More Vent than Question! Car Line Peeves

Call the police and ask to have an officer there to ticket those who park in the handcapped spot. One ticket and their pocketbook will know not to park there.

Oh man.

At my daughter's school, there were moms who would literally park, get out of their cars and leave to go retrieve their kids and block in the school buses so they couldn't get out. Talk about being clueless!

There was plenty of designated parking, but they didn't feel the need to use it. The school had to get a monitor to stand out there and make them move along.
She didn't mess around about it, either. She had a very loud whistle and wasn't afraid to use it!

urgh....people who don't believe the rules don't apply to them!!! Don't think we'll EVER fully get rid of them!!

Since it's a safety issue? Talk to the school principal and voice your concerns about the safety and the lack of respect for the rules and the example it is setting for our children...

No, I don't park in the handicapped spot - I'm not handicapped. Neither are my children.

I wouldn't know how anyone can feel "justified" in doing it. They will make excuses for why they do it - I'll only be a minute. No one was using it any way, etc....and that's all they are - excuses.

You could be bold and brazen like me - and confront the mom's on your own. Ask them where their handicap sign is and if they need help - feign innocence - like you really want to help them since they are parking in the handicapped spot...if they say "oops - forgot to post my handicap sign - thanks!!" - then you know...otherwise - go to the principal....

Do the folks using the handicap space have a handicap parking sticker? Giving the benefit of the doubt, perhaps they do have a disability that is not immediately apparent.

That being said, it sounds like they are being asses. The Principal needs to handle this...I am surprised that it has gone on so long...the Principal at my son's school is helping with the car line every day.

Frankly, I believe the car line is evil. I work full time so I rarely pick up right after school anyway...he goes to a afterschool program. On the rare days that I DO need to pick up for a doctor appointment, I acutally time it so that I can pick up from the daycare center instead and thus avoid the damn car line.

There will always be people that think they're more important than everyone else, and that have no regard for anyone else. They're selfish, self absorbed, and inconsiderate. It sucks that people like this are raising kids, and our kids have to deal with their kids.

When I used to drop off/pick up DD, I would park across the street, in the neighborhood, and walk to the school, rather than deal with the pick up line/parking lot fiasco. It was maybe an extra 2 minute walk, but it was worth it. At DD's school this year, I believe they've improved their system a lot, but there will always be a-hole parents, unfortunately. I work, so I don't have to deal with the whole pick up/drop off debacle, thank goodness.

If it's bothering you that much, tell the principal.

the crazy car line/parking is why i dont drive my son and we walk! its just over a mile but its good fresh air and exercise. the school district here doesnt bus kids within a 2 mile radius. so theres a lot of congestion at pick up time

I can not tell you how much I understand your rant and I HATE the car lots at school! It makes me so irritated when parents park BEHIND my car in the lot and then leave their car to go find their kid. I called the tow truck the last time because I am fed up with people doing that! Its so rude and inconsiderate! Park on the street and walk a little--its good for ya :)

I hear ya.
My favorites are the ones that get to the drop off curb and NOTHING happens for 5 or 10 minutes! I mean, are they finishing breakfast or something in the car? Hellllll-oooooo, there are about 40 cars WAITING, lady!
Oh--and maybe it's just here but the dads are always whe ones to get OUT of the car (a no-no) and open the back drivers side back door (also a no-no)!

I guess there are always people that think they are above the rules!

When my son went to private school I hated the car line.
I always made a point of parking in the lot away from the car line traffic and then went inside to get my son.
It was just easier, the walk was good for me, I got to talk to the teacher every day (which I liked) and my son was SO glad to see me - it was totally worth it just to get my hug soon as I could.
It's up to the school to enforce car line rules.
If you have safety concerns, complain to the school.

It would be too funny for such folks to come back to find their car towed ... (yeah, guess I'm not nice today)

That is truly awful. We have a carline. You are supposed to pull up past the buses for it, but some parents let the kids out before that, then try to get out, which means the people who are being GOOD risk getting hit when they pull out.

There is a bus but only if you are 2 miles away or more. Otherwise I agree why on earth drive your child?

Once, when dropping off my daughter at school, I pulled up (this is a different school where you actually park). No spots. I did NOT take handi-capped but I pulled by the curb. Totally illegal. I didn't know what else to do. I had a sleeping baby in the car, a toddler, and another preschooler. She was able to join her class line (a few feet away) and we didn't have to all get out. It does take us about 10 minutes to get loaded and buckled into any vehicle for us.

So, I wonder why schools make a few parking spots for hundreds of parents? I don't even go to school social events because of it. I can't walk 6 + blocks with 5 tiny kids!

We had similar problems including cars double parking in the pickup line. Our new principal really shored things up with letters home, signage and cones. I think they also alerted the local police dept so they could ticket those parked in the red and handicapped zones. I'd talk to the principal, at the very least, the district/school is at risk of a lawsuit. Of course someone could get hurt but unfortunately the threat regarding money sometimes gets more attention.

My children do not go to a neighborhood school, so we need to drive them. We have a car line at my children's school for drop off and pick up, I rearely go through the line,my son's class is at the back of the school so it takes him a while to get out to the car, since I dont want to hold up the line I usually park and wait, a lot of times I get out and wait for my children. My biggest problem is how rude the other parents can be letting you out of your parking space and into the line to get out of the lot. They are SO rude, they will cut each other off and not have any common courtesy. Another issue I have is that many parents cross the street with their kids where ever they please and expect cars to just stop, which obviously we have to, but there are crosswalks available that people are too lazy to walk to and use.

