On 5 Feb 2014 at 10:15am Resident evil wrote:
So, the Lazy residents of Malling are complaining and have raised a petition. They wish to be allowed parking at the school gates at start and finish of school or even one of the plans is to remove/flatten the green at the end of Barn Road and turn it in to a school parking area! Most of those who drive to the school only live in Old Malling! And in there petition they complain about Police staff parking, but surely they have as much right as the lazy parents do!
DISCUSS.
On 5 Feb 2014 at 11:22am another forum user wrote:
no thank you. your post comes across as a bit aggressive with 'DISCUSS' seeming like you are barking orders at me
please be a bit more courteous .
On 5 Feb 2014 at 11:27am Resident Evil wrote:
Sorry. Discuss please. Better? 
On 5 Feb 2014 at 11:55am Shanks pony wrote:
With the new development at Hillview, I think any more cars trying to get in and out of Church Lane near the junction with the A26 is a bad idea. It's already a congested area. Would the parents who don't want to walk be happy to stump up for the costs of constructing the car park?
On 5 Feb 2014 at 12:23pm Old Malling wrote:
I'd be surprised if these people are residents of Malling but I guess that some of them will be parents picking up on their way home from work or those who live further away. It's certainly chaotic there at dropping off and picking up time. Anything that makes that better is welcome, but not at the expense of local residents.
On 5 Feb 2014 at 12:45pm drone wrote:
Have you discussed your concerns with your local County Councillor, who is, I believe a governor at the school? Have you spoken to Mrs O`Donoghue, the Head Teacher? If not, I suggest that you do so. It tends be more effective than venting your spleen on an open forum.
On 5 Feb 2014 at 1:07pm me wrote:
I'm surprised they don't just ram their cars up on the green anyway. Lazy, selfish people. they think it is their devine right to park all over the verges and wreck the general area because they can't be bothered to let their little darlings walk a little way.
On 5 Feb 2014 at 4:22pm Barn rd wrote:
I live in barn road and the parents are quite happy to churn up the grass in front of my house but would soon complain if it was in font of their house. I avoid coming home at school hours as there is no chance of me parking. Also some of the parents think its ok to park over my neighbours driveway and have been given abuse when asked to move! Something's got to be done. All the school have to say is they will put it in their newsletter!
On 5 Feb 2014 at 6:07pm Queens road wrote:
Have to agree with barn rd. the police also park wherever they choose. I have complained to East Sussex highways and I am still waiting for a response 5 months later
On 5 Feb 2014 at 6:52pm Daydreamer wrote:
I live in old malling and my daughter attends south malling it's not nice having all the verges being churned up on a regular bases but the main problem is Sussex police seem to be able to take over old malling as their car park. If there wasn't so many cars parked in residential areas the parents of south malling would be able to park safely and walk their children to school - you can always tell when they are having a training day as not only do they take over all the parking in the roads around the school but also both the malling community centres car parks !
On 5 Feb 2014 at 7:12pm Old Malling wrote:
While the police parking is annoying, unless you want to pay for residents parking then there's not much that you can do about it if they're parked legally. Everybody needs to park when they go to work and most employers don't provide you with free parking.
On 5 Feb 2014 at 9:21pm Matt Kent wrote:
Speaking as a parent of the school, the school undertook a transport survey last summer, and from a 30% return of opinions, it was very clear that local people generally walk to the school. The intake at the school has increased gradually over recent years, and parents are also travelling further distances where public transport is poor or non-existant. This is all made worse by Sussex Police parking around New and Old Malling. I spoke to Chief Inspector Tingley in person last summer and suggested that this was resolved by possibly sharing the Sackville House car park with ESCC. Or communicating better car sharing or using subsidised public transport themselves. Nothing has improved, and has been an issue for many many years. Grass verges are getting torn up, parents and residents are getting fed up, but most importantly childrens safety is seriously being put as risk as Church Lane gets busier and busier and the junction with Malling Hill gets congested more often. Another 300 houses on Mayhew Way wouldn't help either! Suggestions about road painted drop off bays at certain times have been ignored by County. For many years now ESCC have continuously fobbed local residents off about making more people walk and cycle and catch the bus. (ESCC Standard Response #1). Residents need to be heard and not ignored. Norman Baker has been contacted, local councillors have also contacted ESCC, to no avail. ESCC are just sticking their fingers in their ears and ignoring this issue. The status quo is not acceptable. For the sake of school childrens safety, I urge as many people to sign this petition and write to Norman Baker, County Hall, the Sussex Express, Sussex Police and make a real issue about this once and for all, before another child either gets hit (as recently as December 2013) or killed. Petition link below.
Check it out here »
On 5 Feb 2014 at 9:59pm Resident wrote:
Can Mr Kent confirm that the child who got knocked down last year was a result of an illegally parked car? And if so, what action did the police take against the driver?
On 5 Feb 2014 at 10:38pm Matt Kent wrote:
@Resident. I don't know the specifics of the accident.
On 6 Feb 2014 at 12:33am Estate Agent wrote:
Or you could just move ! I know Jason Tingley from the Peter James books, is that what he is busy doing all day ?
On 6 Feb 2014 at 12:58am another forum user wrote:
Resident evil. Yes, thank you. You might also want to drop the name 'evil' from your name if you want to engage more people in your worthwhile thread without them thinking you are to be kept at arms length. :-)
On 6 Feb 2014 at 1:01am resident evil wrote:
I think the only option is pay to park. Stick a traffic warden up there every morning and ticket them all. If it stopped the parents parking dangerously then I'm all for it. Bollards to be fitted on all the verges to enable them to be returned to there original condition rather than the mud baths they are now. Maybe we (Queens Road Barn Road residents) should start our own petition to stop this parent behavior. This year from September has been worse than previous terms.
