row in parking lot with head teacher! (longish)

[sansouci]

There is next to no parking by dd's school. Everyone complains but for the moment, nothing has actually been done about it, except for the police coming round & taking photos of pick-up & drop-off times. The yummy-mummies make it even worse with SUVs but anyway.

Yesterday when I went to pick up dd from school, I had to double park. I left my warning lights flashing to show that I was coming back soon. Unfortunately, dd didn't come to the car easily & then I got chatting with another mummy, as you do, forgetting completely about my precarious parking place.

On returning to the car, a group of angry women were clustered in front of the school & of course I apologised profusely to the one or two I had blocked.

One woman made a rather bitchy comment as I was charging by & when I saw her heading for her car a few minutes later, I asked her what she felt could be done about the parking. It's not my problem, she replied shortly. We got into an argument, which escalated, as things do on a Friday afternoon. She said, I'm a teacher at this school! to which I retorted, My daughter is a student at this school & if you're part of the staff, you should care about the parking problem! I wasn't rude, but I was very angry with her & she was angry with me.

I eventually roared off, furious and shaking, cursing the woman aloud. Do you know that silly woman? I asked DD. Yes, she said, she's the head teacher. Oh SH*T, I thought, Now I've done it.

How can I face her again? She'll be dd's teacher one day. I think I was right to be cross but I was at fault & certainly on the defensive. What do you think I can do?

(am not picking on you, btw, I simply don't get it)

think Aloha might have kids too SueW - and go shopping.

Just playing devils advocate - and no, I'm not saying you're the Devil Aloha - I think thats Twigletts alter ego in any case!!

found this on the net on a local gvmt website....

Important notice
The Legal construction of a vehicle crossing does not give the occupier of the premises any particular rights, except to drive across the footway to gain access to his/her property with a private or light goods motor car, the crossing itself is part of the public highway. From the date that the Council accepts the completed crossing, they will assume responsibility for its maintenance at no cost to the occupier, apart from any damage caused by illegal use by heavy vehicles, etc.

Crumbs! Did all that really go off whilst I was typing and stopping the dog from bothering DS???

So that is saying that you do have a right to be able to gain access (although the actually pavement and outside bit is not their property)?

You'll be issued with a penalty notice in Richmond if you park alongside a dropped kerb (penalty code 27). Even the bluebadge.org website says that disabled badge holders should not park over dropped kerbs as they would be causing an obstruction.

Message withdrawn

That's because it's approaching halloween. This will belong to the ranks of the living dead

I've learnt a lot about parking

hmmm...doubt v much the police in southwark would be interested and even if there is some regulation about it thart i can't find, i still think it is unfair that it offers people with big eyesore front gardens more rights than anyone else. think it is wrong and unfair.

the thing about off street parking (especially in London, where there's hardly any parking anyway), is that you are effectively creating your own space on the road because by having the driveway there, you take away a parking space from the main road.

Not that I would park across someone's drive (unless I knew them) - I'm just jealous of anyone who can park within a kilometre of their house

(ps soupdragon, we are in RuThames Borough and I noticed recently they had a paper out asking residents in residents zone to consider whether they should allow people to park across driveways - this was largely because a lot of people do it round here because it's the only place visitors can park.)

they probably pay more council tax

don't think they do, but maybe they should...

Ah, but life isn't fair

Looks like they are considering making it a designated special enforcement area then Foxinsocks, which means it would become a fixed penalty for any one parking outside their own driveway!

But FiS, you may take a way a parking space inthe road but a lot of (but not all) off street parking can take more than one car.

TBH, in my mind it's more about considerate parking though.

I like saying that

You could use it to describe Iraq

Go on, say it again Cam... treat yourself

It would still be OK to park outside your own driveway though as that is one of the exceptions - cars can park there with permission of the homeowner.....zzzzzzzzz

ooohhh... not in a designated special enforcement area Roobie

roobie, you know far too much about this stuff

But Roobie how would the parking officers know whether a particular car had permission or not, in a designated special enforcement area? zzzzzzzzzz

In Spain you have to pay a special tax in order to get an official "no parking" sign. I think that's a good idea. It means i can park in front of gates that don't have the sign without feeling bad.