Parking at Schools

I have yet to hear of a school with a decent parking lot situation. Ours is like the Autobahn. People drive way too fast and are SO rude! People just park in the drop-off zone, so it gets backed up with double parkers. I just wish the police would sit in an unmarked car one day in our lot ... they'd have a field day writing tickets! It's bad everywhere, so know you're not alone.

Just park somewhere and walk to pick up your children. School car pools are often not a nice place to be.

Our high school has 3 lanes, the middle lane is to stay clear for those who have their children to move on through. Last year an older woman did not like to sit in the line and she would drive through the middle lane close to the cars on the right side (ME). Several of us blew horns and motioned that she is too close to our cars.

Well lucky me, she hit my mirror and knocked it off. I was livid. I came out of my car screaming at her like a mad woman (I know I was wrong but this happened DAILY and it was a matter of time before she hit someone). She had the gall to try to touch my car to move the mirror. I took pictures and she had her insurance company call me. The insurance lady said that the woman told her she barely hit my mirror and I was in a little white car. I was instructed to go to the claims dept to get it fixed. Then the insurance lady said... what kind of car and she was very upset when she found out the little white car was a sporty model Mercedes. It cost them a nice penny to fix my car. I no longer go to that line. If I pick my daughter up, I go to a separate area.

I don't think you should have been "tattled" on for looking at her. You are only trying to go through the line safely. I am sorry you have a bad experience.

Gees... some people actually believe that this world is all about them.

We have a similar situation in our school parking lot. It could get worse, because with more budget cuts, they are thinking of cutting more buses. So that means that kids who live up to a mile away or even possibly farther won't have the option of riding the bus, so more parents might be trying to drive them to school. Not a good situation.

At my daughter's school, the principal himself stands out on the curb during drop-off time and directs traffic and greets the kids. This is dedication! I think he's afraid of someone getting run over by a parent rushing off to get to work on time, and, yes, usually talking on the phone at the same time...
I don't ever pick her up after school, she takes the bus to her Dad's house, but I've heard that the process is similar to yours, where the kids are being walked out to the cars. It's a mess. All in the name of saving a few bucks, but for what cost?

First of all here is Austin it is now against the law to be talking on a cell phone when inside a school zone.

That mom could be ticketed for talking on her phone for even sitting in a running car inside a school zone. It has helped a lot.

Also in Austin, The streets where the kids are picked up and dropped off can only be in one direction.. No backing up is EVER allowed. so no backing into parking spots, instead the cars all have to move up. Also each child has to be picked up at the curb, so no walking between cars is allowed. We are also told to continue to move until you see your child and then you can stop, Parking is not allowed in the pick up lane.

We found that as kindergartners it helped a lot for them to learn the rules about dropping off and picking up. The kids could then remind their parents of the rules.

We used to have dads dressed like referees who had flags to get people to move. It was pretty funny.. They had whistles, striped shirts and caps..

We also gave the Principal "names of parents that we felt needed to be helpers" for morning or afternoon drop off.. It was pretty amazing how their driving became better after being put in charge of helping move that traffic.

I'm sorry, but are we both going to the same school?!?!?! Ha!!
We have the same issue at our school as does a friend of mine at her school. It's always the same cars that are parked, parents get out and walk their kids to the door or go pick them up from the door. But your always the bad guy for following the rules, the one day you do not pull up all the way you have someone knocking on your window or yelling at you to move up! I started making my children take the bus home because I could not handle the traffic of getting out of school. I would rather deal with the bus than the other parents driving skills.

I guess I do not have a solution for you, but just wanted to let you know that your not alone!!!

I certainly dont have a solution for this problem, (other than homeschooling) , but it might be helpful to make arrangements to pick up the principal several minutes before this traffic jam starts, and let him/her ride in your car and see what is happening. At least the real problem might be seen instead of you being in trouble for "looking" at another driver.

All the time! Only difference is that we have a line! no driving around, you get to the front and wait, your child gets in, then you move forward one car length for the next car, stop again and buckle in your child and then drive off.

I would have mentioned that she was impeding your way to the principal.

Also in my state it is illegal to hold your phone and have the keys in the ignition of your car. We actually have a police officer once a week walking around handing out tickets at the school. I think it is fun to watch, but others don't... wonder why?

Tomorrow I would get there early and sit in the spot you always find her in. When she comes up behind you just turn around and give her a HUGE smile and wave!

Anyway....your whole situation sounds really unsafe. A little hard to believe this would go on outside of a school. I guess different states/districts have different comfort levels when it comes to the kids in parking lots. Ours is a strictly enforced lineup...almost like the soup nazi episode on Seinfeld LOL. You are a little scared to not do the right thing in line.

My daughters' school had a system for picking kids up. It was drive through so all cars had to line up at a designated time. One way in and one way out. Each family had a 8x10 laminated sign with your kids names on it which you placed on the dash board. As you drove into the parking lot, an aid stood by and read your names into her walkie talkie to another aid on the playground. Using her megaphone, that aid called the names out to your kids on the playground, who then lined up at the loading zone and were waiting to jump in your car when you got there.

I generally don't pickup at the end of the school day, but when I do, there are places you are expected to wait. We don't drive in circles, but there are bus lanes and you are expected to be out of them during school hours and an hour before/after. Kind of akin to the "kiss and ride" mass transit drop offs. I think that if people have to drive in circles to pick up their kid, they need a different method. That sounds ridiculous! What about having a number each parent can call and someone coordinating the children if they are really little? It must be mostly the same kids every day, so it shouldn't be hard to make a list. If the kids are in their rooms, it shouldn't be hard to intercom to the room to tell the teacher to send out x kid.

When I was a kid, we had different bells. We had a bell for the busers and about 5-10 minutes later, the walkers (and people being picked up) got to go. Get the buses out of the way and then release the rest of the kids.

Well, if you pick your child up by car at my kids' school, they have a VERY orderly line where each car gets a number, and so when they see your number, they bring out your kid(s). There are about 175 people picking up their kids from cars... and it works out so nicely.

We have the limited parking problem but you have to park and go in and sign out your child. No child is let out of the school without a parent unless they ride the bus.

Ugh, I used to live across the street from a school. Every afternoon I had to put up with incessant honking, parents screaming at each other and sometimes their kids - at my son's nap time - not to mention the ones who had the audacity to block my driveway, or worse park in my driveway!!!! Nobody stops to think about the fact that people live in the surrounding houses!
The neighborhood association managed to get police out on occasion to direct traffic and hand out some tickets. Due to budget constraints it could not be an all the time thing but it would always slow the problem down for awhile.

No because kids take the bus home. Why are you there picking kid up?