To stand on road to stop parents parking illegally

[ChimneyPot]

Parking at our primary school has been hazardous for years. There is a crossing guard on the main road at the school gates but not on a side road lots of kids have to cross. Parents park on the double yellow lines at the junction of the side road blocking lines of site for pedestrians and cars trying to turn in and out. This often results in the road getting blocked and cars reversing back on to main road.
School sends repeated communication to parents without impact and has asked local authority for bollards and this is under consideration but hasn’t happened yet.

I used to collect my DC from the gate because of the risks but DC wants to be more independent and meet me further away.

I started asking parents not to park and the junction but have been largely ignored so I have started standing on the edge of the road to prevent people parking and this has been effective.
Today someone I know signalled to me to move but I smiled and shook my head and they had to park a few metres down the street . They are not happy with me.

AIBU to block the road?

Yes all these busybodies trying to make our communities safer and better places.
How dare they interfere with the wants of selfish and lazy people.

Yanbu

I used to live opposite a school and we had a small car park they would use our car park and park on the side of the flats up on the pavement where it clearly said no parking a few times I asked people to move they would moan they would be late but that wasn’t my problem my and other residents was that we often had to park away from our homes

the entitlement of some is shocking

I also found the email for reporting illegal parking with photos but I think that seems worse than standing on the road.

I would do this.

People who park at pick up and drop of time are the worst.

You are also not allowed to put unauthorised cones out on the highway.

The jewish schools and synagogues in the area think they can put cones out and block the road. They keep doing it despite being told its illegal and then threaten people who move the cones.

They put the cones on legal parking spaces and pavements to reserve spaces for their staff, customers etc.

I find this disgusting. They also allow the parents to park on the keep clear signs. The council are not enforcing this behaviour so they get away with it.

Its basically dumb, entitled people who park dangerously and illegally put out cones.

Ask the local police station to send a bobby round. The fines collected could find the Station Christmas party. They would only need to go round once (or until they had enough for their party fund).

The road outside my sons school is now a school street, it has made a huge difference. Parking was so bad sometimes he couldn’t squeeze between parked cars and peoples garden walls/fences. Due to where the school is you can’t park on the near by roads as they’re already full due to being terraced streets, or they are permit holders only, so now drivers have to park about a ten minute walk away.

Like lots of places we have one of those parking like a twat in facebook pages, if I was early for pick up I would often take photos and send them in. One particular parent commented on a photo of her car and totally lost her shit, the comments were fantastic, so I did make sure I took a few more of hers.

As a disabled driver that would do my head in. As long as the area doesn’t have the lines on the pavement I am allowed to park on double yellow lines.

With a blue badge you still can’t park within 10m of a junction, so you the OP wouldn’t inconvenience you as you can’t park there anyway. Your above rule also isn’t true, you can’t park on any area of road where there are double white lines in the centre, urban clearways etc.

have you thought of getting a nice Lycra body suit and calling yourself a catchy name?

The diagram doesn’t say how long those lines are, and I was obviously just talking in terms of the yellow lines, not other road markings.
I just think it’s important to know that some drivers are allowed to park on double yellows, as I’ve had this argument more times than I care to count.

Yeah ok @TheOriginalEmu we all know disabled drivers can park on double yellows. We don’t need an awareness campaign

You however do need to know this:

“You may park on single or double yellow lines for up to three hours if it is safe to do so but not within 15 metres of a junction or where there are restrictions on loading or unloading – indicated by yellow kerb dashes and/or signs on plates.”

so in the OP’s example, NO ONE can park there. And that includes you with your blue badge.

Good on you OP.

And for those who think it's OK to park ilegally near a school and the OP should stay out of it - this is why we need mandatory driving tests every ten years including re-testing the theory section.

That sounds like the ideal place to organise a walking bus.

OP

Keep up the good work.

I agree with what you’re saying but I wouldn’t stand in the road. They aren’t safe, responsible people you’re up against and I honestly wouldn’t trust that you won’t either get run over or punched by one of them!

