To think that the school are powerless to solve this? Parking related

[LeevMarie]

Hi everyone - just wondering if this is the same everywhere in the country, or if your DC's school have managed to solve this problem.

DS (almost 5) was nearly run over this morning outside school. The school is at the bottom of a narrow lane with no car parking. We were crossing the road direct outside the entrance and he was on his scooter. I try and instill the importance of road safety, so I make him stand on the pavement, looking around for cars until I though it was safe to cross. We stepped out behind a car parked on double yellow lines on the pavement (the whole pavement is back to back with cars, so no alternative) and out of nowhere came a huge vehicle which resulted in a near miss. I shouted at the driver of the car (not ideal, but I got a shock).

When I was leaving the school, there was a stream of cars and I found it difficult as an adult to navigate my way across the road - kids have no chance.

The school are really trying to resolve the issue. They often send out emails/letters, have a sign on the gate saying that cars should not be driving down to the entrance and even have had a traffic warden on occasions to give out fines. Yet, still, inconsiderate people still keep driving down there.

I don't think there's anything more the school can do about it and fear that things will only change when there's an accident. I've emailed the Headteacher this morning to let her know that there was a near-accident, but also that I appreciate the steps they're taking to try and stop it.

Does everywhere have this problem? Are there any examples anyone has of their school successfully solved a similar issue? There is lots of parking available nearby - I can't help but think it's just lazy, entitled people who think that they have some kind of licence to do whatever they want.

We have a School Street. It’s WONDERFUL. If you’re on a no through rd it will be easy to create and transformational. Lobby! I got the school to request one - it took a while but it’s so so so good.

I think the most effective deterrent I’ve seen is the “don’t park here” signs with children on them that PP have linked to above. A school near me puts them actually on the road rather than the pavement so that parents can’t stop there even momentarily. Might your PTA fundraise for these?

If it's anything like round here then crossing between parked cars is pretty much unavoidable. The trick is to learn/teach how to do it properly but even then people driving way too fast with minimal clearance from parked cars are a threat.

My kids were walking to school together from around 10 & 8 which, in a semi rural commuter village should be OK, and were nearly wiped out while crossing a road with nose/tail parked cars for its entire length.

The trouble is you are asking for them to have common sense when parking. Unfortunately with school run parents common sense goes out the window. There was a thread yesterday about a woman parking outside a house on the school road. Whilst what she was doing wasnt illegal, no other person other than me asked the question whether it was possible to be parked legally but still causing an access issue. Maybe it turned the road into a chicane. Maybe it meant emergency vehicles couldnt fit or maybe, like in your case, it could cause a blind spot. All the MN members replied if you are parked legally carry on.

It should not just be a case of parking legally. It should be a case of parking safely for everyone.

Stepping out between parked cars is possibly the only place to cross along the road.

Our school sounds similar, a dead end road and parents parking as close as possible to the school entrances. I have had several near misses with cars reversing onto the pavement and almost hitting the pram as they don't look properly.

The Council have now turned the road into a School Street which has partially solved the issues. However the area just before the signs closing off the road parents turn dangerously and stop randomly in the middle of the road to get as close as possible to the school entrance. There are often traffic police there to monitor it.

We nearly lost ours at primary due to funding cuts. But then an insurance company stepped forward to pay. Ladies or Gentlemen of course.

All of our schools have Lollipop people and an ‘official’ Lollipop crossing. No cars allowed to be parked/standing within x meters of the Lollipop crossing. If the Lollipop person believes there is the need they put in some sort of request and a Lollipop supervisor comes out and if they agree they request police presence, who do so and then everyone behaves for a few months then it rinses and repeats.

I did wonder if councils should do an analysis of how far kids travel to school.

A school in my area has only one road up to it and it has taken to closing that road between the times school drop off and then again when it's pick up time. They have had police patrols who have issued fines.
Other schools have had double yellow lines painted outside them with no drop off directly outside the school. They also had patrols of parking wardens who have issued fines.
Parents who drop their kids off are so blinkered to the dangers of other kids also trying to get to school safely. I think the school has to step in and be proactive about this. I wonder if contacting the governor's would be worth doing?

