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Original poster

Have zero sympathy for parents for parents being fined for breaking parking rules outside schools

207 replies

fld · 29/11/2025 16:43

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/local-news/parents-slam-school-parking-madness-10674874?utm_source=mynewsassistant.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=embedded_search_item_desktop

Parents are moaning about CoL with fines parking on double yellow, zig zags etc.

One stupid quote from a parent
"I don’t understand why the fines are being handed out anyway. For those who park up more than 30 minutes at a time, fair enough they should be fined but for those who park for 10 minutes there needs to be more understanding."
"Times are hard as it is anyway and adding that extra expense of the ticket, on top of living costs rising is just unnecessary. Its putting more pressure on parents. The money I spent on that fine could be spent on putting a smile on my child’s face."

Well if you read the Highway Code, leave a few minutes earlier and get your DC to walk either from home or park down a side street (not on parking restricted lines/bays) about 5 min walk from the school, you won't risk getting a fine.

No sympathy from me.

I believe the removing the boundaries for parents to apply for their DC to attend schools outside catchment areas isn't doing this any favours. In the old days when I was at school, if you wanted your DC to attend a certain school, you moved home.

Also what are the chances are these parents are driving newish (less than 3 years old) cars that cost them £50k?

OP posts:
Redpeach · 30/11/2025 18:44

JackGrealishsCalves · 29/11/2025 18:22

To be fair a lot of parents drop off on the way to work, I always did (but I didn't park like a twat).
I lived a good 15 mins walk away from the school so driving was the only option

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15 mins is not long to walk and only 5 mins on a bike

Original poster
fld · 30/11/2025 18:37

JaneyGunn85 · 30/11/2025 18:20

I was in a speedy awareness course once and a woman actually said that she HAD to speed otherwise she wouldn't get her kids to school on time. When someone suggested she leave earlier she said she couldn't get the kids out of bed earlier. Honestly the entitlement of some people.

I wish they could have taken her license off her

OP posts:
JaneyGunn85 · 30/11/2025 18:20

I was in a speedy awareness course once and a woman actually said that she HAD to speed otherwise she wouldn't get her kids to school on time. When someone suggested she leave earlier she said she couldn't get the kids out of bed earlier. Honestly the entitlement of some people.

PithyTaupeWriter · 30/11/2025 17:43

No sympathy from me either. Do what we do and either leave earlier so we can get into the school car park, or park a couple of streets away and walk. The extra exercise never hurt anyone.

Original poster
fld · 30/11/2025 11:53

KimberleyClark · 30/11/2025 09:59

How breathtakingly selfish of those parents.

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They won’t like it one bit if their DC had to be carried in a similar way

OP posts:
LlynTegid · 30/11/2025 11:03

25percentoffeverything · 29/11/2025 18:12

I wish the fines were much HIGHER, and given more often. If you double them and give the difference to school funding, everybody would benefit. Parents might even learn how to park - they seem to manage ok when they're not around a school.

Catchment or no catchment makes no difference. The majority are lazy parents who drive on any distance if they are not living literally opposite the school gates.

Maybe there should be number plate recognition and automatic bills? Injury and disability aside, the closer you live from the school, the higher the parking bill. If it would take you less than 15mn to walk to the school, up the parking bill to £100 a time or something .

People were ready to riot to have the right to walk during the lockdown, lets' give them back that right to walk 😂

Automatic number plate recognition I would support. Not fines, still would like to see points on licence and then driving bans.

KimberleyClark · 30/11/2025 09:59

Simonjt · 30/11/2025 09:46

A child was run over and seriously injured by a parent who insisted on driving on the pavement outside our sons old primary school. The child had to be carried to an ambulance as the parents refused to move their cars to let them through.

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How breathtakingly selfish of those parents.

Simonjt · 30/11/2025 09:46

ImALargeAbsentMindedSpirit · 30/11/2025 09:38

That’s not what you asked in fairness. All schools up and down the country have the same problem with parents putting children at risk but those that do it justify it to themselves. If the police or parking wardens are there miraculously the problem disappears for that day only to reappear when there is no one in authority there. The police cannot staff every school every day. We should be able to rely on each other to park legally, considerately and not dangerously but that’s not the case. If a child died, give it until the end of term and then the parents will revert back to their usual behaviour. The parents causing the problem, their child won’t be the one killed it will be the child whose parents park a couple of streets away or walks to school.

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A child was run over and seriously injured by a parent who insisted on driving on the pavement outside our sons old primary school. The child had to be carried to an ambulance as the parents refused to move their cars to let them through.

ImALargeAbsentMindedSpirit · 30/11/2025 09:38

fld · 30/11/2025 09:31

So if their DC died? Would they act differently if they still need to take DC (if they have more one attending the same school) to the same school

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That’s not what you asked in fairness. All schools up and down the country have the same problem with parents putting children at risk but those that do it justify it to themselves. If the police or parking wardens are there miraculously the problem disappears for that day only to reappear when there is no one in authority there. The police cannot staff every school every day. We should be able to rely on each other to park legally, considerately and not dangerously but that’s not the case. If a child died, give it until the end of term and then the parents will revert back to their usual behaviour. The parents causing the problem, their child won’t be the one killed it will be the child whose parents park a couple of streets away or walks to school.

