johndoh – Member

What sort of child doesn’t need taking to school at some point?

The sort that someone DIDN’T have…. 😉

Mind – the issue with all this is the people who live nearby sometimes…
School here – chaos EVERY morning.
So school for years tell parents NOT to come into the school carpark… never works.
They tell parents NOT to drive – never happens.
SO – council make road a one way to prevent the gridlock from residents parked cars clashing with school run traffic…. (by the way – this is a road that EVERY house has a driveway and I mean EVERY house)…
It lasted 2 months before the RESIDENTS complained!!!!!!
It’s not like they have to drive miles – the road is only 300mts long with multiple parallel roads they can use.

What sort of child doesn’t need taking to school at some point?

Home schooled?

There are 2 other schools near to my son’s school, so there’s traffic chaos every morning. What gets me is the way some parents seem to think that the rules of the road don’t apply if you’re doing the school run: illegal parking, not giving way, no indicators, reversing without looking to see what’s behind.

we had to stand in an icy puddle whilst waiting for the slops cart to drag us to the work house

Icy puddle! We used to dream of standing in an icy puddle

some parents seem to think that the rules of the road don’t apply if you’re doing the school run:

Yeah that is exactly how I feel. It really boils my piss – especially when they park almost entirely on the pavement – surely (as parents) they know what it is like not being able to get past obstructions with pushchairs and, this being a primary school, there are loads of parents with younger siblings still in ‘chairs.

We got the twice-termly letter home about this in the schoolbag just yesterday. The local pub have said (for several years) that they’re happy for parents to use their car park which is maybe 300 yards from the school gate, but no one, and I mean NO ONE does and would rather have the battles already described by others to park half on the pavement, blocking residents driveways, a bit nearer the school.

They’ve launched a prize draw now, for which the kids can get an entry any day that they either walk to school, or walk the 300 yards from the pub. We’ve had the usual “words of advice” visits from the local plod, but no one’s had a ticket so, surprise surprise, no one pays any attention.

It’s also a 20 mph limit road and on the rare occasions I’m approaching or leaving in the car I can guarantee getting aggressively tailgated by other parents who don’t think that this limit applies to them.

They send the local traffic enforcement officer up to the school every now and again. Its amazing how not so many park on the zig zags/ double yellows / disabled bays /in front of peoples drive ways etc etc on those days. And they will ticket them immediately, none of this warning malarky.
Im surprised they dont send them up there every day

Then you get the clowns that are now back safely in their car and as you stand at the side of the road waiting cross, they will drive up to the queue in front of them and stop right in front of you rather than stopping a little short giving you the space to cross the road. I mean, do they not actually think at any point?

A few weeks ago I plotted a route for a daytime ride in a area I didn’t know a couple. It took me past a village school at the end of the school day and I can quite honestly say it was the most scared I’d been on a bike. Danger everywhere.

I’m not sure what can be done though, many people live over a mile from their school and also have to go on to work after the drop off. Stopping cars pulling up outside school surely just pushes the problem to the surrounding streets.

Stopping cars pulling up outside school surely just pushes the problem to the surrounding streets.

But that isn’t the point, it’s stopping cars where it is illegal to do so that is the issue.

I park 5 minutes away along with a great deal of other parents and everyone parks courteously (no blocking pavements or drives). But the ones that *HAVE* to be as close to the school as possible just seem to take the view that it is okay for them to do whatever they want and it’s always the same few people, like the one in her Overfinch Range Rover who will abandon it wherever she feels like.

Why dont they operate some kind of pull up at the gates and drop off lane. Like at a hotel. The teacher stands at the gate and welcomes the child in (rather than stand gossiping at the gate at the back of the playground and not even notice the child walking back out past them….but thats a different matter).
Yes, you may get a bit of a queue going, but in the long run its going to be quicker and more convenient (unless of course the teacher stands gossiping at the gate……)

But it’s illegal for a reason, if everyone moves to the next street then surely that will have to have restrictions as it is then unsafe.
Can the school committee not come up with some sort of name and shame scheme. May not work effect the worse ones.

