Man keeps putting traffic cones on road outside school

[lottieandmia]

There is a road outside my dd's school where parents have to park to do the school run. A man who lives opposite this road has started putting cones up on the raised curb opposite his house to stop people parking. These cones take up about 5 parking spaces. The situation with traffic and parking before this happened was chaos anyway and now it is even worse.

Are there any legitimate reasons why he would be allowed to do this? It seems to me he doesn't have the right to stop people parking and this has now been going on for about 3 months.

[redskyatnight]

OP -do you actually know (not conjecture) why the man is doing this? If he's out every morning has anyone actually spoken to him? Has he spoken to anyone?

One of the people near DD's school has a van which he struggles to get out of his drive due to the way that people park on the road near school. HE has approached the headteacher and the headteacher has sent out (many) notes about parking considerately so those living near the school can access their own drives. The inconsiderate have continued to be inconsiderate. The blocked in neighbour has now taken to leaving the van on the road (which has prompted school parents to complain as it is in their way!).

Not saying leaving cones on the road is right, but I have some sympathy - espeically if he has already tried to do the "right" thing.

[lottieandmia]

No, I have not spoken to him about it. I don't like to confront people when I have no idea what their response will be iyswim.

[TheRealFellatio]

I agree with you Freudian. But possibly the people all circling for the same few spaces are doing so because there isn't always another realistic option within a sensible distance. I can imagine some areas will be much worse than others depending on the layout of the streets and the demographic of the parents, especially in London, but generally even with parents who are willing to walk for a few minutes it just isn't possible to park without irritating some residents somewhere.

I live in a Gulf Arab country where the attitudes and entitlements surrounding parking would make most Right Headed Brits have a nervous breakdown. Nothing less than up on the kerb, four feet from the doorstep of where you want to be is good enough. Get out and walk 50 yards? You must be joking! Why would I do that? Who do you think I am? I don't drive a car so that I have to walk in the street like a peasant!

I've seen whole areas of potential parking going empty while a few feet away twenty or thirty vehicles will all be pushing to get to one or two particular drop off points. NO ONE WILL PARK AND WALK.

The utter chaos, the danger to pedestrians, the lack of vision for people trying to cross with small children, the obstructions to passing traffic on either side of the road, the blocking in and the double parking? Pah! A mere detail. The tunnel vision attitude is one of 'I need to be in this building here, and this is the doorway therefore I will queue and jostle for position for 15 minutes if necessary, but this is where I shall park. And if I can't park I'll leave my engine running and wait. For as long as it takes.

There is a school very near to my sons, which has a drive-in pick up area, and the queues that completely block both sides of the road all waiting for the gate to open at pick up time are quite unbelievable. People won't even wait one behind the other - they all crowd their cars three abreast and jostle for position to get in the gate! Yet there is loads of parking right outside.

It's like it everywhere - schools are the worst, but shops, restaurants, banks, all the same. No discipline, no consideration, no common sense, no concept of an orderly queue, no concept of the need for a system that benefits everyone - nothing. Honestly, it has to be seen to be believed. but culturally there is no reasoning with them - that's the way they do it, and that's that.

[Madamecastafiore]

I don't understand people who choose to live near a school and then get pissy about people parking near their house? And so what if I can't be arsed to park a few streets away, I don't want to, doesn't mean I entitled, just always late or don't want my child getting out of the car on a main road.

Just nice the cones and inform the police if he is aggressive or rude. He is breaking the law. You are parking on a road, which you are perfectly entitled to do if your car has road tax and insurance.

[imnotmymum]

It always makes me laugh near our school there must be the entire cone population congregated down the road/drives/laybys. The cars will be there at 8:50 gone by 9:10 must take longer to put the bloody cones in and out then have the inconvenience for 20 mins. Of course no blocked drives etc but wow some do go over the top.

[Sallystyle]

I understand his frustration. When I moved here it was quiet (a brand new build) then they decided to put a bloody dentist on the corner of the road. Now I have to put up with awful traffic and people parking outside mine even though the dentist has a massive sign up telling them not to do so.

It's annoying and while we were asked for permission (which we declined) it happened anyway.

However, I do NOT put cones up. I just quietly seethe.

If I was you I would just move the bloody things.

[imnotmymum]

Now that would be annoying as it is all day comings and goings

[lottieandmia]

It is not all day comings and goings. The area is busy between 8.20am and about 8.40am (school starts at 8.30) and 3.20 and 3.40. The rest of the day the road used to park on is pretty much deserted except for the trucks that deliver stuff to the school (usually food).

I have to put up with annoying things where I live, but since I'm not above the law I just get on with it as others have said.

[imnotmymum]

No I was referring to Samu2. I agree the school stuff is just pathetic

[SarahBumBarer]

People live in all sorts of places - near schools, hospitals, train/tram stations, pubs, shops where lots of people park to access those places. If you don't like it - don't live there.

The COUNCIL makes the decision as to whether there should be parking restrictions in place in those areas and to what extent, not grumpy twats with a sense of entitlement.

He has no right to do this and no right even to object to people parking there. He does have a right to speak to the Council and lobby for parking restrictions - nothing more than that. Speak to the school, speak to the council, speak to the community police officer and ignore his ridiculous cones and self-rightous attitude.

[lottieandmia]

oh I see. The annoying thing is that the school, after sending out loads of letters for years about considerate parking had just got on top of the issue of the (same!) people who were parking on the pavement outside the school every day and now this man has started with the cones, the parents who parked on the pavement before have started doing it again as if because this man is doing something wrong, they can too!

