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?

I would seriously look into the legalities of signage, wheel clamping

There are no "legalities" of wheel clamping in the UK now - it's illegal to clamp cars parked on private land.

It was funny the first time someone suggested this, and was corrected. Less so this far in ...

@TuckMyWin

So what are you talking about, then?

You cite the example of living on a street where you're next to a shop, and people turn in your drive etc.

OK.

However what do you consider reasonable for people who live next to a school?

If I lived next to a school, I wouldn't have a problem with people taking up every legally available on-street space, twice a day or for after school meetings. No one is disputing that.

What I think you're saying is that even though you don't excuse inconsiderate parking, you still think the people who live near schools are wrong to complain, because they should have known all along that such a thing is likely to happen.

Have I got it right?

There is a little private road (cul de sac) next to our school back entrance - huge numbers of cars trying to park and loads of stupid parents who can't be arsed to walk 100m. Since Sept the residents have got 4 yellow police cones which they put out every morning and pm (couple of mums live in the road which helps I guess). It's done the job - noone can park there now without running over the cones/ looking a dick. An ambulance could access if need be

Can you get the cars towed?

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

Yes. I live near a school and I expect getting out and in at 8.50 and 3.10 to be difficult due to lots of traffic and pedestrians around. I don't expect some idiot to block the road or my driveway.

Can you get the cars towed?

MN really needs a "head hitting wall" smiley

@ProfessorSlocombe ok professor, I have actually RTFT but managed to miss that. Thank you for your patience

I'm with you OP and i'd go with blocking the road for starters. Failing that maybe think about employing a parking company.

When we moved to our house (10+ years ago) it was because we wanted to be able to walk to the school. The street that our private close exits onto backs the school and it didn't use to have any cars parked on it until their street because permit holders only two years ago. Now it has a full line of cars on it all day every day and we have a blind exit onto a 30mph street that's been reduced to one lane due to traffic.

I spoke to the school and they sucessfully instructed staff not to park opposite our entrance but the parents just lack any common sense (parking plus siting in their cars with the engines running for the 15 minutes before picking up).

After lobbying our local council we have finally had an assurance that we'll get double yellows so that we can get out of our close safely. Unfortunately I guess it will just move the problem to another of the local streets!

@gindaddy. The example I originally gave was of an unadopted new build estate (a year old), opposite a primary school. I totally agree that parents should not block drives on that estate, or generally park like dicks. However, I'm not sure I can have complete sympathy with the argument that people shouldn't park - considerately - on the road, at all, ever, in order to drop off and pick their children up from the school, because it's a private/unadopted road and so they don't contribute to the upkeep. I agree they don't. But I also think it's a bit much to move into an -ungated - new build estate opposite a school and then be surprised when parents park there.

I'm not sure I can have complete sympathy with the argument that people shouldn't park - considerately - on the road, at all, ever, in order to drop off and pick their children up from the school, because it's a private/unadopted road and so they don't contribute to the upkeep. I agree they don't. But I also think it's a bit much to move into an -ungated - new build estate opposite a school and then be surprised when parents park there.

Completely agree with this.

I'd get some of those big yellow barriers

Depending on your neighbours do they want a barrier ?

How many of them are home to be inconvenienced ?

How many of them would have regular visitors (like District Nurses , Physio , etc) carers who might drive .
Often they don't have time to get gate access and the person they visit might not be able to open it themselves .(if they are housebound for example)

I used to do home visits (NHS , no permits ) and I knew to avoid any roads with a school at pick up/drop off . Been blocked too many times !

There was one residential block of flats that put signs up in the road "requesting" that the 6th Form students didn't park in the road .
Erm....road tax. Public road ?

With the agreement of the other residents engage a private enforcement company who might like to erect ANPR camera in your road to photograph all vehicles entering or leaving your road. They would erect warning signs at the end of the road and all you would need to do is give them your car registration details of who is allowed to enter the road, even perhaps a window sticker for delivery tradesmen. Job done and tickets would be via the post to their door. Negotiate a percentage of the fines and all sorted.

We have this issue on our estate (it's about 4 years old) and the reason it boils my piss most is because the school actually has quite a substantial car park with a drop off point but parents aren't allowed to use it and they actually have the gates closed with people manning it at drop off/pick up. There's already been a few accidents and I dread what'll happen the day that involves a young child.

We live on an unadopted private cul de sac near a primary so share your pain OP. A gate is the answer. We all contributed to the cost, one house has the power supply which is billed separately from their domestic supply and we contribute annually. We all have remotes for the gate.

With the agreement of the other residents engage a private enforcement company who might like to erect ANPR camera in your road to photograph all vehicles entering or leaving your road. They would erect warning signs at the end of the road and all you would need to do is give them your car registration details of who is allowed to enter the road, even perhaps a window sticker for delivery tradesmen. Job done and tickets would be via the post to their door. Negotiate a percentage of the fines and all sorted.

The problems start when the recipients of the charges (because they aren't fines) follow the oft-cited (and wrong) advice meted out on MN (other forums are available) and ignore them.

What then ?

Who is going to collate all the reg. numbers write off to the DVLA (enclosing the fee per reg. number) then collate the responses and write to the registered keepers with the "now cough up you bastards" letter ?

And when they are ignored, what then ? Who is going to collate the documents for a small claims court action, pay the court fee, and then go to court to present the facts ?

And even them, what if the court doesn't agree with the apportionment and scales back the charges - possibly not awarding costs.

There's a reason that people play golf or fix motorbikes or follow sports rather than taking up "Law as a hobby". Despite the fact a lot of solicitors would probably welcome such a move .

Put a gate up but without a padlock, most people wouldn't open a gate marked 'private' to park in there.
Is it really such an inconvenience tho, half and hour twice a day? We have a school on our road and I'm aware of the busy times, and bear it in mind - if I want to go somewhere at 3.30pm I move my car to the end of the street so I don't get hemmed in.

We moved opposite a school and were aware that twice a day cars might be up and down the road, and kids would be running along the street on the school run. It comes with the territory, I really can't get annoyed with it.
You remind me of people who move right by a pub or music venue then complain about there being a pub there or music on past 11pm...

ACautionaryTale Tue 21-Jan-20 12:35:23
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.

Slightly confused by your post ,if the roads were restricted to residents only , how were they in the wrong for parking there?Surely its non residents who will get ticketed?

We live on the same road as a large primary school.... Parents park all over the place .... really doesn't bother us though it's 20 minutes at the start and end of the day!
If you're at home to block them from parking then is it really worth getting yourself worked up about?

Haven't rft.
A road can be unadopted (privately maintained) but still open to the public.
Check with the Council what status they think your road is first. Don't block it off until you know for sure. Road/highway law is not simple and your road may or may not be private, even if it's not maintained by the Council.

If private road you can do what you want as its owned and managed by you. However the yellow lines show council been involved so check deeds before

Who owns the road op? This is the key question. This would be on your land deeds, you'd be told who owns it and what rights you have over it to entry,

Whomever owns it needs to give permission, and ensure that permission is within thr law. Then anyone with rights over it, need to agree it,

Clearly you all then need to be available to move your cars should an emergency vehicle need access.

What billy1966 says!

I totally understand this, I live opposite a nursery and daily cars park outside my house leaving me with nowhere to park. Its irritating to have to put up with it all the time.