A mum who complained she suffered road rage for following “little-known rules” faced backlash when she defended her actions online.
As the woman dropped her 12-year-old off at school in the Sydney suburb of Randwick, she urged “those who were honking loudly, shouting and abusing her” to “please re-read the road rules” in the hope of improving people’s awareness.
The busy area in front of Marcellin College on Avoca Street has “no parking” signs, which means drivers can park their vehicles for up to two minutes while loading and unloading passengers, loading and unloading goods and staying within three metres.
“The level of road rage my 12-year-old and I are experiencing reaches a new level when I pick up and drop him off at the only possible location at his school,” she said in a local Facebook group last week, adding ” A lot of (other) parents” send their children there as well.
“This afternoon I was really worried about our safety because the cars behind me, and the cars behind me, started honking their horns like crazy. I actually started to worry about being rear-ended on purpose because when I turned on my blinkers, people absolutely Lose your mind. If it’s dangerous, just stop there.”
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Her post received hundreds of comments, with many saying that while her actions were legal, they were not “considered.”
“It’s a stupid place to park considering the road is so busy. Imagine the chaos and accidents if the whole school took your attitude and did this,” one person said.
Another said: “You have the right to make the right decision about a no parking sign, but parking during peak hours is unsafe for you and your children because you create an obstruction and no one can predict the pick-up time. What happens down there.”
“Sydney has heavy traffic, perpetual peak hours and everyone needs to go somewhere. Take a minute to make a choice that might suit everyone. Talk to schools about their solutions for children arriving and leaving safely,” said third people said.
However, the mum said she should not change her behaviour, adding in her comments that her 12-year-old has a disability which is why she doesn’t want him to cross a busy road by himself or take the bus as advised.
“Thank you all for the absolutely disgusting comments. I will continue to take my child to school but instead of rushing him out of the car within 10 seconds, I will definitely sit there and wait until 1 minute and 59 seconds before driving from now on,” she said.
Some agreed there was “some bullying” in the comments and said the woman didn’t need to “defend her actions.”
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