It's a school run parking thread.

[Cactuscactus]

WIBU to complain to the school about parking in the local area this late in the year? Yes there is a diagram, so my descriptions are quite spartan.

We live in a smallish village, on a road of about 10 detached houses that face onto fields. We are in a block of 8 houses, then a turning into a cul de sac, 2 more houses then the school at the end of the road before a junction. (Relevant because this set up isn't clear on the diagram.)

The school have a paragraph in every months newsletter dedicated to reminding parents to park 'considerately to the schools neighbours'. Of course the parents don't pay attention to this or I wouldn't have a complaint. The school also put out little a-boards with notices reminding parents that parking on double yellows/turnings and zig zags is potentially dangerous. Again, no fucks given.

Every day, twice a day I have seen (on rotation) the same 3 cars park one wheel on the double yellows and one wheel over a neighbours dropped kerb. Not so worried about the dropped kerb as I am about the dangerous nature of this parking. The road we live on is only just wide enough for two passing cars, buses and (particularly at this time of year) farm traffic. Parking on those double yellows makes anyone turning right out of the cul de sac have to blindly turn wide onto the opposite side of the road and into on coming traffic (over taking the parked cars).

There is also a growing trend for trying to squeeze a car on the end of a row of properly parked cars, often with most of the car actually parked across a driveway (see "stupidly parked wanker" on diagram).
I have also caught two separate cars attempting to park in my driveway when I've been to drop DD off at nursery.

I'm just getting fed up with the don't care attitude. I often feel like I'm the intruder on my own street for asking cars to move or not park there. Since the weather has been nice, some parents have even turned up early to sunbathe on the front lawn, it's just rude.
So, is it worth complaining to the school with only a fortnight to go? Or should I wait until September and see what fresh parking hell the new school year brings?

I would be more annoyed at the lawn hoggers. Random traffic warden visits are the answer!

Maybe you could get the school on side and they could organise it to start in Sept?

this is quite good

My sons school sent out a Sternly Worded email with pictures recently.
It didn't work. The wankers still park on the zigzags, still block driveways and the pavement.
What's even more silly is that there's a public park behind the school with a large, free carpark that is perhaps a two minute walk across a field.
Hardly anyone uses it, despite the school telling everyone about it regularly.
Alas lazy wankers will always be lazy wankers.

Firstly, I want to nominate the diagram for MN parking diagram of the year.

Secondly, I would be buying a remote control sprinkler.

Just be grateful you're not the one looking for a parking space. I moved and now drive DCs to school after years of smugly walking past all the badly parked idiots. I always try to park responsibly but the school is at the end of a close off another close and sometimes there just isn't anywhere else to go.

Excellent diagram OP. One of the best I've seen, if not the best.

I must know...why is left hand neighbour marked with a P?

Yes yes, who is P?

If it's parking on double-yellow lines and on the zigzags I think it's a good idea to get the council involved. They are there for a reason - because it's dangerous to park there. Other stuff - unfortunately probably little you can do. Some people will always ignore requests. I would not buy a house close to a school for this reason - it comes with the territory.

I love the horse. I really would like a horse like that. LOL

Here is an idea. Spend a week gathering the horse poop and spread it where people would get out their cars.

Devilish giggles!

Why don't they all park on the other side of the road? I get that there is no pavement, but wouldn't that be generally better in the long run?

Motion activated sprinkler system? Keep them off the lawn.

I would write now so you are giving them plenty of notice to plan what they are going to do differently in September. They can easily ask PCSOs to patrol regularly for example (failing that, phone 101 in September yourself and ask them to help). Does the school have a Facebook page? You could start photographing the cars parked inconsiderately / illegally and put on the FB page. For cars parked illegally, it may also be worth checking whether your local police force allow you to upload photos to report crimes - they do around here.

Get the children involved, some forces run a 'child cop' thing where children will be out with a PCSO at drop off/pick up time to stop the parking on the zig zags.

As for the people in front of your drive, could you arrange with your neighbours to park awkwardly for a few days, blocking the street for the school parkers? Ideally you need a big gap between each parked car so your drive is not blocked yet not enough room to park between you

Sprinkler for the sunbathers or one of those cat scarers that shoots water when the beam is broken.

OP, my dd school were similar.
yes, you can do something to make it safer for everyone.
The school will have a designated liaison officer for roads, employed by council.
They came to dd school and gave a talk, letters went out to parents saying that illegally parked cars would be ticketed or clamped if on private property.
police and traffic warden came down the street at each drop off and pick up and in the end cars weren't allowed in the street, parents had to park elsewhere and walk to school.
It was much safer for the children too, as parking on zig zags is dangerous to pedestrians.
Contact the school and ask to be put in touch with their community Liaison person. They will inform Police and traffic wardens.

Oh, and the only thing that stopped lunatic parkers at one school I used to live nearby which was down a side road was parking restrictions at pick up and drop off time. This is a more expensive option as they probably have to survey residents but the most effective.

Don't bother writing now.

I am school governor. this complaint regularlu crosses our desk as it were and we try various things to stop it.

We have had the last governors meeting for this year, and wouldn't look at this again until sept at earliest.

Schools really struggle with this as they cannot force parents to do anything.

The only thing you can do is name and shame in the school newsletter, so picking one day, photograph the bad parkers and stick the pictures on FB.

I would write now and then again in September when it all kicks off again. Our school would send home letters which would achieve nothing, not even when it escalated to the letter that told us that the police and council had been informed. A few parents returned to their cars to find parking tickets and after that parking improved for a month or two but when people thought it was "safe" they started parking poorly again. Parking tickets were the only thing that worked and then only short term.

I feel that that the school cannot really be held responsible for stupid parents. Report to the local council and police with photo evidence on a regular basis would be better. There is probably a way of doing so by email, but its probably best to leave it until September now.

PCSOs have been relatively effective at our school, OP.

Really interested to read the posts about what other schools have done about this. Our Parent Council is just trying to figure out what we can do about parking wankers as the PCSOs can't be there all the time unfortunately...

Keep on at your council, your local police and the PCSO for your area - the school can't enforce anything, just keep asking parents to move. And they won't because the lazy entitled ones will just keep doing it. Until they get tickets.....

One of the local schools have now have a school exclusion zone. Basically all cars within certain streets were given permits providing they lived there ( had to show proof) and during pick up and drop off times, only cars with the permits were allowed to park within these streets (residents). They deployed parking attendants to issue tickets to vehicles parked within the school exclusion zone! Worth a try. Ask your local mp and get on at the council every time, and keep at them, they have to provide a solution.

start bothering the council now, and the school in september

Love the diagram