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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

aibu? parking at school pick up time

74 replies

crymeariverwoo · 07/05/2015 13:13

okay, I don't actually have children but do the school run quite often to help someone out. So I would say mostly 4/5 days a week, sometimes more sometimes less. Anyway, there are 2 entrances to the school, near one entrance there is a small car park (literally 25 card max), then by the other entrance there are 4 spaces on the road (there are a few local shops here so there is space for those, although anyone can use them) this is a 1 hour max stay. then there are several off roads that you can park on. I nearly always park on the off road as there is plenty of room and takes absolute max, 1 min to walk to the school gate. Now what passes me off, is the amount of people who park on the double yellow lines!! so the place where there is space for 4 cars, you will often get 6/7 cars parking there, and then on the off road it is double yellow lines close to the corner then free parking for all, so many people will not drive a few more metres but will park on the double yellow lines, which makes it seriously dangerous to try and get out because you can't actually see what's comjng and the traffic is quite busy at this time! does this happen where you are? what can be done about it? It actually infuriates me so much. I don't really know why but I get more and more annoyed every day, I just think why are there rules in place if nothing is followed through?

OP posts:

Original poster

crymeariverwoo · 07/05/2015 13:15

I am sorry I babble a lot! I am just angry and needed to vent!

OP posts:

SirChenjin · 07/05/2015 13:18

This happens outside every school in the land, I think - a few lazy, selfish, ignorant parents spoil it for everyone. Can you speak to the local community police, or ask to the school to involve them?

WorraLiberty · 07/05/2015 13:20

This happens everywhere.

What they used to do around here was ask the community police to do some spot checks.

But they seem to be too thin on the ground now, to have the time to do it.

OneMagnumisneverenough · 07/05/2015 13:20

I agree with you and it's indicitive of the attitude that rules are there for other people and that some people think they're childrena re more precious than other peoples - it's an entitled attitude that really gets my goat. Doesn't happen in the primary near me where most children walk and parents who drive park in local side streets - you cannot stop in the main road although technically there are no yellow lines at all.

Mine are at High school now and people who pick up are mostly reasonable.

My colleague complains a lot about exactly your issue though at her childs school. Additionally people park across residents driveways who then cannot get their car out to go to work!

cailindana · 07/05/2015 13:21

It is a constant problem for the vast majority of schools. The laziness of people never fails to astound me. A few times when I've been bringing mine in through the gates people have backed up to the gate so as to drop someone off right outside the entrance! I can't think of any driving manoeuvre that's much more lazy, dangerous and stupid than reversing into a school gate. It amazes me that some people actually manage to function with such limited brain power.

BunnyLebowski · 07/05/2015 13:22

Happens at our school too.

Recently some of the kids held a protest standing in front of the ignorant bollixes drivers and they STILL sat there and didn't move .

I don't get it. School places here are based on distance. You simply cannot live that far away. Get off your arse and walk like the rest of us .

OneMagnumisneverenough · 07/05/2015 13:23

Oh, and she has also seen them bump up onto the pavement instead and park there so that technically they think they aren't on the yellow lines.....forces people with buggies and young children onto the road though.

ouryve · 07/05/2015 13:25

It's similar here, and bugs me, particularly when the parents parking as close as possible park on the sodding pavement.

We've had traffic wardens and community police officers out and everyone is suddenly so well behaved, though I have heard a good deal of moaning from parents who were ticketed. Tough shit, really.

Some neighbouring areas have deployed camera cars to drive past school gates.

MarvellousMarbles · 07/05/2015 13:26

At our (private) primary, a local resident complained not long ago. She was heavily pregnant and had to get her car out to collect her other kids from another school. Some selfish parent from our school had parked across her driveway, so she couldn't pick up her kids. As if that wasn't bad enough, they did it repeatedly, until our head-teacher took to standing in the driveway at pick up time... I cannot understand the mentality!

MissDuke · 07/05/2015 13:26

Yep, happens here too - so annoying! I park quite a bit away so as to park safely and manage to easily get to the playground with younger children without drama - not sure why others can't. Here it always seems to be parents without younger children that do it, there really is no excuse. It compromises everyones safety.

OneMagnumisneverenough · 07/05/2015 13:28

I think that in some cases there is a geniune need for kids to be driven to school, parents might be dropping on their way to work and don't have the time to walk back home before driving to work and don't want to leave children too long in the playground, or in rural areas near us, technically the children are within the distance to walk but there isn't a safe route. Or in my case (High School) bullying issues meant that we went out of catchment and there is no public transport and we aren't entitled/there is no school transport. It's not always the driving that's the issue, it's the mental defectives behind the wheel.

ouryve · 07/05/2015 13:29

Just to add, ours is made all the more dangerous by the fact that the school is in a cul-de-sac, so there's the added chaos caused by people turning around. I did snigger when someone used the close opposite the school to turn around on a very cold winter's morning and got stuck because it's on a slope and was iced over.

