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I'm sure that there are people with legitimate reasons for driving kids to school -- if you have an inflexible employer who insists on you being in work at a time that doesn't allow for a 15 minute walk back from school, for instance.
Who does that prevent kids either walking to school themselves, or being dropped off [i]near[/i] the school (within say 500m) but not directly outside the gates?
Having said that we have someone on our street who drives to see her mother at the other end of the street. Our street is 25 terraced houses long.
KILL HER
My neighbour opposite once drove to nursery. on return [ i was dropping my kids off there as well] she parked in her drive, got all the kids out and then explained to me her start point was the nearest place to park!!!
She continued to "drive" there 🙄
Eidt I have to use th ecar on Monday but as others note simple park a little further away and walk...it is actually faster if nothing else
🙄I simply questioned bradley's valid assumption, asking for the reasoning behind this, especially coming from someone with such a small amount of experience on the road.
Ye, course you were.
Simple solution: give schools the power to enforce private parking restrictions and collect fines for their own benefit. 😀
Guns and brutal Darwinism please Graham
I would love to see the council send one of their parking wardens down once a week on a random day and start dishing out tickets
They do this occasionally near me but given that they have high viz vests on and the parents do only stop for a few minutes and given their are so many of them this has little affect.
Probably makes it worse as they all get on their mobiles to warn each other !!
Ye, course you were.
Do you want a bigger shovel?
I guess you don't realise how often cars with foreign plates are treated badly on the roads (perhaps you do it), by what I validly assume are British driver. I have even had the Highway Code incorrectly quoted at me in some half arsed excuse.
I was genuinely interested, but if you can't get that, carry on...
I dont think a teenager assuming that someone who drives a foreign registered car is foreign is in anyway wrong or illogical
He also assumed that the driver's child was attending a local school. Which is slightly bizarre, although possible, if the car was "foreign registered" as you seem to think it was.
Who does that prevent kids either walking to school themselves
Depends on the kids. Averse though I am to cotton-woolling them, I don't think many people would be happy to send five or six year olds to school unaccompanied.
or being dropped off near the school (within say 500m) but not directly outside the gates?
Nothing (although it doesn't solve anything, 500m is still well within the blast radius at our local one...).
I didn't realise it'd be necessary to exhaustively list every parameter that might conceivably make driving a child close to school of a morning to be justified 🙂 However, you're making the same point I am, which is that such circumstances are somewhat rare.
(Our walk to school goes past houses from which people drive...)
It's not often you make me smile ernesto, but in this case I'll make an exception. 😆
Junkyard: we only found this out after my missus spent last winter popping in every day to make sure her mum got her medicine, because the daughter "couldn't drive in the snow"! 😯
I would love to see the council send one of their parking wardens down once a week on a random day and start dishing out tickets
This.
And/or install CCTV so that, in between the morning & afternoon school run, someone can go through identifying illegal parking & issue fines.
I have no sympathy for motorists who deliberately infringe laws or what-not.
When I'm Prime Minister the [i]minimum[/i] penalty for ANY motoring offence would be having your car taken away and crushed to the size of a satsuma. And being charged for it.
Don't they have school buses any more?
I guess you don't realise how often cars with foreign plates are treated badly on the roads (perhaps you do it),
Bit more conclusion jumping, its going really well.
On a practical note I do occasionally make mental note of left hand drive cars, I have driven abroad quite a bit and observation can be tricky.
I would love to see the council send one of their parking wardens down once a week on a random day and start dishing out tickets.
They do send parking wardens out from time to time at my son's school. It calms them down for a week or so, but they're soon back to their old habits, parking on the zigzags and pavements. Having said that I've heard one school dad (drives a massive 4x4, obviously) say he deliberately parks on the pavement to annoy people.
Don't they have school buses any more?
Not for primary schools round here, no, the catchment areas and numbers of kids are too small. The school near my office operates a walking bus and it's well subscribed but there's still loads of parents too precious or stupid to get their kids to use it instead of driving them in.
Don't they have school buses any more?
Pfft! Don't be daft! That's bloody socialism that is!!! Bordering on communism, if I'm honest. The ****-everyone-else, get-out-of-my-bloody-way free for all, chaos will prepare our children well for life in a capitlist society
Bit more conclusion jumping, its going really well.
Conclusions only gained from experience.
