AIBU to next time tell him to fuck off?

[ohreallyohreallyoh]

Parking. I get the frustration for people living near schools but I never park illegally and never block people in. This evening at 4:30 I parked up in my usual spot about 2 doors down from the school as we are not allowed to park in the school car park. Bloke in van pulled in behind me, gesturing wildly. Got out his car and banged on my window, demanding that I move my car so He could park outside his house. Several times I head tilted and said ‘why’ and he repeated himself, each time just a little bit more aggressively. I had turned off the car and picked up my mobile to speak to my eldest to see if he’d picked up a loaf on the way home. Once I’d done that (man still shouting at me),I moved the car across the road but walked back past him to a very insincere ‘thank you’. Repeated again that my car was taxed and insured and that as I was legally parked, under no obligation to move my car. He then got really aggressive and yelled at me that he was ‘going to report’ me for being on my mobile. I laughed and said yes, in a legally parked up car with the engine turned off. So his response to that was that it was illegal to use a mobile in a car.

I shouldn’t have moved, I know. I was wrong, AIBU to stalk that parking space so next time I can tell him to do one?!

Am really shaken.

[ohreallyohreallyoh]

i wouldn't go back, i see a difference between defending yourself and going looking for confrontation

My children attend the school on his street. I need to go back.

[MissEliza]

I live near a school and there are zig zags and double yellow lines near the school entrance yet people park on them: They could park up the road where there's lots of space and walk literally one minute but nooo, lets make the entrance as congested as possible.
People don't have the right to block driveways, or obstruct the road or pavement but it happens every day outside my house so yes, it's pretty tiring.

[Gabilan]

My neighbour puts dog shit under the handles!

The whole thread makes me wonder if people realise how miserable driving and parking makes them. But that in particular is deeply weird. What sort of person does that to someone parked legally? Or even illegally, however annoying that is.

[Tara336]

We have moved now Lizzie48 so don’t haveto put up with it anymore thankfully. We didn’t make a fuss as were only renting the placefor 6 months until we could buy, but it really was an eye opener at how selfish some of these parents can be. I know the school were aware of the issues (we didnt complain) but the parents ignored all requests to be considerate unfortunately

[Originalfoogirl]

Why can’t you park a bit further away and walk.
Why couldn’t he?

[Andrewofgg]

Waterlily2000 I once tried to work out the size of the car-parks which you think schools should have.

It only works if parents are sure they will find a space and be able to get in and out quickly and easily – if not, they will ignore the car-park and stop outside the gates. So there must be as many spaces as likely users, wide access and egress aisles (no queueing to get in or out), wide visibility splays, and new lanes on the roads outside to allow cars to leave and join safely. No charges, of course, because that would take time.

It may be possible to use them at weekends or during the holidays to recoup some of the money invested in them; but they will have to be locked during the school day or at evening pick up time parents may find that others have parked there. In fact they will have to be locked during the night or commuters may get in before the parents do. Everyone arriving will need some sort of badge for the window.

And how many spaces? Take a primary school, three entrance classes, children there for six years, 450 children. Some no doubt siblings – but others will be singletons as regards that school but have one or more siblings in other schools and therefore the car will use two places every morning and afternoon. Allow for some parents who will not use it in any event. A fair guess is 400 places.

Research at my local shopping centre suggests that spaces will need to be five by three metres; that makes 6,000 square metres just for the bays. Add a quarter (and that is modest) for the wide aisles and access/egress routes and you get 7500 square metres.

Which is about a third as big again as a professional football pitch.

Secondary schools tend to be even bigger, but may have fewer children driven to school – although if the car park is there the not-so-little darlings may expect a lift there too.

These are ball-park figures but they are in the right ball-park, and if anybody thinks providing car-parks at school is realistic, I can offer you some shares in the New Atlantic Bridge Company, and they must be all right because they are underwritten by Lehmans and Barings!