They are probably the same idiots who sit waiting for a space close to the supermarket when there are several 20m further away.

my son’s school is located next to a junction. the schools faces onto a busy main road and a side road. theres absolutely no parking on the main road and the side road has double yellows. most sensible parents park a bit further up on the residential streets as the residents dont mind…but there are still a hard core of idiots who insist on parking on the double yellows and also park on the kerb. what makes things even more dangerous is that the side of the road they park on is the one the parents and children walk along to get to the school.
these idiots continue to ignore the schools pleas to not do this and now the school is taking more of a drastic measure by getting teachers and school children to stand along the kerb and refuse to move forcing the dickhead drivers to park elsewhere. obviously this has caused an uproar as its causing confrontation between the dickhead drivers and the school and between the school and the parents of the school kids being used and human traffic cones
wont be long now before something terrible happens and it all kicks off big time…

But it’s illegal for a reason, if everyone moves to the next street then surely that will have to have restrictions as it is then unsafe.

Well no, people should all park where it is safe and legal to do so. I am not saying everyone should park on the road I use as it would, as you say, become equally unsafe.

People should not simply park as close as they can to the school without considering others – they should find the first available safe place to park.

getting teachers and school children to stand along the kerb and refuse to move forcing the dickhead drivers to park elsewhere

Genius!

I’d happily give my services freely for a week. Every badly / illegally parked car loses a wingmirror with a deft clout from a lump hammer.

And another thing – park considerably (ie, not half on the pavement) and some t^%t comes along and smashes the roadside mirror off (then drives off leaving you with a £250 bill to repair it).

Cheers 👿

its not only the school run though is it. since starting new job im often on site with the lining crews and some traffic management lads. last night one of our lads had his foot run over by some ass that decided that the stop of stop /go didnt apply to them, sadly no reg number noted but endless idiots going by with phone glued to ear or just being f’kin stoopid. no wonder so maany people get hurt on our roads it is a priveledge not a right. when these are enforced better the better for all, Poor rant i know but GET A GRIP You morons

We all seem to be dodging the elephant in the room, which is why this is happening.

It’s easy to write it off as lazy, and in many cases I’m sure it is. But I’m convinced that the main culprit is the media; everyone is so convinced that little Hermione is going to get bummed by a white-haired man in a shell suit if they’re left unsupervised for eight seconds that they absolutely have to drop them off six inches from school.

Fact is, the world is no more or less full of predators than it was when I was in short pants. The difference is, we’re so much better at reporting it now. To a point this is a good thing in that these bastards are getting caught, but it’s left everyone bloody terrified.

If parents noticed horriffic scratches on their cars every time they park like this they might stop

I get sooooo tempted to do this. I am never particularly careful when walking by but have stopped short of deliberately scratching any.

School run time round here seems to include a surprising number of people pootling along oblivious to the fact that their wing mirrors are still folded in. I shouldn’t be surprised, but I still am, particularly at how often it happens.

But I’m convinced that the main culprit is the media; everyone is so convinced that little Hermione is going to get bummed by a white-haired man in a shell suit if they’re left unsupervised for eight seconds that they absolutely have to drop them off six inches from school.

Not convinced – if that was the main concern, then parents would have no problem parking responsibly and then walking their child to the school gate.

our schools is pretty good, id say 95% either walk/ride or park just down the road where there is more room. Its just that hardcore few that are too busy/stupid/arrogant to think about it. i wish them a slow and painful death. is that too much to ask?

About 50% of the parents who drive kids to our village school have to get away straight away to get to work – including us sometimes, depending on work schedules.

The other 50% are the same ones who drive the 400 yards to get their paper on a Saturday morning. The idea of walking is totally alien to them.

Further reading,

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/car-dependency

Can the school committee not come up with some sort of name and shame scheme. May not work effect the worse ones.

perhaps some sort of scheme where people who broke the rules could be asked to make some sort of payment by way of a chitty of some sort? they could have people trained to identify rule breakers and give out the chittys.

