Car Vs pushchair, which mum was right? School run, plus diagram

[Barrenfieldoffucks]

I saw this happening this morning and can't decide which mum was right.

Situation is a small village school situated on a small lane. No pavement along the lane, until a very small bit just next to school entrance. Quite a high one.

Parent 1 usually drives up lane to next to small pavement, puts hazards on and sits on double yellows to let little boy out, and sits there while he goes in and to his door. I initially leapt to thinking she was unreasonable because this is really annoying for pedestrians coming past due to cars having to avoid her.

Parent 2 walks along lane with buggy and two small children.

In this instance, parent 2 was walking along and passing the pavement to go up into school entrance. Very short pavement so I assume she decided not to try to get buggy up it just to get down off it again a few paces later for entrance.

Parent 1 comes along in car, puts hazards on and starts coming in alongside the pavement. Thereby squashing (she only stopped when parent 2 waved in the open window) parent 2 against the kerb.

So. Parent 1 apologised but said she "assumed parent 2 had got up on the pavement".

Parent 2 asked whether parent 1 had been able to see her or not

Parent 1 said she had seen her but then assumed she had got on the pavement so started coming in. And that she stops there so that she can U turn in the entrance of the road opposite school to go back the way she came.

My initial thoughts were that 1 was unreasonable, but then I wondered if she was correct that 2 should have got on the pavement?

Or both?

I agree on all points. P1 always more at fault but I wondered whether she was correct in thinking that P2 held a little of the blame for not using the pavement when available.

Fwiw when I walk with a buggy I do the same, as it is such a short stretch I don't bother to bump up and down the pavement. As do most pedestrians tbh. Today's altercation made me question my judgement!

Parent 1 is wrong because she shouldn't be stopping on double yellows at any time, especially oustide a school! Selfish cow.

It's up to her to be aware of other cars and road users, pedestrians, etc. She could have seriously injured Parent 2.

Are you P1 or is it your mate? 😂😂😂

Pedestrians always have right of way - whether or not they should be there. If you hit them you're in the wrong.

P1 should not be stopping on double yellows, P1's fault.

Pmsl, as I said in the first post I jumped to assume P1 was wrong, as it is annoying having to go round her when she stops there especially given the lane is very narrow and you have to put yourself in the middle of the road to get past. With friends like me who would need enemies eh 😂😁

You seriously have to ask?!

Of course the driver is wrong. They almost hit someone. Doesn't matter if they weren't on the pavement, is that their excuse if they mow someone down on a zebra crossing? You should have been on the pavement? Jesus christ...

They are also wrong to sit on double yellows, but doubt they care about that either.

If you read what I said again, I said clearly she was wrong. My question was whether as a pedestrian, it can be assumed you should use the pavement when there is one available. I am normally in P2's position so wanted to be sure that there wasn't some unwritten expectation that a pedestrian should get up on the pavement.

Parent 1 is in the wrong and if she keeps on acting so entitled instead of parking and walking if able , then i can see a day coming where she probably ends up knocking a small child over because she hasn't seen them .

Parent 1 is an idiot

Correction parent 1 is a selfish entitled idiot. Why should she get to stop on the double yellow and watch her child walk in? No-one else can. Double yellows are there for a reason.

The car was in a place it shouldn't be. Person 2 had every right to see the double yellow and assume a car wasn't going to pull up there so walk on the road to make it easier for herself.

It's convention to use the pavement
It's sensible to do so
Any driver who assumes all pedestrians will do so, fails to look and thinks its ok to sit with engine turning over on double yellows should get points on their licence

There's many children killed and injured on crossings, carparks and roads, because of the assumptions of drivers.

It's covered on your driving lessons, test and highway code.

Stopping outside the school is covered in by laws.

Personally I'd report her, after that, before she injures someone.

when you say it's a small school, is it only the 3 of you families that attend?

Yes, clearly.

The car driver is completely wrong. Putting your hazards on doesn't give you the right to do whatever you want.

I'd report to the school and hopefully they'll contact parents or get some out there to move this entitled idiot along.

Quite aside from that it's bloody stupid that a lane leading up to a school doesn't have a pavement. If there isn't space they should turn it into one of them 1 way at a time roads (Sorry, don't know what they are called!) with bollards to make room for a pavement

Car driver.

Just because something is somewhere unexpected/in the wrong place doesnt mean you have a right to hit it.

Driver definitely at fault, why is this even a question? You seem to want to apportion part of the blame to Parent 2, why? She has every right to walk along the side of the carriage way to avoid obstacles on the pavement or tricky curbs. And even if she didn’t, she was already there and the onus is always on drivers to pay attention to what’s going on around them and she should have seen her. Drivers should always expect the unexpected from pedestrians especially near a school at drop off/pick up time and that’s before we get to parking on double yellows.

Driver is absolutely in the wrong. The double yellows are there exactly for this reason!! Does she think she’s exempt from the law? Does she think her vehicle is somehow magically safer than all the other vehicles that aren’t allowed to park there? She’s an entitled prick.

Parent 1 is in the wrong every time she parks on double yellows and puts her hazards on.
She was even more in the wrong today as she should have been paying attention to pedestrians etc

Parent 1 is an arse who is clearly in the wrong.
If she does this daily I would be contacting someone to come out and start issuing her tickets.

Driver 1.
What if every single parent decided to opt for the same method of delivering their child to that school?

Parent 1 in the wrong all day long.

1. Shouldn't park outside school
2. Putting hazards on is not an excuse for shitty driving/parking
3. You can't just 'assume' that other vulnerable road users are out of the way and carry on blithely doing what you want.

She's a terrible driver and therefore probably a terrible person

The car driver is completely in the wrong. Irrespective of the pedestrian, the car driver is parking on a double yellow line - illegal - right on a junction - illegal.

Putting on your hazards to highlight that you are parking illegally on double yellow lines is a special kind of stupid.