It's a school parking thread...!

[Drivingqueen123]

Have NCd as this may out me - area at least!

We lived on a narrow street with two schools on it. One halfway down, one at the end.

There have been ongoing issues at drop off and pick up times. There's been one minor accident outside our house, and my neighbours have witnessed lots of verbal abuse by parents. The school sent a letter out to apologise for bad language from parents.

I'll stress now, I have no problem with the absolute majority of parents, who apologise if they block us in or hold us up. The school have tried all manner to stop parents parking and driving dangerously - police, traffic enforcement, newsletters.

Our Councillor has just knocked on to ask if we would be happy to support a one way system, to try and move traffic along.

AIBU that I said it was the parents poor driving and parking that consistently causes this issue (when they have access to a car park literally 20 seconds away) and why should we be impacted further by it. The Councillor seemed shocked I didn't agree, and said she would be organising a petition and was sure everyone else would support it.

Would resident only parking work? Might be a bloody hassle getting a permit though.

I would be up for RPZ in this case!

If they have to loop all the way round to use your road then perhaps they will use the carpark as it would be easier.

There may be a good reason so many don't use it if it is literally 18 steps from school though. Does it cost? Is it tight for big cars? Full?

It does surprise me how many parents think their precious child can not possibly walk to a legally parked car so they need to park right on the corner on double yellow lines. If mine ever whinged, I pointed out that we all had working legs and should be grateful for them.

I live very close to a school too at the end of a cul de sac and am regularly blocked in by selfish parents. We have a car park 2 minutes' walk along the road and this is apparently too far for their little angels to walk without melting in the rain. One woman who has a child in my son's class arrives every day at 2.30pm to get "her" spot in the turning space at the end of the road.

School have tried everything - they send regular pleas by text, email and in the newsletter to parents to park considerately and use the car park. The police have attended from time to time when people blatantly park on the yellow zig zags outside school but aren't really interested in residents who can't get their cars off the drive.

I wouldn't accept a one way system as a solution either - it's 20 minutes, twice a day, term time only and I'm assuming the one way would be 24/7. Some people are just downright selfish though and don't care if they are blocking people in or causing trouble as long as they are as close as possible to the school gate. I just stand at the window and shoot them evil looks as they park.

Well then lobby for parking permits for residents if it's that bad surely. One way system no brainer. Why would you want it any other way?!!
soupdragon it's also illegal to block a car's exit from a driveway. Anyway this doesn't apply in this case.

I live on a road near q school that's one way - it works really well.

I love those automatic bollards Arf. The ones I know lower themselves automatically for buses and emergency vehicles.
Watching people trying to sneak through after buses can be quite funny.
I'd have those at the end of the street just for fun.

No, no charge for car park. They prefer to drop and run than park up and walk the kids in.

There is an international school near me where even the school mini buses park on the zigzags. The parents park across driveways, on the pavement, on double yellows, the standard of driving is pretty appalling too, it is terrifying.

The local traffic wardens OTOH are all busily occupied in the pay and display car parks, ticketing everyone who is one minute late getting back to their car. I can only assume that there are too many diplomatic number plates to make ticketing worthwhile.

No charge for the car park? Those parents haven't realised that the congestion means they probably take longer to "drop and run" than to park and walk......

pottering that's interesting - is it all the time? Or just school hours?

I'm going to email the councillor with that suggestion!

The local traffic wardens OTOH are all busily occupied in the pay and display car parks, ticketing everyone who is one minute late getting back to their car

This really annoys me too. Ok you've outstayed your welcome but you're not causing an obstruction and the chances are there are plenty of other spaces in the car park. But there are the traffic wardens slapping tickets onto cars.

Instead of going round the roads near local roads and giving everyone parked on yellows or in turning areas tickets instead. Because, you know, they are causing an obstruction.

near local SCHOOLS.

Grr, should read before press submit.

It's somewhere in classics....

You've all convinced me - proactive suggestions to councillors and maaaaybe it will be better

Our school for my DDs has a walking crocodile from the car park. Teachers an TAs are on a rota and every 5 min from 8.30 to 8.55 (school starts at 8.50) a group is walked to the school across the road. In the evening there are 3 lines. One group to after school activities, one to carpark (20 dc at a time) and one to go the opposite direction/walk home on their own the policy so after infants no parents are on site . Boys school is free for all.
This was put inplace after a bad accident last year where a child exited a car in the traffic line ran sround the front of her parents car and was hit by a car from the opposite direction. The ambulance had to par way down the rd and walk up to the accident as congestion was so bad in the area and people would not give way/turn back.

The problem with residents parking is that the crappy parkers would probably ignore it. If they block driveways/park on zigzags and double yellows, CPZs aren't going to stop them. You need a constant stream of traffic wardens to really have any impact.

How about trialling the one way? Or talking to your neighbours and seeing if together you can't come up with a better idea?

The walking croc idea is a good one too. Put it to the school. If they started doing that, the council may not even need to do anything at all.

The ambulance had to par way down the rd and walk up to the accident as congestion was so bad in the area and people would not give way/turn back.

People wouldn't give way to an ambulance?

What gets me about all of this is that some people honestly think that they are a tiny bit more special than everyone else. They are only going to park there for a moment while they drop their child off at school. Bugger the fact that everyone else is doing the same, their child is just that tiny bit more important than everyone else's child.