Havering Public Space Protection Orders

[Puggit]

London Borough of Havering are banning the dropping off and collecting of children in streets near 4 primary schools (as a test). On the one side I strongly dislike this big brother attitude, on the other side - just how badly were parents behaving to drive this! Or is it just a money making scheme?

https://www3.havering.gov.uk/Pages/ServiceChild/Pu...

[numtumfutunch]

Hurrah and about time

Note its primary schools with smallish catchment areas - why the need to drive??

When my kids were little we walked them to school passing numerous of their mates being driven and either stuck in traffic or else being decamped out of the usual stereotypical school run panzer parked on a double yellow or on the pavement

Cheers

[DrDeAtH]

Make them walk to school! No need for cars clogging then streets at school time because parents are too lazy to walk 10 mins...

[Kermit power]

I think it's an absolutely excellent idea! I'm with you on the notion of disapproving of nanny state policies when they relate to things that only affect the individual, but this is something which clearly doesn't only affect the individual.

We almost always walk our kids the mile to school. Not only is it healthier, and comes with a chance of seeing kingfishers on the way, it's often faster too, because people dropping off from cars cause absolute chaos in a 1/4 mile radius of the front gates.

One of the school's neighbours is currently being prosecuted after presumably losing his rag at not being able to get out of his drive for the Nth time and choosing to drive slowly instead down the pavement/verge forcing walking kids and parents to get out of his way. Other neighbours have frequently reported coming back to their homes and not being able to get onto their own drives because parents have parked across the front of them whilst they go to get their kids.

When I cycle into work, I also go past another primary school. As you can see on Streetview, this should be one of the safest parts of my ride in, as it's on a cycle path completely off the road. In reality, had that photo been taken at 08:30 on a weekday morning, there would be cars half way off the road completely covering the bike path all the way down the narrower part of the road, and I have before now had people just pull straight onto the path in front of me as though I wasn't even there, and then complain when I don't get out of their way! I have complained to the Head there, and whilst he's very sympathetic, he doesn't have any power to actually do anything about it, so a decision like this one would be a godsend.

Given the choice, I'd ban all give all parents who required one a permit for the closest public carpark to the school to provide free parking half an hour either side of drop off and pick up time, then ban all but disabled kids from being dropped by car. Maybe then the selfish fkers who block the roads all over the country to take their darling little cherubs half a mile or less to school might actually get off their arses and walk!

[Mr GrimNasty]

Puggit said:

London Borough of Havering are banning the dropping off and collecting of children in streets near 4 primary schools (as a test). On the one side I strongly dislike this big brother attitude, on the other side - just how badly were parents behaving to drive this! Or is it just a money making scheme?

https://www3.havering.gov.uk/Pages/ServiceChild/Pu...

I saw that and thought how sensible it was considering the recent PH thread where the consensus of opinion seemed to be that making residents life hell was their own stupid fault for buying a house near a school. Clearly the vast majority of people these days have no common sense or respect for others, so such measures are necessary.

[Kermit power]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

I know each school will have different circumstances, but my kids' school has a free public carpark 200 yards from the school, yet it will be largely empty every morning whilst dozens of people try to drop their cherubs off right outside the gates.

I don't care where you work. Nobody's schedule is that tight, especially considering that the congestion they're causing will generally make their overall journey slower anyway! They're just being lazy and selfish.

[Uggers]

When I was in my old primary school nearly 30 years ago, the only folk who dropped off with cars were the kids of farmers who were on the outskirts of the village boundary. You had maybe 20 odd cars on a large street.

When I went to pick up my nieces from the same school last year it was fking carnage on the road where the school was. Apparently catchment areas have been extended, but overlapped with other schools from other villages. I'm not sure what the thinking is, possibly to give the illusion of choice to parents?

Result is half the kids do not live in the village that the school is situated in and is unsuprisingly full. Some of the kids in the village now faced with a full local school have to go further afield usually by car.

I'm sure there is an increase in laziness resulting in more cars outside schools. However it could be considered that a proportion may be a result of misguided policy? They instead elect to solve the symptom rather than take a look at the root causes.

[speedchick]

I regularly take my life into my hands patrolling near a local primary school, the abuse from parents when you ask them to move off single yellow lines, off the zigzags or out of the way from a drive is amazing, and when you do get to ticket a couple of them it's like world war 3 has gone off, one of the culprits actually lives about at the house at the bottom of the street and still drives her little darling to school, it's like fighting an unwinnable battle.

I thought I had seen it all, till one day I was near one of the secondary schools at kicking out time, wow, parked in the bus stops, (where incidentely there were also school buses, why are they not on them?) on the pavements, everywhere, and when asked to vacate the bus stops I got all sorts of 'where else can I park?' 'everyone else parks here' and the old classic, 'its not safe letting them walk' well no poop sherlock, if you weren't all parked around the school it would be safe! I also got lots of abuse and threats, sorry but no pcn is worth it, I am more than happy to leave school kicking out time to the police if they want it.

Most of it is the same as parking in general, people just don't give a damn, they park where they want when they want and to hell with anyone else, and if they have to walk more than 10ft then its a major catastrophe. Arrogance, ignorance and selfish, that's the only way to sum it up.

[williredale]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Before I broke myself I used to drop off and then go to work. But that was at breakfast club so that I could be in work for 8. Having been a few times at normal school start time I couldn't see anyone who looked like they were off to work. Same at pick up times.
They get the police in every so often to stand around and warn parents. There's being a big carpark next to the school and loads of supermarket (it's ok PH, it's Waitrose) spaces within a couple of hundred yards.