Parking on yellows outside a school

ten77guitar

Iamnobody said:

Vehicle/pedestrian collision rates outside schools are usually very low/non existent.

They probably are now. I doubt they were back in the 70/80s when there weren’t as many restrictions/traffic calming measures etc.

robgilmo

ten77guitar said:

Iamnobody said:

Vehicle/pedestrian collision rates outside schools are usually very low/non existent.

They probably are now. I doubt they were back in the 70/80s when there weren’t as many restrictions/traffic calming measures etc.

And cars were a lot less sophisticated back then, ABS was a luxury few could afford, drum brakes that couldn't slow you down even if you weren't moving, no SRS systems, so stability control, back then if someone ran out in front of you you usually had two choices, hit them or hit them.
I think the 20mph (if thats still a thing) limit outside schools helps, and people are aware of it, strangely, in all my years ,ive never seen a speeding camera outside a school, but then if the accident rate is low there isnt any need for them outside schools.

ten77guitar

robgilmo said:

ten77guitar said:

Iamnobody said:

Vehicle/pedestrian collision rates outside schools are usually very low/non existent.

They probably are now. I doubt they were back in the 70/80s when there weren’t as many restrictions/traffic calming measures etc.

And cars were a lot less sophisticated back then, ABS was a luxury few could afford, drum brakes that couldn't slow you down even if you weren't moving, no SRS systems, so stability control, back then if someone ran out in front of you you usually had two choices, hit them or hit them.
I think the 20mph (if thats still a thing) limit outside schools helps, and people are aware of it, strangely, in all my years ,ive never seen a speeding camera outside a school, but then if the accident rate is low there isnt any need for them outside schools.

True, but why would a child run into the road when there’s a car approaching? What could possibly make them unaware of the impending danger? It’s a mystery.

Fretwired

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.

I live near a primary school and a secondary school. The primary school is the problem. Big 4 x 4's that gleam - never been near any mud or off-road. They are not suitable for the narrow roads where I live - they are just a status symbol but everyone seems to have one. Evil planet destroying things ..

TimmyO

It got really bad and dangerous at my youngests school. The head wrote to everyone laying down the law and saying she's invited the council to send traffic wardens to warn/ticket as appropriate - took a while but it happened and as it was the same folk who kept doing it they soon tired of getting ticketed.

Prior to that the school arranged hi Vis jackets for a volunteer lynch mob who would hang around and gently educate those who were consciously parking in dumb/illegal places. 

It's still bad but not as ridiculous as it was. 
Anyone defending dangerous parking by saying parents have no choice is a fucking bellend and needs to have a think. Park further away, safely, and walk from there. Bellend. 

monquixote

I love how it's acceptable to park badly because only a few children die.

boogieman

monquixote said:

At my kids school there is a mum who drives her car into the school grounds (which you aren't allowed to do), chucks her kids out of the car and drives off without seeing them to their classroom (it's a primary school)

When asked not to do this she told the teachers to "Fuck Off" and carried on.

Didn’t realise you lived near Katie Price. 

ThePrettyDamned

robgilmo said:

oh_pollo said:

robgilmo said:

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

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

They're bigger than needed for most of the people that drive them, who incidentally don't seem very good at controlling larger vehicles. 

robgilmo

TimmyO said:

It got really bad and dangerous at my youngests school. The head wrote to everyone laying down the law and saying she's invited the council to send traffic wardens to warn/ticket as appropriate - took a while but it happened and as it was the same folk who kept doing it they soon tired of getting ticketed.

Prior to that the school arranged hi Vis jackets for a volunteer lynch mob who would hang around and gently educate those who were consciously parking in dumb/illegal places. 

It's still bad but not as ridiculous as it was. 
Anyone defending dangerous parking by saying parents have no choice is a fucking bellend and needs to have a think. Park further away, safely, and walk from there. Bellend. 

What like , you mean the country lanes surrounding the school my kids go to? The ones with barely enough room to get two cars passing eachother? or perhaps we should park in the next town? 

Axe_meister

robgilmo said:

Axe_meister said:

The whole 4x4 thing. Nothing against 4x4s just the drivers. Many years ago my son went to a private nursery so catchment area was not something that applied. So we drove in small VW Beatle. Being a private school the 4x4 arms race was very prevalent. The number of time we where backed into and hit without them even caring (or noticing has they used to say despite having reversing sensors and even video) was beyond pale. I never accepted them offering to pay for the damage I always went through insurance. Eventually the whole street outside the school became a red route. 

I drive one , every day, ive never crashed into anyone, had one or two bounce off me, a Saab wrote itself off under my rear cross member, my car wasn't even scratched, I didn't even know it had happened until I saw the steam in my rear view mirror, luckily , and I shit you not , It was ,my other half on her way to work, or unluckily which ever way you look at it. I actually laughed when it happened, I never liked that car and we ended up buying a Saab convertible to replace it.



When I think about it, Im quite lucky I was driving the Land Rover or I would have had to replace two cars. Sometimes I drive the Land Rover on the school run, the kids love it, Ive yet to get the anti 4x4 brigade snarling at me, must be a city thing, anyhow, so , you had multiple accidents where only 4x4's reversed into you? Thats very unlucky indeed, you couldn't make that up.

