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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

School parking

140 replies

Tameonefirst · 04/03/2016 22:40

Received a text from dcs school tonight asking parents not to park on the roads around the school as neighbours are complaining that they can't park on the road outside their houses. AIBU to think that A: they don't own the road and as long as people are parked properly not blocking drives there's nothing to complain about, B: they bought a house next to a school, surely they knew this was going to happen, and C: the school should have explained point A to the complainer? Thank you

OP posts:

sunnyawry · 04/03/2016 22:48

YANBU, same at our school. I would love to walk tbh but we didn't get in to either of the closer schools so it's not practical. School right in the middle of myriad of tiny narrow residential streets. I've had glares from people where I've obviously parked outside their house. Meh. I'm only there 10 mins.

lem73 · 04/03/2016 22:50

I live near a school. I expect lots of cars parking but I shouldn't have to put up with inconsiderate or unsafe behaviour every single day. Perhaps the local residents are fed up of parents driving like idiots.

echt · 04/03/2016 22:51

I'd text the school right back and tell them it's a public road.

UnmentionedElephantDildo · 04/03/2016 22:52

YABU. The parking is causing a nuisance. It didn't before (no complaints until now) and it doesn't need to.

It probably means that there are new parents at the school who are parking inconsiderately and the neighbours have had enough.

Better to heed the warning, spread out the parking and make consideration the watchword.

If not, then the introduction of residents parking come about to solve the problem.

echt · 04/03/2016 22:52

But the neighbours aren't complaining about bad driving, but perfectly legal parking.

Original poster

Tameonefirst · 04/03/2016 22:55

Thank you for your replies. lem73 I completely understand what you mean and there's no excuse for inconsiderate or dangerous parking and a number of texts have been sent out on that issue. However, this one was specifically because people can't park on the road outside their houses.

OP posts:

Balletgirlmum · 04/03/2016 22:55

I park legally in the roads surrounding ds's school even when I'm not dropping off if I want to walk into town.

Yanbu, I used to live opposite a school & actually the problems wernt always parents but it could be worse in the evenings & weekends when the school was hired out for events.

AuntieStella · 04/03/2016 22:56

I'd have no problem whatsoever if my DCs school wanted to be a good neighbour and urged the parent community to be considerate when there was a problem.

SmellySourdough · 04/03/2016 22:57

yabu
traffic and parking around school start and end is manic and many parents seem to ignore traffic rules 'because it's just ten minutes'

lem73 · 04/03/2016 22:59

You have every right to park if there are no lines or zig zags so go for it. I'm just trying to explain the residents' point of view. We have double yellow lines at school entrance and people park there every bloody day, even though there is space a few metres up the road. Further down the road people block drives. They also drive off at high speeds. I would never let my dcs walk to school alone and we only live 20 metres from the school gate. It's not safe because it's packed full of people determined not to walk more than two metres.

Original poster

Tameonefirst · 04/03/2016 23:02

Thanks very much everyone for your various views, very interesting hearing other opinions. Especially those living near schools

OP posts:

MsVestibule · 04/03/2016 23:04

The text will do absolutely nothing to stop parents parking on the surrounding roads, and they know that - they just want to be seen to be doing something. I used to live opposite a school and wouldn't have dreamt of complaining about parents coming and going. (Bloody irritating when teachers parked there all day and I struggled to get a baby, toddler and shopping unloaded from 100m down the street, but that's life.)

I've had two residents complain to me about parking outside their house (not too bad in five years) and I just calmly said 'I'm parked legally on a public road' and got into my car.

Discopanda · 04/03/2016 23:07

I've just moved from a house right by a school and some parents are bumholes with their parking, one in a 4x4 used to regularly block the path for everybody else. Yes, it's a public road but people should be considerate.

GoringBit · 04/03/2016 23:13

We used to live very close to a school, and I never minded people parking on the public road outside the house (it wasn't mine to mind, iyswim) but most days someone would park across the drive and block us in or out. It was an inconvenience sometimes, but I saw it as part and parcel of living near a school. It never occurred to me to complain to the school.

