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 feel your pain having lived near a side entrance to a school for many years. Our road was the most popular place for parents/grandparents who often parked up super early. Any time I returned home at pick-up time I couldn't drive up to my house to park on my drive and drive was always blocked by a parents car.
Had to park two roads away and drag my supermarket shopping home. Making two trips .
One day two mother's fought over a parking place that one had thought the other beat her to whilst she drove past to turn car around,to park there for ease of driving off. Various friends joined in on either side.
Police were called and my corner situated house had one panda car across my driveway (at side of my house) and another round the front blocking my way out of the front garden. Whilst someone was called to take their children home so they could be taken to the police station!
Have now moved to a quiet village with no parking problems anywhere!
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Yup. I goofed.

I was taught to let two tyres down ...

Basically you are relying on people being shamed into moderating their behaviour, and many of them just don’t feel shame.

Take photos of her car and number plate and stick it on local Facebook group stating that she has been asked several times not to park there!

Similar issues here - spoke to school, then to councillors and then to the local authority and police. We now get traffic wardens patrolling and there is a campaign gaining momentum to increase yellow lines and permit parking.

It’s tough for parents who need to park, but it gets dangerously busy and is a total nuisance for residents when they can’t access their own properties.

I feel so sorry for you. People don’t realise just what other’s lack of consideration can make you feel on a daily basis. You’ll get lots of ‘car is king’ people posting here who will make you feel it’s your problem. It isn’t x

could you block your own drive way? I know a couple of people do that on the street where my children’s school is. Unfortunately there are some parents just don’t care. the local authority sent out a letter about considerate parking and i swear it was worse the next day.

I just found this on an Internet search, to see if you can get a car towed if it's blocking your driveway.

Understanding the UK Laws Regarding Blocked Driveways

Understanding the laws regarding blocked driveways is important. In the UK, it is illegal for someone to block your driveway without permission. If someone parks their car in a way that obstructs your access to or from your property, they can be held liable for causing an obstruction. This means that you have the right to take action and have the vehicle towed away at the owner’s expense.

The legal implications and consequences of blocking someone’s driveway can be quite severe. Not only can the person responsible face fines and penalties, but they may also receive points on their driving record. So if you find yourself with a blocked driveway, remember that you have rights and it is within your power to get the offending vehicle removed legally.

Don’t forget OP has her hands full with a baby, a 20 month old, and a child with additional needs. It’s because she’s got her hands full like this that the parking is such an issue in the first place. I can understand the temptation, but these ideas are either utterly impractical for OP, or they’re criminal damage, or both.

She could strategically put a nail or tack facing upwards infront of 2 wheels do when she drives forward, it goes in the tyres!!!

So entitled. Email your photos to the school in the first instance and see what they say.

This used to happen outside my house (even though we lived nowhere near a school).
Despite talking to the drivers and politely asking them not to park across our driveway, they still did, so I bought some A4 sticky labels and printed "This is MY driveway, NOT your personal parking space, do NOT park here again or I'll have your car towed or at the very least, your tyres will be let down", then I would stick the label on the windscreen, blocking the driver's view.
Once the label is stuck down, they're very difficult to get off, and definitely don't come off in one piece.
I kept a record of the registration numbers of those who had parked there and received one of my stickers, and none of them ever did it again!

But some cones from screw fix (attach disabled or explanatory labels) place over drive/way

I had some medical students/residents neighbors who insisted on parking in front of my house and partially blocking my driveway, (keeping me from getting in and out with my disabled DS), despite there being plenty of parking on the street, in front of their house (across the street and several doors down) and even on their own driveway and in their 2 car garage. They had some lame excuse about how their driveway was too steep and difficult to navigate - (sure hope none of them ever become surgeons) which still didn't explain why they needed to block my driveway despite the abundant available parking elsewhere. I asked nicely again and again and finally after being told that they had an exam the next day, so were too busy to move their car so I could take my DS to the emergency room, I had had enough. I spread butter all over all their door handles and windshield wipers (I'm pretty sure the suggestion to do this came from Mumsnet) and they never ever parked there again.