Original poster
fld · 30/11/2025 09:31

ImALargeAbsentMindedSpirit · 30/11/2025 08:03

No because the ones that park like it don’t care

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So if their DC died? Would they act differently if they still need to take DC (if they have more one attending the same school) to the same school

OP posts:
Original poster
fld · 30/11/2025 09:29

I have noticed a trend in colleagues turning up late most days. What is the connection between them? Have primary school aged DC. Even leaving 5 mins earlier can get you there 7 mins earlier.

You find that weird? How many of us that commute at busy times notice leaving 5 mins later results the journey to be longer in time

OP posts:
ImALargeAbsentMindedSpirit · 30/11/2025 08:03

fld · 30/11/2025 06:50

Would parents react differently when a child gets run over and killed due to selfish and illegal parking and driving?

No because the ones that park like it don’t care

ImALargeAbsentMindedSpirit · 30/11/2025 08:01

Also what are the chances are these parents are driving newish (less than 3 years old) cars that cost them £50k?

I agree about the fines, more areas should do it but this last sentence was unnecessary.

Sirzy · 30/11/2025 07:53

OnlyMabelInTheBuilding · 30/11/2025 07:20

So they should leave earlier. Their level of income is completely irrelevant when it comes to how they should park to get their DC to school.

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Exactly.

if your time is so precious you can’t park sensibly and legally you need to rethink your timings

APC303 · 30/11/2025 07:37

Wankers with 'Powered By Fairy Dust' stickers parking with engines running for twenty minutes on junctions need putting in stocks.

Whyherewego · 30/11/2025 07:24

Sartre · 29/11/2025 17:47

There’s just zero sensible parking outside of any school I have experience with, which is now four. One school was off a main road with no parking close by whatsoever. Another was wedged between two streets, both of which threatened to fine parents if they parked there due to it being private property. Nowhere else to park nearby at all.

It’s just a nightmare. Walking/cycling is a brilliant option for those who WFH or don’t work, if you need to drop them on the way to work then it just isn’t an option.

I used to cycle my DD to school and then cycle on to work. I see lots of parents in London with bucket bikes or similar doing that. When DC got older I used to accompany him on his bike, leave his bike at school and then head on in on mine.
Our old school had the kiss and drop system as it was on some residential streets and residents complained a lot about cars. The drop off system worked really well apparently

OnlyMabelInTheBuilding · 30/11/2025 07:20

Hortesne · 29/11/2025 21:14

Because for people who aren't professionals with flexible hours, getting to work late means losing their job, losing their livelihood and being unable to support their family.

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So they should leave earlier. Their level of income is completely irrelevant when it comes to how they should park to get their DC to school.

whatohwhattodo · 30/11/2025 07:15

Our area has school streets. You cannot drive down for approx 1 hour around pickup and drop off. Stops the dodgy parking. Luckily it didn’t kick in quite as early as I stopped at breakfast club so was able to
park outside and leave car. Important when I need to drop at 7.30 and be on the 7.45 10 minutes walk away.

Luddite26 · 30/11/2025 07:13

Just pure entitlement. And the generation before this were doing it too. I was a parent governor at not an affluent school and it was still a problem because parents feel entitled to get their child as close and as safely into school as possible and to hell with all others. There should be cameras issuing automatic fines rather than occasional visits from traffic wardens and it would stop the problem.

cramptramp · 30/11/2025 07:07

sheepisheep · 29/11/2025 17:07

Lol. I do park legally thanks. Think you've missed the point though. I never said it was ok to park illegally. I said that as a society we do not place any priority on getting kids to school safely by ensuring that parents have safe, legal, easily accessible points for drop off and pick up. And part of that is a general lack of value for children and the people caring for children in our society.

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Your point is ridiculous.

Zanatdy · 30/11/2025 07:06

I’ve been doing the school run for 27yrs due to large age gaps and i’ve never parked on a zigzag or yellow line near the school. Pure laziness and people clearly don’t care about kids safety.

Original poster
fld · 30/11/2025 07:03

KuanKaKu · 29/11/2025 20:40

100% agree and wish they would actually put weighting on ability to get to school sustainably on the entry criteria or enforce having to go to school you are in catchment for (for state schools) and get there sustainably or use the wraparound, if you need to shoot off you need wraparound!! Reply was meant to the OP

Edited
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I’m sure CO2 emissions have increased due to relaxing the policy. May have reduced past couple of years due to increased numbers of EVs. But majority of cars outside schools are SUVs and 4x4s. Very few cars are Fiestas and similar cars

OP posts:
Original poster
fld · 30/11/2025 06:50

Would parents react differently when a child gets run over and killed due to selfish and illegal parking and driving?

OP posts:
AutumnLeavesFallingFast · 30/11/2025 01:22

Redpeach · 29/11/2025 17:33

Sounds awful

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Why?

im in the UK & one of our primary schools was like that. We lived 14 miles away (private school) so walking wasn't an option.

drop off was totally fine. Selection of teachers/TA's taking each child from the car to inside the gate.

just a shame there was no practical option for pick up.

Kirbert2 · 30/11/2025 01:13

My son is a wheelchair user and some days I simply can't get him to school safely because someone has parked on the pavement. It is slightly better since I requested school send out a message.

So bloody selfish.