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.

Gosh that would be like me, have no back up so you wonder if it’s worth it. But my god how entitled! And to think they’re parents also 😬

And it's those exact same ppl reserving the chairs by the pool but not coming down to the pool till after 1pm 🤦‍♀️

A 30 minute parking restriction and a few zealous traffic wardens would stop this nonsense. Or a large congestion charge with exemptions for parents collecting children with disabilities.

Yes it is bizarre. I knew someone who would go and park early and sit and read. I like a good book but can think of better places to be. It's a bit like getting to school church services and hour before. I used to get there 5 mins before and stand at the back quite happily!

The argument I've always seen from parents who do this is that they finish work at 2 and go straight there. But I still don't get it. Personally, when I've been in this situation where I have finished work early or DC are in school late, I always make the most of the extra 45 minutes and I go to a charity shop or a supermarket on my way from work. I've even called home when I only have 15 minutes as it means I can load the dishwasher, put a wash on and make a cup of tea to take with me or grab the kids a snack. Anything is better than sitting in the car for half an hour or more.

It starts at 145pm at my DC's school and pick up is 330pm. Always the same few cars at the front morning and at pick up. Thing is, it's an over subscribed school - every year so many are refused. The furthest distance of admittance for the school the last few years has been about half a mile max. Every child at the school lives on the estate - and the school is in the centre of it. I honestly don't understand it.

I live 7 miles away from my grandchildren’s school and pick them up twice a week. Walking is out of the question, so I have to arrive early and ‘park up’ for about 20 minutes. Have some sympathy for those who don’t live a few minutes away from the school!

I used to work in an office opposite a school. It was a quiet road, maybe one car every 2-3 minutes. Except at 2.30pm when it became carnage. 20-30 cars parked, idling engines for the heat or air con which drove us mad because it was like a low-level hum. I asked one person why she drove - because of all the traffic, she said. Yes the traffic they caused!

I once lived near a school and had the misfortune of driving down a road with a school on it. I couldn't move for 15 minutes for all the cars double parked with their kids getting in. I emailed the head and she asked me to write to the council because she agreed it was so bad. It is a serious issue and creates havoc for many others.

Idling your engine while stationary is an offence. You can be fined for it

https://www.richmond.gov.uk/engine_idling

Anyway you could engineer timed sprinklers

m.youtube.com/watch?v=IaTgpO8AN_E

@llynTegid for councilor! I'd vote for you!
Do you have any policies for those who are quite sure it wasn't THEIR dog that just had a poo? (Right there, in front of our eyes, but apparently not theirs.... even though they had to stand still to wait for it to finish.)

I live 3 doors down from a primary school, there are cars parking up as early as 2.15pm for pick up and they sit in there car waiting for a hour. Daily my drive is blocked by people parking outside my drive. It really is a pain. Iv noticed alot of people who live within a 10 minute walk of the school driving to do the school run also which absolutely baffles me.

I'm not sure I get it, why does living 7 miles away stop you from parking 3-4 streets away (e.g. at their parents' house) and walking to/ from the car instead of blocking up the street for 20 minutes. What is it about your situation that needs sympathy? If it's that you don't want the grandchildren, then that's something to talk to your own kids about but not relevant.

Yeah happens at all the schools. What amazes me is that secondary students can do a full day walking from class to class often in large schools, do PE, but the moment they leave the gate their legs cease to work at all.
I wish they would put cameras outside schools and fine the double parkers. Once there was parents double parking on both sides and they blocked the entire road, it links onto a major A road, chaos.

As much as I’d love to, it is just driveway and no garden….so I would be putting the aggressive in passive aggressive with that!

I think some do it becomes part of the socialisation.

So mum one, self employed sets her own hours and locations, always at the road parked up for 2pm. Mum two she parks up 2:10pm gets out of her car and sits in mum ones vaping away chatting till 3:10pm.

Mum two works in a company that’s 20 minutes drive away, lives a 15 minute walk away. She had time to go home and walk.

Both of those mums could walk or could park further away and walk a bit they chose not too and that’s just two of the cars out of the whole row who where there daily so not one offs.

A lot were also sahm or rather housewife’s at that point. You’d see social media posts of 5 of the ladies out to lunch together and then them all there in their 5 Individual cars again all live within 20 minutes walk tops.

Absolutely Fucking rediculous!!! Can't these people walk? You are making your child obese and unhealthy by not walking to school, and putting other children in danger, you lazy bitches. Only if your child has a disability and can't actually walk to school should you be doing this.

it warrants being direct! They’re absolutely taking the piss by parking on your driveway

They didn't allow it.

She was so weak that she couldn't have walked all the way home. She did want to be put in the car.

Mellowcritic beat me to it but round our way, it is the home leg version of the beach towel game!

Yes they do that at our school, they clearly have a lot of time on their hands. Some of the ones that get there later just park on the corners/double yellows/zig zig lines. Whereas others like myself park further away and walk. I think there is an expectation from some parents that they are entitled to park as close as is physically possibly to to the school as they couldn’t possibly walk a bit…

This happens at dds primary school too.

I walk and usually get to school a good 5 mins before they open the gates. The amount of cars parked up with the engines still running is bonkers. There’s even cars parked in the bus stop outside the school ( although the school started posting pics of the idiots offending cars, so its not happening as much)

The part I don’t understand, is there’s plenty of parking available, literally 1 min walk either side of the school. It seems no one likes to walk these days.

Is there some special medical reason why your child needs to go to the scholl that's so far away that you have to drive them?
If not, go to the nearest school and walk there.
Nobody should be driving to school..

I collect my DD early so I have to get there early and I often pop in even earlier for a meeting. There are the same group of parents there from 1.30/1.45 when school closes at 3.15