We had this problem. Things we found work...photos on local.fb groups..photos in local 'parking like a tw*t group.school always very supportive. Local pcso handing out fines - easy pickings for them. Sending images from our ring camera to local police who sent fines in post. It is illegal to block dropped kerbs. Illegal to block access to highway although bizarrely not illegal to block access to your own drive. Best of luck. With us it was always the same disorganised muppet parents as well. Shame them localy.

Have you not spoken to the school?

Phone and email them every single time she’s there.

Speak to the council.

Just do it.

I agree, speak to the school first. Then swiftly, or concurrently to writing a message in lipstick (that one where the colour didn’t quite work out) across her windscreen - every time. You chose the words…

Buy some of these and every time she does it, stick one on her car. They are really hard to get off but won't damage the window. I know because I once partially parked over someone's driveway for 2 minutes to drop something into a friends house and they stuck them onto my car. Took about 30 minutes with a card to scrape off!

www.amazon.co.uk/Private-Parking-Stickers-Violation-Illegally/dp/B08SKVNZRR/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?crid=NBZ49S87QBSG&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.acTxalodQ4IwpXeZrWJzSpmHQXCtIta6c_GpyZfCDrS9zm4sifIqW3CpuuNiiijMKAzELB4KGAeqNFldRUZQK1B-yPTU1cGkgOeCfLo9RfiQsuQDQefhR1M-OtIHXRWFQiO_tKdVE3mJvMSTkhwvZ6UJodhAXQQKoRHCoD_uAW03ivEZyh2RIrrN_bPMaKhhwhHP2J88qMlcGRwPz3pW6A.a7bofarWTX37in9DpDQ0gljGMq3BgsndSqdMgwRkY3c&dib_tag=se&keywords=do+not+park+here+stickers&qid=1727330544&sprefix=do+not+park+here+stickers%2Caps%2C84&sr=8-3

How about advising the school that you will be contacting the local newspaper and local television due to not being able to park and I am sure they will deal with the issue quickly as they would not want a critical story about the school in the local news.

It never ceases to amaze me how people just do a mental FU and if it suits them.
The school my kids were previously at had neighbours and I would never dream of blocking someone's drive!
That school were very supportive of the neighbours and inconsiderate parking triggered notices and the school got a traffic warden down who ticketed everyone who was an arse, as a result inconsiderate behaviour was very limited, each new school year they're would be a new wave and then back in their box.

Ridiculous that grown adults would rather shit on someone else than walk an extra 100m!

I would definitely be giving her a taste of her own medicine if I was you! She sounds like a total piece of work.

Get your partner to walk up to the school and shout “who’s car is (reg plate) there is a problem with it”

Then loudly ask “why are you continually parking in front of a dropped kerb and preventing us from being able to get in our drive with our disabled child, it’s been x times in the last x weeks”

It’s like engaging with a cult member who’s brainwashed by a theory, but oblivious to real life and market forces 😆

I find it so strange that a bonafide driveway is deemed to be fully functioning only when a vehicle’s parked on it and the access becomes a permitted parking space if the drive’s empty. Legally someone could park across your drive, rendering it unusable and leave it blocked for however long any parking restrictions allow. That needs changing because of a selfish, entitled minority who have no consideration.

I hope the school engage and try to help, after all, most schools aim to be good neighbours.

I can't believe the ones here saying she is allowed to park in front of your driveway!! Unbelievable.
OP, there were always parking issues outside my children's primary school, the community police were outside occasionally and it definitely had an effect, especially if someone was going to get issued with a fine.
Contact the school and community police, you have a description and licence number. Contact them every time and hopefully something will get done.
She is a cheeky, entitled b'stard who needs a lesson.

No dont do that. It will be criminal damage.