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.

The roads around our school are closed to vehicles (except residents' vehicles) and people just completely ignore the restrictions. I think the only way to solve the problem is to install cameras or have traffic wardens in attendance regularly. Nothing the school does makes any difference.

Lollipop lady to stand in the road to allow children to cross.

but, he shouldn’t have been in his scooter. We have several similar roads to cross on way home and I always stick head out to look then I step in the road first and stand there whilst children cross. Not on their scooters.

So many people are now so fat they can barely walk so they stuff themselves into their enormous great suvs and lug three tons of metal with them everywhere they go blocking up the roads for everyone else
As a small short person that I also now have great difficulty getting across the roads because I can barely see over these enormous vehicles which litter the edges of every road, strewn all over the place double yellow lines disregarded

I’m surprised you don’t have a “lollipop” person at school opening and closing times.

All the schools in my area have them.

Same here!

It's utter maddness yet people refuse to even consider the alternatives.

Same where il live. The greatest danger to my children are other parents.

Round here, school streets are enforced by cameras. Lots of people got fined for driving past not realising it was still term time, but knowing the cameras are there does seem to have calmed things down.

Parking still happens around the corner, and can be an issue, but there’s not the awful driving right in front of the gate where the kids come out. It’s a lot safer to cross and move away from the crowd at the gate now, especially as the narrow pavement (one double buggy blocks it) means people often end up walking in the road.

Unfortunately you are correct.

We have had years of parking/traffic issues around school. School regularly sends out letters/emails encouraging respectful parking and pointing out where the local car parks are.

Parents DON'T CARE the only thing they think about is getting as close as humanly possible to school to drop off/pick up their darling children, doesn't matter if they're on double yellows, zigzags, driving too fast, blocking people in, parked on a corner or obstructing view. They just don't care.

Only thing which has any effect at all was when the Head persuaded two community support police people to be there, they weren't actually doing anything, just walking up and down the pavement outside school in their bright yellow jackets being very visible. But they can't do that every day.

I think it's partly because they paid so much money for that huge vehicle they feel they ought to use it as much as possible to get their money's worth, as well as being so overweight and unfit that they lack the cardiovascular capacity for a five minute walk.

All these people saying the kids shouldn’t scoot to school is very odd. Our local schools actively encourage this precisely to get cars off the road and improve the parking situation! OP to cross the road you take the scooter in 1 hand and hold child’s hand in other hand. Also I’ve taught my kids to scoot on the pavement ‘next to the wall’ (and away from the curb). I’d talk to the school and local councillors about the possibility of some kind of zebra crossing or similar

Speak with your local Road Safety department via the council..some places still use crossing patrol people.. if not they will issue schools with cones for someone to put out ( I'm an ex Road Safety officer).

I don't think scooting to school is a problem. Scooting across the (any) road is and even worse if it's between parked cars.