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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To think that parents on the school run are the most selfish and entitled driver on the roads?

132 replies

MintyChapstick · 12/02/2016 17:24

There's is a big debate locally to where I live regarding school run parents and the chaos they cause when going to either pick up or drop off their kids at school. It mainly concerns the primary school a few streets away from me where residents have been complaining that school run parents are blocking driveways etc and then when challenged have been saying things like "oh its only for a few minutes". Knowing the area as well as I do I know that most families are within a short walk of the school, so why do they even needs to ferry their kids back and forth in a car?

I happen to work at another local school that has a sign on the gates saying that car park is for staff and taxis only, but due to parents ignoring it the headteacher now has to go out and stand in front of the gates to prevent parents using it. The roads outside are a nightmare, and I feel sorry for the people who live there. Its like there's a sense of entitlement that because they are either dropping off or picking up rh their children from school they can park wherever they like.

AIBU to think that a lot of school run parents are really entitled and selfish?

OP posts:

Crabbitface · 12/02/2016 18:06

I am absolutely not condoning bad or inconsiderate parking. However to compassion about the number of people driving "nowadays" is unfair. Most mums (and some dads) have to get their kids to school (sometimes different schools) and them get to work. They really don't have time to walk their kids to school. I do have some sympathy with those who live close to schools but most people have some element of choice as to where they live. Those who don't work are inconvenienced for a small fraction of the day during the working week and during term time. I can't help but feel that this is just another reason for folk to bitch about mums.

ghostyslovesheep · 12/02/2016 18:07

Parents do NOT CARE - I used to work by a school - fucking nightmare - they used our car park (Private) blocked staff in (we all worked in and out of the office and need to be able to get in and out all the time) blocked the car park access (once for over an hour because she 'had a meeting' in school)

If challenged we would be sworn at - racially abused and I once had somebody drive at me at speed and block my drivers door so I couldn;t get out of the car - I had to climb over the passenger seat while she filmed me on her mobile laughing and telling me it would be on FB

horrible horrible people

YANBU OP

SpringHasNearlySprung · 12/02/2016 18:08

Our head is always sending letter/emails home

I get sick and tired of sending letters/emails/texts to parents who just don't listen. Either I go out in the morning and stand at the gates of the school car park refusing entry to parents or we have an almost constant Police presence on the roads outside school. I've witnessed people abandoning cars right outside the school gates on a zebra crossing while parents are trying to get their children in safely. There is a huge car park directly across from our school yet people don't use it. It's madness.

Crabbitface · 12/02/2016 18:08

Complaining...not compassion.

Perhaps staggered start times might alleviate the problem.

TheCountessofFitzdotterel · 12/02/2016 18:10

I do agree, Crabbit.
Also because it's often not safe for kids to cycle and schools won't let them walk on their own.
We could easily sort this out as a society by providing more school buses/walking buses, but it's easier and cheaper to blame the mums.

ivykaty44 · 12/02/2016 18:12

They are pretty awful at my local scHool, they block the disabled access road which means the child with disability access needs can't use it and struggles to get into school.

My dad live near a school and it is really bad at school times, parents driving on pavements to get round cars blocking the road, cars parking on junctions every day. People have complained and threatened a strike - where all local houses park on roads rather than their drives. To cause so much choas that parents walk rather than drive.

Niklepic · 12/02/2016 18:12

Parents often park in the disabled bays at school reserved for the disabled children who go there. I take great pleasure in blocking them in and taking my time overseeing DS reverse out of the car.

I actually had one grandparent demand to see the blue badge, despite very obviously disabled DS in his power chair driving up to me. To be fair the head did send out a very strongly worded letter that the spaces are reserved for those of us with disabled children and called said grandparent in 'for a word'.

JeremyZackHunt · 12/02/2016 18:12

There was a stand off today outside our school which was entertaining for us pedestrians. We have easy free parking five minutes walk away but some parents choose to park on corners, across drives etc.

Woodhill · 12/02/2016 18:14

I live in Greater London near the underground yet the area is clogged up with parents ferrying their dc to secondary schools.

Can the teenagers not use public transport. I think it is about control and lack of trust. You certainly notice when the private schools are on holiday.

RidersOnTheStorm · 12/02/2016 18:14

Those who don't work are inconvenienced for a small fraction of the day during the working week and during term time

Small fraction? They begin to arrive to pick up three quarters of an hour before school finishes. They park half on/half off the pavement meaning prams and wheelchairs can't get through. They block driveways and have Mexican stand offs in the middle of the road howling at each other like banshees.

I love it when the police come and ticket the lot.

GoblinLittleOwl · 12/02/2016 18:15

Something happens to perfectly sensible, law-abiding drivers when they do the school run; they ignore normal parking restrictions and block verges, gateways, drives and pavements in a manic desire to get as close to the school entrance as possible. I saw a parent lock her car in the middle of a road junction and leave it while she walked into school; even the school bus driver was staggered, and he has seen more than most of bad parking.

No amount of reasonable reminders will prevent it. The only effective action is when the police prosecute, which they are curiously reluctant to do.
Double yellow lines are unfair on the local residents, who then are prevented from parking outside their homes, and it only shifts the chaos further up the road.

KathyBeale · 12/02/2016 18:15

I was just thinking this today. I am shocked by how many kids are driven to school nowadays and I see lots of kids being driven to the local secondary school which is a long-ish walk away or a short hop on the bus (which is free). My kids' primary school is big so some people do live further away but we're in London - I think the furthest the catchment has ever gone out is 2 miles and that was a few years ago.

