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

[MintyChapstick]

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?

I live 100 meters from a primary school, we have a drive and a there is single yellow line along our side of the road. The terrace of houses opposite has residents parking which includes a residents disabled bay,this is the closest parking to the school. I often have my drive way blocked, parents park on the pavement so you can't get a pushchair or wheelchair through and it's a nightmare. One family who live in the terrace and have a permit are often unable to park at pick up time as the residents bay is blocked - she has often asked a driver to move and it has been met with abuse, this is on returning from collecting her disabled son from school (he finishes a little earlier than primary school).
There is amble parking a few minutes walk from the school, the local pub even allows parents to use it's large car park but walking 3 mins is obviously too much trouble.
This is a good school in a "nice" area and the vast majority of parents are professionals, the school has 3% free school meals and there is competition for places. It sickens me to see the entitled arrogant way some parents behave, what an example to set for children! On rare occasions a traffic warden is there at the right time to issues fines but they just accept the charge and it doesn't stop them!!!

I'm with you all the way OP. YADNBU.

I'd agree Minty. But most primary school kids are under 10. I HATE inconsiderate drivers and parkers. It drives me potty too. But there has to be an element of mutual understanding and respect. I have parked legally and considerately on a street a couple of minutes walk away from my child's school and been carrying a sleeping and stick toddler when a pair of local residents took it upon themselves to verbally attack me - they had got themselves into such a state about mums parking that anyone was fair game. Even those who have never caused any problems.

It seems from above posts that staggered starting times work.

My Mum's local fire station has PCSOs outside it as parents dropping their little treasures off at the infant and primary schools started parking outside the exit doors of the fire station - literally up to the doors! Also on the zigzags on the road (you know, the yellow ones that mean No Parking ) PCSOs needed because when the firemen came out and told them to move, they had loads of abuse and threats of violence!

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

This is exactly the entitled attitude these motorists selfishly have, you can be inconvienenced so that I can do what I like and not abide by any rules or laws

I guess it depends on where you are. I live on a main road in walking distance to a football stadium and a school and the football fans are way more selfish and entitled here - we literally avoid going out if there is a home match on as all the roads will be blocked and there is a lot of careless driving and parking [and shouting and rubbish afterwards]. No amount of signs or lines or police has made any form of dent in it. The primary school is hardly noticeable in comparison.

At my sons school it's pretty bad.
The school has a small car park and it's always full. The streets surrounding the school are full, but the sheer number of people who park on the double yellow lines or the zig zags astounds me.
The school sent yet another letter home recently asking for parents to please not swear and shout at local residents for asking them not to block their driveways. It reminded everyone that there is a public park with a large car park only a few minutes walk away with good paths. Hardly anyone uses it. On the rare occasions I have had to drive, I always park there, plenty of room and stress free!
Another school Mum I know saw a minor accident right outside the school. We were debating who was at fault - the guy in the BMW who sped through, knocked the wing mirror off a car and didn't stop or the parked car that was half on, half off the kerb right outside the school causing an obstruction in the road.
Every now and again some PCSOs sit outside in a marked car and everyone behaves themselves.

This is why I always walk my kids to school, the younger one in nursery in the pushchair, the other (4yo) walks herself. We live 5-10 mins from school. The traffic chaos just isn't worth it. If I've been out somewhere before the school run, rather than just go direct, I'll take the car home and walk down the hill. Much quicker and with a guaranteed arrival time as there's nothing to delay me.

We have a lollipop lady at the crossing nearest school and the number of times she gets abuse from parents is ridiculous. One ignored her the other day and came flying round the corner, narrowly missing a group of children.

I really don't understand the need to drive, at least in urban areas, when catchment areas are so very small anyway. The walks to school can't be long. And for anyone heading to work after, surely they just risk getting stuck in a huge traffic jam of other parents anyway?

There is no excuse for illegal (yellow lines, blocking roads, driveways) parking. None at all.

However, I am one of those parents who turns up 45 minutes before drop off in the morning. I live within walking distance of the school (takes me 11 minutes door to door walking fast). However, I drive to the school. Why? Because I have to go to work. And to get to work I have to be in my car and driving away immediately the children are in school. Even a 2-3 minute walk would mean I would be late for work. So I arrive really really early and sit in the car with my children to ensure I am parked right outside the school so I can go to school. I am parked safely- no drives, no yellow lines, not blocking the road etc. I assure you that I am not getting up 45 minutes early in the morning for fun.

Yanbu - one mum who was in the car with her infant scool age son shouted at me to f off out the way - I was crossing on the zebra crossing at the time. It is mainly mums that don't stop for pedestrians here.

One hundred percent agree OP. I used to drive to work in London, going through Chelsea near several schools znd have seen the most atrocious parking ever.

Plus I used to get cars parked in my dedicated disabled parking spot outside my house, which was fine if I was at the office but if I worked from home and needed to go out it would be a nightmare. One particular mother parked there even after I asked her politely not to so on more than one occasion In the end I double parked - blocking her car in and refused to move for several hours despite her ranting and raving. She never parked there again.

There is a newish private primary round the corner from me and they use the road I live down to park for drop off/pick up. I now have two rather big dents in my little car in places that I highly suspect drivers of 4x4's have more than likely done.

