Page 17 | To remove the parking cones?

NameChanger401 · 2025-09-15T15:33:20+00:00

i have a tight turnaround for the school run each morning as need to catch a train to office (commute to London). The only way to make it logistically possible is to drive to school breakfast club, drop kids off at 7.30ish then walk to station near school so I can get to office for 9am. Then the car is there when I pick up at 6pm later in the day so I can make pickup easily too. School is on a residential road, with on street open marked parking spaces there are usually a few spaces at 7.30 with no timing restrictions, I assume as some residents have left for work. However, I’ve noticed since the new term has started, a random traffic cone has been put in the middle a couple of the spaces, which I believe has been put there by those living on the road to stop people parking outside their house. If this is the case, would you think it would be unreasonable to move the cone to park if there is no other close by parking space?

GleisZwei · 15/09/2025 20:21

NameChanger401 · 15/09/2025 20:20

I’ll ask them, if they’d prefer to be at home 7.15-8.15 and 4-6 every day. In exchange no holidays, no swimming lessons, no football club, no travel to visit close family abroad, no birthday parties, no eating out, no Merlin pass, no NT membership, no new Lego sets…

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Another overly dramatic response.

Original poster

NameChanger401 · 15/09/2025 20:20

User21548967 · 15/09/2025 20:08

Or your DH and you could both adjust your hours to allow your kids the luxury of time..........
My guess is your kids would very happily give up extra curricular activities or a second holiday to make a higher quality of life day to day.

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I’ll ask them, if they’d prefer to be at home 7.15-8.15 and 4-6 every day. In exchange no holidays, no swimming lessons, no football club, no travel to visit close family abroad, no birthday parties, no eating out, no Merlin pass, no NT membership, no new Lego sets…

OP posts:

Lolamorte · 15/09/2025 20:19

It’s not unreasonable to move the cones at all, but this irritating facet of commuting is what made me buy a bucket bike. It was fantastic and me and the kids zipped about in it for ages- eldest was in year 6 before I finally sold the thing!
It took mere minutes to get to school, I parked it in the bike spaces next to the platform for free, and it had a cute cover against the weather that the kids (and their mates!) peeked out of. I had thighs like steel hawsers too!
I sold it when eldest got so big it looked ridiculous, and have missed it ever since. OH asked if we could buy another last year, despite said eldest moving into sixth form…

User21548967 · 15/09/2025 20:19

LoveWine123 · 15/09/2025 20:14

Where do you suggest the children go while their parents are at work?

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Both parents adjust working hours. Why did they have kids if they weren't prepared to make adjustments? Some parents can't afford to cut back. The OP can obviously cut back but chooses not to. Meanwhile her kids are up and out for nearly twelve hours a day. The kids have obviously put in the hours so they can learn an instrument and to swim but at what cost to their exhausted bodies and mental health?

RuffledKestrel · 15/09/2025 20:18

Do you always park in the same few places when you leave your car there all day?!

If so, I'd say you have pissed off folk who live in front of those spaces. Try parking your car randomly in a different space each day. You may find this eases the tension.

Also, the cones may be there as people who live there are awaiting a delivery of something heavy, work that needs the vehicle close to their house or any other number of reasons. Personally I wouldn't go moving/taking the cones if there was a free space elsewhere.

LoveWine123 · 15/09/2025 20:14

Thistooshallpsss · 15/09/2025 18:02

Am I the only person wondering about children who are in school from 7.30 to 6pm? Poor kids

Where do you suggest the children go while their parents are at work?

Ddakji · 15/09/2025 20:11

Bambamhoohoo · 15/09/2025 20:08

Then they’d already have parking restrictions wouldn’t they? The school isn’t new

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They don’t all happen at once! My mum got parking restrictions in her road about 20 years before we did!

User21548967 · 15/09/2025 20:11

My hairdresser told me recently that she and her colleagues park on a residential street. One of her colleagues bought a new car and came out to find it was keyed on the first day she parked in the street.

I know the street in question and understand why the residents are so annoyed. That doesn't mean they should key cars. The outcome is none of the salon staff park on the street any more though.

Bambamhoohoo · 15/09/2025 20:08

Ddakji · 15/09/2025 20:04

Round are way streets with schools on are prime targets for parking restrictions. The council make a shit ton of money, residents get to park outside their houses with space for visitors, tradesmen etc, and kids walk to school. Win all round.

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Then they’d already have parking restrictions wouldn’t they? The school isn’t new

User21548967 · 15/09/2025 20:08

NameChanger401 · 15/09/2025 19:54

You’re right, i should probably quit my full time professional role and a get term time only job in school hours and make the finances work, we could probably back on any luxuries, cancel Netflix, cancel kids swimming and music lessons, sack the cleaner, grow our own veg, and rely on DH being the breadwinner / living on less income.

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Or your DH and you could both adjust your hours to allow your kids the luxury of time..........
My guess is your kids would very happily give up extra curricular activities or a second holiday to make a higher quality of life day to day.

Bambamhoohoo · 15/09/2025 20:07

GleisZwei · 15/09/2025 19:55

What a dramatic response.

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Well how else would she make her children be in after school club less? 🤔

RatCatBat · 15/09/2025 20:05

Ddakji · 15/09/2025 16:43

You can do this of course.

But if school parents dumping their cars all day on a residential road pisses off the residents the end result will be residents only parking.

