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.

I’ve explained this in detail. Yes the area generally will benefit from a premium if in the catchment of a desirable school. However the properties on the roads immediately adjacent to drop off/pick up zones will have a discounted value to say a similar property two roads behind that doesn’t suffer from inconsiderate parking issues/noise all other things being equal.

I tried this. Wheelchair user and sick of coming home to find my driveway blocked. All the disabled access signs in the world didn’t work. Know what did ?
A home made sign telling them how inconvenient and dangerous it was to get my wheelchair out on the road rather than in my driveway, which they were consistently blocking. Plastered to the windscreen with Vaseline.

Good idea. Who cares if it inconveniences them a little? They're not worried about inconveniencing you.

Team up with a neighbour, park either side of your drive and next time she does it move 2CM either side of her car and leave yours there until the following morning.

Please keep us posted.

Contact the school every time. Take photos. Block her in if at all possible. Encourage asd child to play and energetically with silly string and eggs and poster paint at the end of the drive. Awful entitled idiot.

Yes contact the school and they will 'remind' the abusers. One school I worked at a whole road was banned for parking when as staff I tried to park, courteously of course!

Lefmry, I feel SO sorry for you. We have a severely autistic grandson and frequently getting him out of the car and into the house is a nightmare - so I truly understand. No real positive suggestions other than contacting the school and explaining the situation. Don’t get into conflict - it won’t help. Hopefully a gentle word from your husband when he’s off might just do the trick! Big hug 🤗 x

this will be unpopular but can you park your car blocking your drive? Or are you out when they do it collecting your child?

I probably would have ended up keying it by now 😂

This! Absolutely this! It happens at our school and they have a name and shame action and it has worked! They sent out a friendly reminder first and people ignored it, so they posted pictures of the offending cars with plates visible, and they’ve now got a parking warden to patrol at pick up and drop off times too! It has worked! Always baffles me how entitled people are, and how they mount the pavement to park when kids are walking there! The amount of arguments I’ve had with these inconsiderate arseholes! Just boils my blood! OP don’t take it lying down - so sorry you’re going through this and I really hope it improves for you soon! Xx

The trouble is the school has no jurisdiction over the road outside. They can send letters/emails to parents asking them not to be inconsiderate but they have no power.
I would take photographs of the car (with number plates) and send to local council.

I say this as someone who has the same problem. Some people are just so selfish.

Definitely complain to the school, the head at my children's school has been known to play parking attendant and 'have words' with parents who have parked across peoples driveways at school pick up and drop off before due to complaints. She is terrifying and it takes a brave/stupid parent to risk a dressing down from her publicly.

Contact the local PCSOs and they can contact the traffic warden. The school can’t get involved as it’s a highway issue not a school issue.

Has anyone suggested those automatically controlled rising bollards yet? Tbh they may not exist or I may have seen them in a film, but they lie low until activated and then sort of skewer the offending vehicle.
I used to live on a farm in a pretty area and was plagued with random car parkers so I used to spend far more time than was healthy thinking of ways to discourage them 😄

The car is parking in the road though. You can't put a bollard in the road!

ooh this pisses me right off. I live near a school too and it happens to me too. Makes you feel like reversing into the side of the car doesn't it?

Time to put dog/baby shit on the driver’s door handle. Ideally on an underside so she doesn’t see it.

Every time she parks there, she’d get a present.

She sounds like a real bitch, so time for fire with fire.

She goes and get her own son in car and when she is back the offender has parked so she can’t get in.

Some people here get special disabled bays painted out side there house by the council , some put disabled placards on there walls and a sign asking people to leave disabled access

What a load of bollocks and you know it.
Op should absolutely be able to park in her drive when she wants.

Also, the houses on the road of my dds school are some of the most expensive houses in the area and most sought after as it’s such a lovely road and location.

I'd do this alone but not with a disabled child who may find it distressing

Good idea is placing a couple of your wheelie bins over your driveway so she can’t park there
I know it means you would need to move them but it may avoid your child becoming distressed.
Its so selfish and disrespectful to park over your driveway

I know. I did say that my mind got quite carried away with thinking of forms of redress.

Contact the school, they are your best bet.

Also, if you can prove the need (your DCs illness) you can ask the council for double yellows over your drive. That way, you can tell the parents their car will be towed...

Can you park behind her, up close, so she can't actually move her car (this will obviously only work if there is another car in front)