Parents (mostly mums) taking the mick dropping kids off to school (PARKING)

[Anotherragingmorning]

Another morning another battle trying to find parking outside school. With mums mainly huddled around in playground or standing outside their cars talking while other parents struggling to find parking spots.

My DC primary school on a road with one end busy road, other end parking restrictions. Opposite school houses with driveways that now (over summer hols) have had double yellow lines installed due to parents blocking driveways. School has opened up their car park to help out but only a few spaces available about 10 and road has about 15 so In total about 25 parking spots. Causing a huge lack of space now. Takes about 2-3 minutes to walk kids in and drop off. Yet cars are parked up for 10-15 minutes at times. I know it's parents because as soon as the bell goes all the cars disappear.

Since school started I am having to drive up and down several times before finding a slot. Lucky if someone pulls out just as I come in otherwise a constant battle.
Yes this is a 1st world problem but one none the less I am having to live through almost every day. Since school started 2+ weeks ago my 2DC have been late 4 times. This morning being 4th time, and been told by office next time they are it will be marked as late.

AIBU to think this is pure inconsideration for other parents needing to drop their kids off too? Do parents really think this is their slot for however long they choose to have it?

Can the older one get a bus to school?

You’re only a mile from school and you drive? Ours start at 8.45am and it’s nearly 3 Miles. So a 6 mile round trip for me morning and afternoon but we walk to save fuel and avoid the nightmare school run. We leave by 8.15 to get there by 8.45 and it actually takes me a bit less than half an hour to get home to start work so whilst I can be flexible on my start times I am usually home by 9.10am. And when my eldest starts secondary school next year he will be walking an extra mile on top of that to get to his school or possibly taking a bus into town then back out to school but I think he may qualify for a free bus pass because he’s over 3 miles from the school.

It may be inconsiderate for parents to hang around but it actually IS their right to. Legally they aren’t doing anything wrong and it’s actualy a GOOD thing for the mums to socialise because it helps get everyone involved when it comes around to PTA and school events.

I’m sorry I think you need to let your eldest walk/cycle to school alone or drop her off before her gates open if you’d rather so that you can walk the younger ones in.

YANBU!
I can’t believe people on here are telling you to use breakfast clubs and buses etc when the simple and considerate solution would
be for other parents to develop a bit of self awareness and just drop off and piss off!
This bugs me no end.
I live near a busy school, the whole village is congested by ridiculous dangerous parking on junctions etc by parents (95%) mums who are A) Too lazy to park safely a bit further away B) hang around chatting shit for ages.
I know they are chatting shit because a gang of them like to congratulate outside my office window and literally kill off my brain cells with their inane crap. They usually also have babies / toddlers in tow who scream and cry probably in disgust and boredom at said boring shite chat.
I am looking to move house.

Being the mother of young children can be very isolating for a parent who isn’t working. However inane, that might be the only adult conversation some of these people will get all day. Live and let live, for heaven’s sake.
The OP just needs to get herself organised to get her kids to school on time. If crap parking means she has to leave the house fifteen minutes earlier then so be it.

jessiebuni you and your DCs walk 3 miles in 30 minutes every morning- seriously?

Most people couldn’t run 3 miles in 30 minutes!

@jessebuni your walking pace with kids is 10 min per miles? At that pace you would complete a marathon in 4 hr 22 min. Or if that's too far, you're only a few seconds off a sub hour 10k

YABU I live directly opposite a school with a dropped kerb and have consistently had parents blocking my drive. One morning I was on the phone to 111 and had to go and ask a woman blocking my drive on the school run to move her car in case I needed to rush my newborn to A&E. The local council have opened up a Car park and paved a pathway across the field specifically for school, as well as imposed a PSPO on our road but unless an officer is in attendance, people still block us in in order to drop their children off. I wouldn’t mind, but if they block us they’re also parking across a crossing with railings just past a mini roundabout and speed bumps so it’s really dangerous.

It is slightly under 3 Miles. The kids are on bikes so that probably helps.

I can see where you are coming from re consideration to others, but they are not actually doing anything wrong when stopping to chat with other parents.
Dds nursery was a mile away, do not a quick walk with a toddler when you had to get to work. It was next to a car park. The numbed of people that parked on the e pavement or blocking the road when they knew a bus was due was unbelievable. Even a council arranged minibus dropping off a child would reverse on the pavement when parents and children were walking there!
We either used the car park (if we weren't blocked from getting to it by the double parking) or parked in the next street and walked.
School is just as manic. She is walked most of the time. Only picked up in the car, either because we go straight to lesson (there is not timecard to walk home in between), or because she us being picked up by grandparents that live too far to walk.
My parents get there about 30 mins before pick up as they have to go through a country lane to get there and it can get hectic if something to large goes through. My mother in law, like me parks a five minute walk away where it is easier and safer to park.
If you say people that live around the corner or can walk will drive, there must be somewhere they are panning on parking. Could you park where they live and walk. It may be quicker than finding a space on the busy road.