 

As I said there was a 4x4 arms race at the school. It probably says more about the rich prick parents at the school and their attitude

robgilmo

ThePrettyDamned said:

robgilmo said:

oh_pollo said:

robgilmo said:

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

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

They're bigger than needed for most of the people that drive them, who incidentally don't seem very good at controlling larger vehicles. 

What , like Ford Mondeos? In fact, a Ford Mondeo is probably more roomy than most 4x4's , and it has a larger footprint than most 4x4's, I know, what if all us 4x4 drivers drove smaller cars, than say , you, would that make you feel better?

ThePrettyDamned

robgilmo said:

ThePrettyDamned said:

robgilmo said:

oh_pollo said:

robgilmo said:

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

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

They're bigger than needed for most of the people that drive them, who incidentally don't seem very good at controlling larger vehicles. 

What , like Ford Mondeos? In fact, a Ford Mondeo is probably more roomy than most 4x4's , and it has a larger footprint than most 4x4's, I know, what if all us 4x4 drivers drove smaller cars, than say , you, would that make you feel better?

It would, because they're driving off road vehicles in a city. 

We get it, you live in the sticks - that's fine, it sounds like a 4x4 is a sensible choice for you. I'm not referring to you specifically buddy. In cities, there is a scourge of the fashion-conscious driving these godawful things that, honestly, probably will never go off road in their lifetime. 

Where my girlfriend works has a tiny, tiny car park (because it's old and wasn't designed to be one). A mondeo would be a hard thing to park - they do fit in, but they are just long enough to make it near impossible for a small car to turn around) - but one of these is genuinely inconsiderate. The owner lives a 20 minute walk away, and only drives herself, no passengers. 

https://www.google.com/search?q=mercedes+gls+2017&safe=strict&client=ms-android-hmd-rev2&hl=en&prmd=insv&sxsrf=ACYBGNTZfr_ZVZQYqLRDv7rLYQWD01mtcA:1579551881332&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjM06mmgZPnAhVRnVwKHcZuC08Q_AUoAXoECA8QAQ&biw=412&bih=652

It is, honestly, inconsiderate and selfish. There are plenty of luxury, good looking and well equipped cars that are smaller and more practical (and, honestly, easier to drive) in a tight city. These are fashion - the sooner they're out, the better. 

This isn't jealousy - style can be practical too, if it is style these people are aiming for. 

Fretwired

robgilmo said:

What , like Ford Mondeos? In fact, a Ford Mondeo is probably more roomy than most 4x4's , and it has a larger footprint than most 4x4's, I know, what if all us 4x4 drivers drove smaller cars, than say , you, would that make you feel better?

No - like Range Rovers, BMW X5's, Jeep's, Volvo XC60, Shogun, Toyota RAV4 etc. Mondeo's are like hen's teeth. Ford hardly makes any these days ..

Of course with a Land Rover you can eat your breakfast on the way to school as you're in a big vehicle so if you have an accident you'll be OK ...

fretmeister

I live in a large village. It probably takes me 10-15 minutes to walk to the school.
When I do, I regularly see other parents who live closer than I do, driving to the school.

The front gate to the school is on a main road and traffic stops both ways often for 10 mins at a time while people try to get into the tiny car park - and then same again trying to get out of the car park, actually heading into the jam again. Total time from leaving the house to getting home again is probably far higher for the drivers because of the amount of time in a traffic queue, even if they lived at the other end of the village and it took 25 minutes to walk.

Absolute twats.

Matt_McG

@ten77guitar ;

There was no risk to any kids. The school was literally closed. All gates locked. To even get in to collect the sick sprog, I had to get buzzed in through 2 different locked gates. 

But, as I said, I fully approve of people who park on those lines, or who drive irresponsibly near schools, getting ticketed. So I didn't dispute the ticket, or complain. I just paid it.

I see terrible irresponsible driving near the school, now and again, but generally it's OK. But near the nursery he used to go to, it was horrendous. A friend once described parents as driving as if some terrible accident was befalling their child in slow motion. 

As it happens, I drive a tiny hatch back, and my kid walks to school every day. The only reason I even had the car is they phoned me when I was at work 14 miles away, to tell me I had to come to pick him up, immediately.

robgilmo

ThePrettyDamned said:

robgilmo said:

ThePrettyDamned said:

robgilmo said:

oh_pollo said:

robgilmo said:

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

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

They're bigger than needed for most of the people that drive them, who incidentally don't seem very good at controlling larger vehicles. 

What , like Ford Mondeos? In fact, a Ford Mondeo is probably more roomy than most 4x4's , and it has a larger footprint than most 4x4's, I know, what if all us 4x4 drivers drove smaller cars, than say , you, would that make you feel better?

It would, because they're driving off road vehicles in a city. 

We get it, you live in the sticks - that's fine, it sounds like a 4x4 is a sensible choice for you. I'm not referring to you specifically buddy. In cities, there is a scourge of the fashion-conscious driving these godawful things that, honestly, probably will never go off road in their lifetime. 