So I think you should look into alternatives.

First off - are you a single parent?

I agree.

Yes it’s a public road. But I live near a school and our road is now petitioning for permits because parents are doing this. It’s one thing to drop off for 10 minutes, it’s another thing to use the road as your daily car park, causing problems for the people who live there and making them pissed off with the parents.

Its not illegal but it’s a bit shitty, choosing to inconvenience the residents for your own convenience.

Original poster

NameChanger401 · 15/09/2025 20:05

Ddakji · 15/09/2025 20:01

Why can’t your kids walk 15-20 minutes at 7am?

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They could, just easier to drop them at the school door by car at that time. As others have mentioned like it is brand new information to me, 7.30 is quite an early start and it’s a long day. I think it’s best they save their energy. It will also be cold/dark mornings soon

OP posts:

Ddakji · 15/09/2025 20:05

lessee167 · 15/09/2025 20:04

Op can’t win can she! Oh what a long day you bad mother

why can’t you make it longer for them.

mothers can’t win

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I didn’t comment on the length of the day.

Ddakji · 15/09/2025 20:04

Bambamhoohoo · 15/09/2025 19:38

Residents can’t get parking restrictions just because they want them and their road being busy with parked cars isn’t particularly a reason for a controlled parking zone to be created. It’s possible but in no way likely or inevitable. Totally depends on all sorts of circumstances.

im surprised people are so worried about getting their cars keyed- what sort of normal non thug person would key a car?!?? It’s like saying I’m worried a homeowner is going to come out and punch me in the face, imo.

Round are way streets with schools on are prime targets for parking restrictions. The council make a shit ton of money, residents get to park outside their houses with space for visitors, tradesmen etc, and kids walk to school. Win all round.

lessee167 · 15/09/2025 20:04

Ddakji · 15/09/2025 20:01

Why can’t your kids walk 15-20 minutes at 7am?

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Op can’t win can she! Oh what a long day you bad mother

why can’t you make it longer for them.

mothers can’t win

notedbiscuits · 15/09/2025 20:04

Sixgeese · 15/09/2025 17:58

My DM lives opposite a secondary school which is around 15 minutes from the station. There are traffic cones in front of her and her neighbours house, but she didn't put them there, the school did.

Delivery trucks, emergency vehicles etc can't make the swing into the school if cars are left there all day, especially if they can't ask the car owner to move the car when needed.

Some cones outside schools might have been placed by the people who live in the houses, but not all, some have been put there by the school.

Usually has ‘property of (name) school’ on school owned cones.
There is a school in the next village that puts cones out about 120m from the school entrance (it allows a resident with disabilities to park) to allow deliveries etc. Plus if any of the pupils have a school trip, the coach(es) can pick them up from the area.

Im guessing that the 120m will be no stopping with a disabled bay outside the disabled resident’s home

Ddakji · 15/09/2025 20:01

NameChanger401 · 15/09/2025 18:35

I can park at the station (pricey!) but its a one way system and would probably miss my train by the time I drove, parked up and walked to the platform.

its quicker to walk straight from the school, but still a 15-20 min walk which I wouldn’t want the kids to do at 7am so parking at station first isn’t ideal either.

but thanks for the suggestion. Doable but parking at the school is way more convenient.

Why can’t your kids walk 15-20 minutes at 7am?

GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing · 15/09/2025 20:01

Remove them. It’s not open to residents or anyone else to reserve spaces in that way.

GleisZwei · 15/09/2025 20:00

DinoLil · 15/09/2025 19:59

When I first moved to my house, was having masses of building work and renovations, I bought a couple of cones to put outside. Within a couple of days, the cones were removed by my local highways department and I had a note through the door to say I'd be fined if I did it again without permission.

Worth reporting??

See now, I think you had a perfectly genuine reason to put cones there during that time.

DinoLil · 15/09/2025 19:59

When I first moved to my house, was having masses of building work and renovations, I bought a couple of cones to put outside. Within a couple of days, the cones were removed by my local highways department and I had a note through the door to say I'd be fined if I did it again without permission.

Worth reporting??

GleisZwei · 15/09/2025 19:58

NameChanger401 · 15/09/2025 19:57

i didn’t ask about this and wasn’t expecting people to be so judgy. I was asking about parking cones.

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It's not 'judgey' to point out how long that day is!

GleisZwei · 15/09/2025 19:57

SprayWhiteDung · 15/09/2025 19:20

It's not 'dumped', 'abandoned' or any other loaded description that some people like to employ.

Unless they're taxis shared by two or more drivers, virtually every car spends the majority of its time parked somewhere, ready for when it is needed. This is entirely normal.

Do you think that people who have drives 'dump' them on there when they aren't using them? Is your sofa 'dumped' in your living room whilst you're out at work or in bed?

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The sofa analogy would be comparable to leaving your car on your own drive way, not a public road (unless your living room is open to all).

Original poster

NameChanger401 · 15/09/2025 19:57

GleisZwei · 15/09/2025 19:55

What a dramatic response.

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i didn’t ask about this and wasn’t expecting people to be so judgy. I was asking about parking cones.

OP posts:

MeganM3 · 15/09/2025 19:55

YANBU to move the cone and park there.
YABU putting small children in school and wrap around 7.30 - 6 they must be exhausted. I’d hate that as an adult let alone a young child. Could they be with a childminder so at least in a homely environment.