Do you have a problem there surfer? You seem to be looking for something that doesn't really exist.
Pfft! Don't be daft! That's bloody socialism that is!!! Bordering on communism, if I'm honest. The ****-everyone-else, get-out-of-my-bloody-way free for all, chaos will prepare our children well for life in a capitlist society
*Rubs chin*
Duke of Westminster used to send his girls to school in the school bus to Parkgate. There was a four car security detail that followed it though. Moreton Hall has buses to pick up the students.
When I'm Prime Minister the minimum penalty for ANY motoring offence would be having your car taken away and crushed to the size of a satsuma. And being charged for it.
joao3v16, I thoroughly approve of your transport policy and would like to join your political party.
My youngest goes to school on a bus. Seems to move the problem as parents pull over at the side of busy roads to drop their kids off who were too late to walk!!
One of the posh schools in central Edinburgh employs a security guard to stand at the big stone (one lane) gate at the entrance, as so much traffic carnage was caused by the mums dropping their legless wunderkind off in the morning. Now they just park along the road and take out hapless cyclists with their car doors.
(I don't think I recall ever once in my entire life getting driven to school. Mind you I grew up in the colonies where the weather is better. And I did get a car bought for me when I turned 15, so I would drive myself to school.)
joao3v16 - MemberI would love to see the council send one of their parking wardens down once a week on a random day and start dishing out tickets
I have no sympathy for motorists who deliberately infringe laws or what-not.
When I'm Prime Minister the minimum penalty for ANY motoring offence would be having your car taken away and crushed to the size of a satsuma. And being charged for it.
+1
I've heard one school dad (drives a massive 4x4, obviously) say he deliberately parks on the pavement to annoy people.
Aaaaaaargh! (it works)
"Morning. I've broken the law, caused a hazard and increased the risk to children just to annoy you."
"Thanks. I've let all the air out of two of your tyres just to annoy you. Have a nice day."
On a practical note I do occasionally make mental note of left hand drive cars,
they're easy to spot, being the ones driven by people with no sense of time, space or other road users. masters of the art of road-based fkwittery as it were
I agree! I'm also very very important and these 15 minute periods of free-for-all make me very upset too. It means I have to be particularly careful around schools at certain times of day and sometimes I have to drive slowly. On occasion I'm even delayed!
"Morning. I've broken the law, caused a hazard and increased the risk to children just to annoy you.""Thanks. [s]I've let all the air out of two of your tyres just to annoy you.[/s] Don't worry about it, and I'm sure that key scratch will polish out nicely. Have a nice day."
I walked the boy to school today and we have to go past the usual parking chaos at his old infants school. This morning we saw one parent pull up into a space, blocking a drive, that was only 20-30yds from free spaces. She got out and was told by some of the other parents that she was blocking a drive, ignored them and walked off. As I walked back the homeowner of the blocked drive was sitting in his car looking very pissed off as he tried to get out.
There was a guy who used to park on the yellow zigzags in front of the school every morning. The police were called after him being asked not to. He got 6points and didn't do it again. Numpty.
is this vandalism? if I tried it on someone who had just nearly killed me then parked up and buggered off before I got chance to chastise them would the police arrest me for such things?"Thanks. I've let all the air out of two of your tyres just to annoy you. Have a nice day."
I'm thinking probably vandalism but very limited chance for legal ramifications as opposed to keying.
Here come the hardmen.
driven by people with no sense of time, space or other road users
Very concise description of 'motorist'
"Thanks. I've let all the air out of two of your tyres just to annoy you. Have a nice day."
is this vandalism?
No actual damage done, so technically not vandalism (?)
When I was young and daft I made a living as a motorcycle courier. When you're on the road all day on a bike, you soon learn an almost zen-like ability to spot risk.
You can forget your ranting Psychotic taxi drivers, sun reading white van man, what really struck fear into even the hardest bikers was the school run mum in a 4x4. The hour from 3-4 when they were all out, was like having the spectre of death hanging over you every day.
Has she seen me? Yes. Is she going to just pull her *ing range rover out in front of me anyway, regardless? Of course she *ing is!!!
Their attitude seems to be that as long as little Sophia and Harry make it to school and back ok, then everyone else is just collateral damage. And road traffic laws? Frankly incidental
Vehicle interference and is a criminal offence so not recommended. Draw a massive talliwaker on A3 paper and tape it to his windscreen.
