To ask school to choose? (parking)

[Carpark1]

Aibu to ask my DD’s school to choose to alert that they must reverse park. There are no guidelines in the car park and I just feel like it’s mayhem. If we all reversed parked then it may be s bit more streamlined and time saving? Do you think they would find me weird for suggesting it ?😂😬

There are some parking lots/garages in the States where reverse parking will land you with a ticket. (My office is one of them.)

They tend to be those with diagonal rather than perpendicular parking spaces, because people who reverse into them then have to do a three point turn (at minimum) to get out via a one-way system, which is dangerous and/or delays everything.

But no, people here almost never reverse park, which means anyone who does surprises the hell out of the people driving behind them in the carpark.

@freshstartnewme if you’re going to quote me then please read the full post! I said that at OUR school parents don’t go into the school and never take out younger children, they let their dc out and walk them the 10 or so seconds to the gate and say goodbye. I’m not suggesting that EVERY school should reverse park! I’m talking about my DD’s school!

I can understand why car parks for company vans insist on reverse parking as some say they do on here. Because general;y you can enforce things like this on employees easier than schools can on parents, plus if someone drives for a living their driving skills will probably be far better than your average driver.

I've been driving for about 35 years and the only reason I ever reverse parked was to make it easier to get away when I left. (I don't perceive a safety difference, there's lots of times you have to edge into potential traffic when you can't see what's coming, I see that as a normal part of driving.)

I stopped reverse-parking because I realised it made no sense from a convenience point of view to combine the more difficult of two dimensions in the same manoeuvre: going into rather than out of a confined space, and going forwards rather than backwards.

In any large carpark virtually none of the cars will be reverse-parked. Mumsnet threads on the subject seem to cater to a different universe.

Many years ago I heard of a company car park in Germany where it was forbidden to reverse-park. Apparently they didn't want the walls discoloured by people's exhaust fumes.

Reverse parking if there are lots of small kids running in front of you car is more dangerous IMP than forward parking.

I've never understood why people say they can't reverse park, surely if you go in forwards you'll have to come out backwards, you can't get away without reversing.

there’s no need to take out a buggy for the school drop off 

That was what you said in response to someone mentioning they needed to park forward to get their child's SN buggy out.

Awful way to speak to anyone. Don't try and defend it by saying I didn't read your whole post and it was about your school because that was literally your one line response to a parent who uses a SN buggy.

When you reverse out onto the road there is more leeway. Lots of parking bays are pretty narrow for the size of cars these days, so if there is a car either side, you have to reverse in very accurately to leave enough space for everyone to get access to their car.
I can reverse into bays, but it is easier to reverse out forward than reverse park into a bay.

Only on Mumsnet!

Going forwards or backwards, you're going to need to go the other way coming out! And unless every child arrives and leaves at exactly the same moment and every parent is on time and has a parking spot , there's going to be some reversing whilst kids are about. Just be careful.

Reverse parking is much safer. The amount of drivers who don't see hazards behind them (e.g young children whose height is below the rear screen) when they reverse out of a space is scary. Those hazards are less likely to be in the middle of a parking space (hence safer to reverse in).

This who can't reverse park - you should learn. Reversing around a corner is part of the driving test, and a fairly basic skill if you are going to be a safe driver. I can't believe people will cheerfully admit they can't do it - get some lessons and learn!

@freshstartnewme I responded to the same issue to someone else stating the Situation at our school drop off! I don’t need you getting at me like I don’t know or care about ppl with SN. That’s not what I meant so stop nitpicking please

I wouldn't reverse park. I need to get my pram out of the boot for baby as its quite a walk.

The school and yourself can't tell people how to park.

When you reverse out onto the road there is more leeway. Lots of parking bays are pretty narrow for the size of cars these days, so if there is a car either side, you have to reverse in very accurately to leave enough space for everyone to get access to their car.
I can reverse into bays, but it is easier to reverse out forward than reverse park into a bay.

Reversing out onto a road/open car park is much more dangerous than reversing into a parking spot. You may be more at risk of tipping your car against another parked car by reversing into a space (although tbh I find it easier to park accurately by reversing in) but you're much more at risk of injuring a person or hitting a moving car by reversing out

I don't perceive a safety difference, there's lots of times you have to edge into potential traffic when you can't see what's coming, I see that as a normal part of driving.

The fact that you don't perceive it doesn't mean it's there. It's been well established that reverse parking is safer and this is why in many places of employment it's mandatory.

The school and yourself can't tell people how to park.

The school could tell people how to park if they wanted

Hillrunner Normally I would agree with you. But parents parking for school run I find kids do run behind the car if you reverse into a bay. Not in supermarkets, but school run parking yes.

And who would enforce it? There is now law to dictate this.

I can reverse park but I find it easier to revers out of a space. Never had a problem with it. I also have a drive and jusy drive onto it and reverse out, never had an issue there either.

Given how difficult schools find it to stop parents parking in very dangerous places to drop off their kids, I don't think they could enforce this.

Are you talking about staff or parents, OP?

@Dandelion1993 as I have added several times upthread there is no walk, no need for a buggy, most parents don’t even get out of the car if I’m being honest!

@fedup21 parents car park, staff have a separate one.

Most which means some do.

I ALWAYS reverse park so I can see better when getting out.

OP I would defo suggest it to school.

Also, I think people saying they can't reverse park are bad drivers!

@Dandelion1993 yes but not to get a buggy, by the time you got a buggy out and a child into it and walked the 20 odd steps to the gate it would be a pointless exercise. Parents don’t stay.

Oh and btw, I have 4 children including babies, I still reverse park!