to wonder why the council can't co-ordinate roadworks with school term dates?

[Sabriel]

Got to school this morning to find a team of council road workers digging two holes in the road immediately in front of the school gates. It is the last but one day of school before half term, and they started at 8.30am .

It is a narrow residential street with the school one side of the road and houses the other. Parking is only on the house side and they were digging on the school side. So they were taking up 3 of the very few parking spaces in the road and trying to trundle their wheelbarrow back and forth in front of the constant traffic. Not to mention making a tremendous racket.

It's a council school, so they are well aware of when school starts. If they really had to start today AIBU to think they could have at least waited until after 9am, so as to cause less chaos?

YABU!

Have a cup of coffee and a

Or maybe, just maybe, getting the road fixed is more important than ensuring pfb's can be dropped within 2 inches of the school gates?

I think they should only do it when I'm on annual leave.

11 hour night shift followed by half hour at roadworks on the journey home is not good for other road users the soul.

YABU. They can't only work in the school holidays. What do you think they would do with the rest of their time? And do you know what the work was for? I doubt you'd be happy to wait half a week for a gas leak, would you? Also, you are assuming it will only take a week - it may well be that it takes half term and more.

YANBU. The council does it here too.

Plus most construction jobs start around 7am. Starting at 9 would be disastrous for their working week. They'd never get it done!

ooohhh good one

maybe council workers want to work the same time as everyone else?

Life does not revolve around children!!

Not as unreasonable as the gas board who dug a great big hole on the road in front of my driveway so I couldn't get the car off and get to work. When I asked them why they didn't knock first so i could move car, they said they didn't bother as they assumed I'd be in bed at 8.30 in the morning.

Why DO construction works start work so early?

Prehaps your kids should walk to school.

Don't worry, if they are anything like the ones fixing a gas leak at the end of our road they will knock off for the day at 2.30, leaving a big whole in the road and temporary traffic lights. But at least they won't be around for school pick up!!

Actually I think OP has a valid point - if roadworks started at or after 9am it'd be much more convenient for everyone to do drop offs and get to work.

I do love school holidays as my commute to work is blissfully quiet.

our local council do actually seem to schedule major road works for school holidays. Not sure about road works outside schools per se, but big roads getting closed always co-incide with school holidays.

hmm the world must stop for our little dahlings.....

The early starts are traditional. It used to be to get as much working time in as daylight allowed.

It isn't just the workmen but those dropping off materials. It also allows for breaks to be between the hottest part of the day.

There shouldbe the ability to co-ordinate work, though. A new road was built in my area, within a week of it being finished the Gas board were digging it up, then two weeks later the water board done the same.

They followed each other around the region, probably just getting rid of money before the end of the tax year.

our local council do actually seem to schedule major road works for school holidays. Not sure about road works outside schools per se, but big roads getting closed always co-incide with school holidays.

It seems that way around here. It can be annoying as people (me!) still need to commute but I suppose it's better than doing it when the traffic is heavier!

Why when I live on the one way system do they not bother to inform all houses on the system when they shut a road? Why no nice big signs warning, when they have informed us for weeks about road works on another road? Why did the once set up a diversion that would just have you going around in circles until the road opened? (There was a way out but the signs didn't tell you that.)

and another thing....

YANBU, OP

they should leave that potentially lethal gas leak until all the little darlings are shut safely inside one building..

(yes i know that's very PA but )

Lol @ it being a 'council school'...like the contractors who do road repairs are going to know wtf the Education department have planned.

Park a few roads away and then there's no problem is there?

YANBU. This happened twice in the last year at my school, it causes chaos. None of the work was so essential that it couldn't wait, just road re surfacing.

The first time it happened the head complained as it was just after the long summer holiday, so both times they ended up giving the school free parking permits to hand out to parents that had to drive for the nearby pay and display car park for school run times.

Are you sure it was council workmen digging holes in the road? Usually when holes are dug in roads it's for services (gas, water, electricity etc) over whom the local council may not have much control. Councils are generally only concerned with the road surface.

Not a potential gas leak but two square shallow holes.

No warning or people could have parked elsewhere. I'd love to walk my DD to school but we didn't get a place at the school in walking distance and have had to go to the crap school. Everyone else who drives is in the same boat - school allocated as it's the only one with space because those who can get into the better school do.

Next week the traffic will drop by about 75% meaning any roadworks won't have such a bad effect on people trying to get to work, but hey let's make sure all the roadwork is termtime only so as to cause maximum disruption

Definitely council workmen. Both the truck and their jackets said XX Council.

What's the problem OP?

"a team of council road workers digging two holes in the road immediately in front of the school gates."

You're not supposed to stop in front of the gates!

Stop your car a few hundred metres away and walk your DCs.