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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to block in school mums parking on my driveway?

895 replies

Applepiesmum · 23/03/2023 10:49

i live down the road from a school and during the school rush parents park everywhere it normally worse in the afternoon at 3pm

I work from home and usually park in the visitor pay outside my house so my partner can park on the driveway he gets home 3.30-4pm

however recently people have been parking on my driveway last week I caught someone pulling in knocked on their window and they argued with me saying they need to pick up their child eventually they did move but moved to where they were just half way blocking my drive way and halfway blocking my neighbor so no one could access it!

I didn’t bother confront them again but in future I’m just thinking to block them in… is that too petty

I have reported it to the school but all they’ve said is they’ve already asked parents not to block residents in so I’m not sure what else to do.

(if I did block anyone in it would only be for 30 minutes to cause a bit of stress and a lesson learned)

OP posts:
Thread gallery
6
premicrois · 23/03/2023 11:47

QuertyGirl · 23/03/2023 11:47

@premicrois

Point proven 😂

I'm not sure it's the point you think...

QuertyGirl · 23/03/2023 11:48

@premicrois

Do you want a shovel?

Nanny0gg · 23/03/2023 11:48

user18 · 23/03/2023 10:58

Well then you're a bit of a CF too tbh. Different type of CFery but CFery all the same.

But I'd also block them in.

Show quote history

^^This

premicrois · 23/03/2023 11:49

QuertyGirl · 23/03/2023 11:48

@premicrois

Do you want a shovel?

What are you talking about?

bigbluebus · 23/03/2023 11:50

@QuertyGirl I think the school have all but given up tbh. It's such a longstanding problem. We live in a rural area where a car is needed for most journeys - except within the village - 1/4 mile to the shop which also causes major parking issues as there's double yellow lines outside the shop which are largely ignored. And the irony of the school fundraising to build an all weather track so the children could walk their 'daily mile' around the school field was clearly lost on them all!
The Parish Council is constantly discussing the issues but none of the solutions are going to work due to lazy people and lack of any enforcement.

Nanny0gg · 23/03/2023 11:50

QuertyGirl · 23/03/2023 11:11

We need less cars.

This is all batshit

Fewer.

And if there's little or no public transport at the times you need, you need a car

RollingInTheCreek · 23/03/2023 11:51

We are all too reliant on cars. The poster saying the only parents who don’t drive are the ones without cars, the rest drive do the drop off then come back and wfh demonstrates that. If you can walk (even if it takes 30 mins) you should- heath, environment, good example to kids. Most parents are able bodied and most kids don’t have SEN so should be doable.
We need a complete shift in attitude- safer for cycling, normal to walk. Jumping in cars for short distances hopefully will be a thing of the past in 30 years and the next generation will be aghast at the laziness of some adults now.

lazycats · 23/03/2023 11:52

Do it. Fuck 'pettiness', they're taking the piss.

Blanketpolicy · 23/03/2023 11:52

There is very little you can do about this without potentially getting into bother yourself. As it is different parents realistically your only option is to block your drive to prevent them parking on it. It won't stop them blocking your drive, but if there is no car on the drive I'm not sure that is an offence.

Annoying, but all part and parcel of living close to a school and probably best to think of the least worst solution (bollard, park on drive yourself and dh uses visitor spot) and then just accept parking in a problem in your area.

QuertyGirl · 23/03/2023 11:52

@Nanny0gg

No, you need the council to get their finger out and sort it

They work for us

QuertyGirl · 23/03/2023 11:54

RollingInTheCreek · 23/03/2023 11:51

We are all too reliant on cars. The poster saying the only parents who don’t drive are the ones without cars, the rest drive do the drop off then come back and wfh demonstrates that. If you can walk (even if it takes 30 mins) you should- heath, environment, good example to kids. Most parents are able bodied and most kids don’t have SEN so should be doable.
We need a complete shift in attitude- safer for cycling, normal to walk. Jumping in cars for short distances hopefully will be a thing of the past in 30 years and the next generation will be aghast at the laziness of some adults now.

This!

It's an insane mentality. People have massive mental barriers to walking and cycling these days

idonttalkaboutthat · 23/03/2023 11:56

But the CF isn’t visiting the OP’s housing development. It’s a visitors space, not a ‘picking up from the nearby school’ space. So while the OP is a bit of a cf to be basically reserving it and stopping any other visitors using it, it’s absolutely not for the CF school mum to use!!

So where do you suggest school mums (and dads!) park then?

thethinendofthewedge · 23/03/2023 11:56

Take a photo or film the offending car/driver. Threaten to report (although in reality police won't be coming out for this sort of thing unless it results in a knife fight and maybe not even then) and think about a gate/chain/bollard/sitting out there in a deckchair at school run times.

