Who’s being unreasonable? Parking related

[FanjoFizz]

I got to my DS’s school early because of the rain and I knew parking would be a bloody nightmare. It’s on a busy main road and I usually park quite far away and walk up but it’s torrential here.

I’ve parked as shown on the diagram. There is generally room 2 maybe 3 small cars.

I was parked up and browsing mumsnet when I hear shouting and aggressive beeping. A woman is gesticulating at me furiously so I wound the window down and she was shouting at me to reverse back so she could squeeze in between me and the other car.

I reversed back as much as I can (about 18inches) at which point my sensors are beeping furiously and I can see the bollards very close to my car in the parking camera display.
These bollards actually say “Think! Parking here could endanger a child’s life!” You’re not supposed to park right up to them, they’re there to ensure visibility for people crossing the road.

I tell her I can’t go back any further without hitting the bollard and parking dangerously. I was around 6-12inches from them at this stage.

She started getting really aggressive and saying I have to move back then she can park and I can move forward again.

I said no because I’ll have to reverse out across the gate again when I’m leaving which is when all the kids will be coming out of it and it’ll be really busy. And I don’t want to potentially put anyone in danger. I collect my son 10 mins early from the preschool so I can get to my DD’s school on time, so I would definitely have been leaving earlier than her and would have had to reverse out.

She proceeded to be rude so I said “you’re being rude, your car won’t fit in the space, find another one” and wound my window back up.

She attempted to park with what looked liked 150 mini manoeuvres, eventually parking half hanging out on the road because the car didn’t fit.

As I was getting my son in the car someone else commented to her that she was parked dangerously at which point she pointed aggressively at me and said “Well I wouldn’t have if she had let me into the space. Sensitive cow”.

I was and again called her rude and left.

WIBU to not move?

@myDHhasahobbyanditsnotcycling

When you drop off your kids on your way to work, why can't you leave the house earlier?
That was my point, not leaving work earlier.

But OP's talking about pick-ups, not drop-offs. Presumably she doesn't have the same problem in the morning as she can just let her dc out of the car rather than park up.

Says who? Says common sense when it's used for children crossing the road and also the huge signs saying don't park so close. Also why the hell should OP go to such lengths to intricately edge back by inches creating a dangerous situation so some gobby cow doesn't have to either get to school early or walk a little further.

@Cacacoisfarraige funnily enough she was in activewear 😂😂😂

@CripsSandwiches yes! Thank you!
Jesus some people on here seem to lacking in common sense.
Her car would not have fit in the space even if my bumper was touching the bollard. I left a correct amount of space, I was there first.
It doesn’t matter whether it was sunny, rainy or overcast, it doesn’t change the size of her car.

FanjoFizz
I don't disagree that you were in the right here.

I was just commenting on people who cannot walk a street or 2. If you hadn't found a parking space yourself, you would have just parked further and walk, you had more than enough time as you arrived early, or you would have walked fast to reach the school on time. No one needs to parked at the school gates if they have no disability.

Your parking space was fine, so non story, the other woman was wrong.

Presumably she doesn't have the same problem in the morning as she can just let her dc out of the car rather than park up.

most primary schools don't allow you to do that, it's far too dangerous! You need to park mornings and afternoons, but still some parents refuse to consider walking for a street or 2.

@myDHhasahobbyanditsnotcycling I agree. Luckily at DS’s preschool anyone children with disabilities can be collected from the school car park.

My DD’s school has a drop and go turning circle. It’s a junior school only so the kids are all 7+ years old so not tiny ones.

shouting and aggressive beeping. Thought it was illegal to beep your horn whilst stationary or in frustration?

Oh and YANBU OP, rain and distance is of no consequence to your question.

YANBU
You got there first and you didn't purposely grabbed 2 spaces. I would never dream of asking someone to move, I would find another space.
It is entitled and aggressive.
Next time she can get there early or walk.
I am also quite in disbelief of how many people here are saying the OP should have moved her car this way and that way and do a 20 point turn to get out.

YANBU. She couldn't know how much manoeuvring space you might need. Not everyone has a car with parking sensors and shit hot power steering. My 22 year old car needs a landing strip!

This thread is comedy gold, full of argumentative fishwives spoiling for a fight!

My favorite comment...

Just buy some umbrellas for next time

It's rain, not acid

What the fuck has that got to do with some batshit head case verbally abusing the OP??

Amazing

I like our school, there is a large no parking exclusion zone round drop off and pick up time, nearly everyone walks/cycles/scooters. working parents don't tend to be there for pick up/drop offs so much. wish all schools would do this to encourage people not to drive

wish all schools would do this to encourage people not to drive
This would screw over a lot of parents, like myself. I don’t think it’s reasonable as a blanket rule especially as catchment areas have changed.
My DD’s school is 2.5 miles away from our house and my DS’s school a further 3 miles from hers. It would be impossible to get both children to school on time if I didn’t drive. I think a lot of people are judgemental (funnily enough those that don’t have to rush off to work after the school run) and are clueless to other people’s situations.
As long as people park safely (as I did) then there should be no issue

working parents don't tend to be there for pick up/drop offs so much
Probably because they’re having to use breakfast/after school clubs to ensure they can get to work on time. Not everyone has that luxury or the funds to afford to do so.

Given you said you normally park out and then walk in why would an exclusion zone in the immediate area cause you issue?

Parking exclusion zone would be a lot better and safer for the kids and should be in place in all the schools, but it would just move the bad parking and behaviour further away so wouldn't stop the attitude the OP met from that silly woman.

@Sirzy there already is a small exclusion zone, other than those 2-3 spaces.
I park at the other end of the street. If they extended it to the whole street for example, I’d have to park several streets away (dropped kerbs everywhere in this area) and would be late dropping him everyday.

I wish every school had a drop off turning circle, it would be brilliant

Anyway, I’m not sure how this thread as turned into judgement about the use of cars to take kids to school or people thinking that people are precious about rain 😂

I parked safely and legally

I don't think anyone should be parking anywhere near the school entrance. It's a real danger for children who walk to school.

Be nice, budge up a bit in future.

The OP did budge up. 🙄 Why should she “be nice” to a stroppy gobshite?

OP YANBU. A bloke once told me to “drop dead, you horrible cow” because he was parked on the other side of the road to the 99 other cars waiting outside school. I pulled into the blue badge bay he was opposite (yes I am disabled and have a blue badge) which meant he had to move his car. He told me “you can’t park there”, said he’d been there for ages (to which I quite reasonably why he hadn’t parked on the other side of the road when everyone else did) and ended up literally screaming at me to drop dead. 😳

You were reasonable and not rude.

I'd have moved up a bit more. Insisting on being 12 inches from the bollards seems a bit precious.

@PCohle even if I was touching the bollards she still wouldn’t have fit in, I wasn’t being precious you’re not meant to park right up against them, they’re there to show you to leave a gap fgs

@my2bundles it’s perfectly safe if you respect where the bollards are and park sensibly. I did both.