Have zero sympathy for parents for parents being fined for breaking parking rules outside schools

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https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/local-news/parents-slam-school-parking-madness-10674874?utm_source=mynewsassistant.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=embedded_search_item_desktop

Parents are moaning about CoL with fines parking on double yellow, zig zags etc.

One stupid quote from a parent
"I don’t understand why the fines are being handed out anyway. For those who park up more than 30 minutes at a time, fair enough they should be fined but for those who park for 10 minutes there needs to be more understanding."
"Times are hard as it is anyway and adding that extra expense of the ticket, on top of living costs rising is just unnecessary. Its putting more pressure on parents. The money I spent on that fine could be spent on putting a smile on my child’s face."

Well if you read the Highway Code, leave a few minutes earlier and get your DC to walk either from home or park down a side street (not on parking restricted lines/bays) about 5 min walk from the school, you won't risk getting a fine.

No sympathy from me.

I believe the removing the boundaries for parents to apply for their DC to attend schools outside catchment areas isn't doing this any favours. In the old days when I was at school, if you wanted your DC to attend a certain school, you moved home.

Also what are the chances are these parents are driving newish (less than 3 years old) cars that cost them £50k?

Nah, I’m all for these now. My town is almost solely residents only, or paid parking streets. It’s much more pleasant. There’s a car park for those who want to go to the shops.

People ruined it for themselves by parking inconsiderately.

Ps there’s an ongoing charge for these schemes. Don’t try to dress up your anger that you can’t dump your car as close as possible to school, as mainly a financial concern for the wider community.

Oh I did not know that. Actualy seen a learner on trade plates that was funny.

Got no skin in the game, been a long time since my kids were in school and I didn't have a car back then. But it's Hyacinth Bucket gone mad to have folks policing who can and can't drive and park on public roads. That piffling charge you pay in no way covers maintenance and repair costs for a road, doesn't touch the sides, it maybe just about buys you an hour a week of warden wages. It would take several decades for it to even cover the costs of the initial council admin consultation and planning time.

Unfortuately a Residents zone doesn't stop parents parking like idiots everywhere. The warden only visits every few months.

(And in our case, the Residents Zone is to stop airport parking. The school bit is a coincidence.)

Phone and ask them to visit more frequently

We have loads of resident's parking only areas in my town. Mainly narrow roads of 2 bedroom terraced houses with no front gardens - I wouldn't class them as "Hyacinth Bucket" homes!

Consider also that residents don't just pay the charge for having a resident parking permit. They still pay the same charges for road maintenance as everyone else, in fact higher in some cases depending on the value of the house taking them into a higher council tax band.

And it isn't "Just so you don't have to look at cars on your street for 15 minutes twice a day, for 188 days a year." Some people are stuck in their homes for a chunk of time when they may well be wanting to get their own car out to drive to work, due to parents blocking the road double parked etc.. No chance of parking if you come home in the afternoon either, as they will be sitting in their cars from about 2:15 onwards so you have to park your own car half a mile away probably stopping another resident from parking near THEIR home. Then either go out again later to move your car nearer home, or have the same hassle in the mornings. If they have a driveway or garage they can't get out as parents are parked across them illegally, and you read cases on here where parents are parking in the resident's own driveway.

Try parking half a mile from home every night when you have a disability, or have shopping to carry, or small children including push chairs etc. I find it hard enough to park often when I get home & I don't even live near a school, just in a street with many homes with multiple cars.

No, nothing justifies shitty parking around schools, no matter how much you try to turn this into a class or financial issue.