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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU - to expect parents to park safely when picking up their kids?

53 replies

sparkybabe · 19/10/2007 16:12

Outside our local school there are the usual yellow zig-zags and opposite there are double yellow lines. Since the start of the new term there have been about 4 cars persistantly parking all over theese to pick their kids up. One of the mums takes their registrations, and passes them onto the police (who do nothing) but today one guy saw her taking his number and leaned out of the car to yell 'wot you doing'. when we said he is parked illegally and endangering the kids who cross the road, he said 'oh i'm only picking up my little kid' (we, OTOH are having a coffee morning?) and we had a bit of a slanging match. He didn't move tho. We asked the headteacher to come out (he's a big lad) but he turned up about 15 minutes later, when all the cars were gone. What can we do?

OP posts:
2shoescreepingthroughblood · 19/10/2007 17:09

yabu
they have to park there as they are lazy selfish bastards who couldn't give a shit about anyone else.

3littlebats · 19/10/2007 18:04

I take dd to school on my way to work, so it is not practical to walk, but I park several streets away where it is very quiet - loads of space, and we walk. As we get near the school we take our lives in our hands as the chelsea tractor mob hurtle around, driving on the pavement, across grass verges etc.
I just can't understand the mentality of these people - the pavements are crowded with tiny children - it is scary. The head has written a letter to all parents because of complaints from neighbours, and there has been a slight improvement - I wonder how long it will last.

Original poster
sparkybabe · 19/10/2007 18:07

2shoes - I am NOT being Unreasonable! I only posted under that heading becasue there isn't a 'i am fricking furious because...' heading!

OP posts:
Original poster
sparkybabe · 19/10/2007 18:09

oh yes - and the abusive driver of the car parked on the double yellows was halfway on the pavement too. And he still wanted to know what our problem was.grrrrr

OP posts:
2shoescreepingthroughblood · 19/10/2007 18:52

of cause yanbu
I was posting toungue in cheek. the people who park on zig zags out side schools are lazy selfish bastards. sadly you will never get them to care.

2shoescreepingthroughblood · 19/10/2007 18:54

must add. ds is 15 and this still winds me up beyond all reason. If when he wa at primary I could manage to park safely and get dd out and into her sn chair,. then any fucker can do it.

opinionateddad · 19/10/2007 21:02

'I take dd to school on my way to work, so it is not practical to walk'

such bullshit.. how many times do people use that one??... there is always time.. it is just effort....

.. my daughter goes to nursery and one of us can find the time to walk her there before driving to work.. and my DW works in the same village..

It is a matter of effort and setting example not time as most people like to shout about

wheresmysuntan · 19/10/2007 23:36

We didn't get in to our catchment school as it is over-subscribed. This problem has been going on for a number of years and the net result is that unless you live within 500metres of school your child won't get in. HOWEVER, it has a notorious problem with the sort of parking detailed below. WHY AREN'T THEY WALKING FFS?!!

Flibbertyjibbet · 19/10/2007 23:54

Ha ha yes unquiet dad, of course, what a nice ideal world you live in.

2bamum · 20/10/2007 00:05

Write to headmaster and council with numberplates? Call and ask Police but at a non-parking time see if they can station a guy there for a day or two at random? But would prob. need to be a parking attendant?

2bamum · 20/10/2007 00:06

oh YANBU

tobysmumkent · 20/10/2007 00:22

Message withdrawn

tobysmumkent · 20/10/2007 00:23

Message withdrawn

pointydog · 20/10/2007 00:27

I expect more parents to let their kids walk to school. all this dropping off nonsense

PeachyFleshCrawlingWithBugs · 20/10/2007 09:56

the majority of our aprents don't come from within walking distance because of the way the school catchmenta rea works, the buses around here don't often have buggy spaces and are hourly so they're not an option- I know that I am lucky being able to walk.

LadyMuck · 20/10/2007 10:08

opinionatedad presumably lives in the wqorld where he can drop his dd at nursery well before 9 in the morning. Oh what a shock is in store....

3littlebats · 20/10/2007 10:21

Oh how I would love to work 9.30 to 3 within easy walking distance of home and school! And I am sure dh - who works 12 hour days and nights and weekends on call would love to be able to say to his employer - "Sorry - have to walk child to school - you will have to do without me for a n hour and a half this morning"

What planet do you live on opinionated dad?

If I walk dd to school - leaving at 8.30 - can't leave her there until 8.50 at the earliest, then walk to the bus stop - carrying all my bags, then take 2 buses to work, 20 minutes walk at the other end, I might get to work at around 10.45. I would have to leave again at about 2.15 to get back to school to collect. I really don't earn enough to pay someone to do the taking and collecting. It simply wouldn't be worth working. I am a nurse, and I think I do a pretty worthwhile job - and dropping off dd on my way to work seems a reasonable thing to do to me.

Bouncingturtleskulls · 20/10/2007 10:29

Sparkybabe - YANBU - unfortunately some parents are selfish twats who think that their own kids matter, and screw everyone else's. Funny they tend to be the first to kick off about anyone else doing something wrong!
Tobysmum - that seems to be a very sensible suggestion - however, these people don't have much sense...

captainmummy · 20/10/2007 10:33

3littlebats - I am not anti-car! I know people have to get to work or whatever, but all I'm saying is that they shouldn't park on a double-yellow, opposite th school gates, and wave their kids over the road when they see them. Other kids have to be able to see up and down the road. There are lots of spaces a bit further up the road that don't endanger the kids, and don't block drives or pavements....

Roarindrunk · 20/10/2007 10:33

There is one Mum who I have see at our school , who parks very near to zig zag lines , but across someones drivway , then instead of taking her child to a safe crossing place , gets her to dodge the traffic !

I saw her one day and the kid looked like a rabbit dazzled by headlights , she didn't have a clue how to cross the road, nor did the mother !

I was so stunned by this I didnt say anything , but if I see mother do it again I will !

3littlebats · 20/10/2007 10:34

As I said in my post - I do park a few streets away and walk. I think that is a reasonable compromise. It also means that I can walk back to my car and get off to work without being embroiled in the melee of chelsea tractors leaving the school gates.

3littlebats · 20/10/2007 10:36

X posts captain mummy - if you read all my posts you will see that I am in complete agreement with you.

Original poster
sparkybabe · 20/10/2007 12:16

there was a piece in the evening standard yesterday about parking outside a london school - it was getting violent. Eeek

OP posts:
RustyBear · 20/10/2007 12:32

At the school I work at there is a walking bus, or you can buy a permit for a very small sum that allows free parking at school run times in a car park two minutes from the infant school & about four from the junior school - we still have people parking on the lines, dropping children off in the middle of the road on a right angle bend, turning in the school gateway and removing a chain that the hostel next door put across their driveway so they can park there....

captainmummy · 20/10/2007 14:31

what is wrong with these people - they are obviously not mumsnetters - or are they? Anyone out there who recognises themselves?