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.

Extremely entitled and stupid comment.
My child goes to a special school (one of two in town) and it's a 5 mile journey. He could nto go to the same school his older sister so they ended up in different schools and we drive to both, one with me and one with my husband.
People may chose a faith school or school that is further away than a local school but may not afford to move. Some local schools can be dire, but you are clearly unaware of that. There is nothing wrong with driving to school and for many people it is a necessity, you have to be very daft not to realise. Maybe take a walk outside the end of your street :P May be quite an eye opening experience.

A lot of peoples school does require a drive, my nearest primary school was eight miles away when I was still in primary.

Mine were in a primary school a 40 minutes walk away so I often drove. Parking was terrible. I was so pleased when I found an alleyway short cut to the back of the school. Only 6 minutes walk.
I would park outside the house of one of the mums who would set off in her car when I arrived! 6 minutes!

Our catchment school is 10 miles away

Our primary school is not within walking distance but I actively choose to park quite far away and walk because I think the exercise is important! And I’m a fat fat fatty size 20 pushing a double buggy with twin babies in so if I can do it…

Yes, I love to see the Dutch famiilies cycling to school each day. Individual bikes, trailers and those with a barrow front with two or three little ones in.

A huge attraction of living in The Netherlands. So much better for every ones health.

I live just off a main road opposite a senior school that kicks out at 3pm. Every day a woman parks up opposite my house at 2pm and has a massive car picnic while waiting for her kid.
I actually admire her for it.

This isn't new. DD1 will be 40 next year and we had the same at her primary school. Always the same women there parked at school over an hour before pickup.

I get why you wanted too but why 'should be able too'?

I went out onto my empty drive at the end if school drop off, to find a driver about to do a 3 point turn. Only she stopped when she saw me, then she waved me on - which i thought was a bit odd, but i waited on the muddle if the drive.

then the penny dropped, she wanted to drive onto my drive to turn, as she probably does each morning when im not there!

But of course with me stood there i was in the way, and thus her waving for me to move first 😂

she then reversed back a bit and didnt turn but drove off

i then got on my bike and cycled away

Yep, we live a couple of minutes walk from two schools. Parking starts about 2.30. Many dogs are waked 2.30-3.30! I campaigned for residents parking in my street because I kept getting blocked in in the mornings, and I have returned from work mid afternoon to find 2 x school pick up cars on my driveway!

Does the school in questions not have a visitors parking space or loading bay for quick pick ups?

Lazy parents breed lazy kids, we always walked.

Yup this starts soon after 2pm around here and the surrounding roads are a nightmare for more than an hour after that.

Could you not pull up on the school site?

Grandparents probably. It's certainly the case where I live.

I live opposite a public car park. Anyone can use it for 2 hrs at anyone time in the week between 8am to 4pm.

I have to pay to park my car in it via the council. I live near 2 schools. The parents definitely arrive way before pick up time. Drop off, they're quicker. I have no allocated space in the car park. My hubby often can't park when he gets home at 3pm from work. We have no driveway and cannot have one made.

Can’t you lay down a welcoming committee of nails for them? I mean we all spill things on our way back from the shops?

I saw a post on here to other day about a parent citing needing to be at school an hour before the school day finishes to get a parking space as why they couldn’t get a job and needed to remain a SAHM.

So many parents do this at my children’s school. I’m sure they have nothing better to fill their time with.

When children need picking up due to illness at my children’s school, you can drive up to their intercom system at their car park and state why you need entry to the car pick and leave it there as close to reception as possible and take you child out in your car.

I would be blocking access to my drive for a few weeks.

Wow, I'm amazed that some people have so little to do during the day and time has such little value to them, that sitting in a car for an hour is preferable to parking a bit further away and walking for a few minutes. I don't believe they are all physically disabled and incapable of walking more than a few meters at a time. Another example of the UK turning into America.🙄

We've got a school car free zone where parents aren't meant to drive (or park) on the streets adjacent to the school between set times. Even then they continue to do it. Obviously the convenience to them and their little darling is so much more important than the safety of any other children, so selfish.

They miraculously manage to walk a little further if the traffic warden is around.

I’d put my car on the street, blocking my drive if someone did that to me. I think it’s illegal to block someone in and you are forbidden to park in front of a dropped kerb and can be ticketed, unless it’s your own driveway or you’re saving a life eg ambulance

It’s always the same mums that are there, parked up and queuing at the gate that doesn’t open for another half hour because god forbid anyone should walk through the gate before them and hear some gossip that they missed.

Sorry OP, our school would have let a parent into the car park to pick up a poorly child, but that may not have been possible at your dc school.

however, I was one of those parents who used to park up an hour early. On my one day off work I’d usually be out with a friend for lunch, then rarely had time to go home and back again, so used to head to school and park up with a coffee. I kept a mini-library in the car as it was the only time I got an uninterrupted hours peace to read a book. (I’d always park considerately and switch the engine off.)

Remember those days quite fondly actually!