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AIBU?

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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:
Iggi999 · 04/10/2016 21:08

Thanks Stewie. I'm all about so really must double check the signs!

Original poster
Crispspsps · 04/10/2016 22:04

Wow, clearly hit a nerve that isn't just mine. Makes me feel better, thank you. Yes the type of school it is does invite a wider catchment and more driving in of kids. Late last year there was a morning where a group of what-I-assumed-to-be school staff and council people monitored the traffic in the morning. DH said hello but they didn't seem to want to talk to him - fair enough. He did overhear "this is a residential street and the only traffic here ought to be those who live here or essential traffic" (it's a narrow road and most residents park quite legally on the street, but it makes the street a one-way-only where you have to pull in to let another past. Our dropped curb is a helpful and natural place for passing, and I'm totally fine with that.

I've had occasions at 3.30 where I've pulled up behind a car parked over my drive, and indicated to turn in, with cars behind me. The person in the way has waved me off over their shoulder, in a kind of "I'm not moving yet, move on" way. On those occasions I have got out of the car and tapped on the window to explain. Not nastily, but a little impatiently. It starts to build up...

OP posts:
Original poster
Crispspsps · 04/10/2016 22:07

I can see that spreading it around is good SeaLions, but maybe they should state walkers welcome through the side entrance, and car drivers through the main (substantial) car park?

OP posts:
riceuten · 04/10/2016 22:12

I live next to a school and this is a regular issue. When you ask parents not to do this, they tend to say "Well where am I supposed to f*ing park then?" - as if it is my responsibility to find them a space.

However, they absolutely 'love' being parked in - I saw a Mum have a complete melt down when she herself was parked in by a delivery truck for 15 minutes...

Mawsymoo · 04/10/2016 22:44

We have the same problems here with illegal parking at school times. Annoyingly there is a huge free public carpark that is the same distance away from the school but up a hill - so despite the supermarket that owns it writing to the school to encourage parents to use their carpark in favour of residential areas people just won't walk up the hill!

I had one school mum come into my garden and down the side of my house to put her dog poo bag into my wheely bin so that's the kind of attitude we're dealing with

Original poster
Crispspsps · 04/10/2016 22:51

Wow, Waysmoo.

OP posts:
mustbetimeforacreamtea · 04/10/2016 23:17

Start a Facebook page called "entitled parking at [insert school name)" or similar, post pictures of badly/illegally parked cars. It probably won't take long for word to get about and may help the situation. See "parking like an idiot in Wales" Facebook page as an example

a8mint · 05/10/2016 05:41

Yanbu about parking over your drive. Yabu about everything else. Let me guess- the school was there when you brought the house?

MoreCoffeeNow · 05/10/2016 05:55

Why point out that the school was already there when the house was bought? Are people supposed to be able to predict that some parents will be entitled idiots?

You may as well say "suck it up" and that makes you as bad as the selfish parkers,

Agerbilatemycardigan · 05/10/2016 06:29

I lived next to DD2 and DD3's primary school, and expected the traffic to be dreadful at certain times of the day and for the road to be a bit chaotic.

What I didn't expect, were the parents that seemed to think that the small block of flats that I lived in was an extension of the school and let their little angels run in and out of the building and also use the front lawn outside my ground floor flat as a toilet Confused

Frankly, the traffic thing was a breeze compared to that..

FrancisCrawford · 05/10/2016 07:34

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

IceRoadDucker · 05/10/2016 08:15

On those occasions I have got out of the car and tapped on the window to explain. Not nastily, but a little impatiently. It starts to build up..

You're a better woman than me, Crisps! I'd have slammed my palm on the horn and not let go until the entitled twat moved.

fittedcupboard · 05/10/2016 10:22

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.

BS
they can name and shame on the school newsletter/website
if you give them pictures they can talk to the parent
they could refuse the child a place on non-statutory things like breakfast or after school club
plenty they can do

icingonthewall · 05/10/2016 10:48

The school probably can't do all that much, apart from (quite reasonably, and accurately) warning the children of the long-term health risks of breathing in air pollution, which concentrates in cars.

HOWEVER the local Council CAN do things, and ought to - both to make local residents' lives better, and do tackle health/climate issues.

The Edinburgh Schools Streets have already been mentioned, where only residents' cars are allowed to drive at pick-up/drop-off times. These School Streets make it safer for kids to walk/cycle, as well as making things easier for those living nearby.

We DO NOT have to put up with the status quo: it's not a good one.

EenyMeenyMo · 05/10/2016 10:57

I used to live on the road next to the local school so i get where you are coming from but unless they are trapping you in your drive they aren't doing anything illegal just at worst inconsiderate.
Round school now we have lots of parents parking illegally on double yellow lines, chevrons, blocking footpaths, double parking -or dangerous driving. The only thing that works is when traffic wardens are called in for a day or so and ticket everyone - even then it only calms down for a bit. Tkaing photos of offenders causes aggro!
I think you just have to try and not get wound up by it- it is a small bit of the day and you can avoid getting caught in it.

t4nut · 05/10/2016 11:00

BS
they can name and shame on the school newsletter/website
if you give them pictures they can talk to the parent
they could refuse the child a place on non-statutory things like breakfast or after school club
plenty they can do

If they name and shame on a website - which takes time and resource and they have no way of identifying whose car belongs to whome - then they could be liable to legal action.

