'Fess up curb freaks.

wivabef · #1 11-10-2006, 01:26 AM

I want to know, honestly, who among us are curb freaks?

These are the people who absolutely, positively must pick their child up from the portion of the school driving lanes that is nearest the door.

I confess, I have done it. But mostly after school hours when there is a dance or something and I have to go park far away and it's raining. Okay, after the buses have dropped off the children and we missed the bus and my daughter's about to get marked tardy, I will find myself going around the forbidden loop so that I can drop her off at the door before the final bell.

But never would I enter while buses are entering.

Unfortunately, a small, but aggressive group of parents have absolutely no problem ignoring the constant pleas at George Fox Middle School. Because of this, I have become an unofficial crossing guard.

You see, we are fortunate enough to have after school activities at my daughter's middle school. At 3:30, the children are released and either go to buses, walk or take rides home.

The half circle lanes in front of the school are reserved for the buses. One bus driver, bless her heart, will not enter the half circle if there are cars parked along the curb. She is correct in doing this, as I have seen parents pick up their kids and then actually attempt to drive between the bus and the curb to get out.

These parents shouldn't even be at the curb in the first place.

There are two signs at the entrance that say "Buses only from 2 to 4 p.m."

There is a man standing in front of the entrance.

There are two traffic cones one either side of him.

People will still drive into the half circle!

Sometimes they do it when he's not looking.

Other times, they do it right in front of him, passing between the curb and the cones.

I have, being the irascible sort that I am, with my weird little sense of vigilantism, taken to helping this man out. My 8-year-old stands at my side, waving her arms and shaking fingers at people who attempt to drive in.

The odd thing about it is there is one parking lot no more than10 feet from that half circle. There is another parking lot across Outing Ave directly in front of the school.

A majority of the parents now park in these lots, but there are still some who circle, like sharks, waiting for someone to not be looking so they can turn into the half circle.

As I stand in front of these cars, the drivers yell things like, "I gotta pick up my kid, lady!" And I say, "There is parking next to and across the street from the school."

"Come on!" said one particularly upset father, "How am I supposed to pick up my kid?"

This question floors me. Does he not see the 25 or so cars parked in the two different parking lots, filled with parents waiting for their charges?

Sometimes the administrator from the school and I have to double team, because the next trick is to get the people driving down Outing Ave. as if they are jockeying for pole position to stop at the crosswalk.

He'll hold down the fort, hovering around the orange cones and vigorously waving the curb freaks away from the bus lane while I will tempt fate and step out onto Outing Ave. so that maybe, just maybe, the cars will stop so that kids may cross the street.

Yeah, well, good luck with that.

I usually have to stare down some drivers trying to get them to acknowledge the crosswalk and the young people trying to use it.

I have actually stepped out and had a car continue at their current pace until I dramatically pointed at the crosswalk and paraphrased Dustin Hoffman with a loud, "We gotta crosswalk, he-ah!!!"

So, curb freaks and crosswalk crashers, tell me; what's the deal?

Are you the same people who beep behind me because I don't turn right on red when the sign says "No turns on red?"

Are you the same people who block converging roads at busy gridlock prone intersections?

Do you empty your purse of items to place on 20 chairs so that you can save the best seats for people who will enter in the middle of a performance?

Well, there's nothing I can do about those people. But I'm a big woman. I'll be damned if you blow through my crosswalk or bypass my orange traffic cones.

Not on my beat, curb freak.

**hadassahchana**[$] · #2 11-10-2006, 01:35 AM

I feel your pain. When the boys were still going to karate, there were signs telling parents not to pick up in front of the karate school. Sensei's wife would frequently remind parents not to park there, not to double park there, to drive slowly in the parking lot when children were present, and they would blissfully ignore her. The mom who nearly hit #4 didn't see that I was two steps behind him, until I was pounding on her side window. I asked her if she wass trying to total her car for the insurance money, or trying to lose her house in the civil suit which would follow should she injure even a hair on my child. I started standing out in the driving lane and helping children cross into the dojo after that. I was those parents' worst nightmare while we were still attending, I tell you what. I hate the attitude that it's ok to harm someone else's child in order not to be inconvenienced. I am also large and loud.

