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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:
Parkingwarsaga · 08/12/2017 23:25

'Looneytune253

Surely this week though the night time nativities, if you’re home your car will be in the drive and there will be no problem'

The residents work shifts of all kinds of hours so while I will be home many will come back during the time of the play. The neighbour beneath us has a tenancy to block them in and shout and it's not clear our flat is separate so I'm always waiting for our windows to be put in!

Those saying just move it isn't that easy. We only moved here because the previous landlord remortgaged while letting the property without the mortgage companies permission and then did a bunk abroad. We found a house to move in to and that fell through while we were on holiday with our stuff in storage at my parents house so we literally had no where to live and it was the only affordable place available immediately with no wait.

We are trying to move but finding the costs to move again takes time.

I don't want to live here. I'm sick of the place!

OP posts:
FlouncyDoves · 08/12/2017 23:31

I think all stump up for the cash for the gate. Or work out some sort of monthly charge that the LL is happy with so that future tenants also pay their fair share.

shakingmyhead1 · 09/12/2017 00:37

get together with the neighbors and arrange a roster,
put a huge ass sign up saying private residents parking only, with $50 per hour or part there off for non residents,
and once the car park fills up move a car over the drive and wait there as the parking attendant,
once they come back and want to leave point to the sign, they want out? they need to pay the parking fee,
and if it takes them longer than an hour to get the $50 then it will be $100,
if all the neighbors are on board it wont take long to get it sorted
Perfectly legal as long as it is signposted clearly!

BlackeyedSusan · 09/12/2017 00:44

dump stuff behind thier cars when they have parked so they have to move it to get out.

stopfuckingshoutingatme · 09/12/2017 00:57

Annoying but not the schools problem

I really like the bollard idea £125 well spent can you do that instead ??

Mcakes · 09/12/2017 01:23

I keep a cheap, greasy lipstick in the car to write on the windscreens of parking CF's. A bit passive aggressive but might make the parents think twice?

Penners99 · 09/12/2017 03:32

3 cars that parked in my sisters allocated parking place burst into flames. So strange.

aintnothinbutagstring · 09/12/2017 03:57

Also think I know this school. If it is, the HT has put sooo many reminders in the newsletter. You'd think the fact that two parents having their car vandalised in that car park would have put them off!

NovemberWitch · 09/12/2017 07:32

What magic power do you think the school staff have? How can they do anything other than ask nicely? One of our local primaries supported residents in turning the area into residents permit parking only, try that.

crikeycrumbsblimey · 09/12/2017 07:46

Could you not put wheely bins across the entrance?

Collaborate · 09/12/2017 07:55

You can get, at next to no cost (I think it's just the cost of the signage) an outside firm to enforce parking rules and invoice people who park in breach. I think with some you don't even need fixed cameras - they rely on residents sending in images of wrongful parking.

As soon as the first "fines" start landing on the doorsteps, followed by court proceedings when they don't pay, I think you'll find the parents find somewhere else to park.

You can find plenty of these companies using google - eg www.flashpark.co.uk/parking-enforcement/

Collaborate · 09/12/2017 07:59

shakingmyhead1 Your suggestion is perfectly illegal - and a criminal offence. Its called extortion. You can park something blocking them in for half an hour or so, provided you don't demand money to move the blockage. If you demand money it's the same as wheel clamping.

They park anywhere they like because they think their time is precious. As soon as they realise that they're going to be massively delayed if they behave like a bell end they'll think twice.

Babieseverywhere · 09/12/2017 08:05

School parking brings out the worse in people.

I think the best ideas suggested are the number combination padlock plus chain across the entrance. Cheap & effective even if it is a pain for the residents.

Or if you have time to invest in the Self ticketing scheme, this will eventually work as the first offenders end up in court fined but might take a while to be effective. But just knowing you will receive £10 per ticket issued would make it easier, assuming the landlord agreed.

Have you had a quote about getting the automatic gate working yourself ? Shop around you might be able to find an affordable option.

Good luck

Bahhhhhumbug · 09/12/2017 08:11

I lived in a similar set up years ago but only about ten parking spaces for individual flats. What we did was if a neighbour was having to go out around school parking time one of the others would deliberately park badly across two spaces and then when neighbour returned they just had to buzzer their 'badly parked' neighbour to move their car back fully into their own space (or do it once the 'danger period' had passed ). With a bit of creative bad parking it is easy to fill a carpark with only half it's capacity.

Goldenbug · 09/12/2017 08:11

Complain to the local council. If they ever want planning permission for anything, bring up the parking issue. If they have events outside normal school hours, bring up the parking issue with authorities and try to get them stopped. Then suggest the school pay for your automatic barriers.

Bahhhhhumbug · 09/12/2017 08:14

sorry meant to add they can hardly report you for taking up two spaces on a private car park that has nothing to do with them.

Roomba · 09/12/2017 08:22

One of our local primaries supported residents in turning the area into residents permit parking only, try that.

They did this on the road my children's primary is on. There's also a secondary school across the road. There are now NINE 30 min only spaces for potentially 1200 cars (probably more, given it's near several large office buildings with no car parks as well) - everything else within about 1/4 of a mile is Resident Only parking apart from the very expensive council P&D car park. It was fine before - bit busy for ten mins twice a day but otherwise no big issues. Now it's an utter nightmare! People park on driveways, gardens, double yellows, in the Resident Only spots, or just stop in the middle of the road to drop off.

I live directly across the road from a different primary school. No parking restrictions on my street. It isn't always possible to park directly outside my own house if I arrive at 08:45 or 15:15, but I can park within 50m. No stupid parking, no ill feeling towards the school from residents and it's only busy for about 20 mins a day. The head gives out rewards for walking to school for whole weeks/months/terms which helps too.

Babieseverywhere · 09/12/2017 08:23

This post might be affordable depending on number of residents. Just one the entrance with loads of keys would work !
Pole

ChristmasAccountant · 09/12/2017 08:23

Similar situation in my old place - enough petitioning saw "resident only" parking enforced which stopped the twats. They used to park on my drive, right when I was trying to get parked to walk to school to pick my DC up.
So frustrating.

londonrach · 09/12/2017 08:23

The owners be it ll or flat owners should pay for bollards. No way does a tenant pay. Reg numbers to school every time. Contact ll and say you not getting a car parking space you renting so he has to sort it or reduce the rent (worth a try...bollards are chesper in long run).

Parkingwarsaga · 09/12/2017 09:01

I put wheely bins there and they move them!

OP posts:
HidingBehindTheWallpaper · 09/12/2017 09:16

Who are these cunty parents? You never see them owning up on mumsnet do you?

They are all on Netmums.

NovemberWitch · 09/12/2017 10:08

What would happen at your primary schools if every newsletter contained a section labelled This week’s CuntyFuckerParkers’ and included reg and family name? As a teacher, I’d love it, but imagine the outrage and justifications.

StealthPolarBear · 09/12/2017 10:18

"
A combination of embarrassment (for school and parents) and the relevant people missing the start of the show because they have had to move their cars should solve it quite quickly, I suspect."

But what if no one moves?

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