Bad parking, I don't feel bad.

[Scoobydoobywho]

We live very close to a school, our 2ds go to this school. So thank God as of yet we don't have to tussle with finding a place to park. But it annoys the hell out of me that people think it's ok to park either a little bit over the drive or completely blocking it. How do they know I'm not going anywhere. So anyway I get back with ds5 and there is a car 2 feet over the dropped kerb. Luckily there were parking/traffic wardens out, so I spoke to one of the who came and had a look. Took down the car details and photos and gave them a ticket. The amount of times the school has to send out messages saying please park considerably is ridiculous. Is it wrong that I don't feel bad about it.

I wonder how much that would cost though, it would be bliss here.
Someone’s going to get hurt, LF parents reverse and the back end of their cars comes over the pavement, I’ve nearly been hit twice just by people doing this.
The latest CF parent has an electric car and parks right in front of the school gate, the bloody clever clogs.

@MLMshouldbeillegal

[quote Staryflight445]@Helleofabore that sounds amazing!
People ignore double yellows here too.[/quote]
Well.. it could also be because up until recently they had blocked off the side entrance to the school that they were using and people stopped using that entrance.

And now I am not needing to do school drop offs and pick ups so am not actually active in the car at that time. I am sure there are CFers during the school run, but whereas it was relentless, a daily occurrence (yes, CF parkers, you seem to honestly think it is just you!) I have not had one issue since the Yellows went in. And I am using the car just as much. Obviously, the combination of having clear double yellows and the fact that there are more wardens around too is having an effect.

funny how most of the people that seem to utter or write 'be kind' are exactly the sort of people that can't see the hypocrisy of it because they are usually actually being pretty mean spirited to the person they are saying it to... hmmm

Good on you.
We used to have the same parking issues, often to the point that emergency services weren't able to get passed. The tools would also park in front of the school car park gates stopping transport and blue badge holders getting in/out.

Lots and lots of letters. Staff outside taking abuse from some tools. Traffic wardens outside twice a day. Community support officers out twice a day.

Eventually those working parents sorted out themselves better when all access aside from transport and bb holders was blocked. Before this the school had free club and a walking bus system.

The origins of "be kind" came from Caroline Flack

Try Googling the word 'origins'...

The thing is, most school parking is lazyt and entitled.

We live near local school. From our house it is 4 minutes walk to the school, I know as I used to have 3 kids there.

In my road there is plenty of space, and always parking. Same in two off streets from our street, where it would be 5 minutes walk to the school.
I can actually think of about 6 streets that are within 5 minutes walk and have some parking.

On the other side of the school is a much narrower road, which has no parking spaces as all the residents have to park on the street. This street is visible from the school playground.
Loads of parents try and squeeze into this street, block residents in, park on double yellows near the junction, and every morning there is at least one argument there about parking.

All for the sake of walking for 4 whole minutes.

@Staryflight445

Any of you know how much money a school would have to raise to sort an issue like this?

Might be worth asking your schools to fundraiser for it?

It's a council issue, not a school issue.

Definitely not unreasonable. I’ll tell you something that bugs me though.

90% of the time we walk to school. However, I need to be in the office one day per week and on those days I’ll take the car as I’ll go straight to the office from the school.

I ALWAYS park considerately. Always. I don’t block driveways. I don’t block the road or the pavement. I park on a quiet residential street which is perpendicular to the (main, very busy) road the school is on, and walk down from there.

The amount of curtain twitching and glares I’ve had over the years! On one memorable occasion an elderly man grumbled about people “parking outside his living room window, bloody school” etc.

Inconsiderate and downright illegal parking should not happen and should be dealt with. But I’m not doing anything wrong by just parking up considerately and taking my child to school. If you don’t like it don’t live near a school to be honest.

Good for you

I live opposite a primary school..........some parents are absolute entitled idiots when it comes to parking!!! There is residents parking on one side of the road and on my side (where we all have drives with parking)there is a single yellow line with no parking between 8am - 6pm.

Parents park everywhere!!!!

I have to take my disabled child to a different school and getting in and out of my drive can be a nightmare. I especially love the ones who stop across my drive to let out their kids as I'm waiting to drive out in the morning.

There’s no excuse for parking across someone’s driveway. I have managed to drop off and pick up for the past 8 years and not once have I blocked someone’s drive. Park further away and walk. It’s not difficult.

Dobbing them in to a traffic warden was a dick move, but I'd have done the same!

@hangrylady

Dobbing them in to a traffic warden was a dick move, but I'd have done the same!

Inconsiderate parking is a dick move. Don’t do it is the easy answer.

@MLMshouldbeillegal

Well done you.

We are in a similar situation, live very close to a school at the end of a cul-de-sac which parents use as a carpark/playground. Often can't get my car off the drive when I need to go to work. In the 12 years my own kids were at the school we must have had a letter/email every 3 months reminding parents to be considerate to local residents and to use the (large, free) car park 5 minutes walk away.

Most don't care. They are special, they are in a hurry, they'll "only be 2 minutes", it's raining, their child is tired, they have a baby. Have heard it all.

