Complete twats parking on school run

[Witchofwisteria]

Looking for some advice and maybe some case studies as I'm sure this happens at 99% of all primary schools - David Attenborough should even consider doing a fucking school run documentary since some parents just behave like beasts!

We have a really bad problem at our primary school at present with parents parking on grass verges, double yellow lines and even parking straight onto bends opposite the school. One of the cars is picking up and dropping off DS at reception so there is potentially 7 years of this bullshit lazy parking to go. It's a really tight squeeze anyway and about 4/5 cars but 2 in particular who are really bad block the corner every day, someone is going to be knocked down. There is a local car park which I kid you not- is located across the road and is 5 minutes walk away and I park up a hill far away from the madness in the other direction which is about 3 mins away, it's pure laziness - no excuses.

It's become a hot topic on the local Facebook page and there is so many furious parents and locals but we are all to afraid to directly ask those parking to STOP. (To be honest they're the type who look like they would stab their mother for a fiver and a packet of hob nobs - so confrontation is not a plan - not in front of kids). Police have been and asked them to move on and they're just back in the exact spot the same day - they don't give a shit!

Considering going to school asking them to consider these options:

Calling in traffic wardens for fines (who would you call though - how are they different to regular police that I'm sure the school have called.)

Placing cones along all the double yellow lines

Getting the PTA to buy signs to stick in the ground on the verges - something shaming them like "lazy parking costs lives".

What have you tried that you know works?

I hope I don't come across a jobs worth. I am usually so chilled but it's getting so dangerous now I cannot believe my eyes some days- I would post a pic but don't want to be identified.

School will wash there hands of it and just put a token reminder in the newsletter - if they're anything like ours which I find really annoying as it is a school issue
Traffic wardens are fine for the day they are there but then it's the same as before the next day

Absolutely call the Council, the PCSO and anyone else you can to get this sorted!

We have this nonsense near my DS school and they get traffic wardens to patrol every so often and it does make a difference for a while.

Couldn’t agree more OP.

The awful thing is these arseholes won’t listen until a child is seriously injured or killed and by then it’s too damn late!

It won't make any difference. We've had crap parking at Dds school for years. A surprising amount of locals who don't have time to walk but do have time to get there 40 mins befire school starts to ensure they get a space

God knows how these kids cope on school trips when they can't even walk five mins down the road..

We've had numerous reminders in newsletters, council people out, wardens out

Makes fuck all difference. And there's a lark a 2 mins walk away with lots of parking but they'd rather obstruct the pavemements and park over dropped kerbs than leave 5 mins earlier, or walk from the park.

Shame they can't close off the school roads tbh But then that would leave the disabled parents screwed

A scheme has been started in Notts to combat this - see pic - so you could contact council.
It drives me mad too
We have 2 free car parks within 5 mins walk but people still park on the zigzags!
Our headmistress occasionally stands outside to put people off doing it

Invest in some cones and take turns lining them along the road?

I'd contact the council and if they did nothing would put my own signs up.

Some boroughs in London close the roads to cars - therefore no one going to the school can drive there, there are a few schools doing this really successfully. Parent were sceptical but now it’s implemented it works

I don’t think you will ever get through to the selfish Parkers. They need to be close to school and won’t give any regard to anyone else.

Our school have done letters, texts, pcsos have been out the works but the same idiots still do it. Today one car parked completely in the junction of a side street rather than parking just up the road where it was safe.

Sirzy- agree, so shut the road to all school traffic. Make them park up in the nearby car parks and the children can then walk safely

That would be my solution to, permit holders only parking at drop off and pick up times (and blue badges obviously!)

I pick ds up early and park a 2 minute walk from school (to fat for most) and 30 minutes before he rest of the school finish the road is already full of parents sat in the cars waiting!

Our school will happily ask the police to come along when it gets too bad. Ask the school if they will. If not, definitely contact them yourself.

Children acting as parking wardens in the mornings slowed it down at my DD's primary - see if the local force has any kind of child police force! An officer gave a talk and then the children (heavily supervised by teachers and all wearing high-vis vests) stand outside the school for a week.

We have had traffic wardens ,,Police and our MP ..nothing works its still the same...I give in,Its all an accident waiting to happen and nobody cares,I sympathise OP.

I'd be approaching the school and the local PCSO as well as local MP.

We have a similar situation, with readily available parking in a nearby carpark (1 minute walk from school) and on local residential streets. Almost every day someone parks on the double yellow lines or obstructing the zebra crossing because they are "only " going to be a minute, or "only" dropping off.

