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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To be cross with the parents who park over our drive

126 replies

Crispspsps · 03/10/2016 22:42

We live opposite a private Catholic co-ed school. It seems like an ok school from what i have read. There is a main entrance on a main road, but there's a back entrance opposite our house. Every morning between 7.30 and 8.45 there is a continuous series of cars that stop over our drive to let their kids out, blocking the path, and almost continuous traffic up our road.. Then there are others who at 3pm park over our driveway for 10 or 15 minutes while they go in and do whatever and we can't get into our drive. I emailed the school about this last year and got a very nice reply that they would ask parents to be more considerate, but nothing has changed. I walk my kids to school each morning. I know everyone can't, but am pissed off with the traffic in my residential road because of this school, It's a small street. I don't want my 4yo to be smacked in the head by a Range Rover door opening, like he was this morning. Yes, I know I will get biscuits for this, but FFS it pisses me off.

OP posts:

Andrewofgg · 04/10/2016 10:13

How do these Scottish councils enforce any ban? It's usually only a few minutes so there's not much time to do anything!

Gizlotsmum · 04/10/2016 10:19

Ring your local police, if they can have a presence around school run time it may make people think. I hate school parking. I have to drive and park considerately but see so many parents that don't... hope your dc is ok!

InTheseFlipFlops · 04/10/2016 10:45

It's the "I'll only be a minute" mentality. It's ok, I'll only inconvenience that person, because it's only a minute.
But it's a whole school full, twice a day. That's a lot of people inconvenienced.

blaeberry · 04/10/2016 11:57

Andrew I think Edinburgh City Council (and it is only Edinburgh) has made the road outside the couple of schools they have done this at no access to cars between certain hours, this can be enforced easily by automatic cameras. They have also made all roads across the city, except main roads, universally 20mph speed limit.

NavyandWhite · 04/10/2016 12:00

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

t4nut · 04/10/2016 12:07

Keep ranting to the school and in the mean time put cones across the drive.

NO. STOP RANTING AT THE SCHOOL.

They cannot do a single thing about what happens outside their gates. They have no control over who drives, flies or swims to school. They have no control over what happens on public roads. They have no idea who parked the white audi in front of your drive. They can't find out and they can't do anything about it.

All you will do is piss them off and waste their time. Stop saying moan at the school - should I phone you up and moan about the van my neighbour parked in front of my house? No - because its not your responsibility and you can't do anything about it. Where parents park outside school grounds is not the schools responsibility and they can't do anything about it.

SlottedSpoon · 04/10/2016 12:08

Piglet I am not defending them at all. I am saying that if they park up, get out and walk away then the are very much in the wrong. And if it were me I would take photos and call the police.

On the other hand, if they pull in for a brief moment to set down or pick up a passenger then they are not doing anything wrong in law at all, however irritating and rude it might appear to the OP or anyone else who frequently has to put up with it.

The fact is, for as long as it is a public road and they are entitled to drive up and down it, the police can't stop them, neither can the head teacher, neither can a traffic warden, so long as they are still in the drivers seat with the door open and someone climbing in or out, with engine running and it's clear that they are not actually parking and leaving.

So what is the point in getting so worked up about it? Either move house or in the words of Elsa, LET IT GO because until it becomes a private road or the school closes down it ain't ever going to stop.

Because for all the reasons explained ad nauseum upthread, some people really need/want/like to drive to school.

SlottedSpoon · 04/10/2016 12:11

And moving to residents' permits won't stop people pulling in to drop off, it will only stop them parking.

SlottedSpoon · 04/10/2016 12:12

And having residents permits comes with its own set of problems - like when you want visitors.

CwtchesAndCuddles · 04/10/2016 12:17

I live opposite a primary school - there is ample parking in the area but a minority of parents prefer to park on the pavement or on the yellow lines on the road outside my house and also block my drive.
There is no reason for it other than the parents being entitled lazy gits and not willing to park legally a few minutes walk away - the local pub even lets parents use it's large car park (2 mins from school)

It drives me nuts!!!! I have to leave home during the peak school run traffic to take my disabled dc to special school - some days I can't get out of my drive safely because of all the illegally parked cars. I can't block my own drive because I would be risking a ticket - it would be just my luck to try this on the only day of the year the traffic regulations are enforced.

I have now resorted to snapping pictures with my phone, it has shamed a few people into parking more appropriately.

