Getting cross with the crossing patrol!

[myfaceismyown]

3 days a week I drive my adult DS to his special needs college in a neighbouring town,
I have to drive along a very long busy road that has 2 primary schools, one secondary school and therefore 3 crossing patrols. Normally not an issue and I wave back when they salute a "thank you".
Not today. today I nearly lost it. At the top of the hill, 3rd patrol, the lollipop lady was having a lovely natter with a couple of primary school parents, totally oblivious to a parent indicating to get onto the school road and totally blocking the traffic. This was 3pm so not chucking out time yet. Lollipopper jumped into action to stop the oncoming traffic to let a lone parent across. She then thanked me and I mimed a shrug as I was stuck behind the idiot parent blocking the road. I had a queue of cars stuck behind me as it is a busy thoughfair, and the only direct route to the next town.
So I am indicating to pull out round this blocking car and - hurrah! - there is a break in the oncoming traffic. Instantly nattering lollipop lady jumps into action to stick her pole out to allow another lone parent to cross. Ugh. I never do this but I jammed my hand on the horn, gave her a thumbs down and shouted "you beast", which she probably did not hear.
I did finally get round the idiot blocking person but was late fetching DS which caused him distress.
So AIBU to think that crossing patrol person should have paid as much attention to the traffic as they did to their chat?

You posted in AIBU.

You are being unreasonable, and you also seem to not give a stuff about the rules of the road that keep us all safe(ish)

The Highway Code is meant to be something you know about and follow the whole of your driving life - not just to pass your test.

The horn honking rule isn’t hard to remember - I’ve added a picture of it from the government site for you to recap.

Your sneery attitude to responses disagreeing with you here, when you asked for opinions, doesn’t give a great impression of your patience and respect for others.

You were in the wrong, unreasonable, and breaking the rules of the road, whether you like people noticing that or not.

My house is literally surrounded by fields. I have cows in a field about 10 meters from my bedroom window. Sheep in a field to the right of my house. Little country lane to get to and from places. I’m rural! And yes, people would be on their horns if some idiot was just sitting there. And we’d get out our cars and tell them to shift it.

Then I followed the rules as I used my horn whilst overtaking the blocking car alerting all to my presence - including the daft lollypop lady. No I am not sneering. I have already stated that I felt remorse, and I do. Job done.
If you read the other posters they seem to think I should have been honking at the blocking car, and I did not do that - I was probably far too patient. But i do appreciate your honest opinion, which is the great thing about MN.

I jammed my hand on the horn, gave her a thumbs down and shouted "you beast"
Bizarre....did everyone in the vicinity clap and cheer?

What I don't understand is why lollipop bearers stop traffic to allow adults unaccompanied by children to cross the road; I thought their job was to enable safe crossing for children and any accompanying parents.

Could someone enlighten me, please?

So you were stuck behind a poorly positioned car and somehow this is all the fault of the lollipop lady?

@Magnastorm No, that was not why I got annoyed. Having been stuck, the moment there was a break in the traffic so I could overtake the blocking car she sprang out to stop me so she could let another adult cross. Really infuriating and not really her job to stop traffic for adults to cross.

Actually that is her job.

They are employed at traffic-heavy or dangerous crossings to stop traffic whilst adults and children cross.

it sounds like the crossing was particularly dangerous with heavy traffic and that turning-in car blocking the view on half the road - so it’s great she was there.

It’s hard recruiting crossing patrol because it’s low paid, out in all weathers, and because they face a lot of abuse from impatient drivers.

I'd say use of the horn would fit the criteria of another road user causing a danger. The 'abandoned' bad car was definately a danger. My opinion is the crossing patrol, should have told the driver of that car to move it. I believe they do have that authority if they are putting the children in a dangerous position.

I'm calling bs on this one. There's no way a lollipop person in a rural area is going to keep you stationary for 20 minutes!! Presumably the "couple of primary school parents" they were chatting to were also 20 minutes late picking up from the adjacent primary school? Unbelievable.

@MathsMum3 The primary school day had not ended yet... she was just letting parents across. I am guessing they come out at 3.30 but certainly no children about.

So the stream of parents arriving 20+ minutes before the end of the school day is sufficient to keep you stationary for 20 minutes? No way.

A 330 finish?

@MathsMum3 Thank you for making me chuckle. Hardly a stream of parents. Most seem to be parking up where the road widens and walking back from what I could see.
@DoreenonTill8 I am guessing as I am not usually stuck there at that time and my DS's college day ends at 3.30pm.

She was doing her job. You were held up by the driver of the car, not her. Screaming "you beast" at the lollipop lady just makes you seem a bit unhinged.

@Magnastorm You are entitled to your opinion, as we all are, and thank you for taking the time to post on this thread. incidentally, I did not scream, just shouted, and the windows were up so she won't have heard me :)
She did not hold me up, I did not say she did. She was so busy nattering to 2 of the Mums that she did not notice what was happening with the traffic. When I had a chance to overtake the parent from her school in the car blocking the road, she stopped me. Crazy behaviour. That is why I lost my normally composed demeanor and for once made myself heard.

Why is it 'crazy ' for her to do her job of stopping traffic to let people safely cross? Do you call pelican crossings crazy when the green man comes on but you want to go?

@DoreenonTill8 Of course it is not crazy for her to stop the traffic to let one person cross. However, had she been aware that traffic had been building up behind the blocking car for getting on for 20 mins, and that there was a gap in the oncoming traffic which would have relieved the situation, she could have waited one or two minutes without greatly inconveniencing the lone parent arriving to cross the road.
Fortunately Pelican crossing do not have a natter with those nearby and forget to use their lights.

Agree with pp that find it incredulous that on a busy school day morning, she 'nattered' for 20 mins during prime school pick up time!

@DoreenonTill8 As I have said. I got to the blocking car at just before 3pm, way before end of day. I do not think that can anyway be taken as a busy school day morning at prime school pick up time....

But why would you honk at the lollipop lady and not at the driver of the car blocking you? Or go and speak to the driver of the car?

@Onthesideofthespiders I have already answered why I did not get out of the car. I am pretty sure that the lollipop lady and the 2 ladies with her will have thought I honked at the car. But i did honk at her because she stopped me when I, and the traffic queue behind me, had a chance to pass. She stopped me as a parent had literally just arrived at the other side of the road. One or two minutes wait and we could have all got through.

So how long did it take for this one parent to cross the road, and how long did it delay you?..

@DoreenonTill8 You are missing the point I think. I had been indicating to overtake the blocking car for all the time I was stuck. As I started to move off the lollipop lady jumped out in front of me. I was alarmed.
if she had been more observant the blockage would have cleared quickly.

I don’t understand how you could think you are being reasonable. Don’t get me wrong I’m sure we all sometimes bip our horn out of annoyance instead of for its true purpose/curse at other road users, but surely we all actually know we’re being unreasonable even as we do that? And you shouldn’t need to be told to let a pedestrian cross before going yourself if there’s a break in the traffic!