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.

At my kids school we have had parents verbally abusing and threatening residents and disabled locals who have complained about being obstrusted by their parking.

Two kids have been knocked over, one by the nearby shops (couldn't see to cross) and another right outside the school gates. Both hit by parents dropping off or picking up kids.

They don't give a fuck.

We walk 20 minutes to get there, I don't see why they can't park in the designated car park down the road and walk.

West Midlands police attended a school road this week, within 45 minutes they had booked 51 motorists for illegal behaviour, one driver drove 0.3 miles to school and didn’t have insurance. Others hadn’t got MOT, others parkered illegal, some no car tax. Apparently there were more offences but they were unable to book the drivers as there weren’t enough officers

Seems school pick up is a hit bed of criminal activity & probably the unsafest place your dc travel to.

Op start taking registration number and photographs and use operation snap to report, you can check online to see if the car has valid car tax and MOT so report if not

I subtly take a photo and forward it to the head. He has been known to name and shame.

I actually saw someone on the fb page where I used to live complaining because her car door was hit by someone driving past (which is of course awful). The irony of the fact that she was parked illegally on a pavement and standing with her car door open on a busy road when there’s a massive free car park 5 mins walk away was entirely lost on her.

June why can't children be excluded. Surely this is a safeguarding issue that the school should be taking seriously. These twats are putting children at risk of serious harm or even death with their selfish parking.

Our school has recently been able to move the school bus to a back entrance but before it often got stuck making it down the road because of poorly parked parents.

One mum gets there 25 minutes early despite LIVING ON THE SAME ROAD as the school. She doesn't work so doesn't have to rush off afterwards. She is morbidly obese and that's not going to get any better. I get she has mobility issues but it wouldn't take her 25 minutes to walk there and she sits with her engine running the entire time.

My local school actually resolved this. There were parents parking on the pavement all the way along the road opposite the school. The PTA paid for signs (like the ones cleaners use) that go along the road saying ‘parking here is endangering a child’s life’. They are spaced close enough together that people can’t park in between them. Also traffic wardens randomly outside the school.

Parents on the school run are just the worst.

TheWernethWife - because you exclude the child, not the parent - and you have to have a damn good reason for an exclusion. You can't punish the child for something their parent has done. There are regs which allow a school to ban a parent from school grounds, but that won't apply to a nearby public road.

At my DD's school they put out little plastic A-boards telling parents not to park on the zig-zag lines. Still people park on them. I regularly put the A-boards on the offenders cars.

I pass two schools on my walk to work and usually knock on the windows of bad offenders to tell them they are endangering children’s lives. The swift change of face from “can I help you” to indignation at being challenged is funny. Occasionally they have younger children in the car. I’m always polite and just point out how dangerous their parking is whilst child looks interested and parent looks like they want to be suddenly invisible. I have no sympathy for them. It’s lazy, entitled and risks children lives...the children who walk! There is never an excuse for it. Most parents have the same reasons but don’t behave like twats.

When I retire I’m also going to lurk on the beach photographing people who don’t clear up after their dogs

In Fiji the elders throw rocks at the illegal cars, does the trick

I live on the same road as a primary school. I go to work every day at either drop off or pick up time. It is absolutely insane, from when I pull out of my drive and people are parked right up making it difficult to get out/ see around, then I have to go around a bend, and there is ALWAYS cars parked on the bend on both sides of the road, I've nearly crashed head first a few times because you cannot see what is coming, and because there is cars parked both sides the whole way down the street it only leaves the middle of the road for people to drive on. There was a parking officer there the other day, and he did absolutely nothing. I have now resorted to shouting out my Windows at these idiots, along with some hand gestures to ensure they understand what I am saying. Just up the road there are 3 massive carparks that are all free for a couple of hours.

Oh and let's not forget all the idiots that park on the side streets and completely block the road. Many a time traffic is backed up because somebody has parked terribly on a side street and nobody can get in or out!

I think the only way these parents will listen is if the school gives consequences for the children if the parents park illegally. The school could announce that illegal parking by parents will make their children ineligible for the school trip / play / sports team / whatever.

It's harsh for the children but so is children getting injured or worse because of other parents parking irresponsibly.

USed to walk kid to school as only lived few minutes from it, it was a circus used to sit and watch the school bus refuse to move and let kids off until the cars reversed into the parking bay at the end of the street so kids could get off safe from the bus. Actually laugh at how dumb people were. Every damn day, best of it was most of the parents lived within walking distance of school no reason to drive at all. They’d compromise other people’s kids safety just so their precious darlings don’t have to walk home.

I actually think most children want to walk, it’s pleasant and a calm way to travel, it’s the parents that don’t want to walk

Well, if every school has these problem-parkers how come none of them are on this thread?? I want someone to explain their audacity.

I park in the lot at the end of the street because I am too shit at parking to want to do it in a crowded area.

I chair an inner City school in London and we had problems with parking, particularly double parking. Firstly we had a week where Yr 5 pupils in high viz jackets under supervision banged on car windows and shamed the drivers into moving. It started creeping up a month later, so we had sweeps by the Police, who now come about once a month to move parents on.

We have found that the Police and traffic wardens appearing on the street can clear it in moments.

It's just like people abusing disabled bays, these people care only for themselves. I live on a rural high street with a school at top of the road, and another at the bottom. It's a rather narrow road too yet people double park from top to bottom, including blocking drives and side streets. Their driving is ridiculous too - 50mph+ in a 20mph limit, a wonder nobody has been seriously injured or killed.

The school at the top of my road has a car park next to it. Yet people park on the road, maybe 3 car lengths up from the car park. I've never figured that out

I live a seven minute walk from school. We walk past three of my daughter's friend's houses on the way in - all of who are driven in, and park horrendously

At our school it’s the parents going straight to work after drop off who seem to park badly. Screech up and park really dodgily- the main issue is parking across driveways. They won’t park further away as they do drop off -we have to wait for gates opening and escort in, then sprint back and zoom off The tension about the bad parking is palpable. You can see them looking guiltily about the place to see residents , then parking anyway. I only drop off at normal time once a week and choose to walk them there because of it. The other days I’m dropping at breakfast club when parking isn’t an issue

Im in aust but a group of parents got together and complained to council. We now have meter maids come through randomly a couple of times a week