You are being unreasonable. Leave earlier, park a few streets away and walk to school. Exercise for the kids, never late, less stress, you all start the day on a good note.
Do the same at pick up, because on that walk to the car you can chat with your kids about their day and give them your undivided attention, until you get back in the car where you attention is then needed to drive home.

OP I understand your frustration. Until this year I had a similar problem dropping my DD at primary. Parents used to park so close to junctions people couldn’t see to pull out, I’ve seen one person run over.
Are there perhaps any breakfast clubs your younger children could go to?
I also understand your fears about letting your elder child walk home alone. Mine went to the shop alone for the first time yesterday (only about 5 mins away) and I was so anxious!

u cant take them in forever theres dangers in life u have to teach them how to deal with it

i used to go on the tube 15 plus miles to school on my own nothing happened

You've been given plenty of solutions to your 'dilemma' OP, but you've chosen to ignore those that don't say what you want them to say. You're the one coming across as entitled.

A family friend of ours lives on the same road as my DS's school, literally across the from the school gates, and there would be absolutely nothing stopping me parking my car there outside her house, dropping my son off at school and then popping in for a cuppa - much to your annoyance. It doesn't make me entitled. If I'm parked legally and safely, there is absolutely nothing you or anyone else can do about it. Our LA painted hatched markings and white restricted parking lines at points to prevent overcrowding to create 'passing places' for traffic to flow a bit more freely, but others flaunt them.

As it happens, I do a drop and run, despite only living 1.2 miles away from school, as I have to go straight to work after doing the school drop off so I don't hang about, hometime I park further up the road and walk down to school. I don't have a choice but to drive because of my working hours.

I have never heard of a place where only 1 street has unrestricted parking and every other street within a 1 mile radius has permits or restrictions

Really? Don’t you get out much?

I can’t walk because I have to be at work straight after and I’d be late. So I have to leave my 9 year old alone outside the locked school gate. There is no breakfast club. When my younger children go to
school I’ll have to choose a different school entirely because i can’t drop them near the school and get to work on time. I’m also terrified of my DD getting killed as parents at her school are so fucking selfish they actually park full on the pavement, all four wheels, even on the crossing! The head says he can’t do anything, the council send someone for a day and it stops until the following day when they start doing it again.

It’s shit but that’s life. At least you don’t worry about your kids being killed or kidnapped because of the situation OP.

I was shouted at the other week by an entitled parent dropping off their child outside the local secondary school (which has a catchment of less than a mile).

My crime, driving around to visit my parents who live opposite the school gates. I was actually there to pick up my mother to take her shopping and had parked over the entrance to their drive. According to him I shouldn't visit my parents at school drop offs and pick up times.

And before anyone says my parents shouldn't have bought so close to a school, they bought the house in 1983. At the time most if not all of the pupils walked to school and the road was quiet.

I do understand the ops dilemma, but feel she needs to be more flexible. My eldest 2 DC go to a Secondary 5 miles away from home (DH works at the local secondary, and while a good school we didn't want them to go to a school where Daddy is the Deputy Head) and it starts at 8.30am, my youngest goes to a primary school about 3/4 mile from home which starts at 8.40am.

I drive my older children and leave them at school at 8am, which gives me time to drive back and either stop 5 minutes or more away from the Primary. All the closer spaces are gone by the time I get back, and it's quicker to walk than try and park closer to the school.

Yanbu, the issue is that the parking is insufficient for the total number of cars arriving at the school site.

The mentioned drop off zones could be an option depending on the location.

We have a similar issue and it has been really helpful that the school has issued guidelines to parents on the need to depart asap as soon as you have dropped your child to the supervised playground - a Godsend.

Start times for primary and secondary are staggered to alleviate the congestion.

The result has been that most people leave asap, those who have a reason to stay will do so, but this is a minority.

I would appeal to the school to ask that you are not penalised for lateness when you are outside and unable to park your car safely, and ask that they issue drop off and pick up guidelines.

Sounds v stressful OP, already challenge enough just getting the kids out the door.