Parking on yellows outside a school

crunchman

Wait until they drive into you.  Our kids normally walked to primary school, but one time my wife was going on shopping with her mum, so she dropped the girls off at school on the way.  She parked and my MiL waited in the car while my wife took them in.  Some dozy parent decided to reverse into our car, and what's worse she would have driven off if my MiL hadn't got out and got her attention.

What's worse was that her insurance company decided to contest it even though she had driven into a stationary (legally) parked car.   We got it resolved in the end though.  Given that we had my MiL and another parent as a witnesses, they didn't have a leg to stand on.

Most kids should be walking to primary school, or getting to secondary school by themselves.  There is no need for this whole school run and parking idiocy.

oh_pollo

robgilmo said:

And whats the big deal about 4x4's? Jealousy?

robgilmo

oh_pollo said:

robgilmo said:

And whats the big deal about 4x4's? Jealousy?

No, seriously, what have you got against 4x4's?

robgilmo

BeardyAndy said:

robgilmo said:

To be fair, if you need to pick your kids up you also need to park your car, its not the parents fault, most of us have no choice. Why do people always blame the symptoms and not the cause? And whats the big deal about 4x4's? Jealousy?

Most schools are walking distance, thats the point of catchment!

You wouldn't want to be walking the roads round here, out in the sticks, no foot paths, and you clearly dont know how school catchment areas work, it isnt all about walking distance, because if you dont live within walking distance to any school what do you do? Not send your kids to school because they cant walk there? Our school run is 17 miles each way!

robgilmo

Jalapeno said:

Are we Mumsnet now ?

I felt like it today sat in the playground surrounded by mums.

ten77guitar

robgilmo said:

To be fair, if you need to pick your kids up you also need to park your car, its not the parents fault, most of us have no choice. Why do people always blame the symptoms and not the cause? And whats the big deal about 4x4's? Jealousy?

They do have a choice - park where it’s safe and walk the rest but they’re too lazy to do that. The main issue with it though is that it’s dangerous. The people who do it are putting other kids, not their own of course, in danger. It’s the height of selfishness and also illegal as already pointed out. Pretty crazy you need this explaining to you.

digitalscream

As someone who lives 50 yards from a primary school on one side and 100 yards from a secondary school on the other...I would love to let the air out of their tyres, but that would result in them being stuck blocking my driveway for even longer.

I've taken to using some very nasty, sticky, not-easily-removable tape to add a helpful note on considerate parking to their bonnets.

crunchman

digitalscream said:

As someone who lives 50 yards from a primary school on one side and 100 yards from a secondary school on the other...I would love to let the air out of their tyres, but that would result in them being stuck blocking my driveway for even longer.

I've taken to using some very nasty, sticky, not-easily-removable tape to add a helpful note on considerate parking to their bonnets.

Wouldn't a stencil and some sulphuric acid be more satisfying?

digitalscream

crunchman said:

digitalscream said:

As someone who lives 50 yards from a primary school on one side and 100 yards from a secondary school on the other...I would love to let the air out of their tyres, but that would result in them being stuck blocking my driveway for even longer.

I've taken to using some very nasty, sticky, not-easily-removable tape to add a helpful note on considerate parking to their bonnets.

Wouldn't a stencil and some sulphuric acid be more satisfying?

Yes, but that would probably be considered illegal damage, whereas this is only going to cost them as much time to remove as they cost me by preventing me leaving my driveway.

DefaultM

robgilmo said:

DefaultM said:

Every single day it's the same people. They actually turn up early as though it's a prime spot. So it's not even as though they're late and have panicked. They're intentionally doing it. 

Its on a corner so every day the traffic gets backed up, to the point where the school bus can't get through and the kids are late back from swimming. 
All it takes is an unlucky kid to try cross with their vision obscured by one of these cars, paired with someone who was in stand still traffic suddenly being able to move and bam. Hospital or worse for the child.

The police have been called, but they're coming from wherever so they don't get there in time. If they turn up pre-emptively then no one parks there, but then they're straight back to it.
Hence press the valve on tyres so that they can't go anywhere, then they will have to face the police. 

Though if it's a genuine option to take dated pictures and supply them to the police then that sounds good.
I just assumed they would say nothing they can do, but even then if I start taking pics of the parents car they're going to ask what I'm doing, and when I tell them that might discourage them.

Just deal with it man, its what happens during school pick up, its not the end of the world. If this drives you to be letting peoples tyres down, calling the police and getting all bent out of shape then you should really take a chill pill, there are bigger issues out there to get all bent up about. 

