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The way I see it, the situation is a 'Catch-22'. On one side you have people dropping kids at school and on the other you have the problem of a lack of parking.
Where I live in south-west England, there are five schools in a small area was not built to handle traffic.
Outside my child'sschool you can park on one side of the street (if you can find space) and the other has white lines on which you are not allowed to stop.
STOP AND CHAT
Problems occur when parents not only drop their kids but also use the school as a meeting place so they can catch up on the 10 minutes they have missed on Facebook updates while driving.
Generally they get to the school about 20 minutes earlier than their children need to be there so they can have a chat. They have the “need” to park across from the school in the limited space available, making it impossible for working parents to have anywhere to stop and drop/collect their kids.
As a result, parents use the “no stopping” area near schools.
My question is who is at fault? Working parents who have not only a right but also an obligation to safely drop/collect their children or the parents who want to stand around and chat?
I think we are looking at penalising the wrong people.
See more Wheels24 readers' thoughts on the school-run row:
School parking chaos: Fine bad parents?
Wheels24 reader JAN SWANEPOEL believes parents who disobey the law when picking up or dropping off children at school should be fined.
Irresponsible parents ‘drive me mad’
Wheels24 reader CARA WOOLLACOTT believes the rules of the road should be enforced not just outside schools during drop-off/pick-up times but in general in SA.
'Vultures looking for easy pickings'
Wheels24 reader GEORGE BETTS believes punishing parents who are dropping or collecting their children from school is ‘ridiculous’.
Share your thoughts via Email or use the Readers' Comments section below
Where I live in south-west England, there are five schools in a small area was not built to handle traffic.
Outside my child'sschool you can park on one side of the street (if you can find space) and the other has white lines on which you are not allowed to stop.
STOP AND CHAT
Problems occur when parents not only drop their kids but also use the school as a meeting place so they can catch up on the 10 minutes they have missed on Facebook updates while driving.
Generally they get to the school about 20 minutes earlier than their children need to be there so they can have a chat. They have the “need” to park across from the school in the limited space available, making it impossible for working parents to have anywhere to stop and drop/collect their kids.
As a result, parents use the “no stopping” area near schools.
My question is who is at fault? Working parents who have not only a right but also an obligation to safely drop/collect their children or the parents who want to stand around and chat?
I think we are looking at penalising the wrong people.
See more Wheels24 readers' thoughts on the school-run row:
School parking chaos: Fine bad parents?
Wheels24 reader JAN SWANEPOEL believes parents who disobey the law when picking up or dropping off children at school should be fined.
Irresponsible parents ‘drive me mad’
Wheels24 reader CARA WOOLLACOTT believes the rules of the road should be enforced not just outside schools during drop-off/pick-up times but in general in SA.
'Vultures looking for easy pickings'
Wheels24 reader GEORGE BETTS believes punishing parents who are dropping or collecting their children from school is ‘ridiculous’.
Share your thoughts via Email or use the Readers' Comments section below
