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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Parking illegally outside school

144 replies

deviladvocate · 13/03/2012 23:03

Had a big row this afternoon with one of the regular offenders at school - on the zig zag lines, no possible excuse, she was aggressive and entitled.

Head has spoken to the regular offenders, signs have already been attempted, there are regular reminders in the newsletter. All ignored.

We need some constructive ideas for how to address this, help!

OP posts:
Lucy88 · 13/03/2012 23:40

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Debeez · 13/03/2012 23:41

Wants to live in a world where nothingoldcanstay is in charge of all world admin :D

kipperandtiger · 13/03/2012 23:42

Tell local police/traffic warden/council, depending on which department is in charge in your area. Illegal parking on the roads outside school is an offence. Hopefully a blitz that puts some fines into the local council coffers will soon teach them to park correctly.

WorraLiberty · 13/03/2012 23:43

We don't have a car park

The parents who park outside...both on the pavements and zigzags are too lazy to park 5 or 10 mins away and walk.

ChaosTrulyReigns · 13/03/2012 23:43

Could you get one of those aersol sprays (non permanent) and mark out the space on the road where the offenders park and spray "Reserved for PI55 TKE" (or whatever their registration is)?

Original poster
deviladvocate · 13/03/2012 23:45

The thing that staggers me at our school is that there is a car park, albeit at end of a muddy unadopted road, it's literally only a two minute walk back to school - those that park on the zig zags still have to drive up there to turn around (unless they also decide to do a three point turn in the school driveway while children are still walking in Angry)

We have a walking bus two days a week (I'm one of the parent volunteers) but only 10 children on the bus at the moment Sad

OP posts:
Debeez · 13/03/2012 23:47

Does anyone else ever by accident bump the cars with the handbag in the rush to get the children safely in the door, you know, when they're half on the kerb and you're pushed up against the wall with DC and a massive handbag with those scratchy metal keychains on the zip? Just me?

differentnameforthis · 13/03/2012 23:47

the drivers who parked illegally right outside our school are all slightly over-weight or just plain fat and would seriously benefit from a bit of walking

How lovely you sound!

We have what we call a 'kiss & drop' zone at our school. You pull in, in your car, drop your child/ren off & drive off. You can also pick them up there at the end of the school day, but again as soon as you have your child, you leave. You don't park there to collect your kids, as it means cars are queuing on the road, which is just a hazard!

I have sat in the staff car park & watched as all manner of lazy skinny arses park there, walk their kids into school & then walk back again. Same as pick up, they leave the car, walk in to get their kids & come back, even thought they aren't allowed to leave the car there.

One time a woman blocked the exit with her huge tank & prevented anyone getting out of the car park for ages. She was shamed in the next newsletter, as no one could find her around the school to move her car!

Original poster
deviladvocate · 13/03/2012 23:47

I've emailed our neighbourhood police constable, hoping that may help...

OP posts:
Original poster
deviladvocate · 13/03/2012 23:49

Grin at debeez

OP posts:
WorraLiberty · 13/03/2012 23:49

I'm sorry but 'Kiss and drop zone' made me think of curb crawling or dogging or something Blush

troisgarcons · 13/03/2012 23:49

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whethergirl · 13/03/2012 23:52

Our school operate a JRSO (Junior Road Safety Officers) scheme where one of the teachers and a handful of school kids volunteer to act as 'traffic wardens' and hand out 'parking tickets'. This teacher also wrote a beautiful poem, pleading with parents to not park on the zig zags and gave them out to every parent. Any offenders also get their number plate printed in the weekly school newsletter.

Debeez · 13/03/2012 23:53

Lol @ Worra. I think sometimes these slogans and names are not well thought out. I did a double take at the MN - Join Our Rape Campaign earlier. Obviously a brilliant campaign but my brain went WTF MN! Then Ah ok!

Lilithmoon · 13/03/2012 23:53

Wind your neck in Lucy88 Shock.

tribpot · 13/03/2012 23:54

Ours is similar, deviladvocate, except our car park (strictly speaking it belongs to the Council) is 2 mins away across a nice paved path, and still you get complete idiots parked out on the zig zags at the start and end of the day.

Or parking opposite the zig zags, blocking the road from view and then letting their dc get out on their own and leg it across the road (saw this with someone in ds' class (Y2) last week). Or parking in the car park but if the bay nearest to the school (by - oooh, some several metres) is nearly full, shoving their car half in and half out of it so as to save the extra hassle of those additional metres of walking.

Add to which, our school entrance is legitimately quite busy because we have a lot of children in wheelchairs who tend to arrive in mini-buses. These are enough of a hazard to be going on with and they absolutely have to be there. The tossers who can't be arsed parking their car a further distance from the school - every sodding day - don't.

The school is about to start a 'name and shame' policy in the newsletter. I'm not sure I think this is very fair to the children, it's hardly their fault.

WorraLiberty · 13/03/2012 23:55

You're right Debeez it does sound odd now you come to mention that campaign Shock

Not quite as odd as the campaign I suggested on the thread where a Mum got the hump about people touching her baby's face on the bus...it was called "Touch a toddler today"

But as someone pointed out...it may well throw some weird things up on Google Blush

Original poster
deviladvocate · 13/03/2012 23:55

Has anyone tried having the police do a presentation to the children about road safety and explain to them why it's so important to park safely outside the schools?

Also wondering about a flyer to place on car - so something along the lines of "what would have to happen for you to stop parking illegally here:

A) a fine?
B ) points on your licence?
C) a child to be seriously injured or killed?"

Lifted the general idea from a campaign elsewhere.

OP posts:
Debeez · 13/03/2012 23:57

I was lurking on that thread Worra, restraining myself from post a Gollum style "my precccciouuuuuuussss"! Touch a toddler day, I did a double take then too.

WorraLiberty · 14/03/2012 00:00

Debeez Grin

OP, I think the road safety talk would have to be given to the parents.

Our school got the police to set up a 'safety stall' in the school hall on parents evening...and they made a kind of one way system so the only way out of the school was through the hall.

All parents were spoken to and given leaflets, but I'm afraid it didn't help Sad

differentnameforthis · 14/03/2012 00:00

Hmm, now you mention it..kiss & drop zone DOES sound weird...

WorraLiberty · 14/03/2012 00:01

And the flyer thing is a good idea except it's expensive and causes lots of littering.

WorraLiberty · 14/03/2012 00:03

different I apologise for the image in your head tomorrow morning as you innocently go about your business Grin

Debeez · 14/03/2012 00:07

Perhaps leaflets stuck to the cars with spray adhesive, that would make sure they were impossible to remove didn't blow away. My old work used to do that with naughty parkers.

differentnameforthis · 14/03/2012 00:09

I don't think I can ever use it again now... Wink

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