Don't even get me started on the parking aspect of things

ivykaty44 Did you actually read the rest of my post? No where did i condone inconsiderate driving. I clearly stated that i didn't. But i am entitled to drive my small children to school and if a solution to primary school parking hell is to be found then people have to have mutual respect. Like other pps have said this problem is NOT confined to school gates. Anyone who lives near sports grounds, train stations, underground stations, certain shops etc all have problems with inconsiderate parking. My point is it is a dick driver problem not a "mum" driver problem.

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

As well as parents' evenings
...and family assemblies
...and discos
...and plays
...and after school clubs
...and the nursery/preschool drop off times which are in the middle of the day
...and the school holiday camps
...and the Christmas/summer fetes

Some of those are even worse as they are attended by the one thing worse than the 'school run Mum/Dad'........the 'school run Grandad'.

No, I don't think your generalisation holds true, OP. A few parents at the DC's school (also Victorian, surrounded by terraces) are awful, but most are fine. A few of the teachers are downright dangerous though, and worst of all was the white van man who decided that reversing into the school gateway at speed while it was crowded with children and parents in order to do his three point turn was perfectly reasonable. How he managed not to kill anyone I don't know.

Not to mention all the non-parents who fly down the narrow roads by the school ignoring the 20 mile an hour limit even at drop-off and pick-up.

There are just too many horrorshow drivers on the roads generally.

toomany

Are you also there nearly an hour before pick up though? That's the ones I'm on about at our school. It's always the same people who claim it's due to work rush yet seem to be able to get out of work early enough to be parked for an hour before they need to be at school witch really confuses me.

I don't remember there being many cars when I was in primary school and we had a really wide catchment area. Its probably a mix of people being lazy, both parents having to work so no time for walking, and people having to commute in from far afield as I saw on the faith schools thread that sometimes kids can't get into any local schools. But no excuse for illegal parking at all or dangerous driving, that's so messed up. Every year when school starts again after summer I see signs going up with pictures of children and in big writing saying "Don't run over us!"

I have a lower primary school at the bottom of my road, we're lucky here as I only ever see cars there at drop off/pick up time when the weather is bad and even then never more than 8. Most children walk or ride their bikes and the parents seem to be very considerate drivers. Helps of course that there's loads of speed bumps on our road!

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

In my case I was AT work - and it was 4 times a day for 30 mins at a time plus sports day, religious days, nativities, and parents evenings plus holiday club!

I am also a MUM - I drive mine to school as I am on my way to work - I park in the church car park (with permission) and walk them the last bit - no need to be a dick and block people in

It is a minority - but it only takes a minority to create a real danger.

Our local primary is on a busy road with traffic calming islands in the middle. It only takes one person to park outside the school (on zig zag lines) and there's a jam. Someone else parks on the other side and the roads at a standstill. Usually there are several cars parked on either side. Now and again police will come and move cars on but - geez - what a waste of police time just because some parents don't have any common sense.

There is a supermarket next to the school with an empty car park at that time of the morning but that extra minute is obviously just too much.

And this is a town in Scotland where almost every child lives in walking distance.

I used to walk dd to school but now I am working I have to drive to get to work on time. It's only 3 or 4 parents at our school that insist on parking where they shouldn't. I was talking to a parent the other day who was amazed that I was going to let dd walk when she gets to secondary school. It's about 1.5 miles away and lots of children around us walk. Besides there's no way I want to face the bun fight that is the school run there, it's carnage!

Flutterby who parks on a pavement outside a school? The daft lady in the white people carrier I spotted getting a talking to by a teacher this week.

Fully parked on the pavement next to the zig zags on the road. "But I'm not parked on the zig zags"

I spotted her as I was pushing DD2 in her pushchair and was working out if I could squeeze past. She put her reversing lights on and started reversing into a maybe 8/9 year old girl who had walked past Then the teacher came bounding over for a word. There were 2 adults and a child in the car. Even if one adult had severe disabilities preventing her from parking elsewhere I strongly suspect the other one didn't. I thought of MN when I saw it as I've only just started doing the pre school run so not exactly the same times as proper school but close enough to see some special behaviour!

Some of us have to drop the kids off at school on our way to work. I would love to walk to school but couldn't do that and get to work on time. Some of us are considerate drivers and parkers, but many at our school aren't

I would love to me able to walk my DD to the school around the corner from my house then walk home, pick up car and go to work. But she didn't get a place in that school and ended up 2 miles away. Not everyone gets in their nearest school. I have to drive so I can get to work on time.
Every day, the same 2 drivers park up on the zigzag lines leading to staff car park and block it. Then there are the late comers who stop right outside school, blocking the road, while their kids faff about trying to scramble out. They still do it even when the camera car is there.

DH could never get over the time when a 4x4 narrowly missed him as the car mounted the pavement so that the Dad could park on a patch of grass that he considered 'his spot' as his 4 wheel drive enabled him to go 'cross country'.

"My kids are still in nursery so I have to drive them" why?

My daughter has never been regularly driven to School. I haven't had a car for 4 years. When she was at nursery I didn't have a car, it was a 1.5 mile walk approx, we walked every day, I took a buggy for the journey home but she rarely bothered.

She's now 15, has HMS and walks just over 2 miles to School every day regardless of weather (unless its so extreme school's closed we're in Scotland so this happens occasionally).

I live a 3 MINUTE WALK from her old primary, yet there are parents who drive their children to School AND THEN DRIVE HOME seriously how lazy do you have to be to not walk 6 mins?!

Far too many children driven to School COMPLETELY unnecessarily (and of course I don't include sick or disabled children) and then we wonder why kids have obesity and entitlement issues!