Parent’s Parking Across My Drive

[Dazedandconfused170]

Just wondering is there anything I can do about it or just suck it up basically

Whenever I work from home or am off (I now work part time), at 9 and 3 nearly every time a car parks across my drive when dropping off and picking up their kids from school. Different cars so not always the same one.

The drive can fit two cars on, so most of the time they aren’t blocking my car but blocking the rest of the space so no other car can get onto the drive.

I have asked a couple times politely when they got back to their car not to block it and they apologies and whatever. I did email the school just to ask if they can put a reminder in their newsletter because aside from this, they park on bends and on junctions making it so difficult to get around.

Obviously nothing has stopped but what realistically can I do, if anything

Park there yourself?

Get a few of those hard to remove sticky labels and put them on their windscreens.

Have you got a dropped kerb? Have you got signs up saying your blocking a drive access needed at all times?
People are so selfish.How would they like it done to them.
Tell them it's a blocking offence and ring the police. Give the police the reg number over the phone and ask them to contact the owner.
They can ring the owner and ask them to move their car.

School parking, you’re onto a non-starter unless you can get barriers or something. School run parking is a vicious, never-ending sport.

Do not ring the police, it will be a waste of your and their time. They have lots of crime to deal with and do not get involved in parking disputes. Is it wrong they park there? Absolutely. Will you ever change it? Not a chance. You can mither yourself about it, but ultimately unless it’s actively interfering with you needing to get out…

pointless.

Don't bother with the police they don't attend crimes like burglary let alone a relatively minor breach of the highway code like this.

If you have a traffic warden in your area you could ask them to "happen" to be wandering down your street when it's school chucking out time.

Otherwise, nothing you can do other than get some of those stickers which are impossible to remove without leaving a horrible residue, stick that over the windscreen and people will soon know not to park their twice. (Unfortunately there will probably be a never-ending supply of fresh idiots parking there though.)

Contact your police community support officer, Google will have their number, and discuss it with them. Ours often hangs around outside the school at pick-up time to monitor the situation and will have a chat with people parking across junctions, on double yellows, across driveways, etc.

Speak to the school also as they can issue out a reminder to parents about parking, it is in their interests to maintain good relationships with neighbouring properties.

Obviously you expect heavier traffic at drop off and pick up times but they should not be blocking driveways or causing an obstruction at junctions.

Don't go putting stickers on their windscreens, that's liable to land you in hot water not them.

Don’t do this. Tampering with peoples cars, especially if it causes restrictions to the drivers vision, will get the op in bother.

OP phone /email the school every single time I happens. Our primary ended up with a traffic warden patrolling the nearby roads because parents caused such problems for local residents.

egg their cars

Park there yourself.

Your fundamental question is "can I stop school run parents parking like selfish pillocks? ", and sadly the answer is no. Definitely keep on at the school, and photograph the cars if you can be bothered. You could put cones out, again, if you want to take that on I suppose.

I’m really petty but I’d just go and stand there. If you’re able to do some emails on your phone or call a colleague for 10-15 mins, even better.

It depends where you live - near us it's a nightmare! People parking anywhere and it's incredibly dangerous as well as being inconsiderate. One of our family friends lives bang opposite the school (kids go to a different school) and they were being blocked in so they couldn't take their kids to school, or park on their drive when they'd picked them up!
The school are really good and there's always either a teacher/staff member/parent patrolling to make sure people park properly, and they have a police officer (or pcso I guess?) who comes randomly probably twice a week as well

Why don’t you just park your car across your driveway yourself?

I would park your car there for a week.

It's half term here next week so I'm not sure you'll get the same but I would start if after the holiday from day 1.

Keep noting down the registration and keep calling the school. Print up some flyers and stick it under the windshield every time. And keep talking to the offending drivers. Stop being so polite.

Our old school had an issue with terrible parking by parents on the road outside. In conjunction with the local police and fire service they arranged a day where a fire engine would try make its way down the road at drop off time. Followed by an officer talking to all the dodgy parkers. Worked for a week or two...people are just selfish.

Annoying, but is it stopping your from going out? If it's just a bit annoying, you need to chill and focus on other things.

This just isn't true.

Here people take photos of illegally parked cars on the school run and post them to a website manned by the police. A fine follows.

Works very well. Lobby for the same thing or just take photos and report in person. The police will prosecute.

One local school worked with the local authority and had all the dropped kerbs and driveways marked with white lines so the parking places in between were clear, on top of letters out to parents on parking. It's helped, there are always a few who'll park anywhere and not care but most stay off the lines.

Mmm it's a pain in the ass. I had the same in my last house, I wouldn't ever dream of doing it but some people just don't care or even think. My exH used to get so so mad about it, often going out and calling people out on it. I'm on the other hand a people pleaser and although I found it cheeky I just decided to think what harm are they doing? It's parents with young children taking them to school and being up north the weather is usually shit. At worst they would be there 10 mins.

Albeit I had a larger drive too so could always get out if I needed and didn't need to do the school run myself.

Is your dropped kerb double-width?

Can you put some cones? Or your bins?

We’ve had this issue. Here they would just sit in their car with engines running even if we were in our car trying to get out!

The schools head ended up coming and standing out on the road to tell them to stop it. Also I found very obviously taking photos of them helped put them off doing, it (because they know they shouldn’t).

You can usually report parking offences online. I don’t know what comes of it though.