[Spartaca]

"head tilt". I can see you picturing the MN thread now

[Originalfoogirl]

People don't have the right to block driveways, or obstruct the road or pavement but it happens every day outside my house so yes, it's pretty tiring.

And that is shit. But it is also irrelevant to the post as the OP did none of those things.

[leiaorganashair]

Can't you park further away and walk to the school?

[steff13]

He was wrong and shouldn't have been aggressive. However, I think it's a bit rich to claim you're shaken when you clearly deliberately wound him up.

[cornishmumtobe]

I don't get why he didn't just park on the opposite side of the road in the free space - how lazy is he?!

[WhiteWalkersWife]

One thing i never understand though, i worked from home a couple of times week and rain or shine youd see the same parents or childminders park up at least half hour forty minutes early and wait. Every time .

If you have that much time i never get whh not park in the free town car park ten mknutes walk away. Some had bored looking kids in the car and there was a play area opposite said car park.

[BGD2012]

I live by a primary school which is a feeder for a good secondary school and my drive is regularly blocked and cars parked all over the pavement forcing buggies onto the road. Almost half the kids in my sons class get driven over 3 miles to school passing at least 2 other state schools. I don't blame them but the system doesn't help with congestion and pollution.

[ohreallyohreallyoh]

OP could have easily parked up a street/block away and waited in/at the school and walked back to her car. Instead she expects residents to park somewhere that not only inconveniences them but then expects that they should go to the trouble of moving their cars back after she's picked up her child

I don’t understand. Wherever I park, I will be in front of someone’s house and potentially causing an inconvenience. Am I to walk 25 minutes, drop off at 7:30 am then walk back? Because I wouldn’t get to work in time. Should my children therefore be in childcare even earlier and even later than they already are so I don’t inconvenience the people who live next to the school?

Why should I put up with being inconvenienced any more than this man should? What gives him rights over parking I that particular spot? He doesn’t own that piece of land?

[ohreallyohreallyoh]

Can't you park further away and walk to the school?

No. I am dropping off before work and picking up after.

[friendlycat]

If the OP is a teacher as stated, the title of the post is the biggest worry. I would rather hope that language like that would not be used in the future to the person who complained and that rational reasoning, patience and tolerance could be employed instead. Something that I rather hope today's children are being taught both at home and in a school environment by said teachers!

[catwoozle]

If you live near a school then you will face this for about half an hour twice a day

Yes. And if they went out to work 9-5 they wouldn't even be there to witness it.

[catwoozle]

If the OP is a teacher as stated, the title of the post is the biggest worry.

Yeah cos teachers should never swear in their spare time. Or on the internet

[Nicknacky]

Are teachers not allowed to swear on mumsnet?! You learn something new every day.

What a ridiculous comment.

[ohreallyohreallyoh]

Oh nice. Not only should I walk miles, on top of an already busy day, I should be some kind of paragon of virtue at all times and not have feelings or react to anyone or anything ever, at all. Wow.

[Lizzie48]

I know what you mean, Tara336, quite a few of our school newsletters have included a request to be considerate to residents. But it hasn't really made a difference from what I've seen.

My DSis and her family used to live near a school (her DCs went to another school) and parents used to regularly block her drive. I used to see occasional rants on her Facebook page about it.

They've moved now, too, not because of that but I'm sure that's one thing they're not missing.

[leiaorganashair]

I think this is a very English problem rooted in the school allocation system in England. I went to school in 3 countries as the child. The first two we had a school bus that took us to school every morning from day 1. The only difference I can see in England is that kids don't automatically go to their closest school. I'm still not clear on why England and Wales don't just do that

Sorry OP, I know that doesn't help you.

[ohreallyohreallyoh]

It is my closest school. Doesn’t make it less than a 20-25 minute walk, or make it easier for me to drop off/pick up!

[LittleFeileFooFoo]

Yanbu to park where you can.

[MrsKoala]

This thread has made me think of this quote.

People are utterly unhinged about the perceived moral space outside their house. It's one of the things i find so hard to understand. It makes no sense to me at all.