Stuck in the middle school parking dispute

[KANNET]

So. We walk to school, as do many children who go to our school, I would estimate about 75% ish do. It's a tiny catchment area.

The school is also in an area surrounded by old houses with almost no parking.

The people in the surrounding Streets have been complaining to the school about parents parking on the roads surrounding the school. The school have sent several emails asking parents to be considerate with Parking.

The local residents have decided this is not good enough so loads of them have started leaving their bins out to block the road.

I absolutely get both sides, some parents need to drive to school and there is very little parking, but it's annoying have school cars block up the road.

However those of us who walk are now really struggling, we are having to try and move round parked cars and bins, especially hard for anyone with a pram, I don't even know how anyone in a wheelchair would manage at all. Lots of us end up having to walk in the road, this is asking for an accident.

I honestly don't know what the answer is but it's so annoying.

The school say they are speaking to the residents to try and find a solution but I honestly don't know what they can do.

The school has enough shit going on just now. Staggered starts etc will alter people's patterns but it doesn't mean more parents magically appear! It is not the school's job to control how adults park their car. The school should be more interested in how safe the children are.

Our local council are introducing 'no stopping zones' around several local schools.

This would mean all those parking legally would no longer be doing so. This also means they can send in the wardens...

... tbf its amazing seeing our local school when the wardens are about and how behaviour changes.

How often are the bins there? Just on bin day, once a week? Or are they stored outside the front of the house (as some terraced houses are forced to do)?

the problem was the minority of parents who spoiled it for everyone else by parking illegally, blocking people in, parking dangerously close to the corner etc.

This is definitely the case near me. A significant minority of parents think the rules about yellow lines and zigzags don’t apply to them. It’s been like that for years, and as a local resident I can avoid it for the normal drop off / pick up times, but I’d be really pissed off if that extended to two hours every day.

I think I might get crazy and start throwing the bins back in the gardens if I were in your position 😂

Staggered starts are making the situation worse. If someone blocks my drive from 8,30-9 it's not an issue as DH has already left for work and I'll be walking my younger kids to school.

Staggered starts and staggered breakfast club arrivals means my drive is regularly blocked from 7am-9.40am at the moment. It's happening so regularly that DH and one of our neighbours have taken to blocking our own drives late at night so they can get out to work with no hassles.

I don't normally have a lot of sympathy as the school has been where it sits for over 90 years, but at the moment a lot of parents are being dicks about their parking. I can't wait until the walking bus is back on

Does the school require drop off and pick up to classrooms? Middle school is year 3 to 8? Could more of the children being encouraged to walk to school alone mean that there would be fewer parents driving (if it's a time issue)? If driving is necessary is parking, or could a drive through option work?

This is a nightmare around our way - and we have wider roads! The staggered starts mean that larger families can take over half an hour to drop off with the youngest children walking the furthest distance around the school from the entrance to the classroom.

Traffic wardens make a massive difference; suddenly the 4x4 drivers spot the double yellow lines and no-parking zones. The only saving grace is that most homes do have off-road parking.

OP, I would take photos and get the council involved as it's an accident waiting to happen. The best solution would be double yellows + enforcement for a few months. I would suggest a walking bus or drop-off system, but I know Covid-19 has scuppered that in our school as they are trying to prevent cross-contamination of the year-groups bubbles (fat chance with so many siblings).

Blocking the pavements makes no sense Why would people complain to the school because there are bins on the pavement ...??
I'd complain to the council about the blocked pedestrian access and move the offending bins as I walked down the road.

Gov.uk website is clear - if householders cause an obstruction with their waste and cause people with wheelchairs and buggies to go into the road they can be issued fixed penalties.
Therefore, householders are in the wrong, contacting relevant body with evidence seems the safest thing to do.

The residents near your school sound crazy! Can you imagine the little socially distanced get together they must have had to decide they were all going to go on a bin protest to make it awkward for children to get to school?

I honestly can’t believe people would do that.

The residents need to be pulled up by the police and council. Public road means public parking means anyone can park there as long as they park legally.

Yes, it's a pain. But I imagine most people knew there was a school near them when they bought their homes.

I live in a road that has a school at either end.

I accept parents parking to drop their children off, because I, as previous posters have pointed out, have no more right to the bit of pavement outside my house than they do.

However- I would and have contacted both schools on several occasions, and then my local council a few more times, because not all parents park considerately. Incidents include parking across my drive, parking on the corner of the road thereby blocking the wheelchair/pram dropped kerb, and leaving insufficient space for emergency services to get past.

Essentially it's an unspoken goodwill agreement from both sides. Park politely- no problem. I bought the house knowing full well that there were schools here, and accepted the disadvantages that go alongside that. Park inconsiderately though, and I will make a fuss.

*Why are they making it more difficult for the pedestrians?

To try and get the school to do something. They are punishing the people walking to school, which is weirdly what they want everyone to do*

This makes no sense. Are they all nuts? How do you know that's why they are doing it?