Where my girlfriend works has a tiny, tiny car park (because it's old and wasn't designed to be one). A mondeo would be a hard thing to park - they do fit in, but they are just long enough to make it near impossible for a small car to turn around) - but one of these is genuinely inconsiderate. The owner lives a 20 minute walk away, and only drives herself, no passengers. 

https://www.google.com/search?q=mercedes+gls+2017&safe=strict&client=ms-android-hmd-rev2&hl=en&prmd=insv&sxsrf=ACYBGNTZfr_ZVZQYqLRDv7rLYQWD01mtcA:1579551881332&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjM06mmgZPnAhVRnVwKHcZuC08Q_AUoAXoECA8QAQ&biw=412&bih=652

It is, honestly, inconsiderate and selfish. There are plenty of luxury, good looking and well equipped cars that are smaller and more practical (and, honestly, easier to drive) in a tight city. These are fashion - the sooner they're out, the better. 

This isn't jealousy - style can be practical too, if it is style these people are aiming for. 

I totally agree, people in city's should be more considerate. When I lived in London (I didn't always live out in the sticks) I did notice people were quite passive aggressive, drivers were quite aggressive, I guess they have to be in all that traffic, I hated driving in London, the sheer volume of cars on the road is scary. Thats when I bought my Defender, a year before I moved away from the big smoke, my reason was to convert it into an overland vehicle and go on a trip to Africa. Anyhow, I soon realised a few things, it was tall so I had a good , clear view around me, it had a short wheel base so parking was pretty decent, it isnt a wide car so fitting into parking bays and tight spaces was also a doddle, but one thing that stuck out was , aggressive drivers didn't tend to drive out in front of me at junctions, cut me up or dodgy undertaking maneuvers, I put this down to the fact that it looks big, it was pretty beaten up as well , so people gave it a wide berth. But the fact is , its shorter than a MK1 Mondeo, its also thinner than one, it just looks big because its tall. Look at a bus , or a bin lorry, they look huge, but they still stay in lane.
My point is, these big 4x4's are usually big upwards, thus they look big, granted they are not as short or as thin as a Fiesta but there are bigger 2WD cars out there in length and width, that Merc you linked to, check out the spec below, compare it to the MK1 Mondeo below, there isnt a lot in it, and the MK1 mondeo isnt exactly a large car by modern standards.

https://autodata24.com/mercedes-benz/gl-klasse/gl-klasse-x164/gl-350-cdi-4matic-blueefficiency-221-hp/details ;

https://autodata24.com/ford/mondeo/mondeo-i-gbp/18-td-88-hp/details

And just for shits and giggle, this is the spec on a 90 Defender.

https://autodata24.com/land-rover/defender/defender-90/25-84-hp/details


So what do you do with the ''too many cars in London'' problem? I dont know, ban cars? Ban big cars? tax the shit out of cars? Either way, motorists lose, but what can you do?
I moved out of it, couldnt deal with all that tension, just getting from A to B was way way to stressful for me.

Funkfingers

Said this before. Gong to say it again.

Nothing will get done until somebody's child is either killed or maimed by the terrible driving behaviour of another parent. Then, everybody will be feigning surprise and saying that "somebody" should have done something about the situation sooner. 

robgilmo

Funkfingers said:

Said this before. Gong to say it again.

Nothing will get done until somebody's child is either killed or maimed by the terrible driving behaviour of another parent. Then, everybody will be feigning surprise and saying that "somebody" should have done something about the situation sooner. 

Or some fucking idiot in a White van trying to get to his next job and getting all annoyed at mums dropping their kids off at school.

hollywoodrox

The real danger at my infants school was the other kids  who were sometimes inclined to hold down fellow 5 year olds while one of them kicked you in the guts , the kids at such a young age were clearly potential young Thomson and venables types  (who murdered bulger)  Grimsby was the worst . It would have been heaven only having to worry about cars, as I was well clued up on the green cross code ,it was a big deal those days 

Legionreturns

Slightly different perspective. 

I work in a secondary school. We have primary schools either side of us, so 3 schools totalling just over 2000 kids on one street, all within 500 yards. 

The schools have all coordinated and issued guidance to parents where each school's dedicated safe parking zones are (there are plenty, and a whole host of side streets all within 2 minutes walk, all of which provide a "round the block" route to and from the schools. To go round one of the drop off routes takes less than a minute). 

Parents still double park, on the zig zags, habitually "fail to notice" the lollipop ladies trying desperately to get kids safely across the road, and then jump back in their cars and pull straight out into traffic to attempt a 37 point turn rather than just following the turning routes. 

We also have the visual impaired unit for our entire LEA in our school, so have extra markings, street furniture and dedicated drop offs inside the school grounds. Parents can rarely get to the safe drop off zone, because of the "but I'm only going to be a minute" morons parking in the actual school entrance, despite the fact that we have a member of school staff standing in the middle of the entrance road before and after school. 

The long and short of it is that too many people are selfish arseholes who don't give a shit about potential harm to other people's children, most of whom don't even need to drive to the school. There are plenty of buses, but of course they get stuck because of the double parking idiots.