Brilliant. A chitty parking scheme…!

My favourite was a dad who’d ‘parked’ his Focus diagonally and partway on the pavement across the entrance somebody’s driveway, and whilst he was sorting out his two children, was oblivious to the fact the youngest’s pushchair was rolling into the road, into traffic. Fortunately the child wasn’t in it at the time…

I’ve a similar situation just down the road from me, parents frequently stop ON the the zebra crossing and allow their kids to decamp! Zig Zags obviously don’t apply at school time. I have to be careful as I ranted one day and my branded van was reported for having an aggressive driver.

The funniest day occurred when they dug up the road and the little darlings had to walk about 200m extra to the school, one posh mum was almost incoherent with rage at the poor road workers!

The next time she does it I might just paint zigzags on her car.

Cougar – Moderator
We all seem to be dodging the elephant in the room, which is why this is happening.

It’s easy to write it off as lazy, and in many cases I’m sure it is. But I’m convinced that the main culprit is the media; everyone is so convinced that little Hermione is going to get bummed by a white-haired man in a shell suit if they’re left unsupervised for eight seconds that they absolutely have to drop them off six inches from school.

Fact is, the world is no more or less full of predators than it was when I was in short pants. The difference is, we’re so much better at reporting it now. To a point this is a good thing in that these bastards are getting caught, but it’s left everyone bloody terrified.

you may have a point there…

Not convinced – if that was the main concern, then parents would have no problem parking responsibly and then walking their child to the school gate.

but its more than likely that this is the actual case and that parents are very lazy

when I was in short pants

i heard a rumour you still wear them… 😉

People are too busy making profit to walk their Children to work. Time is money !! (That or they have a 9.00 am hair appointment)

Around our way they have to either:

a – go to the gym
or;
b – come to school in gym kit so it looks like they are about to go to the gym but are actually going straight back home to finish off that nice Pinot Noir they cracked open for breakfast.

I’ve taught my (5 yr old)daughter to sneer at the fat bastards sitting in their cars stuck in traffic as we bike past them.
Next term I’m going to learn her how to ‘key’ them with her bar ends.

😈

Ming the Merciless – Member
I’ve a similar situation just down the road from me, parents frequently stop ON the the zebra crossing and allow their kids to decamp! Zig Zags obviously don’t apply at school time. I have to be careful as I ranted one day and my branded van was reported for having an aggressive driver.

Apparently one of the teachers at the school about 50yds from our house got punched after speaking to some of the inconsiderate drivers and asking if they could park a bit more carefully in future!!

The rules of the road go completely out the window at child drop off and pick-up time.
They park nose to tail around a sharp left hand bend, down a short straight section of road and because they can’t park on the same side where the zig zags are, they park on the other side of the road. This turns the road into a single lane chicane with a couple of 90 degree bends thrown into it for good measure.
There are loads of quiet road around where parking would be appropriate, but they have to park as close as possible to the school without actually smashing their cars through the front gates.

They have parked across our driveway before, blocking us in.

When a colleague parked his car in front of my house when getting a lift to work one day, he had to suffer a series of dirty looks from the parents collecting their kids because of his ‘bad parking’. But, his car had been there since before 7am and was parked fine. It was the fact taht they still insisted on parking in the same places on the other side of the road and making it virtually impassable that seemed to have escaped their self-centred minds.

Not long after moving in, I witnessed a coach returning their little darlings from a school trip having to mount the pavement for about 200yds to get down the road as they had basically blocked the road to anything larger than a transit van with their bad parking.

Marcus- it’s a bit unfair to say that people are “too busy making a profit” to walk kids to school. Most of us have to work to pay the bills, and not everyone is lucky enough to have flexible working hours.

I cycled my son to nursery in a baby seat, but the 2-mile route to his school is not safe to cycle on – it includes a very busy road with 2 hideous roundabouts that are bad enough for experienced cyclists but positively dangerous for young kids. No doubt all the school run traffic is exacerbating the traffic problem. Unless they make our town a car-free zone (which I would support), I don’t know what the solution is.