I can never understand why parents are so willing to put children at risk, including their own, to park a bit closer to the school. Two children got hit by cars outside primary school when my kids were that age. I was actually hit by a car by one of these idiot parents, only slightly, thank god my daughter who was 4 at the time was not holding my other hand as it may have been much worse. I am obviously taller and managed to move quickly. My daughter is in now in year 9 and I know of 2 incidents already of children being hit by cars outside her school, my partner witnessed one of the incidents. The child was on crutches for weeks. All preventable if parents had not parked illegally.

Both the primary and secondary have had police support officers and staff outside, signs made, notices in the newsletter, texts/emails to parents, nothing stops them. If knowing they’re putting kids in danger and that kids and parents have been hit by cars due to irresponsible parking won’t stop them, it’s really hard to deal with. How can that not deter people? 😡

That's not to mention the aggression from drivers and parents that have got out of their cars and shouted at others. I’ve seen seemingly normal parents square up to others and look like they’re going to physically fight. They’ve had a mention in the newsletter too. 😬 Just be careful, it’s like some people lose their minds when driving and when it comes to getting the closest space possible to the school gate.

There's a car park less than a min drive away from our school but they are too bloody lazy to use it, and don't get me started on those who fly up the curb to park . A few people have been hit by wing mirrors

YANBU OP

As for this conversation, there seems to be a lack of compassion for disabled road users trying to take and collect their dc. We know the rules. What about ensuring abled bodied people follow the rules? Rules like not parking on double yellow lines or in the bloody disabled bays.

Perhaps think about how hard those, not respecting us make our lives and save the ire for them. Or better still, leave the closest spaces for us just because you can and it takes you seconds to walk a few metres further.

When dd was younger, I had a woman shout at me for taking ‘her spot’ in a place, where I am allowed to park, despite the fact she wasn’t entitled to park there.

My local primary has lots of little men outside. They are about four feet tall, arms outstretched, and stand in the road on double yellows.
They make me smile tbh because they are so funny looking.
They work as well!

These little guys.

The UK desperately needs to get its transportation and car dependency shit sorted out.

Much of the US is incredibly car dependent, but has lots of space for big roads and parking, and very cheap fuel which makes driving long distances across sprawling landscapes affordable. It's environmentally not great (understatement of the year), it makes for ugly cities dominated by concrete parking lots, and results in an unhealthy population. But at least there's the space for cars and parking.

Countries like the Netherlands and Japan have gone for high-density living clustered around public transit lines and much of their cities being walkable and bikeable. Not ideal for someone who wants a big suburban house with lots of parking and being able to pile the kids in the car to drive anywhere they like without having to use trains or buses. But great for physical health, the environment and kids' independence.

The UK has poor public transport, is not all that walkable (though better than the United States, admittedly), and has developed a highly car dependent culture, BUT nobody wants to destroy attractive traditional cities by flattening old buildings for car parks or paving over the countryside to allow cities to sprawl out with bigger roads and more parking, and fuel here is too expensive to allow super-sprawling exurb living with long commutes in the US style.

The result is the worst of both worlds, with parents and children trapped in cars, and nowhere to park.

🤣
As someone that lives near a school, I for one applaud you!
I often end up in a stinking bad mood, going into work, muttering about how they must fucking lobotomise people when they have kids because their ability to think and park seem to totally disappear around drop off time. I mean, sure your special little cherub is safe and sound, but you've parked in a way that puts all the other kids crossing at risk you selfish, selfish bastards.
Then there's the blocking in of residents...
I use the "take no prisoners" approach whilst trying not to run over their crotch fruit. I also complain regularly to the council and school, we now have a camera car that gets a lot of them 🙂 happy days.
It's ever so simple. LEAVE EARLIER AND DON'T PARK LIKE A FUCKING IDIOT.

Easy to see on this thread who the lazy entitled parents are.

Police won’t be interested unless there is an accident, the council would be more likely to send a traffic warden regularly, hit them in the pocket with a fine is the only way to stop them. Have a word with your local councilor to get that organised.

I wish we could get an interview with some parents who do park on double yellows on corners, to try and understand why.

Why is it jobsworth to stop people putting children's lives in danger?

It can only be misplaced self importance and an inability to give a fuck about others.