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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU about selfish arseholes parking on zigzag lines in front of school?

130 replies

lolaflores · 30/09/2011 15:47

WHY do folk do this? Why do they do it even though there are endless signs around saying not to do it? How unspeakably stupid and selfish can a person be. Yesterday at my dds school there were about 9 cars top to tail on the zig zags. Happily, parking attendant zipped up and ticketed several.

Has any one successfully managed through the school or other means to get people to think about the safety of their own kids and others?

Grinding my teeth

OP posts:
Andrewofgg · 30/09/2011 15:51

WHY do folk do this? Because they are selfish.

Why do they do it even though there are endless signs around saying not to do it? Because they are also arrogant.

How unspeakably stupid and selfish can a person be. As stupid and selfish as you can imagine and then a bit more.

Yesterday at my dds school there were about 9 cars top to tail on the zig zags. Happily, parking attendant zipped up and ticketed several. Good!

Has any one successfully managed through the school or other means to get people to think about the safety of their own kids and others? Probably not.

Grinding my teeth. Don't do that, it makes a nasty noise :o

southeastastra · 30/09/2011 15:55

i really think people don't think they're doing wrong rather than being arrogant

lisad123 · 30/09/2011 15:57

Had to smirk to myself one day when a woman was sittin on zig zag lines and along came a police man. Grin

whackamole · 30/09/2011 15:58

DSS mum used to do this. Lazy cah. I would park in the carpark round the corner, get the (then) babies out the car, take em all round and drop him off. She would park on the zig zags and let him go in by himself at 8am.

whackamole · 30/09/2011 15:59

Hence the reason I started doing drop offs - wasn't really fair to leave a 7 year old unattended in the playground!

flimflammery · 30/09/2011 16:05

Make some fake parking tickets to use when the traffic wardens aren't about. That would be fun.

Original poster
lolaflores · 30/09/2011 16:05

is the school responsible for enforcing it? Would I be within my rights to point out the offence to these obviously illiterate folk? Would I merely be asking to get my head kicked in?

OP posts:
Original poster
lolaflores · 30/09/2011 16:06

nope. I am going to starting taking pics. oh yes,,, they won't like that up them

OP posts:
Blu · 30/09/2011 16:09

It isn't the school's responsibility to enforce, it, no.
But they can call the council and get them to send parking wardens down on a regular basis and ticket the offenders as they did today.
You can call the council regularly and say you are concerned about the amount of parking / danger etc - they'll love to come and earn themselves a good handful of parking fines every so often.

worraliberty · 30/09/2011 16:09

We had to have the Community Police outside our school every day because of this, but due to the cutbacks they don't come anymore.

It's madness with cars parked on the zigzags and other cars double parked. To make it worse, the cars are allowed to park on the pavements (roads are too narrow) so it's total mayhem morning and night.

ramblinrose · 30/09/2011 16:11

southeastastra

If they don't think they're doing wrong they shouldn't be driving.

Wormshuffler · 30/09/2011 16:16

Find out your local PCSO's mobile number (should be available on line) and text them photos of the offending drivers Grin

southeastastra · 30/09/2011 16:17

well no, but they are Confused

3littlefrogs · 30/09/2011 16:20

Someone at our school photographed them and sent them to the local press - numberplates and all.

thebeansmum · 30/09/2011 16:30

They regularly 'name and shame' persistent offenders at our school - publish make model and reg plate in school communication.

Sadly none of them seem to give a flying fuck as their time is clearly so much more precious than everyone else's and the same old, same old lazy bastards are all still there in their (usually) flashy 4 x 4s or huge BMW/Lexus/Audis screeching up at two minutes before the bell goes.

My heart does go out though to the poor Grandparents clearly not used to the school run free-for-all who simply don't realise what they're doing and are scowled at and tutted at by passers by!

Original poster
lolaflores · 01/10/2011 07:13

I shall do the car number plates to the papers. and thebeansmum it is the usual offenders. A fuck off big silver audi, 2 big suv's and a low slung sexy something or other. But, if you can park on zig zags at a school, your hide is tough enough to not really give much of a shit what folk say or do in response to it. Pointing and laughing may be the way to go next.

OP posts:
troisgarcons · 01/10/2011 07:27

There are quite strict regulations now about who and what you can photo in public.

Phone your community beat officers and ask them to do a few evening trips tht way (mind you they are usually more concerned with secondry schools at that time)

Original poster
lolaflores · 01/10/2011 07:32

resources do seem to be at the heart of this. there are always people ready to jump over a line if they think they can get away with it. Not much other folk can do really.

OP posts:
MULLYPEEP · 01/10/2011 07:43

You see although I know its not the schools responsibility, at my work, if we had a issue not entirely related to work, but still causing our staff major problems, we would deal with it like a work issue. Why does this not happen in schools? Thinking around school playground supervision in the morning, and car park mayhem. Sureley a few hi-viz vests from staff (or rota of parents) could solve this? I'm not being arsey when I suggest this but why don't the school push to resolve it? There are solutions to these problems but they need manpower.

Whatmeworry · 01/10/2011 07:53

Probably requires a lot of parents to complain to the school and police, then both will take action. Get writing, not grinding.

CogitoErgoSometimes · 01/10/2011 07:58

Our local primary regularly sends letters to parents reminding them of the rules ans backs this up with frequent morning visits by the Community Police - who 'have a word' with offenders. The school next door to my parents' house has gone so far as to work with the council to put up all kinds of signage & traffic-calming measures. So put some pressure on the school... maybe canvass other parents or local residents?

thestringcheeseincident · 01/10/2011 08:04

I ring the head of the school over the road from my house all the time. He's been good at putting extra orange cones out which seems to stop them. It's the sheer laziness which amazes me. Car park less than 5 mins walk away.

TashHag · 01/10/2011 08:05

Mullypeep - your last sentence explains why most schools can't solve the problem. They don't have the manpower.

At our school at that time of the morning the head is usually in a meeting, the teachers are preparing for the day, the TAs mostly don't start until the children come in and the office staff are dealing with parents whose PFB has lost their unmarked jumper for the third time and want to know what the school is going to do about it. The community officers will come out if asked, but there are seven schools within their area and they can't cover them all at once.

As for a rota of parents, you won't get much of a rota out of the two parents who are both willing and able to do it....

AbigailS · 01/10/2011 08:08

Completely agree! They are there for the safety of all our children, but all they think about is their children and themselves. Angry
As its a public road it is not the school's job to enforce it and I must say the few times I've tried I've had a mouthful or even threats! We've had community police outside and it improves (but not everyone) but they can't come all the time, so once they're not there it reverts to the same old problem.

norriscoleforpm · 01/10/2011 08:09

Same at our school - and yes, always the big cars. It's not only selfish and arrogant but it's bloody dangerous. I had a complete tantrum once in the school office about it! Didn't help :( The head always puts something in the newsletter about it but nothing ever works, Glaring and saying loudly to dd 'some people are so sily aren't they, making it dangerous for children and cars aren't they' whilst walking by occasionally elicits a 'look'.

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