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?

I live by a school and the dangerous parking by parents is appalling. A child will be killed here one day, mark my words.

Park further or and walk in. If you have time to drive up and down, you have time to walk. Park outside the area.

Drop older child to school earlier.

Try living next door to it and having those parents sit in their cars blocking your drive "because there's nowhere else for them to park" so they are entitled to dump their cars wherever the fuck they want.

God help them if it's raining and they may get wet.

Sorry, but how about you park further away from the school and walk 4-5 streets for pick up? Therefore guaranteeing a safe parking space and not risking your car getting clipped as well!

How far away are you from the primary school, in miles. Most people live quite close to the primary school they send their child to. Why not just walk it - or, if it's a bit further, invest in a Dutch style cargo bike and cycle with the kids on board.

Driving is not the only option

I always park further away and walk the rest. Is that an option for you?

Agree drop secondary child earlier and park further away from primary and walk the younger DC in. If you can't drop at school, maybe at a friends house or somewhere else where she can meet up at friends.

Your reason to drop your DC off does not trump everyone else reasons.

Park about quater to half a mile away and walk the rest. I'm sure you would be on time then, and a walk before shcool is known to have health benefits for children and improve school performance.

You can't park anywhere on the road outside my DC's primary school because it's closed to vehicle traffic at shcool drop off the pick up times. Google "School Streets". It's made such an amazing difference to the environment around the school.

www.edinburgh.gov.uk/news/article/1932/school_streets_initiative_launches_in_edinburgh

bjsm.bmj.com/content/early/2018/03/23/bjsports-2018-099261

I park and walk about 10 minutes to drop DS at school
Secondary kids can be dropped early if necessary
Also if I want to stand and talk to my friends I will, I’m not being rushed by anyone

Surely it doesn't matter if parents hang around chatting after the bell has gone? They can hang around as long as they like, they won't be making anyone late as anyone wanting their space after the bell has gone is already late.

School runs are a pain in the arse, but in your situation I'd be leaving earlier and making the eldest get to school early. My dc had to go in early so that whoever was dropping him could get to work on time.

If your primary is a 9am start then I don't see how it's a problem, if it's earlier do as suggested above and drop older child earlier

How early is early though?? Even if I dropped her another 10 minutes early 8:20 I still wouldn't make it back to primary until 8:35am by which time everyone has already parked up waiting for the gates to open. Which is worse as I will be waiting longer for a space.
Secondary school gates open at 8:40am too. They start at 8:55am. So I am dropping her off early at 8:30am. I can't drop her off earlier then that especially when it's raining. She only has 2 friends at her school who get dropped off by parents after the gates have opened so I would not want her hanging around by herself for more then 10 minutes anyhow. I then make it back to primary school depending on traffic. Get there for 8:45-8:50. By which time classrooms have opened and kids waiting in playground have gone in straight away. But many parents still hanging around and chatting. I have 10-15 minutes to get my younger kids in before the bell goes at 9am. But it's impossible to find parking some the back of the school is country lanes and the other side of the school is busy road that goes like a L shape with parking restrictions. Roads going off the school road again parking permits and double yellow lines. It's hopeless.
I can not even go home and park up and walk the mile to school as we will definitely be late.
I have spoken to secondary school and asked if they have an early library access but they say only for those studying for their GCSE's they are allowed to come in at 8:15am onwards. Which again no use as my DD just started.
Was not a problem last year as we had some spaces between people driveways to pull up in giving an additional 10 or so parking spaces but many parents blocked driveways so now they have painted double yellow lines as residents complained so much to the council.

I had a similar scenario to the OP.
We travelled 35 miles to school, setting off at 7:15am.
Eldest was dropped off at 8am, youngest dropped off 2.4miles away at anytime between 8:20-8:30.
If you give yourself enough time, it is more than doable regardless of parking.

We travelled that far as it was GCSE and SAT's years.

Most parents on the planet have the horror of the daily school drop off. Its manic and it's frustrating. Why don't you try parking a bit further away and walk the rest of the way?

I really don't get why you have to park on the same street as the school. Why can't you park a 3 or 4 minute walk away and just walk in? The streets around our primary school are ridiculously busy so I park a bit further away and have a stress free trip to school.

If you need to drop your older DC off a few minutes earlier at secondary school to facilitate this, then do so.

Your DD will just have to wait outside the gates with the rest of the pupils no doubt. She'll be fine for 10 minutes.

