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Original poster

Would you send you child to a school next to a busy road?

57 replies

Fredthefrog · 15/01/2022 13:42

Just that. If you had the option of 2 good schools but very different (size and ethos) and one was next to a busy, high polluting road and one was a few streets back would that factor in your decision.

OP posts:
Someonemustknowtheanswer · 15/01/2022 17:01

Really? Pick your battles.

Thirtytimesround · 15/01/2022 16:59

I’d prefer not to if there was a choice

Onionpatch · 15/01/2022 16:33

Some schools near roads have done things to mitigate the risk. Air filters in classrooms and particular planting so its worth and ask

VelvetChairGirl · 15/01/2022 14:57

I live on on the A40 so it wouldnt make any difference to me, besides define busy.

2bazookas · 15/01/2022 14:55

I sent my children to three schools next to busy roads and nobody died.

When we chose schools, the road was not even on the list of things to consider.

SquigglePigs · 15/01/2022 14:50

@WorraLiberty

But would the air be noticeably cleaner a few streets away?
Yes. Pollutant concentrations from roads drop off quite rapidly with distance.

We rejected a nursery because it was located on a busy road junction.

hibbledibble · 15/01/2022 14:48

Yes air pollution is a factor in choosing, but many don't have a choice, given catchment areas. Also, the type of road a school is on is only one factor in the amount of pollution it has.

If you look up the air pollution index per school, you would likely be surprised. In London many schools on very quiet, even no through roads have very high levels of pollution, which often surpass the legal limits. Schools on busy roads can often have lower pollution.

MatildaJayne · 15/01/2022 14:13

Do have a realistic choice, or is this more about what order to put them on the CAF?

JamMakingWannaBe · 15/01/2022 14:13

Can you walk to both? If you are going to drive there you are part of the high traffic / high pollution problem.

Chely · 15/01/2022 14:01

Not enough schools to be that fussy.

mogsrus · 15/01/2022 13:59

They have to built somewhere my old primary was pavement width from a very busy main artery of the town,so what, just get used to it, in fact looking back, all my schools were on busy roads, I think it teaches kids to learn. No body was ever involved in a accident or anything

BlusteryLake · 15/01/2022 13:57

I would always avoid a school on a busy road if possible because

  • Walking there is less pleasant /they may have to cross a busy road if walking there alone
  • Noise levels higher when windows open in class
  • Exposure to higher levels of pollution on a daily basis for 7 years is not great.
Emerald5hamrock · 15/01/2022 13:56

Yes I do.
Never thought about the pollution, more concerned with the reckless morning drivers, squeezing in everywhere for parking.

FourTeaFallOut · 15/01/2022 13:56

@WorraLiberty

But would the air be noticeably cleaner a few streets away?
www.londonair.org.uk/londonair/guide/BusyRoad.aspx

Yes. A few streets away can make a big difference. If you look on the link that follows from that link you can see a pollution map that show the difference a few streets can make.

Darbs76 · 15/01/2022 13:56

I did, none have any health problems

WorraLiberty · 15/01/2022 13:55

Ahh ok that makes sense.

In that case OP, I'd go for the one a few streets back.

JustKeepSwimmingJust · 15/01/2022 13:53

@WorraLiberty

But would the air be noticeably cleaner a few streets away?
Yes, because the worst air pollution days are the very still ones, and the pollution is much lower away from the street.
pinkiepiee · 15/01/2022 13:51

Yes it was a consideration for me, although as a PP says it was one of a few considerations.

There's a popular nursery near me on our biggest busiest main thoroughfare road and the kids outdoor play area is divided from that main road by a high wall. I would never ever have sent my DC there for this reason.

And for those asking if a few streets make a difference- yes it does

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jun/14/side-street-routes-avoid-city-pollution-cut-exposure-by-half

FortunesFave · 15/01/2022 13:51

@WorraLiberty

But would the air be noticeably cleaner a few streets away?
In London, pollution concentrations with a few metres of busy roads are normally 2 or 3 times those at background locations, defined as normally at least 50-100m away from busy roads. I googled that.
Seashor · 15/01/2022 13:49

I wouldn’t send my child to a school on a busy road if I didn’t have to. I wouldn’t want to be in that type of environment myself.

Dozer · 15/01/2022 13:48

Or not, as in the cases of, for example, asthmatic DC in polluted parts of London badly affected by the pollution.

WorraLiberty · 15/01/2022 13:47

But would the air be noticeably cleaner a few streets away?

Dozer · 15/01/2022 13:47

Yes, air pollution was a factor in our schools decisions. It’s proven to cause a range of health problems, often decades later.

FortunesFave · 15/01/2022 13:47

@RedCandyApple

Huh? My kids school is on a main road in London, never considered it a problem?
Road pollution causes health problems in some people.

CHILDREN living within 500 metres of a major road are at greater risk of developing asthma, while adults face an increased likelihood of lung and heart-related illnesses, a landmark health study has revealed.

The largest international study on vehicle air pollution and health research has found that traffic pollution within a 500-metre radius of a major thoroughfare was likely to exacerbate asthma in children, trigger new asthma cases across all ages, impair lung function in adults, and could cause cardiovascular illness and death.

The US-based Health Effects Institute looked at 700 worldwide health-pollution studies, and found that while there were gaps in research of traffic-related pollution, there was a clear health risk for those living near arterial roads or highways.

www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/health-risks-for-those-living-within-500m-of-main-roads-20100619-yo2h.html

TheFlyHalfsMum · 15/01/2022 13:46

Definitely, air pollution can kill and I have an asthmatic kid.