OR use your own drive!!

DrMarciaFieldstone · 23/03/2023 11:57

but what if the parent has an appointment somewhere and they can't get to it?

Shouldn’t have parked on someone’s drive then, should they? Park further away and walk. No excuses.

Crazykatie · 23/03/2023 11:57

Best bet park across your own driveway don’t get involved in blocking them in they will damage your car.

Anythingbutbored · 23/03/2023 11:57

Block them in. Then take a walk to the school and ask for someone to come back with you and confront the parent first hand.

Their generic message to parents obviously isn’t working.

This way you inconvenience the parent who had the cheek to park on your drive whilst dealing with the problem head on

idonttalkaboutthat · 23/03/2023 11:58

QuertyGirl · 23/03/2023 11:20

Honestly, able-bodied people need to stop using cars for the school run.

I agree but I'm guilty. Perhaps next year when my son will walk the 25 mins more easily 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻

Daisydu · 23/03/2023 11:59

Get a cone or 2. Pop them on the drive way.

Itsneverwhatitseems · 23/03/2023 11:59

gamerchick · 23/03/2023 10:54

Not if it's your own drive.

I do this often. Watched one bloke go to great pains to wriggle out of my drive without having to knock on the door.

Show quote history

I believe you can block your own drive as you need owners permission to do so. You’re the owner.

QuertyGirl · 23/03/2023 11:59

@idonttalkaboutthat

Have you tried him on a scooter?

Mine loves that

Scalottia · 23/03/2023 12:00

HockeyJock · 23/03/2023 11:44

You all sound so vengeful - such pointless anger.

The OP is causing an issue by using the visitor space at the exact time it is needed for the school run when she has an empty drive sitting there.

If parents are only doing the school run then it is a brief moment of madness with the cars needing to park up - either free up space by using your drive, or tolerate them being in your way for a brief period of time.

In our village there is very little safe public parking so lots of people offer their drive to parents to ensure the pavements and walking routes are kept clear. Why not pull together to help a problem.

You're not only not helping to find a solution, you're actually part of the problem.

Times have changed since most schools were built. The vast majority of parents now work, many housing estates are built without a local school, public transport is shocking and schools have been marketised and things like Ofsted have led to parents "choosing" schools that are not their closest. Mumsnet has many threads where parents are encouraged to travel further for "better" schools and this leads to more driving their kids to school too.

Is this post for real? Visitor space isn't there for the convenience of entitled parents. Try again.

bloodywhitecat · 23/03/2023 12:01

Block them in.

I just saw red and blocked in a delivery van who was sat in the blue badge bay (with no badge) at the place I needed to be. I took as long as I could to unload and assemble the wheelchair then get my little one sat in it comfortably, do up all the straps then gather all the stuff together. He wasn't best pleased but hey ho.

DrMarciaFieldstone · 23/03/2023 12:01

Timetochangetheoil · 23/03/2023 11:24

I agree you should block in anyone parking on your driveway without permission, however I am confused about why you need to keep the driveway free for your partner? If he comes home at 3.30-4 surely the school run traffic has gone by that time so he could just park in the ‘visitor bay,’ outside your property.

If you weren’t parked there, a parent could stop to collect their child.

It is maddening when parents park badly to collect their kids, but there is a lot of pressure on working parents nowadays who need to drop kids off and get somewhere quickly after and don’t have the luxury of a 20-30 minute walk to school and back (so nearly an hour out of your day just for one drop). I often find some of the worst judgement comes from people who have been retired for years or in some cases were stay at home mums or their wives stayed at home (thinking my parents’ generation) and just don’t appreciate the pressure someone else may be under and jump straight to an assumption that they are lazy and just can’t be arsed to walk.

Not accusing you of being like that btw OP just my personal experience since doing the school run!

None of these justify using someone else’s driveway.

Itsneverwhatitseems · 23/03/2023 12:01

idonttalkaboutthat · 23/03/2023 11:56

But the CF isn’t visiting the OP’s housing development. It’s a visitors space, not a ‘picking up from the nearby school’ space. So while the OP is a bit of a cf to be basically reserving it and stopping any other visitors using it, it’s absolutely not for the CF school mum to use!!

So where do you suggest school mums (and dads!) park then?

Visitors parking means visitors. Whether it’s for the houses or school is irrelevant. They are visitors.

BellatrixLestrangesHeatedCurlers · 23/03/2023 12:01

Ooh the things I have done to cars parked in shitty places. I can't recount them here. Look up the Tyre Extinguishers for an idea.