Just been abused on the school run.. parking!

[Notthedreadedschoolrunagain]

My three children attend two separate schools on the same road. I always make sure I park somewhere that isn’t blocking someone’s drive etc. DH parked in the usual spot today and I waited in the car today (I have a disability and get flare ups in the colder weather). She pulled up to the window effing and blinding then she got out the car and started recording me swearing in front of all the school kids. DH returned back and she started to recording DH and the kids. It was her dad’s property and she had accused us of blocking him in. We left more than enough space for him to get out I even offered to move the car.

I have attached a pic (the silver car wasn’t in front so if her dad needed to get out he had more than enough space. We parked on the white mark and there are other parents parked behind us.

I am trying to move my kids to a nearer school so I can walk and finally put the parking drama to bed. However currently going through the appeals process as the local school has stated that they have no space.

Were we unreasonable? I’m at the stage where I don’t even want to take them to school now because of lack of parking and the dirty stares and arguments being caused by this. I can appreciate it’s frustrating living near a school!

If only it was that easy eh?!

We have a nightmare parking situation at our school and I have had abuse yelled at me by a resident recently too, when I was parked completely fine - she had to wait to pass someone because it's a narrow road and cars park on both sides but that's the case all the way down. I think unfortunately what happens in this situation is that people take out their frustration at the general problem on individuals when it's not really warranted in that particular case. In fact at one point she yelled "we live here you know!)

I don't have all that much sympathy for the residents myself, as much as it must be very frustrating and is for the parents too, anyone living there chose to move to a very narrow road with a large primary school that has been there since about 1950, and parking issues that would be blindingly obvious when viewing. And they've got nicer houses for the price as a result. What she didn't know when she was screaming her head off at me was that I'd just found out my parent had terminal cancer, so that was great timing. And that was the only reason we'd driven (we usually walk) as I had to get over there quickly!

I now do literally anything to avoid having to drive there as it's so stressful, it's such a problem at so many schools. So I don't think you did anything wrong at all, but is there a way you could find to limit the stress, ie park further away even if it's then a 10 min walk or so? It is a horrible way to start the day, I sympathise.

Maybe these parents should plan their day better rather than cause unnecessary additional stress to frazzled home owners?

"They should apply for white line outside their property if it’s a recurring issue as I imagine it drives them mad"

Why? Plenty of posters on this thread gave indicated it's unenforceable and they'd ignore it anyway.

You are over the angled bit of the dropped kerb. It is not allowed. It is not for you to judge if someone can get out.

We had similar incidents when my kids went to primary school. I completely understand when a drive is actually blocked but going that crazy over it being a little bit more awkward to get on/off the drive is a bit much...and I always used to wonder why, if it winds you up so much, would you choose to live next to a school???

The houses near our school were pretty expensive too so people actually chose and paid a lot to live there. I wouldn't have even bothered viewing a house there if I was that concerned with having no car within a foot of my drive!!

I agree with not parking illegally (therefore like a dick). But what I usually witness is most people parking legally just on the road that the residents seem to think they have a claim on.

How do you propose the people who park on the residential street near my work deal with the damaging of cars? They aren’t doing it to save a few minutes of walking time, the main road the hospital is on has parking restrictions as do a fair few of the side streets. If they didn’t park on that particular street they could be a good 20/30 minute walk away.

If she’s parked with all of her wheels on the road then the width of the pavement is not her fault or issue! If anything it’s the shouty ladies dad’s fault if his hedge has overgrown the pavement! Also there are no double yellow lines OR a T box so there are no parking restrictions and she absolutely can park on the road outside his garden gate, tough on him!

Hmm. My parents have been in such a house since the 1960s, when actually, the school was much smaller, almost everyone walked to school and school was 9-3. Now they have people across their drive at various times from 7:30am - 6pm, and the school has increased from 2 form to 4 form entry.

I am guessing she got pissed off with people parking either fully or partially over their access. You being sitting there in the car caught the brunt of weeks of pent up anger.

School parking drama never ceases to amaze me.
I live 40 minutes walk from my DCs school. We walk when we can but on the days I want / need to drive, we park 5 minutes away and walk.

Ample space, easy walk, yet at least three times a week I will walk past parents shouting at each other on the school road, about parking, or trying to pass on the narrow road. Getting out of the gridlock can take way longer than the 5 minute walk back to my car. I literally do not have the nerve to go into car wars every day and dont understand why people do it to themselves.

I think it's very arrogant and rude to offer to park for someone who could perfectly access their own property if you hadn't caused an issue for them. Id be annoyed if you spoke to me like that. Entitled.

If cars are being damaged then you contact the police (and set up a dash cam).

" I always used to wonder why, if it winds you up so much, would you choose to live next to a school???

Maybe they haven't witnessed how inconsiderate, lazy and selfish some parents can be parking near schools!

Yes this happens to me and it's horrible trying to pull out. You have to edge out blind and because it's impossible to turn until very late on it means pulling out into both directions of traffic even when turning left. It might be technically ok but is not considerate.

Regardless of that the woman should not have been abusive. Living near a school can push a person to breaking point with the sheer ignorance of some parents and you may have been the straw that broke the camels back. That doesn't make it ok.

The second picture makes it even clearer that you were indeed overhanging the dropped curb, which is illegal. So she shouldn't have shouted at you, but you definitely shouldn't have parked there.

I live fairly close to a school. When we moved here hardly anyone drove their children to school. Luckily the school are very supportive of the neighbours and will speak to any parent that doesn’t park properly or within the law. If it becomes bad they will request the police to attend at the end of the school day.

I agree, if she was parked on the road, it makes no difference to wheelchair users or pushchairs getting past. I was trying to gauge whether they were generally selfish drivers (of which there are A LOT) or not.

Am I the only person who thinks posters are getting overly worked up about this?

(a) That dropped kerb is VERY wide, it might be worth checking if it IS a proper LA dropped kerb?

(b) Where the white line indicating op's car's position is only comes a little over what looks like a pedestrian gate. It's nowhere near the actual drive itself.

(c) The op's car is only there for a limited time - what 5 - 10 minutes? So it's hardly causing a real problem.

(d) Op's car isn't unattended, she's sitting in it - OP could you have moved the car yourself if asked to?

Overall, this feels like a bit of a non-issue to me.

It’s not always about blocking the actual drive itself. It can be that the view to get out of the drive is severely compromised when cars park so close to the dropped kerb part.

That's good our school always did the same and every now and then the police would come which is completely understand because of the idiots who parked illegally. But regarding folk parking on the road outside people houses (but leaving the driveway free) that's bound to happen wherever there is a school or any public place with no onsite carpark. Our school road was like it the whole time we were there and still is (whenever I drive past now it brings back bad memories!!) so at least 12 years of it (probably much longer!) plenty of time to sell up and move if you're in a rage every day (which some people were!)

I think it's easy to say it's a non-issue when you're not the one being inconvenienced all the time.

In isolation, OP's parking is not really a big deal, but if that's the 10th car this week that's done the same thing and caused access issues, I can totally understand why the woman was pissed off.

The white mark is nowhere near the driveway.
Unfortunately school parking seems to bring out the worst in people.

WTF do you see in that photo that I can't see? I know it's AIBU but the responses sound batty.

Remember the days when everyone walked to school? Where I live now (not UK), all the kids walk to school, cycle, or take public transport. I walk past three schools on my way to work and the school drop off simply is not a thing that exists.