to think I should be able to park near the school?

[zagazig]

Got a call from the school. DD had vomited so they asked me to come and pick her up. Got there about 2.30pm and had to park several streets away because so many parents had already taken the prime parkin spaces. Many of them were in their cars already with some younger children in the bank. Also quite a few with their engines idling to keep the AC on as it is warm.

Are parents really parking up an hour before to get the best nearest spaces? I had to walk poor DD several streets away to get her to the car. I normally walk her to school and walk back but I took the car as I was coming from work and she was unwell.

If the lazy parents have an hour spare to sit in the car they have time to walk.

Likely the majority are unemployed.

Because an hour on Facebook or Mumsnet in your car is not much different from an hour on Facebook or Mumsnet in your house.

(Obviously not everyone has the time for that, but cars are big. 80 of them parked up is a quarter of a mile in old money. So it doesn't take a big proportion of parents getting there early to appear to be a huge number.)

I see the same at DD’s primary and it really baffles me!
We live a 5 min walk from the school so always walk, but every day I see probably 75% of children being driven in. It’s a medium sized town with loads of schools, we have 5 primary schools within 1 mile of our house so I just cannot comprehend why so many people are driving for the school run. Obviously there will be exceptions for blue badge holders and the odd person who has moved away but not changed school.
IMO it’s much quicker and a nicer start to the day to walk in. DH does pick up but again it takes 10 mins in total and he gets a nice little walk in.

If the school has an carpark, they will normally be fine with a parent parking on school grounds to collect a sick or disabled child. I’ve always done so no problem.

I obviously mean in accordance with the signage, calm down!

Bloody hell, these CFs take the whole packet of biscuits. Can you put up some penguin bollards or a lockable chain and posts across it?
What happens when you're out and return to find your drive blocked with cars already on it and you can't park? I presume the street is already blocked!
Camera phone at the ready next time?

Most annoying is that most of them ignore the 'no parking 7-10AM' sign and even the 'no parking' signs that the school children have made themselves!**

but that’s about other people and other people’s children. They aren’t important. Their child is special. (Spoiler alert: they are not)

Engine idlers are the worst!!! Grrrrr

I live in a street opposite a large secondary school. Without fail there are adults parked up waiting at least an hour before the end of school. Some sit there reading kindles, some listen to the radio or make loud calls using hands free. There is one ‘grandad’ who always parks up the earliest and falls asleep until the kid comes out. What a waste of life!

Lots are, our sons old primary had a very small catchment, rather than a size it was specific named street, the longest walk to school was maybe 8 minutes. Yet people would drive to school, the school road didn’t have parking restrictions but the adjoining roads did, the road was then turned into a school street, so now no one in catchment could park closer than their own home.

Some people were genuinely screaming in the street about it in the run up to the change, completely bonkers. One parent set up a petition for a pushchair park and access to free pushchairs as her year 2 able bodied child couldn’t possibly walk to or from school.

We had one set of parent's at my DC's primary school whose house could actually be seen from the playground, it was so close. Yet they drove everyday and parked up on the hazard lines, engine idling, reversing into children once their own cherubs had got in the car. The school was constantly arguing with them, they didn't give a shit. They were pretty obnoxious and anti social in other areas of life as well.

"Yes, they sit with engines idling ..."

Stationary idling is an offence under Section 42 of the Road Traffic Act 1988. The act enforces Rule 123 of the Highway Code, that states: “You must not leave a vehicle’s engine running unnecessarily while that vehicle is stationary on a public road.” This applies even if you’re waiting for someone.

The obvious solution to this, and to the parents parking on zig-zags, double yellow lines etc., is more enforcement of the rules (otherwise there is really no point in having them).

I see it in our village, parked up about 2.15, I think school finishes at 3.25, that's when the school clock/bell chimes.

Sad thing is you can identify the children that are walked to school and the ones driven.

I walk my dog near a primary school. I try to avoid school chucking out time and aim to be home by 2pm, but, yes, there are parents sat in cars, doors open, on double yellow lines at 2pm. The school finishes at 3.10pm.

If you're picking up a sick child and can't get a parking space, use the staff car park - even if there are no spaces there and you have to clock someone in, they won't be leaving before the end of the school day anyway, and by the time they come in to ask you to move your car, you'll be leaving.

This happens in a school near us too. It’s bonkers. Clearly these people have a lot of time on their hands.

Our local school finishes 15:25, parents start blocking the local area a good hour before. It's ridiculous.

The headteacher has sent out multiple letters about parking but unsurprisingly nobody cares, they can't possibly walk their child to school.

I'd have to deliberately block my drive

OP - couldn't you get in the staff car park just to pick up?

Some people's priorities amaze me. Why would you park up and sit in your car for a hour to collect a child at 3:30? Perhaps they had come from other activities? Also, I would imagine a lot of the other cars are not waiting parents, but people parking there for another reason - not least residents and school staff. I am a big fan of school streets that penalise people driving past schools during pick up and drop off times. We should have more of them. People need to learn to walk again.

I'd threaten them with towing if they keep doing it.

My old primary school that's still open have never encouraged the parents to go park elsewhere. There is a long road that snakes through a housing estate effectively looping around the school grounds. The parents always park at one end of the road, which creates a bottleneck on the junction with the main road. They could use the other entrance which is a nice wooded bridleway and just walk two or three minutes further, but they don't use it.

They are always sat in the cars so usually if i indicate in and often toot the horn because they are engrossed in their phones and haven’t seen me the reluctantly move…

I want to sell my house so don’t really fancy bollards or anything that indicates that I have a CF infestation.

Does the school not have a staff and/or visitor car park? Ours does. You’re a visitor - use that.

They are. When my youngest was in school the SN carpark was tiny, I had to get there 50 minutes before the bell to get a space.

Very entertaining watching everyone try and fit after it was full up.

Exactly this, I've never lived anywhere that didn't have a primary school at a walking distance!
Some families might be in more remote/rural locations fair enough, but the sheer volume of parents parking up at 2 bloody PM for 3:15 pick up is mostly comprised of people who simply CBA to walk. It is bonkers to be sat in your car on your phone for over 2 hrs, complete waste of time. Never understood it personally.

And surely, even if you lived a bit further, you could drive back home then cycle to the school?

Secondary school kids even more bonkers, they can walk, cycle or take the bus themselves.