Hello everyone,
Well, Have I just seen something.... Across the road from our house there is a school. The school doesn`t provide parking for the parents who drop off and collect their children. We live in a very small service road just off of the main road and is separated by a wide stretch of green. In the summer the grass is lovely, green and lush. In the winter it is a quagmire because of the cars that drive up there while picking up the children. It`s not the majority of drivers that cause the problem, but the minority who use the green to cut from the main road to our little road to save them two minutes of driving. It`s not the parking outside our house that bothers me either, though it can be a nuisance when I go out early and someone is blocking our driveway. No, it`s none of those things, but this afternoon the unbelievable happened. Firstly the weather changed for the worse at the time school came out. Everyone who has a car drove to the school and there was no room for a lot of them. One by one they drove on the grass which was becoming very marshy and they were getting stuck, then there was a stand-off between two cars. Neither really had the right of way and neither was going to give way to the other, so these two mums turned off their car engines and just sat there while other cars drove up behind them. Soon there was a queue of traffic building up down the road, as Jim and I looked on we could see them gesturing at each other in a way that could only be described as hostile....lol! Then they got out and the shouting began, then other drivers joined in and we thought there was going to be a fight. Eventually, one of the Mum`s went back to her car, took out her tiny baby and pram, locked her car and walked away with her car left in the middle of the road. She then changed her mind, went back to the car and put her poor little baby inside, left her pram out in the rain and drove up on the green and nearly crashed into another car coming the other way THEN almost ran over a woman and three young children who were, quite rightly walking along the path. We just looked on in horror at the scene. Thankfully, no one was hurt but I think it`s only a matter of time. Myself, and several other residents have spoken to the local council about the parking problem but they are not interested and they inferred that as there had not been an accident yet, there doesn`t warrant a change in the parking laws in our area. Obviously, they are waiting for someone to be seriously injured or worse before they act! I`m sorry about the rant but it makes me so mad and I do worry about the children and their parents that are walking to and from the school. Enough said.
The weather has become really nasty now, starting this morning mild and damp, it became quite cold as a north wind blew in and brought some sleet with it. There was a storm, complete with thunder and lightening, and by 3.15pm it was so dark that I had to put the lights on. Talk about a blustery day....Winnie the Pooh would really be at home here today...lol!
Must dash now, Have a lovely day, and please take care...oh and thanks for reading my journal!
22 comments:
How pathetic that parent is...Hope you do get the council to listen to you all soon...The primary school my kids went to has a dual carriageway outside it...It's a main artery for lorries and other such traffic going into the city...For years and years people wanted a pedestrian crossing put in...They refused as there had been no-one KILLED...So the poor lollipop man being knocked down but surviving wasn't good enuff...Eventually after several years of campainging and getting local radio and paper involved they put one in...At same time they put crossings in at all the junctions at the huge roundabout the school is also on corner of...So maybe get the press involved it might push council into doing something...It is a safety issue Caff xxx
That's terrible Sandra, outside of a school is NOT the place for road rage, not that anywhere else is either, but you know what I mean. You'd think that Mothers would be able to control themselves, especially with a little one in the back.
Love the road runner pic ;o)
Sara x
Sandra don't envy you living near a School....Parking is a problem at nearly every School around here, I hate to see women acting the way they were...what must the Children have thought.....It amazes me how they fight over parking spaces...Pity the local Council don't take heed of the residents complaints, especially as they sometimes block your driveway.....Ally
We used to live opposite a school for ten years saw this happen a lot............
Crazy crazy stuff............
In the U.S. we would call this "road rage." It can, and has, escalated into murder here. Just a few years ago, a woman driver--wife, mother, from a solid upper middle-class background--was convicted of killing another woman driver, of similar description, over some silly traffic argument--a confrontation where neither would back down. I hope the powers-that-be in your area take some sort of action before things get any worse.
