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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Parking Wars AIBU to expect school to help do something!

211 replies

Parkingwarsaga · 08/12/2017 18:10

OK have name changed as very outing.

We live a few doors down from a primary school. The school has a carpark at the church next door possibly 30 foot from school. We are in the other direction.

Our flats have a car park. It can not be closed off with bollards as the end property and a property across the back road are business and have spaces there.
Spaces are included in our rent.

We however have signs up informing people it is a private car park and each space is numbered to a flat. Some spaces are up to peoples front windows.

We have contacted the school endless times and they have asked parents not to park there and to park on the church but they continue to park there filling every space.

We had had residents with babies, small children and disabled residents who haven't been able to park in the spaces included in their rent, people coming home from work who can't park in their spaces. A registered disabled relative of a resident who can't walk far and had to park the other end of a long road.

We have faced abuse numerous times when politely informing people its a private space. Former residents in the past have been told they can park where they 'fucking well want'

One neighbour got annoyed and blocked someone in who was parked right up to his front window and was told he better move now or else cause the woman had a baby. The same women who had blocked another actual resident from coming home with her newborn previously.

Parents drive in to the car park at speed. I've been beeped at for not moving quick enough across the car park so parents who shouldn't be there can park. I've put my bins in my space so my disabled father can park when he comes that morning and they've been moved.

You might think it's only a few minutes but some people come half an hour early and wait or stay half an hour later and chat playing loud music or with their kids running screaming and shouting disturbing shift workers. It's every morning at breakfast club then school time, after school, after school clubs, every book club, every after school play or nativity or music lesson. it's infuriating and I'm sure half the people who do it would go bonkers if people parked up to their front window blasting music.

We have spoke endlessly to the landlord and the school. The landlord has told us that if we want it sorted we have to pay hundreds of pounds for an automated barrier with passes for all including the businesses one of which is currently empty and I currently don't have the money to do this.

School have basically said oh deary me we can send a letter home but nothing else we can do. (they have parked on peoples gardens and hedges before now!)

Surely rather than cause hassle with neighbours a couple of mornings of some member of staff walking the few feet to our carpark at the main time for ten minutes a couple of times would put a stop to it.

Their tag line is all about giving to, being part of and being an asset to the community which is a joke.

OP posts:
DonnyAndVladSittingInATree · 08/12/2017 18:39

The landlord has told us that if we want it sorted we have to pay hundreds of pounds for an automated barrier with passes for all including the businesses one of which is currently empty and I currently don't have the money to do this.

No, the landlord and all the other owners would have to pay for this. You would probably have to rent you access key/fob but you shouldn’t be liable for the cost of a permanent fixture that you can’t take with you when you leave and would benefit the next tenants. Can you landlord paint a number on your space and/or install lockable barriers that you could lift up and down when you need in and out?

Farfromtheusual · 08/12/2017 18:40

Can't a couple of the residents get up early and move their cars so they completely block the entrance? Keep doing it until they get the message!

Parkingwarsaga · 08/12/2017 18:40

Would a parking bollard for an individual space require a lot of work to the ground? We aren't allowed to do a lot of work.

There are ironically bollards in the group but some muppet drove into them as the street isn't well lit so they are all bent and landlord won't fix them.
If I do an individual one and someone drives into it can I be sued?

OP posts:
Sprinklestar · 08/12/2017 18:40

I own a flat with a similar sounding set up. My space is the first one in the row too and is always being used by some cheeky bugger. I remember coming home from a night shift once, looking forward to my bed, and having to locate said car owner before I could park. Needless to say, he didn't park there again...

We got the PCSOs involved and they were great. Told us to log reg numbers and they'd have a word. Another option would be to get together with your neighbours and make a human chain across the entrance or sit with flasks and so on on deck chairs across the entrance so no one can get in and out?

Sprinklestar · 08/12/2017 18:41

Oh - and contact the local press. The school won't like the negative publicity, which may spur them into action.

latchkeyanddesperate · 08/12/2017 18:41

What about putting a chain over the entrance just for an hour morning and afternoon?
Or residents all standing in the way and refusing to move, several mornings in a row?
Issue your residents with a DIY permit to go on the dashboard, then put a big sticker in the middle of the windscreens of the other cars, informing them that a parking enforcement regime is now in place.

MaisyPops · 08/12/2017 18:42

I know it's not the schools responsibility and they don't have endless staff but they are the sole cause and I just think that being there once or twice for ten minutes would stop it
Except thr school isn't the cause.
The cause is a group of parents being rude and entitled.

One school i worked in we had to patrol the drop off zone because some parents would try and do the school drop off using the bus area (as you do when you have almost 2000 students leaving site at once) but it was our land and in with the duty rota. There was an on call member of SLT should a parent kick off.

But your situation is private land and you wanting school to police private land for 10/20mins a day (aside from all the logistical issues) would mean school using up their directed time budget to manage private land which isn't what it is there for

Parkingwarsaga · 08/12/2017 18:42

Sprinkle I have no doubt what so ever if we sat in the area someone would be run over. They drive in at speed without looking and are so bloody entitled I'm not sure they would not beep and drive into us!