If you give them pictures of a car how are they going to know who to talk to? And even if they did know which parent it was they have no remit to tell them where to park, they have no authority over the parent. How do you think the conversation would go? 'Ah mrs X you do know you parked in front of MrsMadLady's drive? Ah you do. And you know she doesn't like it? Ah you do. And could you not? Ah you don't care what the school thinks. Ok thanks then bye.'

Refusing places on clubs because of parking in a public place - yes that's definitely legal......

It's parking in a public place. They have no authority to do anything.

OneFootinFront · 05/10/2016 11:47

I don't want my 4yo to be smacked in the head by a Range Rover door opening, like he was this morning

No biscuits from me - it's entirely REASONABLE to prefer that selfish drivers don't injure your child.

It's more evidence to suggest that having children often makes people more selfish.

YANBU

MillionToOneChances · 05/10/2016 14:29

I would keep a stack of A4 print outs of Highway Code rule 243 ( www.gov.uk/guidance/the-highway-code/waiting-and-parking-238-to-252 ) by the door with a spray bottle of water. Lift windscreen wiper, spray windscreen, press notice down, replace windscreen wiper. It'll hopefully stick just enough to be annoying.

And email a photo of every offending car to the school every single time. Perhaps with a query about catholic values/consideration for others...

8misskitty8 · 05/10/2016 17:26

I live in the same street as a small school with a small catchment area. Yet come drop off/pick up it is chaos with the amount of cars that park over drives, use residents parking spaces ( which we as residents in the street pay the upkeep for !) etc. And most of these parents are not just doing a quick drop to get to work, they can be there for half an hour or more. Most also live a few streets away. It is pure laziness.
If you approach them and ask politely to move you get verbal abuse including 'I f**ing pay road tax I can park were I like'
My lovely neighbour couldn't get out her drive one day to go to a hospital appointment due to an idiot parent who parked over her drive and then sat there for ages gossiping with another parent.

Another issue is the speed that these cars are going at, our street is very short with school at the end (built after the house) There are speed bumps but that doesn't stop them. Pets have been killed and there has been a few near misses as these idiots mount the pavement to park paying no attention to children who are walking to school.
I would love our street to be an exclusion zone like others in our council area.

Original poster
Crispspsps · 05/10/2016 20:11

Yanbu about parking over your drive. Yabu about everything else. Let me guess- the school was there when you brought the house?

What's the "everything else?" I think I've only been talking about inconsiderate use of the road and particularly our driveway. Several have picked me up on saying it's a Catholic co-ed, and fair enough - that's how they talk about the school so it kind of trips of the tongue. Catholic is slightly relevant, as some have pointed out, as the catchment is likely to be very wide, so more drivers.

And I'm really sorry but it WAS a range rover that opened the door on to my DS! I wouldn't have made it up, and when I stopped being cross I thought I couldn't have! There are middle-of-the-range cars, of course, whose drivers are just as inconsiderate, and drivers of bigger/more expensive cars who are way more polite.

Many have pointed out that buying a house opposite a school doesn't mean you need to put up with people doing this kind of thing. If you bought a house next to a childminder and found out later that the parents were parking over your drive you would have a word with your neighbour, no? As I said before, the volume of traffic is annoying but expected. It's the assumption that it's ok to leave a car blocking my drive because clearly whatever this parent is doing for x minutes is more important than my own access to my house.

OP posts:
Bluepowder · 05/10/2016 20:45

You are not unreasonable. I had a polite note under my windscreen wiper this afternoon as I had parked opposite a driveway entrance on a public road. I was apparently obstructing their driveway. Now that did seem unreasonable.

Lazyafternoon · 05/10/2016 21:05

YANBU I can definitely see why you're annoyed.

Idiot drivers. It is the 'Only a minute' I'm in too much of a hurry to care, attitude that bugs me. My personal gripe is drivers who mount the kerb to park on the pavement. Therefore blocking the pavement so I can't get passed with DS in the buggy. So I have to walk into the busy road with the buggy as it appears their wing mirrors are more valuable than my son... grrrrr. But that's another story...

I'm not confrontational at all. But I did go through a stage of keeping a notepad and pen in my bag to leave a note on every car that did it! I would also be very tempted to take photos and send them to the school - with a log of all dates, times and reg numbers over a few days to show how bad the problem is. Depending on your town might also be worth an email to the local paper - "Private Parents Problem Parking Palava..." - they love that sort of thing in the paper round here!

HermioneWeasley · 05/10/2016 21:29

Let tyres down or smear Vaseline on windows?

Definitely take photos and insist thr school speak to the parents and publish pictures in thr weekly roundup

Cherrysoup · 05/10/2016 22:22

Caltrops are simple to make and effective.

I may have suggested the same thing for an entitled parking neighbour on here the other day. Were you also thinking of Pteppic the assassin?

Yanbu about parking over your drive. Yabu about everything else. Let me guess- the school was there when you brought the house?

Ridiculous argument: people are not entitled to park over her drive just because there's a school opposite and ffs, RTFT, this has been mentioned. Spurious argument. P.S cos I'm feeling very pedantic: bought.

Karoleann · 05/10/2016 23:18

I'd keep complaining to the school and they will do something about it, especially if you get your neighbours involved.

We have a similar problem at our school (and its usually the dads) and they have started naming and shaming and it makes a big difference. So yes. keep badgering the school and if you live anywhere near beaconsfield please PM me and I'll go and bang on their car roof when they're parking. Its just laziness, arrogence and it really annoys me.