Our teacher governor parks on the zigzags! It makes my blood boil.

He told DH he doesn’t have time to walk yet
he lives on our street and we walk but beat him back every day.

We have this where I teach and it's made a big difference at drop off and pick up. Its worth contacting your council.

Our school has a drop off and pick up lane put in over Covid. The playground extended over 2 residential streets so they were able to take out a strip and make it entry one street exit another. It is WONDERFUL and a huge success with parents and residents. Oviousky depends on the school site though.

My local authority has a webpage where you can report illegally parked cars? Might help a little? I use it sometimes when the pavement is blocked.

The roads around our school become a no drive zone during drop off and pick up times.. i think most of the schools in my town have it. It works great. Every now and then police will come and monitor to make sure everyone is following the rule

Posters drawn by kids about road safety and selfish parking prominently displayed is another thing my DCs school did alongside cones, traffic wardens, members of staff confronting parents...

Another school I know has very graphic "you could kill a child" type posters on billboards displayed outside the school gates at pick up / drop off to try and deter people who think the rules don't apply to them..

I actually find it quite shocking to see who the culprits are sometimes - an acquaintance of mine used to consistently park her massive Volvo right on a corner with a double yellow where kids and parents needed to cross the road. Impossible to see over or around it. Just incredibly selfish and dangerous. It is an awkward site but just park further away like a responsible human and walk to meet them, like most other people! (No disabilities hidden or otherwise so no reason apart from not wanting to, because it's "only for a minute 😤).

We had very similar at my old house - we lived down a narrow, short cul de sac with a primary school at the end. Most parents took notice of the school asking them not to drive up the road, but there was always a core of entitled twats who thought their needs trumped everyone else's.

The School streets scheme is the way forward

And to answer the qyestion in your title -no the school are not powerless, as they need to apply for a school street to be set up

Teaching how to cross when the road is full of parked cars is something worth doing and under your control though - I’ve made a point with my kids of teaching them to carefully walk to the outer edge of the line of cars and use that almost as a kerb line to look and listen from - as they would stand back on the pavement and not be able to see shit!

We moved and one reason was that any parking measures for a primary near us just moved the bother - from a school car park drop off zone that they decided they wouldn’t use anymore - onto a T-junction at the brow of a hill which is just a total RTA in waiting and we just had had enough of the (admittedly amusing at times - like the school dad who kicked off at the local bowling club daring to use their own car park) chaos

@Tessasanderson when behind the wheel for at least 25% of drivers, any common sense or reasonable behaviour goes out of the window. If it existed to begin with.

The school outside my house is just like this, but there is a pedestrian crossing that is mostly respected.

Lots of families don't walk the extra few yards to use it though...

School streets are a great idea IMO. They might also encourage less car use, if you still have to walk the last bit.

What do they do to enforce it? I.e. how are cars kept out in those hours?

Cars can't see children coming from behind parked cars - they are too short. No way should he be scooting infront of you - make him get off and hold his hand.

The situation outside schools is ridiculous but no one should be scooting across a road in any circumstance.

Our school is at the end of a narrow residential street with houses built before cars. No driveways and most of the street is full with residents parking. Then school parents have been trying to take the only 2-3 spaces or parking at the top on zig zags, blocking junctions and the bus stop.

It has taken probably about 10 years of working with the local council and residents but last year the school got permission to trial closing the street between 8.30am - 9.15 and 2.45pm t
-4pm. The put manual barriers up with cones and had someone staff it every day to let residents and disabled parents access the road. This worked and funding has been approved now to make it permanent and managed via traffic cameras with a fine. Residents can register their registration number and so can disabled parents. I think it's the only solution.

The primary school DD is going to has an agreement with a pub just down the road for parents to use the car park and pick up and drop off. It's quiet times for them and a nice community gesture. Obviously doesn't fix everything but it works well and reduces traffic on the two residential streets either side of the school.