The council need to be brought in on this.
Sadly residents only parking doesn't help. I live by a primary school and the inconsiderate and dangerous parking by at least 50% of those who drive is an issue. That isn't including the engine idlers so make that up to 75%.
Our borough is gradually introducing school streets so only residents can access the roads between certain times (there may be allowances for disabled badge holders etc I don't know) but this school isn't on the list yet.
There is a council car park opposite the other entrance but no they have to park on corners and right up to the gates if it's raining. And some arrive ridiculously early!
Thankfully most kids do walk but I think the residents are the ones affected and the ones who can see the accidents clearly waiting to happen. These parents would likely be the first to complain if there DC were hurt.
DD told me one of the deputy heads had to shout at a driver earlier in the week for turning on the yellow zig zag by her school. The long car (her words).was onto the pavement so close to hitting kids.
Parents have to accept they can't always drip their kids right by the school and if they need to drive then they have to park further away.
Sorry rant over but I'm 95% with the residents. The 5% not is them being stupid about the bins.

It sounds like the residents here have lost track of what will actually help their situation, and acted out of desperation. It doesn't make it right, or any use, of course. Maybe worth them (or you) contacting a local councillor about the safety issue, which might set them on the path to getting information about applying to make it permit only etc?

But why are the residents acting out of desperation if people are parking perfectly legally on the road outside their houses? What actually is their problem? Or are they just like the kind of people that think they own the road outside their house and that no one else should park there?

It sounds like the parents aren't parking considerately or legally if bins are put on the pavement to stop half on half off parking.

I don't know a single school that doesn't have problems caused by parents parking illegally. Around here they send PCSOs to ticket offenders but they soon come back.

If the residents are causing an obstruction by putting their bins on the pavement, you absolutely can call the police. Obstruction is something for the police to deal with, not the council

Our council has signed up to this: schoolstreets.org.uk

It makes the street leading to the school residents access only during key times. It seems to be working.

Sounds like at least some of the parents are being massive twats. The residents are obviously soundly and justifiably cross but their actions help nobody.

Gov.uk website is clear - if householders cause an obstruction with their waste and cause people with wheelchairs and buggies to go into the road they can be issued fixed penalties.
Therefore, householders are in the wrong, contacting relevant body with evidence seems the safest thing to do.

no acknowledgement of the parents acting like twats here.

@Brefugee

Sounds like at least some of the parents are being massive twats. The residents are obviously soundly and justifiably cross but their actions help nobody.

Gov.uk website is clear - if householders cause an obstruction with their waste and cause people with wheelchairs and buggies to go into the road they can be issued fixed penalties.
Therefore, householders are in the wrong, contacting relevant body with evidence seems the safest thing to do.

no acknowledgement of the parents acting like twats here.

Of course the parents that are inconsiderate are twats and I feel for the residents but frankly forcing parents who are doing the "right" and desired thing to endanger themselves and their children by being forced to walk in the road because of the Residents obstructions makes them bigger twats.

It makes no sense either as the ones who are being inconsiderate are the ones not suffering and will probably make people more inclined to drive.

I had problems in my old school when my twins were young as the pram was wide and if they parked on the kerb than I couldn't get through and often couldn't get onto the road either as the pram was too wide.

OP. Contact your local community officer, they can come around and if there are obstructions or inconsiderate parking, they can speak to the people involved.

The school are limited but could be doing more to promote road safety.

Dont think theres anything you can do, I'd steer well clear! Tbh your neighbours sound batshit, if parents are parking legally ( not on double yellow lines, blocking a drive etc) then they are perfectly entitled to park outside your neighbours houses , for what is probably such a short period per day for 37 ish weeks a year. Im sure the school was there before the neighbours moved in , if you live next to a school need to be accepting of school traffic providing cars are legally parked.
Putting bins out sounds like they are making the situation worse and probably more dangerous, in fact putting wheely bins out in the road and blocking it probably isnt legal!

Dont think theres anything you can do, I'd steer well clear! Tbh your neighbours sound batshit, if parents are parking legally ( not on double yellow lines, blocking a drive etc) then they are perfectly entitled to park outside your neighbours houses , for what is probably such a short period per day for 37 ish weeks a year. Im sure the school was there before the neighbours moved in , if you live next to a school need to be accepting of school traffic providing cars are legally parked.
Putting bins out sounds like they are making the situation worse and probably more dangerous, in fact putting wheely bins out in the road and blocking it probably isnt legal!

@BlueRaincoat1

What the residents' problem? If their car is still parked between 8.30 - 9.10 then how does it even affect then? School kicking out time would be an unusual time for someone to come home from work do why is it a problem? Are they just being annoyed for the sake of it?

i have this issue as i live by the local primary.

my 'issue' is that our houses each have only one parking space, most of us have 2 cars, so between us, we all have a happy/uncomplicated arrangement that we park 2nd car outside the houses on the road... our street doesn't have any parking wars, we're happy, each have a designated 'spot' and room for visitors..brilliant.

Until school run time.. i have to leave at 2.30 to pick my own 11yo up from her secondary school in the next town over (no secondarys in current town, but 2 primarys) and then get back about 3ish.. which is when its prime pick up tiime for the primary parents WHO ALL LIVE LOCALLY AND COULD BLOODY WALK.. and can't park my car back outside my house because they're in it.

They stand outside the school nattering, so i have to park way down the road and my DD has to get out and walk to the house while i wait for what can be up to 20 minutes for the parents to come back and fuck off out of my parking space.

Yes they're parking legally, no, i have no leg to stand on.. but honestly, i'm THIS close to buying some cones to keep my space clear because i'm fed up of it... the school staggered start/end times have just made the problem worse quite frankly.