Lazy parents drive me nuts...

hazelbunny

Browntoa wrote: »

I've had some "no brainer" parked across my drive when I've gone to go out, she's watched me get in my car, start the engine and still sat there !!!

so I got out, walked round to her side and tapped on the window to which I got "I will only be a minute " to which I replied " if you car is still here when I get back to mine I will drive into yours on the way out and it will be you fault as it's illegal to block my drive" .....she braved it until I edged forward and then shot off mouthing obscentities.....

Actually if you had hit her car, you wouldn't have a leg to stand on. It would have been your fault in the eyes of the law and the insurance company.

amandada

ailuro2 wrote: »

Oooh- I didn't know there was another- Springfield is private??
I did remember about the other school on Strathearn Road but not sure if it is still open- the school inspectors kept closing it down.:eek:

I thought Springfield was just another renamed school- like Powrie Primary was renamed Claypotts Castle before they knocked it to the ground, and Whitfield High is now Braeview Academy- so you were an 'Academy' attendee?:p

Springfield came out of the local authority system-but I'm not sure what the set up was-it's closed now so it's all academic

The one on Strathern Road's now closed-it was given umpteen chances to teach its "students" more than needlework, but didn't comply, so it was closed down.

BillScarab

"I appreciate that a 7 mile journey to work is going to be best in a car or bus"

Or even better by bicycle!:D

Amanda65

bj-sailaway wrote: »

Get over it guys! If you bought a house near a school, what do you expect? Also, you only suffer for about half an hour twice a day, with 12 weeks of total tranquility a year. Many of us aren't just picking our kids up to go back home nearby, but taking them onto after school activities which aren't walking distance.!

In the main I agree with your sentiments, if not your rather agressive initial sentance! When we moved here 13 years ago (in a road that now leads into a cul-de-sac and has a infants at one end and middle school at the other) I did do some research and did know that the road was a nightmare twice a day during term time. As you say outside school hours I live down a lovely quiet road!

In the past 13 years, due to falling birth rates in our village, the catchment area for the schools has grown necessitating more parents to drive their children to school. Regardless of this however I do not expect people to park over my driveway - in the same way that you wouldn't - and then be rude when I politely ask them to move so that I can get out. One of my neighbours actually came out of her house to find someone parked in her drive and when the driver was asked to move protested that she would only be 15 mins til her son came out of school and what was the householders problem! Erm trespass springs to mind! Unfortunatley it is not illegal to obstruct someone's drive unless they are trying to access it - perhaps it should be!

Our schools do try and help by sending out regular reminders about parking etc. but to no avail. We did also start a walking bus but after the initial few weeks it dwindled to nothing.

As more and more parents work I do understand the need to drop the children off and get off to work asap but each day I see parents who I know live locally dropping off their kids and then spending 20 mins trying to get back out of the road - surely for some it would be quicker to walk??

Janepig

Amanda65 wrote: »

Our schools do try and help by sending out regular reminders about parking etc. but to no avail. We did also start a walking bus but after the initial few weeks it dwindled to nothing.

Our school do this but they might as well not waste the paper. As I said DD's school has a large catchment area being one of the few welsh-medium schools in town, however it has a large car-park for parents and it never ceases to amaze me the number of parents who totally ignore letters from the school and park in the street and do three point turns (it's a cul-de-sac). Why, when there's a perfectly adequeate car park.

And I've also known parents being done for driving whilst disqualified (which carries an entry point of imprisonment) give the excuse that it was raining and they didn't want their children getting wet so they drove them to school, despite being disqualified from driving. Nutters!!!

Jxx

ben500

I've just read the op again as I was beginning to think maybe there was something I missed
Nope I'm pretty sure I have the general gist and have responded on topic to the op on each post, it would seem that many haven't and as a result are taking part in the wrong debate. If I should need motoring or employment guidance this will be the first place I will come as the site is cram packed with sound advice, however I will post a thread requesting it, so just for the dimwitted out there I would like to announce I am adequately knowledgeable of the options available for transport and how best to carry out my daily work duties and just to take the post back to topic,

Just last June I witnessed a man killed (It took him four days to die of his injuries) by a motorbike rider on a zebra crossing at the end of a street housing a local primary school, at the time of the collision there were no fewer than FIVE parked vehicles within the zigzag zone, four of the drivers were on the school run the other a customer of one of the local shops, all of which were subsequently prosecuted, the motorbike rider was not as he was killed almost instantly, you may be thinking what does this have to do with the school run especially if I add the fact that the motorbike rider was doing far in excess of the speed limit, well this, seven of the children at the school later received councelling after seeing the bike rider's (edited due to sensitivity of content) one of which got so hysterical she bolted across the road and nearly became a victim of a rubbernecker herself.

Janepig

My father and brother also witnessed an accident "caused" by a parent's appalling parking outside a school last year - thankfully the child wasn't seriously injured, but the accident happened as the mother had parked on a "dog leg" part of the road, the child got out of the car on the pavement side then bolted across the road in front of the mother's car. Unfortunately there was a car coming from behind overtaking the mother's car which ran the child over. My brother phoned the ambulance and both him and my dad gave their details to the Police but they were never contacted.

I'm always astonished at how fast people drive past schools at pick up/drop off time, even some of the parents using DD's school's car park bomb around - I'm amazed no-one's been hit.

Jxx

ben500

What struck me about this accident so much other than it's graphic nature and the fact I witnessed it was, there were so MANY people to blame. The bike rider, the school runners and the rubberneckers that hindered those there who were trying to help and unfortunately some of those trying to help as the assistance rendered was not appropriate.

livinginhope

I always try to walk my children to school,we live on a country road with no pavements,it's quite scary,but my children understand road safety and wear high-vis jackets.I get angry with parents that I know live a few yards from the school and take the car,but no amount of telling them will make them see sense,they seem oblivious to the dangers they cause,they say there is too much traffic to walk,but don't realise they are the traffic.
I have a very bad back (arthritis in my spine) only a few people know this as I don't like people taking pity on me,some days I physically cannot walk the 2.5 miles to school,so have to use the car,I have been mocked for hobbling out of the car with remarks like 'good one! I almost believe you' I never block drives or park badly,but don't feel that I should have to explain my actions to anyone,some days I just HAVE to drive,when I CAN I walk.I do not know everyone's situation,so don't feel I have the right to tell people what they can or can't do.

Lifeisbutadream

I would say that most people who drive to school have a good reason other than laziness.

I live 10 - 15minutes walk from dd's school, then another 10 mins walk to pre-school, then 10 mins back home.

If I go in the car I get back home for 9am. If I walk I dont get back until 9.25am. I then have to set off again for pre-school at 11.45am.

As I am self-emplyed and work from home, every second counts. Believe me I would love to have the time to walk to school every day, but unfortunately it is just not possible.

I do try and walk to pick up from school, but again, if I have been out in the car picking up materials, then I will drop by on the way back and pick up then.

How do you know that the people dropping off in cars arent rushing off to work afterwards? or to hospital or doctors appointments??