Our school doesn't have an official car line, but there is a section of curb at the side of the building for picking up kindergartners only. You can pull up and your kid gets in. If there is no room in that section, you're supposed to go park. Or you can go around the block and return, taking your chances. There is no way to safely form a line, that section is right by a cross street.

There are a few moms that will try to park right across the crosswalk, putting the young crossing guard (a 5th or 6th grader) and the walkers in danger.

The moms ignore the child-crossing guard, but I've occasionally been walking to the school to get my kid and will knock on the back of the vehicle as I pass. They take off in a hurry when an adult takes notice. Lazy, entitled, cowardly mothers.

The principal does deal with it when a positive ID can be made as to which parent is doing it.

Does your school not have staff members who monitor the pickup/dropoff line area?? At our school, teachers, coaches, etc. take turns doing this duty, ensuring that student patrols (and do you not have student patrols either?) get everyone safely into and out of cars. If what you describe happened at our school, a teacher would immediately be telling those parents loudly, "Please move your car NOW; you can't park there" and the parent quite simply would not be allowed to walk away from that car that was blocking the pickup line -- period. Blocking the line is a cardinal sin at our school and it really cannot happen. Even the student patrols (fifth and sixth graders!) would not be afraid to say, "Please move on!" to a driver who was doing so!

Get involved. This is a huge safety issue; a blocked lane means that someday soon, someone behind that parked vehicle is going to think, "I just have to go now" and will try to pull around it somehow and could hit a kid.

So take your anger and go to the principal, the PTA, whatever. Be THAT parent who steps up and says, "Let's form a committee" or whatever else it takes. If teachers or other adults are not monitoriing pickup and dropoff in person -- they should be. If teachers say it's not their job, the school and parents need to figure out who CAN do it because it's vital. For our school it is just part of the required duties for certain teachers. (It tends to be "specials" teachers like the music teachers, art teachers, coaches, etc., because the classroom teachers iin the a.m. are in their rooms as the kids come in, of course.)

At a minimum the school should send its newsletter or e-mail to parents with a very strong warning that this is extremely dangerous -- it's not just rude, it is dangerous. And then the school should have a police officer monitor the lines for a week at the busy times.

Why are there so many people driving kids to school in the first place to justify having a "car line"? In our school division, and every other school division in the city kids are either within walking distance of the school, or they are bussed. Even so, there are still parents who insist on driving, but they are required to park and walk into the school the same as the parents who walk. The biggest risk the children who walk to school face is the moms driving their min-vans, talking on their phones, and stopping on the wrong side of the street so they can drive their kid two blocks to school!

It's selfish and it's dangerous. It says "My time is more valuable than your time." It's giving the kids the wrong message - that some kids are more special, and that handicapped spots don't need to be respected. Call the principal now and report the dangerous situation. If you don't get an answer and if no memo goes out saying that people must stay in line and not park in the handicapped spot, then go to the district superintendent or assistant superintendent or safety officer. If someone's in a hurry and doesn't want to wait in line, she can get there early and be first in line. Period.

We have to go into the school to "check out" our kids so we are only allowed to park in the lot because the buses fill the curb space.

In our weekly school newsletter they consistently have to explain the drop off/pick up rules. Even at this time of year, they still have to tell parents the right way to go through the line. We still have parents leaving their cars in the drop off line and then they hold up the whole line for a while...walking their kids to the door. It's pretty funny that they feel they are allowed to do this and not park in the lot like everyone else who wants to walk their kids to the door. When you are running late and your kids will get a tardy because of the holdup, then it's not so funny.

I have to be at work a few minutes after the kids get out of school so when people are acting stupid I have to make do with where ever I can get in and out at.

In our parking lot both lines are supposed to be moving. There is always that one person who will stop, park, get out, and leave their car for 5 minutes while they visit with the teacher or hand out with friends.

I don't want to be late and need to get the kids snacks before they have gym or dance. So I am usually not in the mindset to sit there while waiting for those parents. When hubby goes to get the kids he goes nearly 30 minutes early so he can park in handicapped parking. This is the only way he can get in one when school is out because that's where the parents park too. There are only 2 and there are about 6 parents or grandparents that have hanging decals to park in handicapped.

If I am picking them up I have to drive around and around until I find a parking place then go get them.

Don't kids take. Uses anymore. Why are there so many people picking up. That is crazy.

Oh I feel your pain!!! Before we moved, I had to drive my younger daughter to school. I would dread it everyday! There was a clear path marked for pick up/drop off. It was very simple to follow, and yet many parents did not. They would stop the car in the middle of the lane, so no one could get past. They would turn into the parking area, and instead of pulling into a spot, stop there so no one else could get past them there either! And parents that did park like they were supposed to, were then blocked in waiting for these parents to move. It was a disaster. The principal of the school stood at the doors at this area and had to referee the parking lot. I don't know why some people think they are the only ones in a hurry or that the rules don't apply to them. A little consideration would go a long way and make things run more smoothly for everyone!

I think the car line is a problem everywhere, here included... For those with the "why not just walk" mentality, I thought I'd give you some info...

Unless the temp is well below freezing or there is a monsoon, I walk my kids the three blocks to school everyday. This means navigating the side streets, with no sidewalks, trying to avoid the speeding cars. Who would fly past my little ones, you ask? Why, all the other parents racing to drive their kids to school, of course. I swear that there are a few cars that acutally speed up to go around us - me, my two first graders and a two-year-old (in a stroller or a wagon). I insist on doing this because my boys do much better in school on the days when they walk to get there... and I'm sure their teachers appreciate that they got rid of some of the extra energy before class begins. I have had other parents tell me that I'm ridiculous for doing this, but at least I only have to deal with the car line on the days when EVERY other parent is driving their kids to school ;)