Recently had a flier through the door that the local Council are consulting on imposing exclusion zones around schools which would operate 8.45-9.15 and again 2.45-3.15. Only residents with the correct permits, delivery drivers, taxis etc would be allowed within the exclusion zone. All the lazy fucker parents would have to park further away and walk to school or risk a fixed penalty fine.

It sounds WONDERFUL and I've filled in the consultation form saying how much I support it.

(And before any of the lazy fucker parents pipe up that I knew the school was there when I moved in, yes I did. But in the 15 years we've lived here, the school roll has grown from 240 to 440. )

That’s a great idea in principle and the same was trialed here recently. It just moves the parking problems to the next few streets along. It doesn’t change anything apart from for those who live next to the school.

That’s a great idea in principle and the same was trialed here recently. It just moves the parking problems to the next few streets along. It doesn’t change anything apart from for those who live next to the school.

And the signage in our area is so poor that you can turn onto a 'exclusion zone' street and not notice it for all the other signs, cars and trees. Or, you turn into and cannot get out because there is no where to turn around or to divert.

Good.
I wish there were more traffic wardens near me.
It gets to the point that people are parking on the whole pavement sometimes making it impossible for people to get by. A new secondary school opened in September and 8am, you have teens being dropped off in cars parking on double yellows, blocking the buses and regular traffic on the main road.- there's a massive car park available but they still park on the main road. It's made me late for work numerous times.

It’s bad when people properly block you in. But I’d i could still get out I wouldn’t mind. And if I didn’t need to go anywhere I also wouldn’t mind! If it’s not blocking me and/or I’m not going out it doesn’t affect me so I wouldn’t make a big deal about it. Tbh though... I wouldn’t buy a house next to a school!!!

YANBU. If you do this every time, word will get around and people will stop blocking your drive, wholly or partially!

So glad my DC could mostly walk to school, or when we lived more remotely, hop on a bus. I had one workplace where parents at a nearby school used go sneak into our carpark and block us in. Our jobs often involved travel and if we were in the office it was for meetings, and our carpark was well signed. If we blocked anyone in, we never rushed.

We are in a similar situation, live very close to a school at the end of a cul-de-sac which parents use as a carpark/playground. Often can't get my car off the drive when I need to go to work. In the 12 years my own kids were at the school we must have had a letter/email every 3 months reminding parents to be considerate to local residents and to use the (large, free) car park 5 minutes walk away.

Most don't care. They are special, they are in a hurry, they'll "only be 2 minutes", it's raining, their child is tired, they have a baby. Have heard it all.

Recently had a flier through the door that the local Council are consulting on imposing exclusion zones around schools which would operate 8.45-9.15 and again 2.45-3.15. Only residents with the correct permits, delivery drivers, taxis etc would be allowed within the exclusion zone. All the lazy fucker parents would have to park further away and walk to school or risk a fixed penalty fine.

It sounds WONDERFUL and I've filled in the consultation form saying how much I support it.

(And before any of the lazy fucker parents pipe up that I knew the school was there when I moved in, yes I did. But in the 15 years we've lived here, the school roll has grown from 240 to 440. )

I think that’s really unfair. The people whose streets the problem gets transferred to did not choose to live next to a school with all the inevitable problems that brings. The people right next to the school, for whatever reason, did choose to live next to a school so if there are unfortunately problems, they should bear the brunt tbh.

@Helleofabore
Maybe you could get your street to get together to get double yellow lines. It has significantly reduced the numbers parking across our dropped kerbs.

Considering there is double yellows a few houses down that cars park on, I'm not sure it would make much difference.

I wouldn’t buy a house next to a school!!!

And it actually shouldn't be a problem. At all. I have lived opposite a school in another country and there was no issue at all because people actually never felt the entitlement to park across driveways. They knew it was a ticketable offence and the fine was a lot more than £30.

So, no. Living near a school should not mean having to make allowances for Cheeky Fucker Parkers who feel they have an entitlement to park across your dropped kerb when it is an offence in your Borough by-laws.

It shouldn't have to be factored in at all.

Noise, yes. That comes with it. Parking when it is an offence? No.

I have this- it's a nightmare. One woman has taken to parking on the grass ( it is council land) right outside my house, even though there are often road spaces. It churns the grass up and destroys the plants growing. I asked her not to do it and to use the free carpark or ample on road spaces in the village . She told me she could park where she wanted and that since I lived in an (ex) council property I had no rights anyway., She drives a range rover.

Sorry to hear that Scooby.

At least the fines are bigger though....

I both live next to a school and drive DS to a school with terrible parking so see both sides. I have entitled wankers who park over my drive and refuse to move (including a man who brazenly said “I will move when you need to use your driveway”), and as thus my theory re school parking is this:
I would never ever block someone’s drive. I would never park on the school lines. I will however, on occassion, park on double yellows and merrily accept the fine if given with a smile on my face. Which feels like my decision to make as the double yellows in question make 0 sense/it’s very unclear why they are there. It doesn’t impede anyone.

Exclusion zones down where my parents live are causing utter chaos.