To ignore the school parking diktat?

[Ginmakesitallok]

I drive to drop off andpick kids up from school - too far to walk and on my way to work. Its busy, but i usually get a space in the street beside school.

Theres a note in a recent school newsletter to say that parents shouldn't drive into this street, that there's no parking for parents there and that the yellow lines are for kids safety.

Now - it's a public road, no restricted parking, only yellow lines are at junctions where I'd never park. Surely the school can't think that it can stop parents parking where they want if they are parking legally??

OP / @Ginmakesitallok

You park considerately - CHECK.
You park legally - CHECK.
You cause no obstruction - CHECK.
School has no legal enforcement powers/jurisdiction - CHECK.
Fuck what the school says, they dont "police" you - CHECK.

End of discussion.

Why don't people walk their kids to school anymore? It's like they suddenly lose the use of their legs once they have kids. Unless you live miles away get off your backsides and bloody well walk.

I don't ever remember being driven to school as a child, I walked every day rain or shine. Ive obviously lived to tell the tale.

Obviously it's aimed at certain parents/dicks who are parking inconsiderately and causing problems.

Yes, and maybe the OP is one of them. There is an irregular verb:

I am parking legally and won't be long anyway
You are being inconsiderate
S/he is making it dangerous for people to get off their drives and will bring a CPZ down on our heads and we'll all be fucked as the attendants arrive to issue easy tickets

Runny I think there are definitely parents that could walk, but quite alot of parents (me included) drive to work - I think alot more people work some distance from home nowadays, for probably longer hours, and therefore don't have time to walk to school, and back again, to pick up the car to then go to work.

I drive, but park 5 mins walk from school and then drive in to work.

The traffic round primary schools is the most dangerous I come across. Ironic when you think of the small children who are at risk from their own parents and those of their friends - not to mention the traffic fumes.

Where I live the vast majority live within a mile of their primary school so could easily walk - which makes it even more ridiculous.

I expect there are plenty who could walk (or cycle) but feel it isn't safe because of other parents driving!

I'd be in favour of a ban of driving within half a mile of a school for half an hour either side of opening/closing time. That might persuade people to just use their legs

And, the argument about having to drive to work only applies because all the traffic makes it unsafe. It should be fine for children to walk to school once they are aged about 8 or over, or if there is an older child to keep an eye on a younger one. This is what people did for hundreds of years

I'd be in favour of a ban of driving within half a mile of a school for half an hour either side of opening/closing time. That might persuade people to just use their legs

And what about the people who can't walk that distance but aren't blue badge holders?

I live 40 - 45mins walk from school, not practical for us. (Oh and dd1 has a knee op a couple of weeks before Christmas so not doable for her at the moment anyway)

runny if parents have to be at work for nine they have to drive the school run.

I was lucky enough to negotiate a 9:30 start so I can walk.

Ban driving half a mile round schools?? Don't be daft! The majority of our schools are near major roads, how would a ban work?? What about all those who need access to nearby houses?? How would it be policed??

Why you other posting? You obviously think you are right to park there so park there. Other parents will assume you are a selfish inconsiderate wanker though. .......

I've read all your posts but I can't find any that explain why you need to park so close to school.

Our school letters have the parking sentences on around once a month. Still the parkers don't give a shit. It's totally legal to park on the street there, but that doesn't stop it from being inconsiderate and unsafe to do so at school times.

You may have perfect parking skills, but trust me, not everyone does. I'm sure the school doesn't want to waste time evaluating each parent's parking skills to just pick out the inconsiderate parkers. Much more efficient to tell everyone to not park like a dick outside the school. Plus otherwise you risk offending people who are under the impression they have impeccable parking skills.

Maybe she can't walk that far very easily.

Oh she can. Nothing wrong with her mobility. She's just lazy.

We have also had ongoing problems with people abusing the disabled spaces outside school because obviously their special snowflake child is more important than a parent with a Blue Badge.

OP, the school can only ask, not tell, you not to park there. It's fine if you park legally, BUT for all those that park ' legally ', it is all compounded by those who don't!
For safety's sake they have to try appealing to people's good nature, and ask them to not all park right outside school. Unfortunately, too many do not have a good nature...

Oh she can. Nothing wrong with her mobility. She's just lazy.

People would say that about me though. I don't exactly advertise my mobility problems so only those who know me well would know that more than half a mile is a problem.

"Fuck what the school says, they dont "police" you" - CHECK.

No, they are just trying to keep the children safe. How very dare they.

A great example of the standard of parking at our school

Fuck what the school says, they dont "police" you - CHECK

Yeah, fuck the school, fuck the kids that they're trying to keep safe

FFS, what's wrong with people? When did parents get so selfish, that their legal right to use a road trumps the safety of children?

No idea budgie, its very depressing.

Pietari basically, yes. We all have different ideas of what is acceptable and reasonable and what isn't. The simple fact is that iwe cannot go around changing the law and laying down (our version) of the law as and when it suits us.

I would hope that most people would be reasonable and sensible in how and where they park but of course there are always idiots who ignore the law. But you can call the police on them. That doesn't mean other people shouldn't be able to park legally. It's the councils job to assess parking need/desire in a given area and to ascertain whether any public highway is suitable and adequate for that volume of traffic. If there is obvious danger or an issue with obstruction then it's their job to anticipate that and act accordingly.

I don't think you can expect people who pay their road tax to just stop parking anywhere legal just because some member of the public or a resident or the head teacher doesn't like it and has told them they can't. If you apply that principle to other situations in daily life where does that leave any of us?

If you apply that principle to other situations in daily life where does that leave any of us?

Umm, maybe it leaves us being considerate of the problems of others? The headteacher will have asked parents not to use the road for very good reasons, not just to be difficult. Is it really such a big deal to be helpful and follow the request, especially if it reduces the risk to children?

I don't think you can expect people who pay their road tax to just stop parking anywhere legal just because some member of the public or a resident or the head teacher doesn't like it and has told them they can't. If you apply that principle to other situations in daily life where does that leave any of us

But it seems nonsensical to extrapolate. In THIS situation is doesn't harm to have a bit of basic consideration.

I know which I would rather be in this situation from the person parking a little further away and walking and the person parking where they're entitled to just because they can.

I love these school parking threads.
Lots of mentions of Other Parents parking on double yellow lines, blocking drives etc. And it happens everywhere - ask anyone who lives close to a school.

But despite its widespread demographic, none of these Other Parents are on mumsnet.
All mumsnetters either walk to school, park a fair distance away and walk the rest, or do park close but never ever illegally.

Do all these Other Parents only post on other forums?

OP has there been an incident to spark the letter?

A school near me sent a letter home today, which lots of parents are up in arms about. On first glance it's a public road, not the school's business etc. The reason they are asking parents not to park there is that 4 children, a pram and a parent were hit by a car reversing too fast to get into a space. The parent had to bang on the back window before the car stopped. Clearly in this case the driver was a fucking idiot and shouldn't be driving if they couldn't see that many people crossing the road but still, had the car been parking on the next road, where parents are asked to park, or had there been less cars parked there because other parents had listened to the school, there would have been far less chance of someone getting hurt. (There were thankfully no serious injuries btw, this time, but as a child was killed on the same road in similar circumstances about 20 years ago, you can see why the letter).

The school wouldn't bother trying to police parking without a good reason, they have enough to do.