The Horrors of the School Run

What you are witnessing is mumsnet in real life. There is nothing more self absorbed than mummy with little Jimmy and Jemima.

They basically have brain aneurysms from the potential "threats" to their children and so behave like a pack of rabid dogs, showing scant regard for anything or anyone elses needs or rights.

Most of it simply boils down to them feeling their endeavours to take their kids to school trumps common courtesy (and in many cases, the law). My parents live 200 yards down the road from a school and often get people blocking their drive. The "I will only be a few minutes" argument is used a lot. Sorry, but tough. Find a proper place to park and walk the extra distance! Lazy ****tards.
 
BuffetSlayer said:
What you are witnessing is mumsnet in real life. There is nothing more self absorbed than mummy with little Jimmy and Jemima.

They basically have brain aneurysms from the potential "threats" to their children and so behave like a pack of rabid dogs, showing scant regard for anything or anyone elses needs or rights.

Most of it simply boils down to them feeling their endeavours to take their kids to school trumps common courtesy (and in many cases, the law). My parents live 200 yards down the road from a school and often get people blocking their drive. The "I will only be a few minutes" argument is used a lot. Sorry, but tough. Find a proper place to park and walk the extra distance! Lazy ****tards.
Click to expand...

get the neighbors to block the car in completely then sit there in the front lawn on deck chairs saying you'll only be a few minutes
 
BuffetSlayer said:
My parents live 200 yards down the road from a school and often get people blocking their drive. The "I will only be a few minutes" argument is used a lot. Sorry, but tough. Find a proper place to park and walk the extra distance! Lazy ****tards.
Click to expand...

There is no legal requirement to not block a drive when parking so not a lot your parents can do.

What they can do though (if this really annoys them and happens very frequently) is to get the car out and park in front of their own drive. Stops anyone else doing it and means they can get out if they need to.
 
estebanrey said:
There is no legal requirement to not block a drive when parking so not a lot your parents can do.

What they can do though (if this really annoys them and happens very frequently) is to get the car out and park in front of their own drive. Stops anyone else doing it and means they can get out if they need to.
Click to expand...

If there's a car on the drive, then I'm pretty sure it's in contravention of:

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1986/1078/regulation/103/made

Since they are obstructing access to the road.
 
Tefal said:
there is if there's a dropped curb.
Click to expand...

Not outside someone's house there isn't...

http://www.safermotoring.co.uk/parking-near-private-driveway-what-law.html

I think you maybe referring to some councils issuing tickets for being "parked adjacent to a dropped footway" but those are footpaths, dropped by the Council in public areas for wheelchair/bicycle lane access. Not one you've had put outside your house in a residential road.


Haggisman said:
If there's a car on the drive, then I'm pretty sure it's in contravention of:

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1986/1078/regulation/103/made

Since they are obstructing access to the road.
Click to expand...

Not at all. That means you can't park sideways in the middle road so traffic cannot flow; it prevents people from blocking roads for all traffic, not blocking it from one car currently on private property from accessing the road.
 
Last edited:
estebanrey said:
Not outside someone's house there isn't...

http://www.safermotoring.co.uk/parking-near-private-driveway-what-law.html

I think you maybe referring to some councils issuing tickets for being "parked adjacent to a dropped footway" but those are footpaths, dropped by the Council in public areas for wheelchair/bicycle lane access. Not one you've had put outside your house in a residential road.




Not at all. That means you can't park sideways in the middle road so traffic cannot flow; it prevents people from blocking roads for all traffic, not blocking it from one car currently on private property from accessing the road.
Click to expand...

Someone I worked with found their car had been towed away because it was parked blocking access to a private driveway. This was actually in their own street and they were pretty annoyed as apparently there wasn't a car parked on the drive in question at the time. However, the householder called the police as they couldn't get onto their drive, the car was towed and it ended up costing something like £150 to get it back. I had to hear about it for weeks afterwards!
 
If it's a private road then maybe it's a different story, but there's nothing stopping you blocking a driveway on a public road. The highway code states 'DO NOT' which is merely their way of saying 'Try to avoid'.
 