On 6 Feb 2014 at 7:14am Resident wrote:
I was told that the accident before Christmas was caused by a child running into the road without looking. That may be wrong, but if it isn't then quoting it in the petition as caused by bad parking is very naughty.
On the subject of short stay parking, we have some by the Malling shop. Is that usually full at school drop off and pick up time?
On 6 Feb 2014 at 7:30am Sussex Jim wrote:
Part of the large grass area opposite the school entrance could be made into a drive through drop-off area. Parking limited to ten or fifteen minutes. Simple.
On 6 Feb 2014 at 7:59am Matt Kent wrote:
@SussexJim. I met with ESCC transport officers last spring and put that idea to them. Their response, 'County have a green transport policy that would not allow that'. I reckon with the remaining cycle link from Earwig Corner to Town, all levels of local authority should be collaborating to resolve all the issues that are being encountered along Church Lane and beyond. C'mon councillors, we all know most of you read the forum. How can Town, District and County work on this together to improve the situation properly?
On 6 Feb 2014 at 9:13am resident evil wrote:
You should not be planning on destroying green areas like this one. these are becoming rare enough!
On 6 Feb 2014 at 9:42am Queens Rd resident 2 wrote:
I live in the Queens Road/Barn Road area and have a child at South Malling. Obviously we walk to school. A lot of the kids get driven to the school even though they live close by (New Malling). Why? Laziness on the part of parents. Why should they have the right to park outside the school? Plain laziness.
A lot of the ruined grass verges are caused by large lorries not being able to get round the roads due to the number of cars stupidly parked. Again this is mostly parents. Selfish and inconsiderate behaviour.
On 6 Feb 2014 at 10:11am Sjep76 wrote:
The same happens at Pells school, lots of children who live within a 10 minutes or less walk get driven to school. I am a great believer in if you can't walk your children to school they should be going to one closer to where you live. There are obviously exceptions, parents going to work, disabilities. But I do find it annoying when I am walking my child to school and the parents who are driving are usually speeding and woe betide you if you dare to walk so they cannot get past (on a small road near to Pells school).
On 6 Feb 2014 at 11:28am Merlin Milner wrote:
Part of the problem is the inappropriate parking scheme in the town meaning that people park for free in Malling. ESCC are obviously using the current misery to try and extend the scheme, despite the extension being rejected by Malling.
On 6 Feb 2014 at 11:46am drone wrote:
On street parking round there is going to be risky. Bollards were put in to stop drivers parking over the verge. Several years ago, the idea of extending the school car park by taking out the grass bank & flowering cherries, was explored. It might still be a safe & cost effective alternative. But of course ESCC & not the school would need to pick up the tab.
On 6 Feb 2014 at 12:02pm Get real wrote:
No child over there age of 5 who lives in Lewes and who goes to a school in Lewes should need to be driven there unless they are disabled.
On 6 Feb 2014 at 12:47pm The Twister wrote:
You can always rely on a post about parking to stir up a frenzied disproportionate response......
On 6 Feb 2014 at 1:15pm The Twatter wrote:
You can always refer on a plonker to try and stir up a frenzied disproportionate response...
On 6 Feb 2014 at 3:58pm Ed Can Do wrote:
It's a shame that all this will achieve is ESCC vindicating their attempts to push the parking scheme out into Malling. My biggest issue is the police people who park in completely illogical and often dangerous places. There's one particular car, a red lotus elise that is often parked on the opposite side of the road to all the others on that bit between Hereward Way and The Maltings. Not really an issue for my little car but I imagine the bus drivers and bin van drivers curse him daily. I did ask someone I know who works in HR at the Police HQ if they could send out an internal memo reminding people to park properly and be polite to other drivers in the area but she said they've tried it before and the powers that be simply don't care enough to make it a real issue.
Parking in Malling will always be an issue with so many houses on narrow streets and already since the Council put needless yellow lines at the bottom of Coombe Road, parking in our little Close is tighter than it was with people who used to be able to park outside their own houses now having to park outside ours but luckily there is room and it's all very good natured for the time being but it wouldn't take many more cars and yellow lines to turn it into an issue.
On 7 Feb 2014 at 9:33pm A Solution? wrote:
Parents don't want to churn up green verges, parents don't want to illegally park, parents just want to drop their children off at school safely.
For now, they are looking for a solution to stop the madness.... There is a bus stop directly outside the school with 3 parking spaces either side - If these space were left available for parents to drop their children off safely, the congestion would be less - This also wouldn't cost a lot of money.
FACT the 6 cars that park either side of the bus stop all day, every day ARE NOT PARENTS.
Wouldn't it make sense to make these available during school drop off/pick up time?
On 8 Feb 2014 at 12:30am resident evil wrote:
So that's 6 cars! what about the other 30 we are subjected to every morning? clearing 6 spaces is not going to cure the problem!
On 8 Feb 2014 at 1:48pm Matt Kent wrote:
@A Solution. Simple, safe and cost effective ideas that you have raised need to be immediately reviewed by all levels of Local Authority. In fact the whole of Church Lane needs reviewing if ESCC are considering how a cycle route can be engineered along the road too, using Sustainable Transport Funds from central government. The more kids that cycle to school the better. In fact, there was another very successful cycle and breakfast morning earlier last week. The school tries to promote this on a frequent basis.
Also, please let's not forget that some local parents may have to drop their kids off to school on the way to their jobs. Not 'lazy', just dealing with the every day practicalities of having kids, working and paying the bills.