Ok, why don't just one of you actually follow through on any one of your childish threats, then come back and tell us about it.
Traffic Wardens.
Every few weeks Altrincham council send a traffic warden to the school gates to try to sort the carnage at my kids' school. He just stands there highly visible, everyone parks where they should that day. The next day he isn't there so they all resort to their scum approach and park wherever they want.
I don't understand why the council doesn't do the obvious thing and tell him to keep a low profile until he can ticket someone and that'll sort the problem for good.
SamCooke - MemberI agree! I'm also very very important and these 15 minute periods of free-for-all make me very upset too. It means I have to be particularly careful around schools at certain times of day and sometimes I have to drive slowly. On occasion I'm even delayed!
Oh dear... You're one of [b]those [/b]people...
Oh dear... You're one of [i]those [/i]people
what does my homosexuality have to do with any of this?
the parents who drop off at my kids school are on the whole pretty good, everyone parks down in a little carpark and not outside the school. it is chorlton so its obviously all very civil, the exception is a couple of knobs that park as close as possible to the school and spoile it for everyone else.....wish bad things on the
Why not just ban schools?
It has been alluded to before, i think the key factor in this is the laziness of people. People are bone idle, probably the same people who ride round on a shop mobility scooter cos they're too lazy to walk round morrisons for 20 minutes.
People are bone idle, and have been whipped up into paedoparanoia by the media. It's not safe to let little Hermione walk the eight feet from house to school unsupervised "these days", there's a nonce on every corner.
TBH it's not the hundreds of nonces we obviously have in the Shires that worry me, it's the herberts who think the 30mph limit though the village doesnt apply to them, esp at school start/end. I wonder if we can get one of those temporary flashing 20mph signs for the road outside the school liek they do in the next village over - *wonders how easy is it to dig up road signs and relocate...*
Fortunately stoner Jr and I ride to school most days, but he's some way off being safe to be left to do it on his own, he's only five 😉
There is a kid (8 or 9 I think) who rides down the B road to school every day in all weathers. Fair play to him.
[quote=SamCooke said]Oh dear... You're one of those people
what does my homosexuality have to do with any of this?
Well your bright pink RAV4 distracts other drivers.
There's a bike lane Crouch End, it's separated from the road by an unbroken line and has a plate qualifying its hours of operation (8.30 - 9.30).
There's a family who pull in to the bike lane to drop their children off. Yesterday they actually pulled in in front of me, stopped diagonally across the lane, completely blocking my way. The doors opened.
I was able to explain to the driver that you must not cross an unbroken line and that he was breaking the law by entering the bike lane during its hours of operation. He tried not to listen. His child tried to shut the door that I was speaking to him through.
God knows how, but I didn't lose my temper. I very calmly repeated that he was parking in a bike lane.
Two months ago (same bike lane) a panda car was parked in the lane. Between then and now pizza delivery moped things (nasty, buzzy, smelly things they are) were parked perpendicular to the kerb. It is regularly used by UPS and the other delivery people to park while delivering (got their hazards on - makes it ok). There was a traffic warden. I asked him to book the driver. He said; "It's ok, he's delivering". I said: "No, it isn't ok. He's breaking the law being in a bike lane marked by blah blah during its hours of operation". Traffic warden just looked blank and refused to ticket.
Why f8888cking well bother with them then?????????
These are probably the same mouth-breathers who will then go "bloody cyclists, why don't they use the cycle lanes?!"
Why f8888cking well bother with them then?
Usually to justify road budget and meet "cycling provision" targets.
I do the school run for my two oldest two days per week. Round the front of the school is absolute carnage. Round the back of the school there are single yellow lines for which the school issues permits that allow you to park there while you're dropping kids off. Hardly anyone uses the rear of school option, so there is no problem getting a space - there is also a side gate to the school which means you are actually closer to where the kids line up. This is Tollcross in Edinburgh - so pretty close to being in the middle of a city.
My local primary has asked my wife, on several occasions, not to cycle into the school car park for 'safety reasons'.
Apparently it's safer for a 6 year old, a 3 year old and my wife (with trailer on tow containing 2 year old) to dismount on the road outside the gate which contains around 400 XC90s piloted by myopics fearing they are 5 seconds late so simply have to screech in at 40 mph.