Purplepixiedust · 07/05/2015 13:29

Our school regularly ask parents to part sensibly I the newsletter. Occasionally they get traffic warden to patrol. People block driveways and park on the hatched area outside the gate. They also mount the kerb while trying to forward parallel park grrrrrr!

I drive to school sons days as I drop off on my way to work. I always park 3-4 min walk away. No problem then.

WorraLiberty · 07/05/2015 13:30

I don't get it. School places here are based on distance. You simply cannot live that far away. Get off your arse and walk like the rest of us

Ahh but then the excuses start...

"I have to go to work" - That doesn't stop you from parking a few roads away and putting one foot in front of the other.

"I have to go shopping" - And you can't park a few roads away and walk part of the journey to school because?"

"Little Emily doesn't like walking" - I'm not surprised. Ever since she was born, you've driven her everywhere. It's amazing she knows how to fucking do it.

Purplepixiedust · 07/05/2015 13:30

Blooming predictive text is doing my head In today!

ouryve · 07/05/2015 13:31

I was nodding until your last sentence, OneMagnum. What a horrible turn of phrase.

goshhhhhh · 07/05/2015 13:32

This is a problem at our school. Lots of things have been tried & it is a small number of parents. (if I tell you what we are doing I would out myself). It is f-ing annoying though!

Hoppinggreen · 07/05/2015 13:33

Well imagine if you had a huge free easy to use dedicated carpark that was a 2 minute safe pedestrianised walk from the school gates?
Surely everyne would use it wouldn't they? Surely no one would still block the road and annoy residents would they?
For some reason I really can't get my head around then yes they would and they do at our school!!!!
Totally nuts

OneMagnumisneverenough · 07/05/2015 13:33

Friend also saw a woman get out her car and shout at some young teens who happened to be crossing the road as she swung into it and nearly knocked them over - clearly it was their fault despite them having right of way since they were already crossing when she turned in. Added to that, she didn't indicate so they, not having primed up their crystal ball, had no idea that she was going to turn in either. A gentleman witnessed it and sent her off with a flea in her ear after noting down her registration number.

gamerchick · 07/05/2015 13:34

Happens in our schools... When it starts to creep up again the school get the traffic wardens out for pick up and drop off which is highly entertaining for those of us who walk.

Might be worth having a chat with the school to see if this is an option.

ginmakesitallok · 07/05/2015 13:35

I nearly cheered when I saw some bollix getting a ticket yesterday for parking on the yellow lines outside school. I drive my kids to school, we live out of area, but park further away so as not to be a nuisance.

OneMagnumisneverenough · 07/05/2015 13:36

outyve - you are right, that didn't come out as I wanted it to. I did type arseholes but didn't want to swear and then ended up worse. Apologies. that really wasn't what I meant.

memememum · 07/05/2015 13:42

My 2 are at two different schools at the moment (1 primary and 1 a nursery within a primary) so it's interesting to see the differences.

Up until a couple of terms ago they were both dreadful, but now my dd's school is really much better. The change has come about through the headteacher following through on various threats by putting very visible traffic wardens on patrol at key times everyday for at least half a term. They still appear pretty regularly now. At ds's school things are just as dangerous as ever, because they only ever threaten enforcement and never actually do it.

pigsDOfly · 07/05/2015 13:42

When my children were at school I was permanently wound up over the parking.

The school was at the end of a cul-de-sac on a large estate. The residents of the estate obviously parked their cars outside their houses and there was then just room for one car going through the road in or out.

You were meant to park in the main road and walk up through the estate to the school; probably about a 4 minute walk. But clearly that rule didn't apply to a large percentage of the parents and their little darlings who couldn't possibly be made to walk a few yards every morning and evening.

It used to drive me up the wall.

It was a large school and because of the type of school it was, none if any, of the residents' children would have attended it.

Because of all the cars going to and fro twice a day the residents would be held up trying to get in and out of their own street and even their own drives as school parents would often park across their drives.

As a consequence there were terrible arguments going on all the time and understandably the residents hated all of us.

Some people just won't accept they are being unreasonable. The inconsiderate parents at my children's school claimed that as it was a public highway they had the right to drive through it.

If people are selfish and arrogant they will just go on doing what suits them regardless of how it affects others. Maddening, I know.

Oops. Clearly I babble too.

TwartFaceBeetj · 07/05/2015 13:44

It happens at all schools,
Our school has in the past, taken photos of cars park on double yellows, zigzags, and part blocking drives, then put them in the school news letter saying is this you?

We also have the community officer down regularly. A couple of years ago there was actually a punch up between a school mum and a resident

The thing is there are 3 car parks within 200 yards, and a forth a little further away.
It's just pure laziness

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