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

[lolaflores]

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

My children are both autistic. I have arranged to pick my youngest up 10 minutes early each day. I park in the car park across the road, go into the school, get him, grab him by the collar and don't let go until he is in the car. Then I go to my other son's school, luckily they do have a car park. But it is very busy indeed! I have to get out, grab my younger son (he can't be left in the car alone) and keep hold of him by the collar as we go across the car park to collect my other son. Who I then grab hold of with my other hand and escort them both back to the car.

2 bolters - 2 hands - no problem

How it would work with more than 2 if they were not able to walk alongside and follow instructions, I don't know. You'd probably need more people! But you indicate that only one is a risk, so it sounds doable.

Or you could arrange for the child's TA to walk him out to the car.

Or - where do the teachers park? arrange to have handover there?

Wrist strap. I used to have to use special wrist straps for years with mine. It meant that they couldn't run off.

It's tricky, I give you that. But there are other solutions, you just haven't thought of them yet.

And I am not having a go! You asked if people had ideas, I am offering a few.

Probably because there isn't anywhere else to plonk the car because theres too many cars and no car park space outside of most schools.

would be my guess tbh

If have to break the law and endanger other children by parking on the zigzags, you are looking after too many children.

the school caretaker regularly dons a hi vis vest and tells the illegal parkers to fuck off move elsewhere.

Oh come on, bluelaguna! I cannot believe that there is nowhere to park near your school! Answer to your problem - LEAVE EARLIER. Simple as that. Parking near my dcs' school really is hell on earth - double parked all over the place, coupled with a huge high school about 500m away, kids, dogs, scooters, bikes and cars everywhere. I leave ten minutes earlier than 'the masses' ensuring I can park and let my kids out in a calm (egally parked)manner knowing I'm not pissing anyone off and getting all stressed out and just parking anywhere.

All these roads full of cars you describe - they are all there earlier than you, that's why they can park and you have trouble.

legally parked, not 'egally' parked!

Thanks for your suggestions, Hecate - why would I think you were having a go? :)

The best long term solution would be wrist straps: unfortunately he's never used them before and has tantrummed every time so far, so I'm having to take it slowly at home. Preferably not when he's struggling to cope with the playground as well! That'll come later.

Staff carpark would be brilliant if it existed :). The teachers park on the road with everyone else. It's a small rural school and doesn't have luxuries like that. The coach they use for trips and swimming has to park where I do, as does the mobile library and any deliveries.

I suppose I could give notice to the autistic child, Soupdragon. I'm unwilling to do that because 2 nurseries have already give notice.

I'm hoping it's a short term solution and I expect the school are, too. They have been very helpful but made it clear they couldn't spare staff to bring the kids to wherever I may have found to park.

Not entirely convinced that a car park at school would solve the problem. There is a car park 200 yards from the infant school and a further 300 from the junior school I work at, and if you get a form from either school office you can park there free at school drop off and pick up times. This is well publicised by both schools, the LA and the PTA, and so far this year out of around 180 families, we have given out three forms....

Oh, I am not suggesting that you give notice, Tanith. However, the only way for you to get all the children you are responsible for safely into your car should not be by breaking the law and endangering other children.

I just didn't want you to interpret it as a criticism, tanith. Glad you didn't.

I find that many of the 'selfish arsholes' you refer to are actually the parents who have children at the school. They'd be the first to complain if their child was knocked over though.

witchinthewardrobe
my point. arseholes, not giving a fig about anyone else.

thebeansmum - see my post below. I already arrive half an hour before school ends - I have left very early!! The problem is pretty severe.

bluelaguna Sat 01-Oct-11 10:09:22

lola - I chose the school that I thought suited my child's education the best!! Not for a carpark!!

Anwyay I go half an hour early and drive round until I find a space. But it is a hassle and waste of time. No doubt people take exception to this as well but there is only so much a person can do. There are plenty of schools needing carparks and the only solution is to actually provide them.

"There are plenty of schools needing carparks and the only solution is to actually provide them."

No, that isn't the only solution nor is it at all viable. How many schools have space big enough to provide a carpark big enough to provide personal spaces for all the precious parents? Bulldoze a couple of houses in the surrounding area maybe or Tarmac over the school playing field.

Here are a few more solutions for you, off the top of my head:
A walking bus
If you really must drive, a drop off point where you can pull in only long enough for your children to get out (preferably covered so any precious little darlings belonging to Zigzag Parkers don't get wet)
Car sharing
Walking rota, similar to a walking bus but just amongst a small group of friends.

"I really think this is an error in planning by the school/council - it is just a fact that people need to park around schools, so safe and legal parking needs to be created."