Mr Badger said:
Someone I worked with found their car had been towed away because it was parked blocking access to a private driveway. This was actually in their own street and they were pretty annoyed as apparently there wasn't a car parked on the drive in question at the time. However, the householder called the police as they couldn't get onto their drive, the car was towed and it ended up costing something like £150 to get it back. I had to hear about it for weeks afterwards!
Click to expand...

The Police have almost no jurisdiction over parking, it is a civil issue so either your friend got Police confused with 'Council Parking Attendant' or it didn't happen :p
 
I thought it was an offence to block someone in, but not block them out. Or maybe it is the other way around? Anyways, I am pretty sure parking and blocking someones drive is against some rule or other, otherwise you would have people getting blocked in all of the time with no recourse. I was under the impression that a dropped kerb in front of a driveway means that parking in front of it constitutes an obstruction of access to the highway and is therefore enforceable under traffic laws - but I admit I don't really know the ins and outs so could be way off base with that.
 
estebanrey said:
http://www.safermotoring.co.uk/parking-near-private-driveway-what-law.html
Click to expand...

safermotoring.co.uk do not write the law. They are not an authority.

MooMoo444 said:
If it's a private road then maybe it's a different story, but there's nothing stopping you blocking a driveway on a public road. The highway code states 'DO NOT' which is merely their way of saying 'Try to avoid'.
Click to expand...

No one mentioned the Highway Code.


Motorists can be fined under the Traffic Management Act 2004 (S86) for parking in front of dropped kerbs.
 
BuffetSlayer said:
I thought it was an offence to block someone in, but not block them out. Or maybe it is the other way around? Anyways, I am pretty sure parking and blocking someones drive is against some rule or other, otherwise you would have people getting blocked in all of the time with no recourse. I was under the impression that a dropped kerb in front of a driveway means that parking in front of it constitutes an obstruction of access to the highway and is therefore enforceable under traffic laws - but I admit I don't really know the ins and outs so could be way off base with that.
Click to expand...

The reason people aren't parking all willy-nilly is because....

a) People generally aren't bar stewards and stick to the 'golden rule'

b) Clearly as you prove, many people assume there must be some law somewhere covering it.

A dropped curb is paid for by the resident, and it would be wrong for people to be able to "buy" extra legal protections. All they are buying is the chance for less damage to be done to their car when they drive in and out of their driveway.
 
estebanrey said:
The Police have almost no jurisdiction over parking, it is a civil issue so either your friend got Police confused with 'Council Parking Attendant' or it didn't happen :p
Click to expand...

Weird. The police certainly gave a crap when my old neighbour kept blocking my driveway. So much so that they cautioned him and sent him a formal letter informing him they'd prosecute if he continued to do so!

In fact...the police even state it is on one of their own websites

http://www.sussex.police.uk/help-ce...theres-a-car-blocking-my-drive,-what-can-i-do
 
estebanrey said:
The reason people aren't parking all willy-nilly is because....

a) People generally aren't bar stewards and stick to the 'golden rule'

b) Clearly as you prove, many people assume there must be some law somewhere covering it.

A dropped curb is paid for by the resident, and it would be wrong for people to be able to "buy" extra legal protections. All they are buying is the chance for less damage to be done to their car when they drive in and out of their driveway.
Click to expand...

Well my parents house was built with a dropped kerb, as are most residential homes with driveways. So it isn't something paid for in the sense you allude to.

Having looked at the Traffic Management Act, it does indeed appear to cover blocking in driveways unless you have express permission from the occupier of the premises. It also specifically states:

(1)In a special enforcement area a vehicle must not be parked on the carriageway adjacent to a footway, cycle track or verge where—

(a)the footway, cycle track or verge has been lowered to meet the level of the carriageway for the purpose of—

(i)assisting pedestrians crossing the carriageway,

(ii)assisting cyclists entering or leaving the carriageway, or

(iii)assisting vehicles entering or leaving the carriageway across the footway, cycle track or verge; or

(b)the carriageway has, for a purpose within paragraph (a)(i) to (iii), been raised to meet the level of the footway, cycle track or verge.
Click to expand...

Additionally, the sussex police website linket to above states:

Legally, you have a right of access from your driveway onto the street, but not from the street onto your drive.
Click to expand...

(Which to be honest is what I always thought was the case).
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom