Anybody else live near a school?

[Lefmry]

I live near a high school and they’ve had their results today so it’s been busy again after a quiet few weeks and it’s reminding me of what’s to return in a couple of weeks.

I have had people literally park ON my drive before. This morning had someone park just completely across it, luckily my kids aren’t in school as it’s the six weeks but usually it bothers me because I need to get out of my drive to take my children to school. I’m 38 weeks pregnant too so soon to be needing to leave with a possibly crying baby.

Partner also leaves for work at 8:45 and has regularly had people block him in. I get it, we have chosen to live near a school but does that honestly give people the right to do this? It is a drop down curb too that they’re parking across. We haven’t lived here very long really so haven’t tried to sort it out, half of me is like ‘meh what can you do?’ But the other half of me is really frustrated watching it happen and letting people get away with it.

Anybody been in the same boat before? I don’t want to sound like a huge whinge bag but 38 weeks pregnant and so temperamental right now that when I saw someone park across it earlier and make no attempt to leave however long I stood and stared at her, I’m feeling rather frustrated and hormonal. Thought my huge bump might be intimidating but turns out it’s not, people will still be arseholes! 😂😂

Usually at the start of term you can get the local CPO out to ticket the bad parkers.

Of course they don’t have the right to do it. But people are twats.

Sorry you didn’t realise that before you bought the house.

And staring at people who have the brass neck to do it won’t work either. You need to tell them using your voice, but expect a barrage of abuse in return (see above re twats).

You’re not wrong. I think if not for being so pregnant I’d probably have gone out and said something but right now don’t want the hassle for obvious reasons. What annoys me more is that they even do it when there’s a space literally not even 20-30 feet up the pavement away that’s not blocking anybody. They’re just that desperate (and lazy) to park as close as physically possible that they don’t care to block my driveway.

I have similar problem. Go out and ask them to move, tell them you don't appreciate being blocked in. You could also put your bins out to block them.

We live near two schools but one is.a grammar school with a wide catchment area so most come by bus, and one is a private school - the children queue outside to get in and take up the whole path, so you have to step in the road, which does annoy me, but cars aren't too much of a problem, not sure why, maybe a lot of them get the bus as well.

We live near a state primary whose catchment is less than 1km. Parents park across our drive all the time.

I used to drive my children to a school 20 minutes away. I have never parked across anyone’s drive, I would always park further away as needed.

Some people are just incredibly selfish and lazy IMO.

I live opposite a primary school and experience all the same issues, people are always going to be "just a minute" and somehow their minute is more important than mine.

That said, it was great when DC went there and the school run was literally popping across the road, and most of the time, the road is very quiet with no parking challenges because we have no "neighbours opposite, it's just those few minutes morning and evening, when mostly we're not at home anyway.

I've learned to plan for it and if I do need to go out at 9am ish, to move the car onto the road which always feels like a little win, as it deprives the selfish parkers of a place

All told, I think the advantages outweigh the disadvantages for me, which of course include the fact that the house was more affordable than it would have been elsewhere locally.

I live near a school, I bought the house fully expecting it to be busy and noisy twice a day. What I didn’t expect was my drive being blocked and kids and parents tossing sweet wrappers and drinks cans over my wall into the front garden

Unfortunately this why we would never live in close proximity to a school.
What people are/are not allowed to do plus the sheer audacity and entitlement means it would be a constant cause of frustration for me.
This doesn't just include houses in the immediate vicinity of the school gates, people soon find hidden spaces where they can park up and then walk a few minutes to the school.☹️

Something to consider when you next move.

You can't drive down the block that the school is on during drop off and pick up times. It's a small catchment area so everyone is within walking distance anyway. Maybe ask the council about restrictions on traffic? Residents of the block are exempt.

Id invest in a few packs of these ahead of the start of term 8 X you've Parked Like a Knob Novelty Joke Parking Ticket Stickers - Etsy UK

I used to live near a school.

It was busy twice a day for 10 - 15 minutes. I generally just avoided going out at those times. It's not that difficult to leave 5 minutes earlier or later than the rush.

The big benefit was no traffic at weekends or school holidays.

As you are next to a High School I'm guessing any cars are really just pulling over and dropping off. Parents won't be going in with the kids. Today would probably be a bit different as parents would be parked while the kids go in and collect their results so more waiting around than usual.

Couple of kids dancing on my drive while mums talked nearby. Pirouettes, full jumps, the lot.
Delightful child picking up handfuls of gravel off my drive and throwing it across the road.
Small child crouched down between my car and the fence, parent was not at all bothered by whatever he was doing as she was busy talking. I was just glad I didn’t have Mad Dog staying that week who’d have gone ballistic and scared the dear little kid out of his skin.
Cars parked on the double yellows on the junction of the road despite large signs.
Litter.
The parent who parked a car the size of a small tank opposite my house 20 minutes before school started 5 days a week and left the engine running, presumably for the heater in the winter, a/c when it was warm.

Now when scouring RightMove I check there’s no school nearby.

Put cones or a rope chain across your drive, anything as a deterrent?

@Lindy2
"It was busy twice a day for 10 - 15 minutes. I generally just avoided going out at those times. It's not that difficult to leave 5 minutes earlier or later than the rush."

Trouble is that around here they seem to make an "event" of it so the parking starts anything up to an hour before finish time and can drag on for 30-mins after.
As I said previously, precisely why I would never live in the vicinity of a school entrance.