We are fortunate that the school are very proactive. They issue notifications regularly by newsletter, the Head Teacher patrolls, and each week (on a variable day) we have a parking officer in attendance.
Parents are encouraged not to engage directly but to photograph any vehicles which are flouting parking regulations and forward them to the school. The school in turn pass these to the Parking officer who follows up.
There are very few repeat offendors. Unfortunately there are a number of entitled people who just can't see how dangerous their actions are.

Oh jackstini, I live in the North East and saw one of those cars drive down the road outside my sons school this afternoon. I think they're a great idea. Do they also pick up on cars park fully on pavements I wonder?: we have yellow lines and restricted zones but parents don't park on top of these, they just drive over them and pull up fully onto the path instead

Yanbu op, it's the same everywhere. Confront these parent's and someone else will take their place. Actual barriers is the only option I think

Sounds just like our school. It's horrendous.

Everyone barr maybe the very odd family will live within about 0.8 mile of the school. Most much closer. Its oversubscribed most years, we live 0.9 miles away and only got in as it was a low birth year apparently. Last year loads of families on our estate didn't get in.

Usually we walk up, ds is 4 but manages and actually enjoys it. On the odd occasion I do use the car (mondays we have swimming at 3.30pm and wouldn't make it otherwise) I park a 5 minute walk away on a usually empty side street and walk up. Dodging the parents pulling off the street 5 mins walk away to park near the school.

Our local school has a problem too. People parking across drives, on corners, on the pavements etc. Plenty of safe parking a few minutes walk away if they want it. We walk to school. School ask nicely in new letters and the police aren't interested so it continues to be a free for all.

Usually we walk up, ds is 4 but manages and actually enjoys it. On the odd occasion I do use the car (mondays we have swimming at 3.30pm and wouldn't make it otherwise) I park a 5 minute walk away on a usually empty side street and walk up. Dodging the parents pulling off the street 5 mins walk away to park near the school

It's such a waste of everyone's time isn't it. I have no choice but to drive as I'm.several miles away from the school but I use the park car park and walk the rest of the way.

Either everyone gets there really early to get a space. Or somehow despite living locally end up really late and parking like dick head on the pavements .

Why not just have an extra half an hour in bed and walk. Or leave 5 mins earlier and avoid having to frantically look for any space to fit your 4×4 and force pedestrians into the road...

What's the point. No wonder there's such an obesity problem when a 5 min walk is deemed too much effort

I also couldn't agree more. It's inconsiderate and dangerous.

My local Catholic school is the same. The parents all seem to drive and park like twats: on the pavement, on the zig zags, on double yellows etc, despite lots of available pay and display places within minutes.

I have heard that the council won't issue fines to Catholic parents, due to diversity or some such rubbish.

The school are unwilling to take ant action as it is a council issue. Council won't issue fines. Police aren't interested as not a police issue. I don't know what the solution is, but I do like the sound of a sign saying 'Dangerous parking costs live and is inconsiderate and ignorant' or similar.

There is a Sainburys and a community centre beside our primary which allow parking 15 minutes either side of drop off and pick up times. You get a pass from school reception with your registration on and display it instead of a pay to park ticket. The school still has to send out reminders not to use the staff car park, in front of the school or not to misuse the car parks as it is only intended for school drop off and pick ups, not for shopping. For shopping you have to pay for parking, spend over £10 and Sainsburys refund your parking anyway.

Last year some parents were parking on the path at the roundabout beside the school, in front of school, mis using car park passes (the school will take them off you if you do this) so much that it was arranged for a traffic warden to include the school in his daily rounds. He has three schools he rotates around and doesn't come to each school on the same day every week and rotates morning and afternoon visits.

The first couple of weeks back in September got a bit rough, but after he gave out a first warning, particularly to the dangerous parkers, it improved a lot. He was there in his high-vis vest this morning, can be seen from a distance, makes it much safer to get the children into school.

There is some supported living accommodation opposite our local school. Today an ambulance ended up blocking the road because of selfish parents parking in the ambulance bay (it's a one way system so only enough room for one car/vehicle). (Not hating on the ambulance crew by the way - they obviously had no other option.)

Today an ambulance ended up blocking the road because of selfish parents parking in the ambulance bay

I utterly despise people who deliberately do such selfish things. Bastards.

YeTalkShiteHen Granted it's not always parents - sometimes it's people going to the local shop too - but people always park in the ambulance bay. I've even had someone nearly run me over when I was trying to cross the road by walking through said bay because they were too impatient to wait 10 seconds. (There's no other place to cross the road - they took the old crossing place away and made it into the ambulance bay.)

I genuinely don't understand why people are so selfish though. The bay exists because ambulances always used to block the road. You'd think people would consider someone's life more important than buying milk or having to walk a few more metres but apparently not.