Parking at new house

[catlady1234]

Hi,

We are in the process of buying a new house.
The house is opposite a primary school. I have some concerns about the parking,

The road has access time restrictions during pick up and drop off times (with signs & cameras) How can I check if they are being enforced? Iv noticed lots of cars driving down the road during the restricted times.

Also the house has a drive and dropped curb. Most of the neighbours don't have drives. When passing iv noticed people parking completely across the drive. How can I find out if this is a big problem? Can I find out if current resident has had to make a lot of official complaints (calls to council etc)

I'm worried it's going to cause of a lot of problems.

Thanks

As someone with a child at a primary school (we walk) I would say parking during pick up/collection is pretty much guaranteed to be terrible and congested.

Parents will ignore any signs and park wherever there is space. Plus the idling engines noise.

Sorry it’s bound to be a problem. Parents do just park everywhere at a rush as they have to get on.

Sorry, you couldn’t pay me to live near a primary school.

When passing iv noticed people parking completely across the drive. How can I find out if this is a big problem?

If you’ve noticed this when passing, it is obviously a problem and will continue to be a problem.

However, it’s fairly consistent times of day - do you need access in/out at school run times? If not, it’s not so much of a problem. If it would affect your work pattern etc then that’s definitely an issue to consider.

Don’t buy it if parking issues get you riled up generally.

Talk to the neighbours and go in person at drop off / pick up times and see what it's like.

My gran lives opposite a primary and a nursery and has people park over her drive daily. She has also twice had people park in her drive! When she challenges one he said he would just be a minute and tries to keep making his way to the nursery 😂😂 my grand neighbour also once had to phone the nursery to get a car moved as they had blocked her car in and her daughter had gone into labour. I honestly think it would put me off buying somewhere.

100% guarentee that parents will cause you inconvenience in some form or the other. We live on a newish estate. We had the choice of a house on the same street as the school and a house with a smaller garden further into the estate. The one on the school street, the owners are constantly moaning about school kids rattling the door bell, shouting and worse. Parents parking over their driveway, turning around using their drive etc.

Nope, given the choice, i wouldnt buy unless it was a huge bargain.

I don’t think there’s a school in the country that doesn’t have parking problems. Certainly, every primary school I’ve ever known, or seen, does.

There may be restrictions and signs, but it doesn’t mean that people will take notice of them, or your dropped kerb.

Given that it's for a limited number of days and not weekends, I'd be at work mostly, so not affected, they can do what they like re parking when I'm not there!.

Having friends who live close to a school, I’d say it’s awful.
They regularly have cars blocking their drive, and at times parked on it. Been shouted and sworn at, ignored even if they’ve asked them to move their cars.
It is a good school in a good area but manners are non existent

Yes it's inconvenient, but the parents' cars are only there for a very short time. By 3.25 the road is clear again. Maybe put some orange traffic cones across your driveway if the parents are really cheeky.

Tbf DSs school is at the bottom of our street (we're about 3 houses and a patch of grass away from it) and it's not too much of an issue.

It's a first school instead of a primary so only reception to yr 4 so probably smaller than a typical primary school. We also live in a town so the vast majority of people live nearby.

There are a handful of arseholes who park randomly wherever they like including over dropped kerbs and on the yellow zigzag (once someone parked on the zebra crossing which was wild).

So I think it depends on the school, whereabouts you live and if most people walk?

It's fine as long as you don't need to get in or out at drop off or pick. Then it's hell. I lived near one for 6 years and it probably only pissed me off a dozen times but I left for work at 7.30 and came home after 5.

I'd never buy near a primary school, my dc old primary was in the middle of Residential estate and it was horrendous. Its 8 - 9 and 2 -3.30 at least, every day. That's without all of the events when it will be all day.
PP said it wouldn't bother them as they'd be at work - all day, every day? What about when on leave or sick or other people in the house.
The thing I've noticed most, how rude parents are in regard to the parking outside of schools. People block roads, driveways, houses and on the pavements.

The restrictions will barely be enforced, if ever!

It will cause you problems if you’re going to need access around school times - guaranteed.

We moved to a house near a primary school when our daughter was 6 months old (intending for her to go to that school) and I naively thought that parents wouldn't park over our driveway. They don't give a shit. For a few years I was none the wiser as I was working but following Covid I was on maternity leave and it really really annoyed me. As my daughter is at a school a bit further away, she finishes slightly earlier than the local school and I would hate getting back at the time all the other parents would be parked back to back up the street and it would be a nightmare to get back on driveway. So I started picking her up and then sitting in the car with her for 15 minutes before moving off - such a waste of time!

We've moved now and honestly my anxiety has improved so much. I didn't realise how much I was affected by it until we weren't there anymore.

Also - it isn't just for a short while. They start parking up at 2.30!!! And the minute they've picked up and left someone else is there....then there's after school clubs and once every few months parents evenings. Our local school also hosts football clubs all day Saturdays so it wasn't as bad but did continue on Saturdays as well.

It wouldn’t be legal, but over a school holiday you can paint your own double yellows and I doubt anyone will notice they aren’t genuine.

I think it depends on your routine a bit - we used to live next door to a school and now live a few doors down from one and it's not a big deal for us but we both work so we aren't really around at pick up time. If you're likely to be around a lot, it might be different

I live near 2 schools. If we have tradesmen visit I tell them to avoid 8:45-9:15 and 3-3:30.

It really is surprising just how much damage a small quantity of sand can do to glass when it gets stuck under wiper blades.

(as I once found out when my car was parked near a beach on a very windy day)

I lived next to our school for ten years. Great for getting kids to school but the parking is a nightmare. Basically don't try to leave or return in the 30 min before school starts or about 20 min after

If you buy a house by a school then you need to accept it will be parking carnage twice a day.

Yes well at least now you know why they are selling!