driveway problem - people doing u-turns!

[booboo]

I have a double-wide driveway. The yard is on the side of it. It goes: My house, the driveway, the yard. (and a small yard in front of the house) We live up the road from a major road (Route 46) and we get these people who do u-turns in my driveway even if I'm out there! I even had someone just park there for a few minutes while the kids were playing in the yard (I was there too). They just...sat! :hunh Those people also went to the stop sign and did the same, in the middle of the road so obviously they were lost...

Okay getting off sorry. I'm wondering how do we keep these crazies out of our driveway. Piglet with her adhd wouldn't even notice, though it's clear as day, she's so caught up in her playing. I'm so afraid of my kids getting hit by a car in my own yard someday. :nails I don't even like to take them outside to play during the day. But the weather is so nice these days and I'd like to get them out. My only car is at work with my dh. I don't drive, though I have my license. Another :nails fear I have..

Does anyone know of an inexpensive solution to keep these people out? We have a couple of small logs and a branch and the end of the driveway. People ignore signs. But my kids have special needs and that's even more of a risk. S/N or not, this is nuts! :hissyfit

[BHope]

Does your driveway naturally create a "roundabout" or are people having to pull in, reverse, and back out? If it's the first, I would suggest blocking the exit. (If that's not too much of a hassle for you.) Otherwise call the city and ask if they can post a sign. Not everyone will pay attention, but it might curb some of the traffic.

What an annoying problem.

We live on a culdesac and occassionally (not often) we get someone careening through who's just needing to U-Turn. I'm in the process of trying to get a "Slow, Child at Play" sign put up. Although, Dh objects to me calling our kids "slow." ;)

[Six Little Feet]

Well I will admit that on occasion when I turn down a wrong street I will use a persons driveway to turn around. I back out. I do not go all the way in.

We live on a cul de sac to and everyday a couple of people use it as a u turn...I do not mind as long as they drive slow.

[2sunshines]

If you're really concerned, you can get those orange cone things that say "children at play" that you can put at the end of your driveway when the kids are playing there.

When my kids play in the driveway on their bikes or something, I have put my car diagonally at the end of the driveway, first because the kids want the car out of the driveway to give them more room to play, and second, to protect them from someone pulling into the driveway unexpectantly.

These are just temporary solutions that I use when the kids are playing in the driveway. I'm assuming that's what you're looking for, right? I dont' mind if people turn around in my driveway when we're not playing in it.

[RubySlippers]

My first thought was to put orange cones at the end of the driveway...maybe about 5 to block it off.
I would not put a "children playing" sign up since that would advertise to strangers and possibly cause a different safety issue.

[booboo]

Our driveway is more of people coming right in to turn around. :mad There are a few who come in just a tiny bit, staying mostly in the road, doing a K-turn more like out in the road. That I don't mind. But when they come all the way in, as if it were their property, that just makes me :hissyfit

We do have a "Watch Children" sign on our street, down near our neighbor's house. Those signs are all over the streets back here. But this is Jersey, and there are many who ignore them. I do hear some who beep like crazy coming up our street because of the sign. So it's a mixed bag. Either so considerate to the point of beeping while coming up the street, to people speeding! That sign was vandalized once. Someone wrote "die!" which was so upsetting and annoying. Glad the town took care of that.

Maybe we could pick up a few orange cones this weekend. I like that idea. :tu My dh has parked the minivan at the end of the driveway on weekends to protect the kids. Thanks for the tips! :rockon

[Dana Joy]

http://www.tbotech.com/driveway-safety-signs.htm

[LittleSweetPeas]

Could you string a rope up across the driveway? Like maybe two (attractive) posts with one of those hook things on it and when you're out there you can take the rope and string it between the two posts? You could keep the rope in a pretty pot or container or something like that. :shrug

I would also say to just start parking at the end of your driveway all the time. But that might make your neighbors upset as well.

[SouthPaw]

they have those net things too you could put across the driveway. thingies. lemme find a link...

[SouthPaw]

http://www.topoftheline.com/driveway-net-protection-guard.html

like that. it collapses down too so your yard's not orange all the time :grin

[Rabbit]

Oh, I love that net thing.

[booboo]

Thanks, DixieKitten! Though it is a bit pricey, around $90! Maybe we can find something similar. We still haven't gotten anything. Paying the mortgage last week nearly killed us! Oh I hate New Jersey. :(

[Rabbit]

A single orange cone at the end of the driveway would be plenty to keep u-turners out. That shouldn't be expensive. Sports stores sell them. You need one tall enough that a car couldn't just go over it without knocking it down.

Drivers would have to move the cone to get into your driveway, and since they're just looking for an easy place to turn around or get out of the road long enough to read a map, they'll pick another drive instead, one without a cone.

[joyful mama]

Thanks, DixieKitten! Though it is a bit pricey, around $90! Maybe we can find something similar. We still haven't gotten anything. Paying the mortgage last week nearly killed us! Oh I hate New Jersey. :(
I know :hug2. I've been saying that myself lately. As many friends as I've made, and the job I love, and my church I love.. i'm ready for a change. I've just *had it* with the unkind attitude, selfish, busy, materialstic society here and the ridiculous high cost of living. Really, really had it. Ive been walking almost every day and do you think people stop to let me cross t he street even when I'm in the cross walk? nope. :mad. I'm sick of the bad, irresponsible drivers! yeah, and my house, t hat was a fixer uper and half t he size of my friend's in SC cost more than double hers. :/. I'm tired of New Jersey. Dh finished his second masters next May and then we'll be looking for a promotion and hopefully a move. Maybe even international. I'll take anything at this point, I'm sooo tired of NJ!!!