As for the primary school, start looking further away again for parking spaces than you're looking now. You can hardly blame the residents for being pissed off. They've also now lost the on street parking because of the school run arseholes.

as somebody that is a single mum I have had this issue in the past. I had to get my teenage son to school for 8.30, my son to college 8 miles away for 9 and my daughter back to primary for 8.55. I couldn't drop daughter off any earlier as no breakfast club.

I would leave at 8, drop first one off at seniors at 8.10 (twenty minutes early but he could go to the library or get breakfast. Then take son to college for 8.30 (again early) and then race back to get a parking space and get my daughter onto the playground on time. I did that every morning. We all had to make sacrifices. I then had to do the afternoon collection that was senior school, primary school and college and then home. Its easy doable, just leave earlier and let the senior student go in early. This really is a non issue!

My main concern now is winter is approaching and even those people who live around the corner or within walking Distance are known to bring their cars so it's only going to get much worse.

I know everyone has an opinion and they have a right to it. But surely myself when I do find a spot and I bump into one of the mums I know I say a quick hello and rush because I know I am holding up a space I know someone like me will be looking for so it's drop off and leave. I suppose because I struggle myself I have that level of consideration.

I hate it when parents stand and talk in the playground after drop off too OP instead of getting in their cars and moving them quickly......

....except in my case it only bothers me when it’s the parents who have parked across my (and neighbours’) driveways and across corners/dropped kerbs for crossing. It’s bad enough they do it anyway, but to then be so arrogant to think that their lives trump everyone else’s and screw the inconvenience to other people for even longer is mind boggling let rude.

Now let me see - that kind of sounds like what’s going on here OP - except it’s not the people standing chatting who are being arrogant and rude - it’s you.

Seriously - drop your 12yr old off earlier, or part of the way. I do not believe for one second that every single pupil at the secondary school arrives bang on 8.30 - they come in in dribs and drabs - those who walk or get public transport often arrive earlier. There is no reason whatsoever that you need to drop your DD off at 8.30am - drop her at 8.20am and get to the primary 10min earlier. Problem solved.

Can you get your eldest a bike, so she can cycle to school, then walk the mile with your younger ones?
More exercise, more time, saves on petrol, reduces air pollution, brilliant.

The problem is your insistence on waiting for a space. You need to find somewhere else to park. There will be somewhere between the school and your home that you can park - the restrictions are there for this reason, you are making hard work out of this really OP.

Drop your DD near but not at her school so she walks some of it, or drop near a friends house?

Ultimately your eldest is going to have to walk.

We once had a parent mail telling us stop loitering about chatting to each other after drop off. I think the HT started shooing people out of the playground. It was not popular.

What worked better for the school community was extending the period the school gate was open from 10 minutes to 20 minutes. 10 minutes was not enough to get a 3 form primary school in the gate, regardless of a few mums spending a few minutes talking after the bell went.

Are the schools in the same direction?
If so the elder one would only have to walk a mile from the primary school so drop the elder one at the primary school at around 8:20 and get her to walk from there.

I get it OP, similar happens at DDs primary school despite there being a big car park about 30 feet from the gates!

The thing that really pisses me off is when parents park on the yellow zig zag lines clearly marked (with a massive poster on the railings about needing to keep them clear so children have a clear crossing place!!!!) so that it becomes impossible to even drive down that road!

People are arseholes, selfish, inconsiderate arseholes.

But as evidenced on this thread they get very defensive and aggressive when it’s pointed out to them. Me, me me. Seems to be the popular attitude now eh?

Rather than parents not taking up one of a few parking spaces at drop off time for 10-15 minutes you must change your entire routine and juggle things round them

Utterly ridiculous.

We park further away and walk the last bit to make sure we’re a) not late b) not inconveniencing other parents doing drop off and c) not being such a selfish arsehole as to put children at risk.

But hey, it’s their “right” you know, and precious people get awfully wound up if you suggest otherwise.

And as for using the weather as an excuse, I’m sorry but that just doesn’t cut it. Kids the nation over walk to school in all weathers. My DS walks a mile and a half to school in all weathers - ice, snow, rain, wind included. He wears appropriate clothing or suffers the consequences - it’s life and he’s no different to the thousands of other kids across our city who do the same.

even those people who live around the corner or within walking Distance are known to bring their cars so it's only going to get much worse.

Everyone has lives. Not everyone is driving for a minute, parking and going home. I’m sure there are others moaning about you taking up a space, but this is the thing everyone has something else going on in their lives and crying over parking isn’t going to improve anything. As others have suggested, park further away and walk. It won’t kill you!!!