Verbena37 · 04/03/2016 23:14

Can they get residents parking if they all have their own driveways....not sure they can?

angielou123 · 04/03/2016 23:19

My sons school is on a residentual road, so there's cars parked all along the roads anyway, before you get the parents there. It is complete chaos, twice a day I actually feel sorry for those who live there. People park, on the grass, on corners with lines, blocking garages, in 2 private residents carparks , actually anywhere there is a space weather they are blocking in another car or not. I do drive as we live in the next village, but ive seen one girl drive who lives on the next street! I don't know what the solution is, there doesn't seem to be one.

sunnyawry · 04/03/2016 23:19

Absolutely, consideration is key I agree. I actually don't care about being close to the school and I'd never park on yellows or block a drive. I'll drive further down the street to get a space on the right side of the road so I can get my child and the baby safely in and out of the car without standing in the traffic.
This may well be outside someone's house and I just think if they are that bothered about parking directly outside their property they could always avoid going out/returning during those 10 minutes when it could reasonably be predicted that the streets would fill up dons helmet and runs away

RudeElf · 04/03/2016 23:20

I live right opposite our school on a new development and parents have started parking along the entrance to the development. Actually in it along side my house and neighbours house. I've no idea if theyre legally parked but its bloody annoying.

Pedestriana · 04/03/2016 23:21

I live near a school, as do several other parents with children at the school. There is a building close by (2 minutes walk) which usually permits parking during school time in their car park, but because of some maintenance work it's been closed this week.
This seems to have given people the idea that it's okay to park opposite a junction, on a corner, up against the zebra crossing, on double yellow lines and across dropped kerbs either because a)"I've got my hazard lights on b) "I'm only waiting for someone", c) "There's nowhere else to park" or d)"I didn't know it wasn't okay".
No issues at all with people parking legally on the road.
The problem with the others is that it causes an obstruction and is dangerous. You can't see traffic approach with people on the corner, nor can you see the road/crossing clearly.
A friend's son was injured (arm broken) when clipped by a driver who mounted the kerb to avoid a vehicle parked on the opposite side.

whathaveiforgottentoday · 04/03/2016 23:22

I see some really inconsiderate parking outside my DD's school and there really isn't any need for it. I'm not talking about parking legally but parking on zigzag lines, yellow lines and most irritating for the residents, parking over their drives (which I know its legal if there is no car on the drive, but its certainly unethical to do so).

I drive every day to pick kids up as I pick them up on the way back from work and there is no time to drop my car off first and I never park just outside the school as there is plenty of more suitable places to park about 3-4 mins walk away. Some parents are just very very lazy and incredibly rude and yes they always seem to be 4 x 4's. They must just think they are more important than the rest of us.

Pipbin · 04/03/2016 23:28

While I agree with you that no one owns the space outside their house, and that people know the times of day that are going to be busy; I don't agree with this statement: B: they bought a house next to a school, surely they knew this was going to happen.
Mil lives close to a school. She has lived there for 50 years. When she bought the house few people drove their children to school and parking wasn't a problem.

I live near a school but have no idea if parking is a problem as I am a teacher so never at home for the school run.

Fatmomma99 · 05/03/2016 00:56

others have said this, but I'll echo it: Parents park like c*nts because "it's only 10 mins" (actually, it's more like 1/2 an hour) and residents get pissed off with their driveways blocked, their green space being churned up, roads being blocked, etc.

So they complain to the school.

The school has to live within the community, so they try to be good neighbours by asking parents to park considerately.

Parents continue as they always have.

Residents get more and more irked.

This is every school up and down the country.

Roll on the holidays!!!!

JaceLancs · 05/03/2016 01:05

I live near a school and have to drive past 2 other schools every morning on my way to work
I know the law, the problem is general inconsiderate behaviour - with a modicum of bad driving and 'entitledness'
I wish the schools would write to the parents more often!
3-4 times a year someone complains to the police about the worst excesses and they provide a presence which improves things massively for up to a week - then it reverts back......

Original poster

Tameonefirst · 05/03/2016 01:25

Thank you so much everyone for your viewpoints. Again though, texts have been sent out about inconsiderate parking which I completely agree with, you should not be not able to get onto your drive or not be able to safely enter or exit your property. This text was specifically about residents not being able to park on the road outside their house.

OP posts:

kali110 · 05/03/2016 01:31

unfortunately there are a few schools in my area, one being right near my house. Parents think it's perfectly fine to park on or over mine and my neighbours drive.
They don't seem to think it's a big deal and get angry when they're asked to move and stop blocking us in! ( considering i suffer with clots we kind of need to keep our drive free!)
The worst is the little school. It only has a small carpark, which i believe is simply meant for the parents to quickly pick their kids up.
Obviously they are not all going to fit in it ( only around 10 sppaces, if that!) instead of going elsewhere, or even into the towncenters carpark 5 minutes away they literally blockthe road.
I was stuck on the bus for 10 minutes in the week because the bus couldn't get round
It is a nightmare

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