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?

No advice but you have my sympathies. I live near a school as well and the parents treat our road as a drop off point. I've physically not been able to pass on quite a few occasions. "Oh, I'll only be a minute" is the usual response.

We used to do similar with a car park out my parents house, it was a rectangular shape and not tarmacked for years, just stones. When the football was on we would put a car in the entrance to stop people parking and blocking us in. All the neighbours knew and took part.

If neighbours are up for it then taking turns blocking the road with one car, driver staying with it in case of emergencies could work.

Its illegal and if it were me I'd come along and move your blockage.

I used to attend a football stadium - home games there were parking restrictions for residents only. Local residents decided to block the roads to stop them being used by football traffic at all.

Some roads only had restrictions down one side - again they were blocked by residents.

We took matters into our own hands removed the blockages and drove through anyway. They complained to the police who told them it was against the law to do what they were doing.

When they tried attacking a car or two, they were the ones who were arrested.

That's pretty shitty the parents are still doing this if the school has spoken to them. If your neighbours are in agreement I would block them in and see what happens. If not maybe you could club together and buy some official signs to the effect of 'Private road. No parking. This road is regularly patroled and any cars parked without authorisation will be clamped/towed. Maximum fine £500'. Something like that will hopefully make some of them think twice.

Perhaps a neighbour of you could go out in a high vis jacket with a clipboard at drop off time and make a show of looking at the cars and pretending to write down reg numbers.

The only thing with putting gates/barrier up at the entrance to the private road, is that some CF’er will Inevitably just park in front of the gates, blocking all the road.

If you have the permission of the road land owner (as it is private ) of course you can block it temporarily.

Our lane is private and we each own a part and successive houses have right of way over it. If evryone agreed we could gate it no problem and no law saying we can't. HOWEVER you have to say is this permanent - so what do you do about access for emergency services. It wouldn't be so you are well within your rights to temporarily block it at school times and put signs up saying private road, right of access to householders only - in fact you could put up your own signs to that effect as well if you wanted

Put up a sign "Unauthorised vehicles will be clamped. Release fee £50". If that doesn't deter them get a clamp and use it.

Could you very enthusiastically feed the birds in your front garden every morning and afternoon? So enthusiastically that it goes all around the cars...

We had a similar problem with our local primary. Parents blocking driveways etc. The school made an arrangement with the local pub. It allowed parents to use their car park to allow parents to "park and stride" to school.
It worked to an extent although some parents were put off by the 5 minute "stride" to school

A couple of cones and some chain strung across the road. Residents can move it if they need to get in/out and so can emergency services.

You'd be better parking to block the road BEFORE the parents park there. That way there'll be less aggro from people being trapped in. It sends the same strong message. Do it for a few odd days and see if the problem reduces. If not, then I'd suggest putting notices on the cars to remind them not to park on private property.

If the road is big enough, can you not contact one of the parking charge firms to get signs put up and parking charges imposed - that seems pretty common for private roads/car parks etc.

Have you tried the good old “Parking for residents and visitors only” sign or a passive aggressive note under the windscreen?
It’s infuriating, I used to live near a train station and eventually the council implemented parking restrictions. Neighbours got parking fines and the bloody commuters just parked in the surrounding streets

Do you live on my street. Considering the same for the same reasons!

Its illegal and if it were me I'd come along and move your blockage.

The difference is that your football analogy was on public roads. The OP is talking about a private road. Completely different.

Chain that clips on to one side of the wall. Put the chain over the lane at school drop off and pick up times. It will stop the CF. They have got into a habit and think it’s ok. They know the school has no jurisdiction over this and will continue to be CF until you stop them.

Let their tyres down

Assuming you're using because you've explored all the other obvious avenues then I think, if all residents are on board, to do a collective demonstration would be a good idea.

I would not cause damage to anyone's car and, frankly, deplore those giving this advice. That doesn't stop you letting their tyres down...

I'd come along and move your blockage

I've only ever seen cars being lifted and moved on World's Strongest Man.

@ACautionaryTale it’s not illegal if it’s private land...

Obviously blocking off the highway is illegal which is what I suspect is the case with the football!

There will always be these problems near schools, most people are too rushed in the morning dropping kids off and getting to work to be too concerned about upsetting someone by where they park (not me, we walk to school) I see it all the time, parents dumping the car and legging it into school at the last minute. Unless you do actually gate the road you are probably fighting a losing battle.

Legally it's not as clear cut as private road versus public road as sometimes there is a public right of way across private roads

Good summary here
researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/SN00402/SN00402.pdf

You would need agreement of everybody who has rights to the private road however with experience short term measures might have a short term effect but they will creep back so I would recommend having a discussion with your neighbours about implementing a more permanent deterrent such as a barrier or gate

Private road? Yes block it off. I live on a private road and I absolutely would.

You'd be better off talking to the school.

Fat lot of good that will do.

OP I feel your pain. We live very close to a school and a lot of the parents are arses. Despite there being a car park 3 minutes walk up the road, they have to park as close as humanly possible to school so their little angels don't have to walk. They block drives, make it impossible to leave the house or get parked if you are unlucky to have to come home at school drop off or pick up.

School do what they can. Send out emails about parking respectfully, organise "bike/scoot to school" weeks, encourage children to walk rather than be driven. But they cannot enforce anything, they can just appeal to parents' better nature.

And in my experience, a lot of the school parents don't have a better nature. They are selfish gits who don't give a stuff who they're inconveniencing.

(And before anyone comes up with "oh but the school was there first" well yes it was. And it's grown from 280 children to 420 children in 10 years. A couple of cars parked outside my house and across the drive has mushroomed to between 8 and 10. )

Rights of way are usually pedestrian only - in fact often from way back in history, so based upon the width of a bloke with a wheel-barrow, i.e. 3 feet or 1 metre is typical. They seldom extend to a right of way for a motorised vehicle unless the private road leads to a farm track or bridleway etc, but even then, the right of way is usually only for the farmer or stables, not to random members of the public.