NavyandWhite · 04/10/2016 12:20

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

elastamum · 04/10/2016 12:22

The school can do a lot to sort out the situation and they should do something.

My DS school had a one way drop zone where you could pull in DC jump out and drive off, 4 cars at a time and you weren't allowed to park in it. This helped a lot. In the evening DC would wait and their parents pull in DC jump in off they all go. This reduced the need for parking by about 50%.

Schools need to consider their impact on the wider community just like everyone else.

ThatStewie · 04/10/2016 12:23

Schools can do something. They can work with the children on road safety and legal parking and have the kids police their parents for dangerous & selfish driving. If you google, you can find mock ups of fake parking tickets that the children can put on the windshields of cars parked illegally. These tickets detail the kinds of injuries children sustain in traffic accidents. Shame and peer pressure can be used effectively. I

Our HT or other members of staff regularly patrol around the school for illegal and dangerous driving. The police do random spot checks. Members of the PTA also photograph all dangerous drivers/ illegal parking and forward the information on to the HT, police and local councillors. It is always the same parents at current school who do so and a combination of public shaming/ police hav made a huge difference.

t4nut · 04/10/2016 12:24

In that case all the school can do is pass on concerns to the local authority - which is where the residents should have complained in the first place - who will have sent out a warden for a short period of time.

All the school can do is send letters out to all parents to say play nice with the local residents. They have zero control or authority outside the school gates.

FrancisCrawford · 04/10/2016 12:26

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ImNotDancing · 04/10/2016 12:31

the issues in my village are not the increase of traffic

it's the parents who block the lane, meaning only small vehicles can get past, because they refuse to park at the bottom of the hill and walk up which takes 30 seconds. It's the same parents who, when parked on the lane, will stand there with the door wide open faffing with seat belts and car seats rather than standing to the side to let a car past (before i get flamed, I regularly have my friends 3 year old and will always give way to oncoming traffic when securing her)
It's the parents who, when driving through the lanes, refuse to reverse the 5 metres it'll take them to get to a passing place compared to the 30 metres it'll take the oncoming vehicle.
It's the parents who think that them saving 30 seconds is more damn important than the potential emergency services vehicles that could be needed at any point due to the average age of residents in this village or more simply, any resident who needs to get anywhere between the hours of 8:30-9:30 and 3-4!!

Haroldplaystheharmonica · 04/10/2016 12:48

We have parking issues at my son's school and I just don't know what you can do about a minority few entitled arses who refuse to walk more than a metre from their car to the school gate.

The Head is out walking round every morning, we've had PCSO's out there, traffic wardens... the problem stops (as the arses can't find anywhere to park on that specific day) then we're back to square one the next day. There are notes in the newsletter every week saying residents near school have been sworn and shouted at but some people do not give a shit.

AGenie · 04/10/2016 12:50

We had zigzag lines painted across our whole school entrance road but idiots still park on them, and are abusive when asked to move.

BitOutOfPractice · 04/10/2016 12:52

I too live very close to a Catholic school (and I only mention that it's Catholic because I think pupils tend to come from a much wider geographical area to get there, hence, more cars than a non-religious school) and every day I am prevented from getting out of my drive and street by the inconsiderate parking and driving. I get the rage every single day

I wish I knew what the answer was. Council not interested. Police not interested. School not interested. I begin to think that it'll take a serious accident before anyone takes any action

Iggi999 · 04/10/2016 13:21

Roads I've travelled on in Edinburgh (small and large) haven't become 20 mile zones. Are you sure that's come in yet? (Or do I have a giant bag of speeding fines on the way?)

WaitrosePigeon · 04/10/2016 13:25

@ Range Rover.

Get yourself over to the RR thread!

gallicgirl · 04/10/2016 13:50

Shame children can't be excluded from school as a result of parental behaviour.

RaspberryOverloadTheFirst · 04/10/2016 13:53

School in the OP can do something. They can close off the back entrance.

ThatStewie · 04/10/2016 13:59

Iggi The 20 mile zone is being phased in. Areas in the south side of the city are already 20. I believe the north/ Leith take into effect on 2017.

SeaLionsOnMyShirt · 04/10/2016 14:14

But if they close off the back entrance to the school, then everyone is funnelled in through the front entrance, which will just push more traffic (and hence bad parking) onto those streets. Our school which also has the usual parking problems with a certain number of very entitled parkers, has 3 entrances so at least the parents don't all try & park in the one road, it's spread around a bit.

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