My son's class is doing swimming lessons this term. They walk to the pool and back. It's a nice walk, on a footpath through the woods, and it takes about 20 minutes. Maybe half an hour if they're dawdling. The amount of people who are horrified that the kids have to walk 'so far' has shocked me. These are all healthy, strapping 9 year olds.

And don't get me started on the parents who park by school at 1pm for school pick-up at 3pm....

Dontneedausername · 12/02/2016 18:18

I drive a 4 x 4 and I like to think I'm considerate? I have 2 in nursery and if we walked the 2 mile, uphill walk it would take an age, the kids would be knackered and I would be frazzled with hurrying them along.
I would easily hop on the bus, but due to traffic in the morning, usually there are no busses for 40 mins then 3 at once.
Our school/nursery in on a residential street, there are staggered drop offs for different classes so it's not everyone at the same time. I've never seen a blocked driveway, or car on zig zags. People just tend to go further round and walk back.

Chattymummyhere · 12/02/2016 18:19

The parents at my ds school where offered use of the local business parks car park which is about 3 minutes walk from the school gates... The car park sits empty as that's too far for the little snowflakes to walk.

Sirzy · 12/02/2016 18:19

Our school is a nightmare at drop off time. The same idiots think nothing of double parking, parking on bends, parking on pavements, it makes it very dangerous for people trying to walk in.

Even stranger though are the people who live within 1 minutes walk and drive to school early to park outside! Some people park outside their houses to drop off in the first place!

Chattymummyhere · 12/02/2016 18:21

Oh and the ironic part is some of those parents who refuse the car park will park 6 minutes away on someone's drives because? God knows why

Bubblesinthesummer · 12/02/2016 18:22

Those who don't work are inconvenienced for a small fraction of the day during the working week and during term time. I can't help but feel that this is just another reason for folk to bitch about mums.

Completely disagree.

We live near a school. Today coming back from the doctors my DH had to push me on the road in my wheelchair as parents picking up in cars were completely blocking the pavement. On zig zaps and double yellow lines.

We also have a disabled space outside our house that they think nothing if parking in and then get aggressive when told not to.

Msqueen33 · 12/02/2016 18:23

I wonder if you live local to me as there was a debate on a local fb group about it. That and dog poo.

IfNotNowThenWhenever · 12/02/2016 18:24

Yanbu. And it does seem the bigger the car, the worse the driver. Sorry, but the number of 4x4 drivers who can't seem to drive properly and are total road hogs is huge.
I sometimes have to drop dc off by car on my way to work but I park a couple of streets from school. It's no big deal. So many parents have an obsession with getting as near to the school gate as possible, it's just lazy and selfish. Just leave a few minutes earlier.

Flutterbutterfly · 12/02/2016 18:26

Yanbu, we walk to school ( in a very tiny minority) I actually had a parent scream at me for walking along the road ( no pavement) and blocking her way. If you don't block the road they tear past at 40m per hour an inch from your child. We're not cowering in the edge while they do this, I will make them wait, it's MY right of way!

Parents park over driveways and do three point turns in the road, they also park across the gates and pull up next to the gate to drop their precious child off.

Personally I think they should be forced to park well away and walk. Currently lots of parents turn up 20 mins before the bell so that they don't have to walk for three mins!

I blame the head she should get out every morning and tell them it's not on.

Original poster

MintyChapstick · 12/02/2016 18:27

Crabbitface I'd argue that any child from about the age of ten upwards is more than capable of finding their own way to school. How are the kids ever supposed to learn how to be independent and cross a road properly without being able to do the most basic of things for themselves?

OP posts:

Flutterbutterfly · 12/02/2016 18:28

Oh yes we also have those who block the only bit of pavement outside school, I happily scrape my book bags down their cars. Who parks on a fucking pavement outside a school?! Only a twat!

catsinthecraddle · 12/02/2016 18:29

YANBU

every school around here is a nightmare. I don't understand why people are so lazy they cannot walk. You can't tell me they live too far: the rules of the catchment areas are so strict, it's so difficult to get in that there is no way they live that far. If they did, they would not be in the school.

The best ones are the privates schools, parents don't even park. They simply stop in the middle of the road. The school gets letters and letters of complaint, but they don't care, parents pay a fortune so they believe the own the local area. On the other hand, they might live too far to walk, but that doesn't excuse everything.

Kitkatmonster · 12/02/2016 18:30

Yanbu. I hate every other parent on the run. We moved since kids started and now I have to drive them (genuinely too far to walk) but I park a 3-4 min walk away, considerately. I can't stand the cars that do 3 point turns right outside where kids need to cross the road to enter. Our school is down a dead end road so of course you have to turn around if you choose to drive down it. Who does that when there will clearly be hundreds of little people trying to cross over?! And the ones who live 15-20 min walk away at the most and don't walk it... If yabu then I am too because it fucking winds me up.

ZedWoman · 12/02/2016 18:31

I don't think the selfish and entitled behaviour just relates to driving either.

There are signs at all entrances to DC's school saying No Dogs and that cyclists should dismount. One woman ALWAYS brings her dog into the playground. This morning I couldn't resiist making a remark to a 'Dad' who was riding round and round the playground on his mountain bike. What an utter tosser! (It was a piece of pig-iron as well)

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