To block the road I live on so people can't park there?

[namechangedpurelyforthis]

As the thread name suggests... I live on a private road. It's near a school. Parents park there all the time, sometimes on double yellows. They block our driveways and limit our access. Where would I legally stand if myself and other residents block the end of the road one day to block the cars in to send them the message that we won't put up with it any more?

And for the Nay sayers , if the yellow lines are there then it was a condition of planning when the houses were put there or a highways act . If you own the actual road, your yellow lines mean absolutely nothing . You would be better with a gate

Not sure where you’d stand with it being privately owned but perhaps some signs about clamping and investing in some clamps might be enough to send a message and deter people. They will all talk at the school and news travels fast! Also not hugely expensive or blocking access for emergency services.

Just bare in mind you’d also be blocking emergency services vehicles so it’s probably a no no although I feel your pain

Was the school there when you bought the house? If so YABU because if it’s parkable no notices will be taken any notice of. It’s not right, but there’s no one to enforce ‘private road’ or even double yellows unless you’re in the middle of a town.

Schools are notorious for the twice a day nightmare, which is why I would never buy near one.

@singledadstu the OP has already said the yellow lines are at the junction of the public highway, not actually on the private road. It’s pretty common to have double yellows round corners.

As I mentioned upthread, my neighbour blocked in a repeat offender and wouldn’t let her move her car. She eventually called the police and told them she was being threatened (unfortunately for her she’d caused such a scene that there were lots of witnesses to say this wasn’t the case). The police asked my neighbour if they were willing to move their cars (they were) but said they couldn’t force him to as it was private property.

It's not illegal to park across a driveway.

Oh I feel your pain! School run time here is sheer bloody purgatory. The school at the bottom of our road is a secondary school so these are not little children who need to be escorted to the school doors but stonking great teenagers who are perfectly capable of walking.

There’s a blind junction just above our house and these parents race around the corner at ridiculous speeds. God help you if you’re crossing the road or trying to reverse out of your drive. I’m sure they’d hit you before they’d stop. Then, as you say, they park everywhere. If I arrive home around school pick up time I can’t even get to my drive.

Sorry no advice but I think you’d be quite right to block the road or get some very sticky labels to put in their windscreens telling them not to park. By the time they’ve had to scrub all the glue off their windscreens the penny might drop.

Well , caution is better than angry response. I’m a school run parent . 2 miles from home to school. We park two decent length streets away . Fortunately near a park . No houses . No road parking restrictions. There’s loads of space to park there in a row on the one side of the road yet I’ll come back and some dick has double parked me . Something needs to be done about school runs in general . We have people who live closer than I park and still drive to opposite the gates to drop the kids off . Recently we have had one driver parking on the pavement at a ribbled stone crossing point against a high hedge . Absolutely no visibility to reverse. Reported to school, who it turns out have absolutely zero leaverage on issues outside the school . Highways agency at council were not doing anything up until a group of us started taking photos . They’ve been regular with their camera car since . Issuing fines . The roads are starting to be a little safer at school times

@Liketoshop

‘It's not illegal to park across a driveway’. - actually it is.

The mood I'm in today, I'd suggest waiting until they are there and blocking the road until the end of eternity.

I live in the road next to a school, with parking restrictions on the actual road with the school in it.

I had a gobful today as I had had to move a second car onto the road (three car household, normally one is on the road). Apparently this person always parked there and I was selfish taking up a parents parking space!

Get. To. Fuck.

@TattiePants it is the actual road entrance she is asking if it’s unreasonable to block . Not her drive . Personally, I’d like to think I’d block the road . Why should the OP find themselves in an awkward situation when there’s probably a better way to deal with these twats that are causing the problem.

And it’s not illegal to park in front of a dropped curb UNLESS there is a road worthy vehicle parked on the drive

As its a private road is there some way the residents could club together to buy some form of barrier (even a chain?) which you all have keys to and put it up before the school rush starts?

It is also illegal to park in any road 9 meters from the bend . So look at the curbs . The very first straight one is counted onwards to 9 th . Anyone parking on any of those 9 can be issued with a fine from the council

caution is better than angry response I completely agree. If the parents showed caution (or common sense) they wouldn't elicit an angry response from the residents!

All of my responses have been about blocking the road not the OP's drive way???

If it is a private road, and if it is owned by all of the residents then something like this (there are others)

www.self-ticketing.co.uk/

Stick up some signs and take photos of the cars. Send them off and the company sends out the tickets and does all the chasing for payment. And you get paid for each ticket....

@TattiePants ok ?

@singledadstu that was in response to this...

TattiePants it is the actual road entrance she is asking if it’s unreasonable to block . Not her drive .

I was aware .
OP you should do what you feel is not “just right “ but what will give you the outcome you would be happier with . The facts I have written will help if you decide to involve the local council highways division . They’ll come if you e mail them evidence that parking offences are taking place because they will earn from it . Unfortunate that it comes down to money , but we all know that’s what gets reaction. Good luck

Is the School called Waverley by any chance?

I'd print out some fairly realistic parking fine notices and stick them on.

I am afraid that you have no more right to park or drive on an unadopted road than any other member of the public. (this might seem a bit unfair if you have to pay to maintain it.) A private road is different, being owned by an individual.
Living so clise ti the school you are pribably lucky enough not to have to use your car to pick up and drop off. Ni one should be blocking or drives or roads however. Try a letter to put on their windscreen, or for repest offenders, photograph and ask the police to deal with it.
www.frettens.co.uk/site/library/frettensnews/purchasing-property-unadopted-road-lawyer-bournemouth-poole

Absolutely go for it!
All those posters crying out “what about the ambulances” It’s only at school run and the neighbours would see any ambulance going to their neighbours/their neighbours would know what’s going on and say “dude there’s an ambulance coming”.

Also absolutely get a barrier or gates. The housing estates near our local no car park hospital have done this to stop people parking and it’s fair enough.

Sorry to hear about your problem op. Someone mentioned sticking notices on windscreens with Gorilla glue etc. Well maybe that is going a bit too far but I think I would let loose with silly string and artificial snow! If they had to clear that lot off more than once they might think twice about where they park!

Traffic engineer here: it’s not necessarily true that the DYLs mean nothing if on a private road. There are two cases where they may be enforceable.

1. if the local authority had permission of the land owner to enforce

2. if the markings go to the back of the highway on the publicly owned road (Ie they are in line with the property boundaries on that road), then they are classed as part of the public road and are enforceable.

Op: not RTFT, but as land owner you can take action against those parking on private roads and they may be guilty of trespassing, but that is a civil matter, not one which the police deal with.

If your road is considered highway (even though it’s private - some private roads are still considered highway) then the Road Traffic Act will apply and the police can prosecute for obstruction.