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?

With regard to vandalising the cars, the less risky but still effective thing to do is write 'you park like a muppet' or the more succinct 'Twat' in the dirt on their car. At this time of year cars are often filthy so it's easy to do. Oddly it does sometimes stop people and even if it doesn't, it's quite satisfying without being illegal (or if it is, no-one will prosecute you for it).

I wouldn't key a car as it puts you in the wrong. I'd be tempted to let down a tyre and then put the cap back on but you'd be hard put to do that without witnesses. It won't actually damage the car but it would be very annoying (you'd have some annoyance that day, but hopefully less in future).

Our school say they are a school not a police force and will not police parking issues.

Imagine if a nightclub or pub said that to the local licensing committee in response to residents complaints ?

@ConsolidateTheBiscuits the one on the private road near me has to have a person operating it. Other places e.g. flat car parks have had to remove their automatic ones or ensure the barrier is permanently up. So I suspect the OP will have to check with her council what is allowed.

Our school say they are a school not a police force and will not police parking issues.

The local school were really polite about it and did tell parents to get their children to walk. It's even in the admission criteria for the school that you have to live within walking distance.

Unfortunately it lasts for two weeks at the beginning of each term. As a result we asked the council to put us in the permit zone. This left parents with three free parking spaces.

Then a zebra crossing was put in because it was too dangerous for the school children to cross the road!! So the only parking spaces for the parents are ones they have to buy a parking ticket for.

Put some traffic cones out. It's very inconsiderate to block anyone's drive.

Our school say they are a school not a police force and will not police parking issues.

Same attitude as the parents, in reality. Which is "tough shit".

Which is a piss poor attitude all round. What amazes me is that all these entitled parents would be up in arms if you went and blocked their drive every morning.

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

And if you did that on our private road you’d get a smack upside your head 😀 You might want to Look up what a private road is before you start bigging it up and making yourself look silly. The example you’ve described is not of a private road 😉

@TuckMyWin fair enough you don't park there, but presumably you think those that do should continue to the maintenance costs?

the one on the private road near me has to have a person operating it. Other places e.g. flat car parks have had to remove their automatic ones or ensure the barrier is permanently up. So I suspect the OP will have to check with her council what is allowed.

From the OP, the problem is during school hours. Barrier only needs to be down 8-9 and 2:30-3:30 (or close to). Rest of the time it can be left up.

With that level of usage, a manual one would probably make sense, if the residents can arrange a rota (with some spare keys for that hilarious "I thought it was your day" moment).

Other places e.g. flat car parks have had to remove their automatic ones or ensure the barrier is permanently up. why would that be? I'm interested to know as there is a private gym near us with barriers and also a private clinic.

I'd go with notices on the windscreen,superglue on dry days gorilla glue on wet.
I like the ideas of the sprinklers too.

@tentative3 I'm not sure to be honest. I live next to a shop. People use my drive to turn, and park on the verge outside my house, churning it up. Should I be asking the shop to whinge at their customers to be more considerate? Or is it par for the course, living next to a shop? What about the house at the end of a cul
de sac? Should they get grumpy about people using the drive to turn? What about the childminder, or the person running a nail business from their home on an unadopted road? Should they pay more service fees? Personally, I wouldn't buy a house on an unadopted road opposite a primary school if I had strong feelings about people parking on the road that my service fees pay maintain.

Try putting some cones across the entrance .... at our school two adjacent houses put cones outside . I have never seen a parent stop , move the cones and park ...It’s just too much hassle - although they park everywhere else regardless of common sense .

why would that be? I'm interested to know as there is a private gym near us with barriers and also a private clinic.

Because they are manned ?

Presumably, even though it's possible to have a barrier or gates or bollards on a private road, they still need planning permission?

Why would you think that?

You can hire fire engines for parties, maybe negotiate a cheap fee for them to park one in the entrance a couple of times. The chances are they won't notice.

Once the weather is nicer organise a 'block party' with BBQ and deck chairs, start about 2.30 pm

Get a load of post it notes and post it the cars, do one a day. You only need to do the windscreen, it doesn't damage the car but you have to remove them individually.

If it's a really cold day, just pour water over the car so it turns to ice.

Talk to some SFX people, you can have artificial snow, confetti, a wall of flames?

www.mtfx.com/confetti-special-effects.html

@TuckMyWin I just don't see that it's reasonable to say on the one hand, you knew what you were buying without also saying you knew where you were parking.

I personally have some sympathy with people who buy houses and find that the road users around them turn out to be inconsiderate dicks. That's not to say I don't think it's expected that living near a school will cause traffic issues at times, I do, but I also think it's reasonable to expect those traffic issues will be congestion and lack of public parking space availability, not parking across drives and in spaces that aren't spaces.

@tentative3 I totally agree with you when it comes to parking across driveways and inconsiderately, I've said that several times :) But just parking? I just can't get worked up about that.

YANBU, but doing it once probably won't work, it would need to be repeated occasionally so the parents don't want to risk it. might be easier to get some cones and just close the road before the school run, neighbours can still get out, emergency services can get through but lazy parents won't be bothered to get out the car and move them.

You'd be better off talking to the school.
No, you wouldn't. My local school has tried putting photos in the newsletter to name and shame, they've tried staff and PTA standing round in Hi-Vis jackets asking poorly parked parents to move, they've tried doing assemblies (in the hope kids would nag their parents) and getting the kids to design flyers which were sent home and put on windscreens, they've had the police out. It doesn't work because the parents who care about these things are the parents that park considerately anyway.

But just parking?

It isn't just parking though, is it? It is parking where you have no right to be at all. Parking on someone's driveway is "just parking" too. Parking on someone's private road is not that different..

Go with the gate. Signs don't work.

I think it's a major issue at all primary schools. My DCs school send out letters twice a week asking parents not to park in the drop off zone (huge red signs up around said zone). Every single morning there's a line of cars parked there, no drivers inside.

Happened at my DS's previous school - road rage and arguments about parking, and one day a little girl got backed into (she was fine just shaken). All cars, except emergency vehicles and delivery vans were banned from going anywhere near the school after that. All kids still got there every day for the year we were there.

@TuckMyWin

It isn't "just parking".

It's blocking the access and egress of vehicles where the owner has paid the council to create a drop kerb, legally allowing them to enter and exit the property from their land/boundaries.

The fact that some people ignore this because they want to stay in bed a bit longer or can't organise themselves enough to leave in time to find decent parking...this fault shouldn't then be put back onto the residents of a street who have every right to be able to leave their driveways like the rest of us.

Penguin bollards, perhaps?

I would seriously look into the legalities of signage, wheel clamping and fines, or one of the services mentioned above. It could be very profitable.

@GinDaddy what part of 'inconsiderate parking should not be excused' is not understandable? I've said it several times now! I'm not talking about people blocking drives. Of course that's not ok.

If it is private can you not employ a parking control firm?