Parking Wars

Yes I'm still crapping on about this, sorry.

I've always had a problem with people that park in disabled spaces that are not disabled.  Michael McIntyre does a really funny sketch about it where he says that when we see somebody getting out of a car in a disabled space we will really only be satisfied if they fall out of the car and have to drag themselves along on their stomachs, (or something like that).  Then we would feel they are really entitled to the space.  I think on a lesser scale it is true that you are subtley but definitely looking for what the disability is when somebody exits their car, even if they have a disabled badge.

So, HM from the last post was parking in the disabled spot at school with no disabled badge.  This was a red rag to the bullock in me, particularly after the issues that Seb had been having in nursery.  Petty?  Quite possibly, but I really don't think that being hugely overweight and smoking too much is justification to park in a disabled bay.  I took down her numberplate and cheerfully grassed her up to the school office.  The secretary looked a little awkward and said that there were "discussions" in place as to whether she was allowed to park in that disabled spot or not.  The next day, she was parked instead just outside the gates on the definitely not allowed to park at any time ziggedy-zaggedy yellow lines.  I grassed her up again.

The following day she had moved ever so slightly down the road and parked on double yellow lines.  As the school would have no control over this, I went to the police and the council.  A very nice policeman came back to me and said that he would sort it.  I was then delighted when a letter was sent out to all the parents from the Head asking for considerate parking and saying that "a parent had received a phonecall from the police having been reported by another parent".  Whoop!  Fame at last...

There are plenty of people that seem to have nothing better to do than to get up to school 20 minutes early to secure a parking spot within flobbing distance of the school gates.  I must admit, I have been there when it has been chucking it down.  So why can HM not just join the masses and rock up prematurely?


We seem to have come full circle however as yesterday she was back in the bloody disabled spot in school. What now?  Even the goody-goody grasser in me would find it difficult to go whingeing to the school office again about the fact that she is back in the disabled space.  Surely they must know she is there?  It is pretty blatant.  I need to find myself one of those mobile clamping devices maybe?  Or a traffic warden outfit and fake ticket?  (I reckon I could pull that off with a big enough peak on my cap, I am a drama teacher after all.)  I think though that the real answer is that I have to let it go and not let it bother me anymore.  Unfortunately, this is not in my nature, I tend to have a dog-with-a-bone type of persistence.  It isn't affecting my life, merely pissing me off.  What we need is a certified blue badge holder to have to park somewhere else and fling themselves from the car having to crawl on their belly into the school and past HM in her fag-mobile and then maybe someone would take notice.

Cathartic parking-related-issues release through blogging this morning people.  Thank you for listening. x