**jgibson2**[$] · #3 11-10-2006, 01:40 AM

Elyzabeth,
I'd be talking to that police officer who lives in the neighborhood and whose son also goes to G Fox about whether or not it's possible to have some official assistance intermittently. A traffic citation here and there might go a long way toward discouraging that sort of behavior.

wivabef · #4 11-10-2006, 01:42 AM

Quote:

jgibson2 said

Elyzabeth,
I'd be talking to that police officer who lives in the neighborhood and whose son also goes to G Fox about whether or not it's possible to have some official assistance intermittently. A traffic citation here and there might go a long way toward discouraging that sort of behavior.

You and Dawn think alike! She said the same thing. I was actually going to talk to the administrator about it today, but he kept getting called away.

wivabef · #5 11-10-2006, 01:42 AM

Quote:

hadassahchana said

I feel your pain. When the boys were still going to karate, there were signs telling parents not to pick up in front of the karate school. Sensei's wife would frequently remind parents not to park there, not to double park there, to drive slowly in the parking lot when children were present, and they would blissfully ignore her. The mom who nearly hit #4 didn't see that I was two steps behind him, until I was pounding on her side window. I asked her if she wass trying to total her car for the insurance money, or trying to lose her house in the civil suit which would follow should she injure even a hair on my child. I started standing out in the driving lane and helping children cross into the dojo after that. I was those parents' worst nightmare while we were still attending, I tell you what. I hate the attitude that it's ok to harm someone else's child in order not to be inconvenienced. I am also large and loud.

Good for you, Cindy! Don't you love the eye-rolling you get when you make them stop?

**jgibson2**[$] · #6 11-10-2006, 01:48 AM

Keith. You know Keith, don't you? If not, I'll email him for you.

Dawn does NOT want to be making pickups at that school. Not on a professional basis anyway. Can't blame her for that. I bet she mentions this to some officer buddies before you get a chance.

wivabef · #7 11-10-2006, 02:00 AM

I know Keith. He lives in my hood. I'll check with him.

**jgibson2**[$] · #8 11-10-2006, 02:59 AM

Some very interesting folks might show up. Those curb freaks might be VERY sorry.

**pippadaisy**[$] · #9 11-10-2006, 08:01 AM

No help because it's not me, but I can tell you what Beanie's school did to stop it from happening.

All kids being picked up by car go out a different exit. Buses pick up in the loop in front of the school. Pick-up kids are dismissed through the cafeteria in back of the school. Cars line up, a teacher comes out and asks for whom you are waiting, and then when that child gets to the door, they send your kid to your car. Then you drive away.

wivabef · #10 11-10-2006, 08:57 AM

Quote:

pippadaisy said

No help because it's not me, but I can tell you what Beanie's school did to stop it from happening.

All kids being picked up by car go out a different exit. Buses pick up in the loop in front of the school. Pick-up kids are dismissed through the cafeteria in back of the school. Cars line up, a teacher comes out and asks for whom you are waiting, and then when that child gets to the door, they send your kid to your car. Then you drive away.

That works well at my daughter's elementary school -- we do everything but the waiting for the child to get to the door.

This is a very large (deceptively so) middle school (I must have lost two pounds walking it during orientation!) As there are fewer staff after hours, two of the wings are locked up and inaccessible. For security purposes, all after school kids leave through only one door, which leads to the main crossing areas for kids who walk (of which there are many).

I like Judy's idea. Nothing says "follow the rules" like a point or two on your driver's license.

cristina1 · #11 11-10-2006, 09:12 AM

At our last school there were no buses to contend with, but there were mothers in giant SUV's (think Ford Expeditions and Cadillac Escapades) that drove us crazy anyway. Crosswalk crashers - I like that.

**amykhar** · #12 11-10-2006, 09:14 AM

It's actually poor school design. There should be a separate drop off loop for buses in the rear and then one for parents in the front. Of course, this comes from the mean $%#@ who makes her kids WALK to school

mtbat · #13 11-10-2006, 02:51 PM

I remember simaler problems at dd's elementry school. at her middle school they have two people on each side(there are two parking lots) directing traffic.

phoenixx · #14 11-11-2006, 01:13 AM

Every time I see the title of this thread I think of Pippa and her love of curbing - not the same! LOL

And we have that problem here at the elementary school. This town has 4000 people in it and no stores or anything, where on earth are parents in such a hurry to get to here?