[froubylou]

Who do the cones belong to? I would suggest possibly the Highways Agency or local authority?

Collect the cones and hand them back to their rightful owners.

Problem solved.

And if they are his cones, run the buggers over. I can't see a cheap plastic cone causing too much damage to a car so squish them flat. And if he complains to you, just say they shouldn't be in the road.

It is a £30 on the spot penalty for causing Unnecessary Obstruction on the public highway according to the letter we had home recently from school about being more considerate in where parents park.

Must admit, though I rarely use the car for the school run when I do I always wish I hadn't. People double parked, people parked right on the end of junctions so you can't get out to go left as you will go into the flow of traffic, people bumping up the kerb making it difficult for pushchairs to get past. The newest trick at our school seems to be to queue at the top of the drive waiting for the gaits to be opened at 3.10pm so they can all drive down and pick up their kids without actually leaving their vehicles. As they are technically late for the KS1 kids by this time (they finish at 3pm) they all rally down. Then rally back up with 3 kids in the back, no car seats or seat belts.

And outside my nephews school just up the road its even worse.


There have already been 2 fairly serious accidents over the last 3 years outside both schools. I'd personally love all the residents on DD's and DN's schools roads to have the right to stick out cones and prevent people parking. It would make people consider using their cars less and they wouldn't be parked dangerously outside the schools. Frustrating for drivers I know but safer for the children and parents.

[doingthesplitz]

He has no right to do it, but I do have sympathy for people who live near schools and have to put up with daily inconsiderate parking from selfish parents who think their children will melt if they have to walk a few yards.

[imnotmymum]

There really is no where to park near our school the whole village is a windy road type place and the layby or on wider bits of the road was ideal but now coned off. The school attracts a lot of drivers as is so good so not all village dwellers. We even had two traffic wardens posted outside just to be sure...Unless you park and ride from local town there is no where to park.

[Latara]

Best of all move the cones onto the pavement then get the schoolkids to hide them as they are below the age of criminal responsibility at under 10 i believe?

On a serious note I do feel slightly sorry for the man though as he must be a bit obsessive / paranoid over the parking situation; it must be occupying his mind for a huge part of his day :(

[imnotmymum]

That is hilarious and I agree it is the older ones who it worries most bless them. I had a waving cane at me as I parked on his drive. It was on the road the other side of his wall with restrictions but he told me it was his drive as it was directly in front of his wall. I do not park there anymore out of respect.

[SarahBumBarer]

People will not use their cars less. Presumably most people can't - they are doing the school run on the way to work and there is no other option (not got school age children myself but all my neighbours seem to combine school run and work commute because needs-must).

So what you realistically need to do is make using the cars safe. This is not achieved by parking vigilantes enforcing their own restrictions. This man is almost certainly not putting cones out due to safety concerns but for his own selfish means and as the OP says has distrurbed the successful efforts of the school to make the parking safer.

Given that OP, the school has reason to take action. A request for assistance from the school to the local police given that this man has thwarted their best efforts to resolve the parking (and safety) issues which they were grappling with, will probably be heeded more than complaints from lone parents.

I'd pick up the cones, take them to the police station with the explanation that they seemed to be abandoned on the side of the road.

[ClartyCarol]

Are you going to move the cones at pick up time or tomorrow morning?

[StitchAteMySleep]

No he doesn't have the right. The only time you can do that is when you have asked the council for a bay suspension for moving/building works etc... There will be official notices if that is the case. Inform the council's traffic enforcement section, they will deal with it. Local PC can have a word too.

[flowery]

I feel bad using my car for the school run as we are definitely within walking distance, but I am always on the way to or from the office and/or to or from DS2's nursery which is not walkable.

[threefeethighandrising]

Of course he doesn't have the right to do this.

The people here telling you to park elsewhere are just saying it because it's AIBU IMO. If you said you were the one putting cones out, they'd argue with that too.

In your shoes, I'd simply get out and move the cones.

How nice of him, to put cones out to ensure there are spaces for the parents, simply move the cones, there's your space!

[TheRealFellatio]

It conjures up images of Bernard and Brenda sitting staring at the ticking clock in an otherwise silent house, and then on the stroke of 3.15 they both stand up and Bernard goes 'Right, Brenda. It's time. I'll just change out of my house slippers and put my stab vest on. You put the kettle on and lay the binoculars by the window for when I return. I'll be back as soon as I can. I think I'll lay them in a two-three-two formation today to maximise the optimum kerb coverage.'

[ClartyCarol]

My dc's school is one of four on a stretch of about 150m in a residential area. The volume of cars at school run times is unbelievable; we are fortunate in that we can walk to school but it is not a relaxing chatty walk because of the need to be on high alert due to traffic and people parking like fucking thoughtless twats idiots.

Add to that the school heavily promoting cycling to school so you're also at risk of having your small child mown down by some other kid careering wildly along the pavement on a bike which is too big for them and they can't control .

The letters about parking issues are regularly sent out by the headteacher; the last one included the little nugget that two parents had actually come to blows in the tiny car park over a parking space. Missed that one!

OP - contact the school, PCOS or shift them yourself - just don't get into any fisticuffs.

[ClartyCarol]

TheRealFellatio . Might be the highlight of his day.

[aldiwhore]

He's in the wrong (unless he's placing the cones on the road outside his driveway, but you already said it was on the road where the raised curb is).

YANBU.

Even if you live 1/4 of a mile away, even if you're 'lazy', even if you should be taking the uni-cycle to school every day... YA(still)NBU!

Not his road. Some people simply object to the whole 'busy-ness' of the school run roads even if no one is doing anything wrong.