Realistically can anything be done to stop parents parking across driveway?

[Lefmry]

I live on the same street as a school. Every single day someone blocks our driveway and I’m at a point now where I’m getting super fed up of it! 😩 It is mostly the same woman, who on multiple occasions has been asked to stop but it’s like it falls on deaf ears and she feels entitled somehow to still park there.

I wouldn’t actually mind but my eldest has severe additional needs and will NOT walk any distance from the car to the house so it’s super important we are parked on the drive, which isn’t possible when she (or someone else) has swanned off to stand at the school gates to wait for her child. I mean, not like I need an excuse really, it’s my drive and I should be able to use it. The time the drive is blocked is ALWAYS when I’m getting back from picking up my son from school.

Realistically if I were to go in to the school with number plates, especially this one woman, is there anything they can do? Or anything anybody else can do? Sorry I know there’s worse problems to have but I’ve just had a baby 4 weeks a go, have a 20 month old, along with my eldest with ASD, I am trying my damn hardest every day and sick of arseholes making life even harder.

Definitely contact the school. And keep doing it if she doesn’t stop.

we are opposite a school too on a very narrow road and we occasionally have issues and the school tend to be very helpful. I appreciate not every school will be though.

Firstly go into the school.
Second do you have a local psco ask them to have a word.
Thirdly phone111 and report as you need access for a disabled child.

Yes the school can request a PCSO to attend. If they don't, you can request yourself. They will come at school pick up time and speak to anyone parked illegally.

I would report to school first. If no effect I'd start annoying her with things on her car. Not illegal, just annoying. Stick post-it notes all over it saying "don't block my drive". Surround her car with traffic cones so she has to move them before driving away. That kind of thing. Make it too irritating for her to park there.

Realistically the school have no enforcement powers and may send letters to parents etc but are unlikely to know which parent it is? ( By which I mean have registration on file etc)
Someone who intentionally blocks someone else's driveway is pretty entitled anyway and may not respond to the school requests.

In theory some councils can enforce parking over dropped kerbs and you could report it but the likelihood of an enforcement officer arriving to ticket them seem slim.

Police would most likely say contact the council unless you are already parked on the driveway and they instruct access to the highway.

Interested to hear what approaches others have found...

If it was me I would stop my car in in the middle of the road and sit on my horn until the prick moved. That would drive me absolutely mad.

I second contacting the school, hopefully they have a relationship with a local PCSO. At my son's school a disabled woman who had her drive blocked too many times sat in her car with her indicator on waiting for the person who blocked her drive to come back. This led to a tail back of cars with frustrated parents in beeping their horns, which then led to someone phoning the police. Guess who got the humiliating bollocking? The person blocking her drive. She told the police officer she was tired of having to park her car up, wait for the parents to leave to then return back to her own house. She couldn't walk any distance hence the disabled badge in her car and wheelchair in her boot.

I did hear of maybe an urban myth that some woman got so sick of someone blocking her drive she parked a few cars down, waited for the woman to return and followed her home. The next day when the drive blocker returned to her own home she found her own drive blocked and a woman sat inside reading a magazine.

Get hold of a A4 size sticker that you can write on (do not park here) and stick it really well to her drivers side window. Make sure you really firm down the edges and bit the type of sticker that only comes off on a million small pieces and smears all over her window.

Repeat where necessary

Contact your local councillor and ask them to put a solid white line across your driveway, it should at least act as a deterrent. Regardless of blocking your driveway she's blocking a dropped kerb which prevents wheelchair users from safely crossing. Report her to the school and council.

If they're anything like our school, they will ask parents to be considerate but then not be able to do anything else anyway so parents will ignore it.

Get your neighbours on board and one infront, one behind and block her in so she can’t leave. Don’t move for hours.

You could also ask the council for a H bar to be painted. They did that for me foc with a similar situation but it took some nagging. She might ignore it still but for me its made the situation 95% better. Very rare someone parks over my drive now.

I second contacting the school, hopefully they have a relationship with a local PCSO. At my son's school a disabled woman who had her drive blocked too many times sat in her car with her indicator on waiting for the person who blocked her drive to come back. This led to a tail back of cars with frustrated parents in beeping their horns, which then led to someone phoning the police. Guess who got the humiliating bollocking? The person blocking her drive. She told the police officer she was tired of having to park her car up, wait for the parents to leave to then return back to her own house. She couldn't walk any distance hence the disabled badge in her car and wheelchair in her boot.

This from @FoldEmHoldEm.. or could you park v v close in front of her to stop her getting out?

Some years ago there were issues over misuse of disabled parking bays in my town that resulted in Anti Social Behaviour action being taken against the offenders, I think they got an Acceptable Behaviour Contract.

I would suggest contacting your local Police Beat Team

A local primary school near me includes photos of inconsiderately parked vehicles in the newsletter to shame parents into better behaviour.

They also have a community police officer patrol during drop off and pick up a few times a term to have a word with drivers.

So talk to the school, they may have several options to take parents to task.

IME schools always want to keep good relationships with neighbours. Parents come and go, neighbours are around for the long haul.

I'd be tempted to buy a bull horn and stand at the school gates with it - 'could the driver of car reg xxx, move your car immediately as you are blocking a disabled childs home and access is needed' walk of shame in front of other parents will stop her from doing it and if she doesn't come forward ' can the driver wearing a blue coat, blonde hair etc move her car'

Whatever you do, don't do this.

Why the hell would it be a good idea to upset all of your own neighbours, who could be WFH, to beep at an empty car? Ridiculous.

I am very petty but I would be trying to annoy her out of parking there - messy gardening which happens to get mud all over her car, putting wheelie bins around her car so she has to move them to get out (ideally filled with something heavy), 'accidentally' spilling a can of mackerel over the door handle - you could get quite creative with it really.

Take photos every time with numberplate visible, and report to FixMyStreet https://www.mysociety.org/wehelpyou/report-illegal-parking/ who will pass it on to your council.
Councils like the nice easy fine evidence and after a few fines I dare say the parking violator will park elsewhere to avoid the hassle.

Put your bins there to block access.

Tell the school.

If it doesn't stop (and you possibly can) block her in by parking a car so close behind her and in front that it inconveniences her for quite some time before you move!

Why don't you park there? You can move the car back on the drive if it's necessary when you need to get your eldest in to the car. She can't park there if your car is there!

Also print this out and put on the windscreen (assuming you have a dropped kerb of course)
Does a Dropped Kerb Mean No Parking? (kerbramps.co.uk)
Then dob her in if she does it again

I would do post it notes and if that failed, photos in the local Facebook group with ‘does anyone know this person?’ and explaining how access is vital due to your son’s additional needs.

It’s obvious. Park your own car in front of your driveway (this is allowed) until she finds another spot.
Driveway owner IS allowed to park in front of own driveway,

Leave a note on car every time.