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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:
FrancisCrawford · 10/12/2017 13:11

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Andrewofgg · 10/12/2017 13:13

In any case these entitled parents don't want a drop-off and pick-up point - they want to park, get out, take little Snowflake in, talk to the teacher and to other parents, and go at their leisure, and to hell with locals who want to get on and off their drives.

ivykaty44 · 10/12/2017 13:18

At Christmas nativity evening there is no need to drop of and go to work

The parents could park further away and walk to the school, or walk the entire journey

But no they want to get as close to the school as possible

Makes me laugh when I go to the gym and people try and park as close to the door as possible......

FrancisCrawford · 10/12/2017 13:58

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

FruitCider · 10/12/2017 21:07

keepserving it May have been me, I’ve put someone’s car on bricks before but not in the context you describe. It certainly does cause an inconvenience when you do that 😂

(I put the tyres behind a bush in my garden Wink)

Lweji · 10/12/2017 23:22

I remember that thread. Good times.

KeepServingTheDrinks · 10/12/2017 23:24

If it was you, Fruit I apologise for remembering details wrong, but you are a goddess in my eyes. I think of your/that post often and always with awe!

dorislessingscat · 10/12/2017 23:32

OP where about in the country do you live that people are such entitled arseholes?

Balaboosteh · 10/12/2017 23:35

I disagree with PP saying what can the school do? I think that any institution has an obligation to its neighbours to ensure that it’s existence in the community doesn’t have negative impacts. They could be looking at a sustainable transport policy for a start. What about a school bus or walk to school campaign? Plus, as you say, letters home to parents. I would talk to my local ward councillors and also to the school head and chair of governors. It is totally the school’s business if their institution is having such an effect. Not individual teachers so much.

BoneyBackJefferson · 11/12/2017 06:46

Balaboosteh

Schools do all of that and more but its the parents that drive the children to school.

MaisyPops · 11/12/2017 07:19

Balaboosteh
Many schools do that.

Unfortunately, they can't control parent choices. If a parent chooses not to then it's not school's job to get involved (hell, just see how many times 'nanny state' is mentioned in threads when schools get involved in things they have a legal obligation to be involved in e.g. attendance, safeguarding).

I hate to say it (but i say this having lived near a school where there were problems) but when you buy a house next to a school you are saying you'll happily take your chances.
The CF shouldn't be parking in OP's spaces but school can't police that.

TwoPoint · 11/12/2017 07:23

The benefit of a lockable bollard is that locking a car into your space for a day or two would be a great deterrent in the future. I bet you'd only need to do it once!

MotherCupboard · 11/12/2017 07:55

Park your car across the entrance to the car park on the nativity nights and get your neighbours to buzz you if they want to get in/out?

NovemberWitch · 11/12/2017 08:00

Balaboosteh the question is not what does the school do to solve the problem. It is how can we enforce it in law, so that parents who choose to be inconsiderate arses, or in some cases break the law, face significant punishments to force them to change.
All schools can do atm is ask. Repeatedly. And be ignored.
I suggested name and shame in the weekly newsletter. What do you think the parental response would be?

tempuser123 · 11/12/2017 08:00

The benefit of a lockable bollard is that locking a car into your space for a day or two would be a great deterrent in the future. I bet you'd only need to do it once!

Locking a car into a space allocated to your flat for a couple of days, that may not end well.

Park your car across the entrance to the car park on the nativity nights and get your neighbours to buzz you if they want to get in/out?
That could be done occasionally, but hardly a long term solution.

TwoPoint · 11/12/2017 08:03

@tempuser123

But it may work as a wonderful deterrent.

DollyLlama · 11/12/2017 08:27

The problem with penguin bollards is someone could just park behind it and block you in, your need a barrier to stop them entering the car park full stop.

I used to live about a shop and would open my front door to cars literally blocking me in. I couldn’t get past, let alone get my new baby and her pram out.

The shop was owned by my landlord who told me to put up and shut up! She actively encouraged her customers to park there as there was a 1 hour traffic restriction outside and it would affect her business. In the end I would literally drag my pram over the cars and if they got scratched, so be it.

I really feel your pain!

Parking Wars AIBU to expect school to help do something!
Ceto · 11/12/2017 08:49

We have been quoted over a hundred pounds each which is money I would rather spend on my kids Christmas presents than them.

I'd have thought that was worth every penny for piece of mind during the year. And, be honest, your children won't go without just because you pay towards a parking barrier, will they?

Parkingwarsaga · 11/12/2017 09:27

Ceto

'And, be honest, your children won't go without just because you pay towards a parking barrier, will they?'

Working Single parent, one with special needs which limits the hours I can work. Yes actually they would go without if I had to find £125 each for the quoted barrier up front!

Whether that be Christmas or another time. I'm sure there are many families in fairness who feel the same in the heat or eat situation we have in some aspects of the UK.

I'm speaking to the landlord about some of the other options on here.

OP posts:
KungFuPandaWorksOut16 · 11/12/2017 10:07

There's a high school right near me, about 4 streets away. The parking skills of the parents left a lot to be desired, my street would even be affected. It was honestly like a free for all, some of the cars looked like they'd be stolen and dumped with how they parked.

This really annoyed the neighbours nearest to the school and they had complained several times. Each time a letter went out politely reminding them don't park like a twat. They still carried on.

In September my niece started this high school, 4 weeks into the term we all got a letter sent home about parking except it wasn't like the other letters. It turned out a few neighbours all plotted together and decided too individually ring the school each time someone parked like a twat/blocked them in/verbally abused them. This lasted for 4 weeks before the Head teacher cracked and sent an hilarious letter out.

The letter went something like this

Attention all parents.

We are getting a concerning amount of phone calls in regards to how parents are driving and parking within the community.
We can only presume that since you have dropped your child off via a car, you have a driving license. Now to have got a driving license you had too have lessons and sit a driving test. In these lessons you should have been taught the rules of the road. So why is the school getting complaints about parents who clearly aren't following the rules of the road?
We will be having a word with the local police for their help in these matters and asking the council for a traffic warden to patrol. We will also now be starting to name and shame, each time we receive a complaint with the reg of the car, we will print it on the newsletter.

This newsletter seems to have done the trick because nobody has been named and shamed and the parking on my street is far better Grin

whoareyou123 · 11/12/2017 11:06

kungfu parking problems at a high school? Do kids (11+) there need to be walked to the school?

KungFuPandaWorksOut16 · 11/12/2017 11:33

whoareyou I don't know that's a question you'd have too ask their parents. Maybe wait until after drop off though, they speed off like a bat out of hell.

Andrewofgg · 11/12/2017 12:17

If you and your neighbours decide to bite the bullet and pay for a barrier - make sure it is done over a school holiday. Then watch the Entitled Parents on the first day back. Get some fun for your money!

FrancisCrawford · 11/12/2017 12:32

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

NovemberWitch · 11/12/2017 12:50

So, newsletter and social media shaming it is then? Inexpensive and effective, I’m all for it.