The 'school run' and bad parking?

Question

Is anyone else fed up with cars dropping off children at school causing blocked roads etc? This is particularly bad around the area of my doctors' surgery where parents park in the surgery car park, thus blocking spaces needed for spaces. Recently an elderly, disabled lady was unable to park in the surgery car park due to the school run, which coincides with the surgery opening hours. The parents park for quite long periods, not just the time it takes to drop their children off, often arriving early to chat with the other parents. Incidentally the car park has got a notice saying 'Private Car Park for Surgery use only' but it makes not a jot of difference to them. I live a few doors down from the surgery and have frequently had my entrance blocked by these thoughtless people.

Answer 1

I know what u mean on my route to work I pass a senior school which is a night mare due to parents abandoning their cars anywhere (especially when they probably only live local!!!) why can't children walk to school??

On the same road there is always police pulling people going even a tad over 30 but not doing anything about the parents parking on yellow lines and causing a real problem for commuters!

I drop my son on the way to work at his school but I never drive right up to it I leave him at the bottom and he walks the hill, and if i'm off work for what ever reason I always walk him to school, its not as if these mothers have to get back for anything important I'm sure they could do the same and walk too (mind u then they would miss jeremy kyle!!)

Answer 2

Many are lazy too.  I have seen a woman in a huge 4x4 drop a child at school on a fine sunny day and then drive less than half a mile home.  The village had good pavements and this lazy cow should have walked her offspring to school.

Answer 3

It seems the zigzag and "no parking school zone" lines only apply to those people who don't have kids.

I live in the country and they even manage to clogg the road outside our village school.

I think there is a selfish switch in the head that gets thrown when some people have kids. It also seems connected to thier ability to walk 20 feet. Most are ok, no doubt, but some are a nightmare

There was an absolute classic on UK TV last night with someone argueing with a parking warden complaining she didn't have time to park correctly because she had to run her little Tarquin between Ballet and Violin lessons.....apparently her husband complains if she gets too many parking tickets ( In her mind it seemed to make abandoning her car OK because hubby might be cross )

Answer 4

There is nothing worse than a thoughtless parent on the school run...I just love the School holidays...you can actually drive the same distance in half the time.....

Answer 5

I hate people that do that sort of thing. Sometimes my neighbours friends block our drive way and they look at us as if we're the ones causing the bother when we have to ask them to move.... If it were me, I'd make up some signs to put on their windscreens asking them not to park there anymore. It might not do much, but maybe they don't realise how stupid and inconsiderate they're being. You could also nip into the surgery to see if they have thought of how to cope with this problem. Also, if you have a local police station, nip in and see them too. Good luck!

Answer 6

Call the police department or have the owner of the building put up signs the read "Unauthorized Vehicles Will Be Towed Away" and have the towing company be there during those hours.

Answer 7

It is a sad fact that we as parents do not trust the general public enough to let our children walk to school themselves anymore. We feel it is not safe enough, so have to transport them to the very door ourselves.

This is a stark change from wartime britain, where children would be expected to walk 5 miles or so by themselves without company.

Our society will not allow parents the luxury of time to walk there and back with our children, as many are trying to squeeze in a paying job as well.

Unless the population decreases on our Island, I can only see fear and traffic problems worsen.

Answer 8

You should've been watching BBC1 last night at 9pm : "Road Rage: The battle for Britains roads".

It highlighted parts of what you mention in your question. The 'dropping off of children' though focused on the fact it's mainly 4x4's and are only travelling a very short distance.

There is a school near to where I live and it's in a residential area, the road through is not massive and residents just leave their cars on the streets, despite having drives and garages. Then at 3.30 you get all the parents parking in between to pick up their kids. If you're just passing through or going home, then you could be confronted with traffic and nowhere to pull over.

These people are very inconsiderate! Road markings and notices mean nothing now... it's a free for all and with nobody policing, it just happens and nothing gets done.

Answer 9

These are just selfish people who generally drive vehicles that are too big for them to handle. All they do is clog up the roads with pointless journeys when 'Tarquin and Britney' could invariably walk to school in less time than it takes these idiots to get out the Chelsea tractor, drive to school, park up, drop off Tarquin and Britney then pose about a bit before driving home having wasted about five gallons of petrol and polluted the atmosphere even more.

Answer 10

Grrr, now you've started me off !  What about those that park with two wheels on the pavement and two on the road that prevent people with buggies and wheelchairs getting past, forcing them on the road.  As most children go to school in their own catchment area why on earth are they being ferried to school, WHAT IS WRONG WITH THESE PARENTS ! Do they want their children to be obese and lazy. I'm going to have to go away and cool down somewhere now !!!

Answer 11

What happened to the days when we used to walk to and from school?

I did everyday in the sun, rain or even snow and it never did me any harm!

I did see something funny the other day which relates to the unauthorised parking bit; a woman had parked where she wasn't supposed to and when she got back to her car there was a piece of A4 paper stuck (with proper stickers not sellotape) to her windscreen which read 'YOU CAN'T PARK HERE', she pulled the paper off but it left really bad sticky marks and bits of paper and she was going mad effing and blinding - it was so funny and she totally deserved it!

Answer 12

You are not unique in Britain this goes on in Ireland as well, and it is a Major Contribution to Traffic Chaos in the Mornings in Particular. In our Area it is a Strongly Working Class Population and the three Schools for Different ages of Children are Working Class . So the People who send their Children to the Schools are from up to a Mile in Radius only and would be better off walking to it. Yet they come in their Cars and a lot of these are Suvs or Chelsea Tractors and some Mercedes, so they are quite comfortably off in spite of being Working Class. Some of these are there up to 40 minutes waiting for there Children and they block up the Road with their Vehicles, and cause Terrific Traffic Jams .Multiply this all over the City of Dublin and you have Major Traffic Chaos in the Mornings and 2.30- 3.30 in the Day totally unnecessary .

Answer 13

Ask the headmaster/mistress to send a letter to parents requesting that they stop causing this nuisance.  If the parents are parking illegally anywhere (at the top of or opposite a junction, on zig zags or yellow lines) get the local police involved too.

Both these happened at my daughters primary school, and it has changed parking behaviour.

Answer 14

...i even get people complaining  when i park my ...tank....

outside the school........ridiculous...

Answer 15

I don't know what the solution is to this, but I drop off and pick up my kids every day so perverts can't grab them.  Most schools have no where for parents to park while they drop off their kids, which is so frustrating.  My kids' school blocks off the main parking lot with orange cones, but there is only space for about seven cars in front of the school.  I personally drop my kids off, watch them to make sure they get in the school, and then get out of there.  A lot of days I have to wait in a big line to drop the kids off anywhere near the school.  Every school in my city has this same sort of problem.