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!

The thing that always strikes me is they are making it dangerous for the children and don't seem to care.

And if you want to go out in that ten minutes? You wait, so that OP’s child doesn’t have to walk very far?

No.

That would be super hard to see safely around.

I have an issue when people do this! You might not be blocking them in but they’ll have a very hard time coming out of that safely.

When one of my neighbours was terminally ill with frequent visits from paramedics those ten minutes could be the difference between life and death. Of course the selfish parents didn't know or care about that.

I'd be taking it on my way out so no-one would see to complain, lol.. i leave about 8.40 to take DS to SEN college, and have to run the gauntlet of the morning school madness as their gates open at 8:45. I have to have my eyes open as my field of view is obstructed by cars parked up to the drop kerb either side, and i run the risk of small children popping out from behind the wall/hedge either side of the drive with little notice.

And this, people, is exactly what we’re up against. If I had a pound for every parent who says ‘but we’ll only be a few minutes’ I would be a millionaire. No it’s not alright for a few minutes, I have an appointment to be somewhere so move your bloody car you idiot!’

In our borough you ring a number if someone is even slightly over the dropped kerb. A traffic warden on a motorbike is there within minutes and a ticket issued for the smallest infringement. There are a number of people who park and insist someone could manage to squeeze out. It really doesn't matter. The law is the law. Our neighbours ring the enforcement team instantly. None of us argue with people parking illegally. We ring the number. The enforcement team are there for a reason.

Yes it is Traffic Management Act 2004
"a vehicle must not be parked on the carriageway adjacent to a footway, cycle track or verge where—
(a)the footway, cycle track or verge has been lowered to meet the level of the carriageway for the purpose of—
(i)assisting pedestrians crossing the carriageway,
(ii)assisting cyclists entering or leaving the carriageway, or
(iii)assisting vehicles entering or leaving the carriageway across the footway,

One wonders why you posted…….

I have someone who consistently parks so there is room for me to get out of my drive but they are so tight to the access (their bonnet is over the line on the road that denotes the point up to which they should park) that it is dangerous to pull out. There is no visibility of what's coming up the road until you are on the road. And any cyclist coming wouldn't stand a chance. Not saying this is your scenario but wondering if it's similar.

Thanks for that. Think you’re responding to my suggestion. Might not be enforced but may be a helpful prompt for drivers. It seems lots of people don’t know th dropped curb thing so this might help.

Ive had abuse shouted at me too - whilst parked perfectly legally on a road I pay road tax to be on, whilst holding a newborn and helping a toddler. Some residents do think it’s their road!

Goodness who has time for that??

id forgotten about the filming aspect too. That’s not ok

@rainbowsandraspberrygin whilst parked perfectly legally on a road I pay road tax to be on

Road tax was abolished in the 1930s, you pay vehicle tax, which goes into the general taxation pot. You pay tax because you have a car, not to entitle you to drive on the road. Maintenance of the roads comes out of general taxation, which means that it's paid for by all taxpayers, whether or not they're drivers.

Also, obesity is a real problem in the UK. And I see parents try to get as near to the school entrance as they possibly can, rather than walk a few hundred years by parking further away. My advice would be to set off from home a bit earlier, park somewhere further away and quieter, and let your kids use their legs. It’s bad enough that they don’t get to actually play out, or go for walks anymore, due to being stuck indoors on their devices. That ten minute walk twice a day can make all the difference. Lazy parenting is very real and happening everywhere it seems.

You were either parked over the dropped kerb or you weren't....nobody can tell here as nobody saw it.

If you were parked over the dropped kerb you were being unreasonable or she was if you weren't

If the car was backing out, then I think it might be quite awkward for the driver. If anyone parks similarly on the other side, I think it would be impossible. I think you have acted unreasonably. You could park further away and walk in for two/three minutes? At our local school a car park is provided which is literally two minutes walk for dropping off. Parents still feel that they can park pretty much anywhere, regularly over drives and on the corners of junctions. It feels like normal rules do not apply at drop off time.

Oh you know what I meant 😂😂 some people will argue about anything on here. I pay all the taxes - so can drive and park.

Recipe for disaster when some twat is parked so close to your drive that you can’t see the children when backing out.

Or are social housing tenants who didnt get a choice

Park properly next time.

Is this a common expectation among people with dropped kerbs? That not only must nobody park across any of the dropped kerb but they must also avoid being too close to it?

It seems a very entitled point of view about the use of a public highway. Surely if you want off-road parking you live with the risks of hurting somebody when you drive across the pavement.

It looks to me that you were parked partly over the person’s dropped kerb. I work for a number of primary schools, and before school streets were introduced, the residents who lived close to all the schools were driven to distraction by the selfish and entitled parents who thought it was ok to park over their driveways - either completely or partly blocking them. I would imagine that the woman put the red barriers in place to stop people parking on her driveway, which was a regular occurrence at a couple of my schools. There was also one resident who lived opposite one of my schools who had very severe medical problems and on several occasions couldn’t get out of the driveway for up to 20 minutes and ended up missing appointments.

It’s incredibly difficult for schools to do anything to help and in the borough where I work, each school is only entitled to one visit by a traffic warden each term. I should imagine the woman just lost her temper when you were parked partly across her dropped kerb, whether or not you were blocking access altogether or just making it more difficult for her to get in/out.

Anyone who can’t get on and off that driveway needs to hand their licence back

You are blocking the driveway and don't seem to understand the required amount of space to exit a driveway. If you always park there no wonder she is fuming. However her behaviour was not acceptable either.

Here we go 🙄