I've just got back from collecting my daughter from her primary school (I've been on the school run since January) and have had just about enough of the stupid, selfish parking that abounds around the school.
The school itself is situated in a cul-de-sac, but a few yards away, there is a T-junction with double yellows on it. The vast majority of people just think that these are to make the road look pretty! The kind of people who park on these yellows (and consequently on a corner, blocking the view of the junction when trying to cross) are the type who would be the first to complain if their children got injured or worse because they couldn't see if there was any traffic coming due to people parking illegally and selfishly.
Today, I got to the school with half-an-hour to spare. There was plenty of space further away from this junction and I parked about a two minute walk from the playground. But even at this time, there was a very supercilious looking woman in a silver Audi estate parked on the double yellows, making it very hazardous for everyone else trying to turn left around her! She just couldn't be bothered to walk an extra 75 yards at the most.
Ooooh I could crush a grape!
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Rob
I agree with you totally, there's a school just up the road from where I live and the parents cause chaos with the parking and dropping kids off in the middle of the road, which is a busy main road. I start work later on a Friday and I have to allow an extra 10 mins just to get clear of all the chaos they cause.
I would'nt mind but the school is no more that 10 mins walk away for all the kids, the exercise would do them good.
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Our kids' schools are served by a "turning circle" where the half-dozen or so school buses can get off the main road, park and wait for childen to board them in relative safety. The turning circle is effectively an off the road roundabout clearly marked with "buses only" in 3ft high road paint. You can guess the rest. Come 3:15, the tuning circle is littered with cars among the buses making a mockery of the safety aspect of kids boarding buses off the main road. Unfortunately, no one is there to make an example of these fools.
Darcy.
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Find a friend with a chieftan ;-) I'd clamp them all, especially in the morning when they have to rush to get to work. Couple of hours stuck in a wheel clamp would do wonders for their consideration towards others.
What do the school governors think about this behaviour? If a couple of them attended and ticked off the miscreants in *person* and in front of their offspring it should make them think twice.
teabelly
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SWMBO is a school secretary. You would not believe the antics of parents who believe that picking up their little darlings in the car allows them carte blanche to drive how and where they like, and park how and where they like, both inside and outside school property. And nothing has changed since 15 years ago when I was on the PTA - got worse if anything as the aggression level has increased and many mums these days arrive in people carriers.
Oz (as was)
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I couldn't agree my house is right next to a primary school and you wouldn't believe the arrogance of some parents. Getting out of my drive in the morning rush is bad as it is as its a main road but job becomes 10 times more difficult with pedestrians constantly wanting to get past and worse parents park right up to the drive making it near enough impossible to see traffic coming. Even though there is a huge free supermarket car park just a 100 yards up the road parents will still insist parking right next to the school often dangerously. Because i live right near believe that if they are in a rush that they can park completely (and i am not exagerating it has happened quite a few times!) over our driveway! Blocking me in just when me and mum wants to go to work! Nice! The parents simply couldn't care less when confronted and make excuses like there was nowhere else to park!! So what don't park over my drive! One stupid woman was acting like we were making a fuss over nothing!! Another stupid bloke parked halfway over our drive and claimed i still had enough space to get out, yeah in a bike maybe! What selfish idiot!
Police don't care either and letters sent by the school have no effect, something needs to be done about these selfish idiots!
When i was driving past another primary school in my town at school leaving time a mother in one of those stupid MPV's came charging head on towards me even though the obstruction was on her side of the road and i had nearly gone past it! Expectiing me mount the kerb and drive into someones hedge just so she could get home with her fat little kids to watch Trisha! Needless to i wouldn't budge and she to admit defeat and some hand gestures later i got past!
I'm sorry to rant on (and this has made me angry just writing about it) but if you lived next to school (i think primary schools are worse i think) then you would be boiling over with rage nearly every morning!!!
I don't know why many don't walk i use to walk to school everyday and i turned out fine!!
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"get home with her fat little kids to watch Trisha!"
LOL - first class rant, and every word true. When we lived next to a primary school, one woman quite often used to park across our drive and stand yakking in the play ground with other mums for 10 to 20 mins. The punch line was that she lived about 20 doors along from us, the school was on her way to work...
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Lordy Lordy, I have started something here haven't I?
Actually, YSD reminds me of something that happened when I was a kid. When I was growing up we lived opposite a school (not the one I went to - it was Catholic and I don't think I would have met the criteria!). One morning, my Dad was trying to leave for work, but some dozy beggar had blocked three quarters of the drive. So my Dad went across to the playground to make some discreet enquiries as to who the car belonged to. Once he found the owner he gently pointed out that he had to get to work and that the owner had obstructed our drive. Basically, he got told to foxtrot oscar. So my Dad, normally the most mild-mannered, laid back chap you could ever wish to meet, came back over the road, got into his Cavalier in the drive, reversed up to this chaps rear quarter panel and gently made contact. Then dumped the clutch and, with engine screaming and tyres smoking, proceeded to push the offending vehicle so that it was left blocking the entire road. He drove off quite happily, leaving the owner of the car absolutely flabbergasted. My Dad got the clutch and tyres replaced the next day (it was a company car!!!). Odd thing was, that chap never parked over our driveway again!!!!!
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I think I have met the same woman! I used to drive past a primary school at the other end of the village and an mpv driver pulled up in the middle of the road right in front of me so I couldn't get passed. I couldn't believe how stupid she was. I should have driven right up along side so her brat couldn't have got out ;-) as she was right next to another car on her passenger side.
Best tip for drive way parkers is when you next are on holiday during term time to go out and block them in with other cars so they can't move theirs. A woman in my road used to insist on parking in front of my neighbours house even though it caused problems for them to be able to see properly to pull out of their driveway. They blocked her in one morning and made her late for work. She stopped parking there after that!
I am a great believer in giving people a taste of their own medicine :-)
teabelly
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My Daughter's Primary School is lucky enough to have a car park. A new system that has been introduced is a walkway around the car park peritmiter that does not cross the path of any car, to allow pedestrians safe access between cars (MPVs, 4 wheel drives, Citroen 2CVs etc) and the school entrance.
A letter was sent home to parents advising them to park away from the entrance and up to (but not over) the walkway so that the kids can get out of the car and straight onto the walkway.
Despite this there are always those who do not think that this rule applies to them.
In this case, simply banning the offending parents from the car park may not be a bad idea.
In the case of other schools, a few traffic wardens in the area to move people on during drop off hours may not be a bad idea.
Hugo
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>>In this case, simply banning the offending parents from the car park may not be a bad idea.
Trouble is the parent will return to blocking the road and the child will be the one walking out to the road.
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