Sounds as if a couple lost of parents lost their tempers to the extreme. Some people can be rude though. Lucky no one was hurt by the standoff. Sorry about the nasty weather. We have sunshine here with a temp of 64º. A beautiful Thanksgiving day here in the South. Wish we could share it with you. Helen
There's an elementary school just outside the back gate to the mobile park where I live. I can see it easliy from my place. They have a huge U shaped driveway (as wide as a two lane road), where parent's can drive in a pick up their kids. Because it's so wide, some can park if they need to wait awhile and others can go around when they are ready to leave. Also, the school buses go out the other side of the school ground so there's no conflict there. Maybe you and Jim should start taking some video's of this mess and turn it into your council. Obviously, the school needs to re-think their pick-up area. And boy...what kind of examples are those mothers for their children? What a mess !! I don't envy you having to put up with this.... Linda
Reading your account of those two crazy pig headed women drivers has me shaking my head in disbelief at what society has come to.........ignorant stupid and dangerous women. Pity you didn't video it and shame them by passing it to local tv. Shocking and very sad.
Eve
I can't understand why people have to drive their kids to school. We used to walk 3 miles there and three miles home, other kids caught the school bus. Road rage is an awful problem here now isn't it? Jeannette.
Problems like you described never get fixed until someone ends up dead. It is a shame that people have to act like that. Think of what that teaches their children.
Kathy
Why are British drivers uniformly macho, even women, when it comes to driving and right of way. You saw human nature at its worse in my opinion. Selfish, illogical and ridiculous...
Vince and the WWW.WestHoveTerrors.com
Very lucky no one was injured in the whole issue...sad...very sad that it came to that result. Time they grow up...seems they behaved worse than a child...best they walk next time...both of them.
Hugs,
Joyce
Sounds like a fence needs to be put up and some council members fired!
Some people can be unbelievable! A little patience and kindness goes a long way. I'm glad no one was hurt.
-Kellen
http://journals.aol.com/love2sing2007/FaithinRomanCatholicism
Bet you thought they were going to start fighting.Some people get worked up really quickly.Glad no one was hurt.
I hope they will listen to you soon! It will be an AWFUL situation if someone gets hurt or even worse, killed. I will pray that someone on the council hears your cries of concern!!! love, Anna
Those moms need to think of someone other than theirselves....namely the kids, before someone is killed. What a terrible mom to do what she did. Here in Ohio it is cold, wet, awful. I am trying to fight a dang cold too.
Love, lisa
Sorry to read such terrible news about a dangerous awful situation. Multiple complaints need to be issued. Perhaps a signed petition to the authorities would give the emphasis needed to control this. Road Runner is great! I guess this is your way of showing humor in light of an ongoing brawl. My thoughts are with you concerning these "crazy drivers". mark
Things don't change much no matter where you live. My mother and father lived on a corner at the foot of a steep hill. Drivers would speed down that hill for the sheer thrill of it. The neighborhood was full of children and there was always a barley missed accident happening. My father and several other neighbors petition the city council to have a stop sign put in, but like you they were told 'an accident hasn't happened there'. Eventually, a horrible accident did happen. They put in a stop sign the next month, but two people were critically hurt before the council took action. Very sad! I hope an accident doesn't happen in YOUR neighborhood. Pennie
LOL you see it all from your windows huh?? I don't blame you for ranting on. That's a typical council though not getting involved until someone gets hurt. Ridiculous!!
wow....just who were the children???
Su
xx
Amazing how a bit of bad weather can bring out the worst in people, you think it would be the opposite. Councils are not really interested in anything much from my experience. What annoys me in our road is that two houses opposite us have enormous parking spaces right in their front garden. They both hold at least three cars. These people have endless visitors all the time and do they park there. No, they park outside our place. Poor Becky came yesterday and had to park right down the road and luck Daniel in his little seat and manage Nathan all up the road. It is so inconsiderate. We have spoken to them but it falls on deaf ears.
http://journals.aol.co.uk/jeanno43/JeannettesJottings/
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