I admit that when I think things like this a large part of it is usually my autism saying "THEY'RE NOT FOLLOWING THE RULES! THEY MUST FACE CONSEQUENCES!"
Someone cutting in line for example. I used to just be like "who in the flying FUCK does he think he is?!" 
I've learned that things like that don't matter. Its inconvenienced me by a few seconds whereas if I get upset my wife now looks like she wants to crawl in to a corner and die.

However in this situation it doesn't seem like the right thing to do, to just say it's what happens?
I'm not going to start looking in to the stats of how many kids get run over outside schools due to this, but it must be happening at least where I am as there are adverts on the radio saying don't do it and explaining why. 

If it was a wide range of people doing it then I agree the problem would be too wide spread and pointless to single out one car on a random day. However this is just the same 2 cars, and the response from one of them when the school explained and said please stop was literally "fuck off".
Just what on earth? That person has taught or is going to be teaching your kids. They're obviously going to tell all the other staff at the school about it. How do you sit down at parents evening after that?!

robgilmo

Thats a bit like moving next to a music venue and then complaining about the noise.

digitalscream

robgilmo said:

Thats a bit like moving next to a music venue and then complaining about the noise.

Assuming you're referring to my post...not really, given that a music venue isn't breaking the law by putting on live music.

robgilmo

ten77guitar said:

robgilmo said:

To be fair, if you need to pick your kids up you also need to park your car, its not the parents fault, most of us have no choice. Why do people always blame the symptoms and not the cause? And whats the big deal about 4x4's? Jealousy?

They do have a choice - park where it’s safe and walk the rest but they’re too lazy to do that. The main issue with it though is that it’s dangerous. The people who do it are putting other kids, not their own of course, in danger. It’s the height of selfishness and also illegal as already pointed out. Pretty crazy you need this explaining to you.

How do you know they have that choice? Or are you just assuming they do? perhaps they have a kid that cant walk all that well? Yes, it is dangerous, especially with angry drivers driving past all bent out of shape over someones parking thinking they have to be uber careful because if they hit a kid they might be held responsible. And yes, it is the height of selfishness, well , almost, I could think of a few, well , quite a few more selfish things a person could do, If Im honest though, I just like to go about my day and not bother about such things, people are people, people do what people do.

darthed1981

God help Rob Chapman if he parks outside someone's school, that's all I can say.

ten77guitar

robgilmo said:

Thats a bit like moving next to a music venue and then complaining about the noise.

No it’s not. You’re making a false equivalency. If the music venue is acting within the law then the people complaining about noise are idiots. The equivalent situation would be the venue breaking the law by exceeding noise limits, closing hours etc. Then the neighbours would be justified in complaining.

ten77guitar

robgilmo said:

If Im honest though, I just like to go about my day and not bother about such things, people are people, people do what people do.

People complain about selfish drivers. You seem to be bothered about that.

robgilmo

Here is the thing, go to any high street, people parked all over the place, foot paths, yellow lines, everywhere, hazard lights on because they need to nip into the post office, big 4x4's glogging up the streets, people just walking out in front of traffic, mostly traffic jams though, but hey, we all do that, we all know its dangerous, be we do it, so , lets moan about parents taking their kids to school instead, how very dare they! Jesus guys, lighten up..

DefaultM

thumpingrug said:

If my understanding of the Highway code is correct there is nothing to stop you doing a dump on their windscreen.  You may need a step ladder through.

That does sound great, but I'm a bit of a shy shitter. I think I would have to do it in my hand at home, take it down the school and then smear it across their windshield. Or maybe wait for them to come back then toss it in the drivers seat when they open the door.

Matt_McG

I have done this, and got a ticket for it.

1) It was during school hours, i.e. not during the times when the kids arrive and leave
2) I was there because my son was sick and I had been phoned at work to collect him at about 2:30pm.
3) There was a camera car outside the school and I got nailed.

I didn't dispute the ticket, though. I'm fully in favour of them ticketing people who do this, I was just unlucky.

monquixote

robgilmo said:

Just deal with it man, its what happens during school pick up, its not the end of the world. If this drives you to be letting peoples tyres down, calling the police and getting all bent out of shape then you should really take a chill pill, there are bigger issues out there to get all bent up about. 

I think the parents of the kid who gets run down because they had to cross the road between parked cars may see it differently.

This actually happened to me when I was a kid. (luckily not hurt)