To ask if you have ever solved parking on zig-zag lines issues at your school?

[JacquesHarlow]

I am genuinely trying to understand why there is so much disregard from drivers for our school markings (zig zag lines asking to "keep clear"). The disregard for the lines happens during drop-off and pick up on the school run, when the council have placed a sign above the lines explicitly stating that they should be kept clear at these times.

In the last month I have seen

• Someone swoop in over the markings while indicating left. Then sitting there with the engine running for 3 mins, still indicating left (why?!) while they hoped the space in front of the zig zags would be vacated. When it wasn't, they then offloaded their offspring on the zig zags

• A dad drop off his son in a sports car. Then sit bang slap in the middle of the zig zags while rolling a cigarette. When challenged by another mother, he said coldly .. "I'm rolling my cigarette"..completely oblivious of the outrage of those who had asked him to clear the markings so people could safely cross.

• A mother who regularly parks directly opposite the markings, mounted up on the kerb. It then funnels everyone's cars to drive into the zig zags in order to get round them. When challenged, usual haughtiness and arrogance. Couldn't see how this was causing any danger.

Last month we had a parking attendant out from the council .You can imagine what happened... all these people just melted away for a day, and then reappeared the next day.

So I have two real questions:

1. AIBU to even care about this? Are zig-zags a thing of the past? Surely people do care about the ability to cross safely without having to peer around cars that want VIP parking?
2. Have you had this problem before and how did your school solve it in the end?

Fully expect to be called U, but if so, can anyone explain then why I am unreasonable please?

Thanks in advance.

Yes we involved the local police officer/ community support they came down every few days and it scared the selfish idiots off.
we had people parking opposite the school and waving their kids across the road without even getting out of their car.
police were extremely supportive 😀

Absolutely no pain for many, just lovely safe non fumy streets

We had traffic wardens outside the school at drop off and pick up times, every day for about a week, then randomly, so people don't know when they'll be there. Selfish drivers make me angry at the best of times, but particularly at schools!

My dcs school has a car park…that’s that solved…I appreciate that can’t be the case for a lot of schools as they don’t have the space. But it should really be a requirement going forward!

Unless wardens are on site, these entitled nobs don't care.

Maybe they've got very very important jobs that they simply cant be late for

Having two ladies from the local community association, dressed in a high vis, filming every morning.

Worked a treat, but generated a lot of complaints.

Our very, very large head teacher with a camera. Worked a treat.

Sadly a child was run over.
Solved it for a couple of years

Zig Zags are for safety: they are meant to give clear vision each way so pedestrians, mostly children can cross safely. How would the drivers feel if their child was knocked down because some numpty parked on the lines and obscured the child's view.

There is a solution but it won't happen. Points on licences and a few disqualifications. Preferably lifetime driving bans, then there would be more space for those drivers who are not criminals when behind the wheel.

In short, they haven't. It was a problem when my DS was at the local school (and he's late 20's now) and it's still a problem now.
To make matters worse, the school is on a bend, quickly followed by another bend, which the zig zags go all the way around, and they still park on the zig zags and the bend causing complete chaos to through traffic in the village.
There was a 'rant' on the local social media about it a few months back when there was a daytime event at the school. Without fail, every single parent who responded justified their reasons for parking on the zigzags. On that basis, you are never going to solve it.

Enjoy! Where I live, between the LTNs (which no doubt you love), and the school streets local residents are miserable with nearly all traffic forced on one road and public transport at a standstill.

The road our local school is on is o
residents only at start / end of school day. There are traffic wardens who came and fine anyone who drives and stops. It doesn't stop parents still driving down the road and stopping - this is despite a huge car park literally 2 mins walk away. Some parents are just idiots. The best are those which just do a drive by drop off and children jump out the car and run across the road or those who encourage their child to fling open the door onto the pavement.

The other option which will never happen is to regard it as a safeguarding issue. If you don't drive in a safe manner it is a form of child neglect.

I very much agree!
Some parents arrive 30 minutes early to get a spot nearest the school and keep their engines running the whole time. Aircon in summer, heating in winter. Seemingly oblivious to the exhaust fumes pumping out. Drives me nuts!

Obviously it depends on there being space/suitable layout but I think having a proper drop off zone (doesn't have to be in a car park but somewhere children can safely get out straight into the care of school staff) seems the best option so that parents don't need to park.

Having said that all the schools I've been involved with have encouraged biking/scooting/walking to school (even if it's park a distance away and walk) and offer incentives to kids for doing so. But of course some parents are so stupid or oblivious they wouldn't walk even if their kid was begging them to. And some people genuinely can't due to disability, distance or having to go straight on to work.

I don't think anything can solve it. There are a handful of key offenders at our school who are always parked on the zig zags or else double park blocking the road with hazards on whilst their precious DC get out the car and make it through the school gate. 2 I know for a fact (very distinctive car and personalised number plate, and white van guy with ladders and company name plastered across his van) are just parking twats in general. I often sight them round town, parked on double yellows, parked entirely on the pavement, blocking drives, parked in blue badge spaces with no blue badge, double parking in narrow roads with hazards on. So their selfish, twat parking is not limited to just the school gate.

Ours is awful. The school recently got two of those plastic children who get put outside on the zig zags and that worked quite well as no one wanted to hit even a plastic child. Unfortunately one has disappeared so people now pull into the zig zag without the marker!! Driving right past the other one. TBF the lines badly need repainting.

our head and deputy head or other teachers stand outside but think they’ve been advised not to engage. We used to have a big hotel car park next door which was barely used - it was perfect for drop off and pick up until some arsehole parent decided to have a go at a hotel staff member who politely asked them to park within the lines. It was during the last week of term and when we came back in September, ANPR cameras installed and a £5 charge for non hotel guests. Car park still 90% empty most of the time!

I don’t think it would be suitable for a school street unfortunately due to the road layout. Parents are encouraged to park at a local supermarket but it is still a 7 min walk so really only works for families who have moved a reasonable distance from the school.

like another poster said, I believe only an injured child would make the worst offenders behave, and probably only for a few months. Horrible.

Some years ago now the Police took 'ASB' action against some parking offenders in my town

Are you sure they're all miserable? Even the one's who don't drive? Or is just that your car centric view of the world?

There are parents who park up outside the school - not on the ZZs. Sit in the car all day! Why? One of these schools has a lay-by outside the school which holds 5/6 cars. One day I drove past the school around 9:45am. All had adults in them as noticed more due to roadworks traffic lights. Returned back around 2pm and the same 5/6 cars with adults were still in the cars.

Then some parents at other schools, they leave the car parked right by the ZZs and someone picks them up (guessing a fellow parent) and then pick the parent up.

When it’s the holidays, don’t get cars parked at all. Even with properties with no drives

There is a primary school on the corner of an A road about 3 miles from where I live. Parents park on the A road on DYLs and walk their DC to the school. It’s a road that connects a city to a suburban town and other villages. Really stupid.

An idea. Make the road outside the schools and perhaps ones around it to be no waiting zones. Not allowed to park anywhere during school hours and an hour either side.