OP posts:
latchkeyanddesperate · 08/12/2017 18:42

Xpost with sprinkle!

Valerrie · 08/12/2017 18:42

Put a padlock bollard on your space.

The head at my DDs school won't take the time to stop non-disabled parents and the after school club staff parking in the school's two disabled spaces so that I can park and collect my daughter. There are only six spaces and they're always taken. I can't walk.

I have to pay £9 a day for my child to go to after school club until DH finishes work at 5pm because I'm not physically able to collect her.

I completely understand your frustration. I know it's not the school's responsibility but most schools will take the time to at least attempt to sort things. The head of the school I'm a teacher at has had to sort out many a parking problem and there's no way he'd let either of these things happen.

Hassled · 08/12/2017 18:43

Is it worth finding your local PCSO and seeing if he/she will do a walk by for a few days? I realise it's private land but for the sake of community tensions they may well be prepared to come out. Sometimes just a visible presence of someone vaguely official will be enough. Failing that - can you ask the school to name and shame? Photos of offending cars in the school newsletter?

CycleHire · 08/12/2017 18:43

“not sure why you think that this would be "outing" as it is pretty much the standard situation outside all state schools.”

And private schools #voiceofexperience

BoomBoomsCousin · 08/12/2017 18:43

It sounds like the school could do a little more in terms of being present and possibly pushing alternatives to driving (though they may be doing a lot of that anyway). But ultimately the sorts of people who go on to private property to park and then shout at the private property owners when caught aren't going to pay any attention to the school either, since the school has not effective sanctions it can use against them. A police officer might come round to try and stop things escalating, but since it's a private car park that people are parking on, it isn't criminal or something they have authority over either. But documenting the parking problems and the ineffectual school response could help you protest any expansion to the school in the future.

Presumably, the businesses get a bit annoyed by it too? Would they be amenable to having a combination padlocked chain up just for the hours there is normally a problem? Alternatively, take it in turns to man the chain for those hours? I suspect the fact your parking is mixed in with business parking is probably the biggest factor in it getting so badly abused - people can be really cheeky about private drive parking too, but they have much lower inhibitions over business parking. Is there any way to have the business parking separated off?

DonnyAndVladSittingInATree · 08/12/2017 18:44

Btw I live right opposite the entrance to a primary’s school. I feel your pain. I block people in and sometimes I ignore the door when they knock.

underneaththeash · 08/12/2017 18:45

Saturn - why do the police not just keep ticketing them? If they did that every single time, they wouldn't do it.

OP - Is there a staff car park in the school? I reckon if all the residents in your block of flats parked in that one night, the school would start to listen a bit more. There are things they can do, our local school started taking pictures of those on double yellow lines and naming and shaming. Teachers standing outside and refusing to take the children in until the parents have moved their cars.

Parkingwarsaga · 08/12/2017 18:45

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

DonnyAndVladSittingInATree · 08/12/2017 18:45

If I do an individual one and someone drives into it can I be sued?

Put reflective tape all the way round it and a sign at your space saying “bollard in place”

Paperweightmover · 08/12/2017 18:46

Drawing pins

AuntLydia · 08/12/2017 18:47

As much as I don't condone this, the poster who talked about pain stripper and keying probably has the most effective solution. We had a load of people parking on our quiet residential street for a bus for their work last year. It didn't bother me personally as I have a drive. The local busy bodies were not happy though and keyed the cars Shock. The cars did not come back.

I do wonder whether a concerted effort over a month with residents taking shifts in a high viz jacket might be a less drastic solution tho?

FormerlyFrikadela01 · 08/12/2017 18:47

If you have nerves of steel I'd block them in and go inside and lock the door.
Since its private Land no offence has been committed.

DonnyAndVladSittingInATree · 08/12/2017 18:48

Formerly it is an offence to prevent a vehicle accessing the road.

rwalker · 08/12/2017 18:49

why don't you contact a clamping company say easy money for them and see if they will do it for free as they will get play of cars clamped

Parkingwarsaga · 08/12/2017 18:49

Just to clarify as I have had a similar rant locally tonight. I won't be keying or paint stripping anyone!!

OP posts:
Angelicinnocent · 08/12/2017 18:49

Obviously damaging the cars is a no no because you could be prosecuted (if you caught) however, there are plenty of parking like a cunt posters available off the internet which can be glued to windscreens. No damage but time and effort to clean off. Repeatedly applying to cars may make them think it's not worth the hassle of parking there.

MaisyPops · 08/12/2017 18:49

OP - Is there a staff car park in the school? I reckon if all the residents in your block of flats parked in that one night, the school would start to listen a bit more
Except that's totally different.

OP's situation - SOME PARENTS (who are grown adults independent of the school) choose to be rude and park where they shouldn't.

Your proposed solution - tell a bunch of adutls to go and park in a SCHOOL car park to purposefully annoy staff for something they
A) havent done
B) aren't responsible for

Ive lived near a school and been into school to ask them to remind parents etc. I get it is annoying but its not the schools fauly.