Most schools would have been built before people were so lazy they had to drive everywhere (and I include myself here). It isn't a fact that people need to park around schools and really, do you honestly think it is ever going to be practical to create parking around them?

Anyway, nothing gives anyone the right to park in such a way as to endanger other children.

At my daughter's school this was also a massive problem and a really dangerous one for the children. At our school there was no carpark, but the church on the corner has 2 massive ones, both of which were made available to parents at no charge. The school arranged a staff run walking bus between the church and school at drop off and pick up times. Half a dozen families used it. It doesn't matter what systems are put in place, some people are just selfish.

Don't have school-age kids yet but jesus tapdancing christ it is a pissing nightmare getting out of my road as soon as the schools start - we live at one end of a road and there's a primary school at the other. Parents literally park in the middle of the fucking road to drop their kids off outside the school gates. Never in a month of Sundays did I think I'd ever be saying this, but I really would welcome residents-only parking on our road.

bluelaguna There are plenty of schools needing carparks and the only solution is to actually provide them.

As Tommy Cooper would say: Just like that. For all the reasons soupdragon gives that is bollocks.

Soupdragon, it's a rural infant school and all the parents drive. They'd have to walk miles if they didn't. I've only known one who walked in all the time I've collected from there and she used to come across the fields with her dogs.

The children are all are young enough to need supervision and they're not walking home so they're not crossing the road by themselves outside school. In fact, there's no reason for them to cross the road at all: there's a deep ditch and trees on the other side of the road.

I suppose you'd have to see it to understand. It sounds as though your own school is nothing like this if you're talking about walking buses.

Parents at the school are told to drop off or collect their children and leave immediately to give other parents chance to park. They're told to close the gate. Perhaps if they did these things, it wouldn't be so much of a problem. It's interesting that none of them ever park on the zigzags. I presume because they know that they're used for coaches etc. to park.

So I shouldn't give notice to the autistic child? I'm glad you agree. What were you suggesting, then? I'm the only childminder who picks up from the school and one of the toddlers is my own - can't give notice to her! There's no after school club or breakfast club: the school is too small. If I give notice to the older children, their parents are totally stuck for childcare.
I'm within my numbers as allowed by OFSTED. The vicar knows I park there and so does the community policeman because they've seen me there. And the coach. And the mobile library. None of us have yet been summonsed.

If it's a rural school and you'd have to walk miles surely the kids would be bussed in? Ours were because we're over the two mile limit and there was no safe walking route.

Our school sends out letters but they will not put staff out to police it in case things turn nasty. Fair enough.

Our school is the only school in the village and only has about 60 sets of parents picking kids up at most. There is plenty of parking space around the corner from the school, including a small car park, plus an overflow car park at the back of the staff car park which is accessible most of the year (unless the ground is very wet of icy.) We still get numpties with an entitlement complex parking on the zigzags (and swearing profusely when they do get a ticket.) Many of the same numpties also don't bother with seatbelts. One of the zig zag regulars lives around the corner from the school, opposite the end of the school field and has no excuse whatsoever for driving her kid to school in the first place. She could stand at her front door, and watch him walk to school.

We do have one convert who does make a point of parking around the corner, ever since she nearly reversed into someone's child crossing the road from the car park.

At dc's school we have an excellent scheme whereby you pull into layby outside school and drop off children - teachers are waiting for them there from 8.15am and they then go up to the playground until the bell rings.

It means traffic moves swiftly through and no dangerous parking.

OK I'll take it back.

There aren't plenty of schools needing carparks. And the only solution to lots of cars needing to be parked isn't a carpark.

So why are people on the zigzags then?

Sorry, but whatever you say to me or think of my viewpoint, I am not responsible for the thousands of cars parking on school zigzags every day at schools up and down the country. They do represent a problem and the solution to that problem isn't a walking bus or carsharing because if it was, the problem would no longer exist!

Please note that I am not a zigzag parker - I go half an hour early and drive round to find a rare space.

All right bluelaguna if you don't want the playgrounds changed into car-parks or neighbouring houses pulled down what do you want?

"They do represent a problem and the solution to that problem isn't a walking bus or carsharing because if it was, the problem would no longer exist!"

Well, the real problem is the fact that people want to be in their own private car and not have to make any kind of effort. I was never driven to school as a child so what has changed? people have changed and what they percieved as being necessary. And yes, I include myself in this.

Has your school promoted walking buses?
Have they tried to encourage car sharing or, god forbid simply walking?
IME, if it is not handed to people on a plate, they can not be bothered.

if none of these is the solution, how big a carpark do you propose building and where do you plan on building it? Seeing as this appears to be the only solution you think viable, I am interested to hear how you think it will work. A carpark big enough for every parent in the school to have a space and, in your case, big enough for every parent in all the neighbouring schools too.