentingPercy]

Elieza: you forget that the man on the street has to pay for all these extra people. Businesses are on their knees. Council tax is not being paid because of Covid. Where do you think the money is coming from when we are heading for millions unemployed and companies scaling back? It’s about the attitude of parents and some effort being made by schools to curb their parents parking excesses. Taking number plates and shaming has been tried!

[Winesalot]

It happens everywhere. There was a thread here recently on parking across people’s driveways where there were people saying it was entitled to feel you should be able to access your driveway! Yes!!!!

That if someone was parked across the entrance of your drive, you should just expect they had a greater need and that you should park elsewhere (even if it cost you money to park elsewhere!!) until that person no longer needed to park there. Oh! And it is a favour that a person leaves a note on the dash with their phone number.

So when you have people who think this, of course people ignore road markings. They get away with it and if the school doesn’t do anything, they will continue. I live across a very narrow street from the school entrance and I see it everyday.