What does A Cactus, A Watch and A Hole in my pocket have in common? My Child’s School (ba, ba, boom!)
Parking at school like a cactus; prickly, painful and downright ugly at times. Often you are getting to the school early in order to get a park at which point you can sit and watch the time fly by while you wait for your precious child to finish their class. I end up having to leave my house at least 20minutes before the bell goes in order to get a park that is a 5 minute walk away from the school. To avoid a prickly parking situation, I need to keep my eyes on my watch or else I end up running late, parking a mile away and potentially having my daughter cry because the walk is too long.
Alternatively, many schools have a Kiss and Drop zone which I was keen to try, however that ended up as the Hole in My pocket, costing me $165 in a parking fine! I couldn’t believe it! So for those of you not accustomed to the Kiss & Drop rules (according to the RTA) here they are:
- You can only be in the area for 2 minutes.
- There is no difference between standing (stopping the car without parking) or parking. In the eyes of the ranger – if you are in the Kiss and Drop area for more than two minutes – fine.
- Do not stop your car next to parked cars on the way to the kiss and drop zone. Again if you are in one spot for more than 2 minutes it is ‘assumed’ you are parking, therefore in this situation you are double parking – even bigger fine!
Tips for using the Kiss and Drop Zone:
- To avoid a fine, try to arrive at the school a minute or two after the school bell. That will give your child time to walk from their class to the kiss and drop area. When looking at a grace period of only 2 minutes you really don’t want to get there early – it is pointless.
- If you get to the area and your child is not there yet, don’t hold up the traffic (you may get a fine), simply continue on and go around the block. You should find that by the time you get back your child will be ready and waiting for you.
- Making a sign with your child’s name that you can put in your windshield or on your sun visor will also help speed up the process for the teachers helping the students into the cars.
Do you use the Kiss & Drop Zone? Do you find parking a nightmare? What do you do?
This article was written by Lorraine Salvi; owner and Founder of MumsDelivery – providing solutions for Busy Mums. Lorraine is a Mum to 3 young children and a recent recruit to the joys of being a mum with school aged children.