Commute to work so much shorter when schools are off

The school run traffic drives me mad! I don't believe for a minute that all those cars are necessary. Some of course are for parents that have to go on to in person job roles. But not all of them.

Why are so many children taken to school by parents in cars? From the age of 9 I walked to middle school over a mile away on my own as my mum took my sibling to the lower school which was elsewhere. I was the 'furthest away' and called for friends along the journey. By the time I reached the school we would be a group of 5-6. Do people not do this any more?

That was true thirty years ago

This is what I thought!

It’s that “my journey is more important than other people’s” mentality - “I want other people restricted in their choices to enable mine”

It’s been a dream driving to work on my 2 office days this week, 25 minutes rather than an hour. Blissful!
In theory I could take the train to work but it’s a 30 minute walk from where I live to the station, an 18 minute train journey for £15 (peak return) and a 15 minute walk from the other end to the office. With the added bonus that the trains are often delayed. Oh plus it’s pissed it down relentlessly for months. If I drove and parked at the station it would save time but cost an additional £15.
No thanks. Cheaper in my car and far more comfortable. We have free parking at work.

Nope. Some children a mile or so down the road get taxis provided, but seeing the way taxi drivers drive, im not putting my young children in a car without them without me.

Yup. My commute is usually 40 mins by bus, half of it standing. Today it was just over 25 mins and plenty of free seats.

I don't know what the answer is. I'd say there should be more school bus provision, but if children are attending schools from all over the place then that might be hard to organise.

I’ve been commuting between 2 cities for over 30 years and it’s always been the case that traffic is much lighter during school holidays.

This! OP, why should parents/children make different school choices? If your commute bothers you so much why don’t you choose a different job?

Parents don’t apply for schools not thinking about how there going to get their child there. This doesn’t come as shock to them on Sept 1st. Most parents that I know that drive to school do so because they have to be at work straight after. Not all parents choose the car because they cba to walk 20 mins in the morning it’s because they can’t afford to loose even more time. 20 min walk back home plus a commute to work would take too much out of their working day.

My DH will very likely drop my Dd at school when she starts secondary school as he has to drive past the school on his way to work. If he’s still in the same job, we won’t be making her walk 50 mins whilst he drives past just to avoid upsetting other road users.

Unless you are in an area where there are many more school places than kids, those will most likely be children from SEND schools where they HAVE to travel for miles to the nearest school that will meet their needs. or more likely Independent schools who can take kids from anywhere. For general state schools, they have to take kids from nearest to furthest away (apart from a few small categories, like looked after kids or those with SEND). Even if a child applies for a far away school, they would be unlikely to get it unless they met priority criteria.

Is there no transport provided?

I don’t often drive into work but when I do there’s a dramatic difference during school
holidays.

Outside of school holidays it takes between an hour and 90 minutes. During school holidays it can take as little as 20 minutes on a good day.

Like night and day.

My children go to their closest school.

Its 10 minute car drive or an hour walk.

Car is a no trainer when I have to get back to work.

I wish we lived close enough to walk!

My ds goes to a secondary school where 95% live within 1 mile of the school. You should see the roads around the school at beginning and end of school. Absolutely ridiculous and causes chaos. I live literally a 5 min walk from a primary school and my neighbours drive their dc to school there.

Have you also factored in the cuts to school transport services? Have you noticed a difference since wfh became more common place?
i haven’t commuted for nearly 15 years, but even then Fridays were noticeably quieter when people were working from home or off work.

It concerns me very much. A child is going to be hurt/die one day where I live because of these selfish arsehole drivers, who have to get as close to the school as possible, mounting pavements, driving whilst kids are walking by

I can't believe the amount of lazy arsed parents who drive to our local primary. 2 of my neighbours do this, it's a 6 minute walk from our estate. 😮

They are not driving past the school on their way to work; they are making a conscious diversion to go there.

The purpose of this thread is extra traffic congestion due to driving to school.
Parents driving to secondary schools where their children can walk are part of that problem.

Absolutely! I love commuting in during school holidays as I can leave about 20 minutes later and still get in early

@Heyitsmeeee what I described is the admissions process. The fact that you got into a school quite far away doesn't mean the admissions process is different or "not as strict", it means that the school that you were offered a place at was not requested by children who lived nearer to the point that there was a place available for your child. It was under subscribed, for whatever reason. Perhaps due to falling numbers of children local to where you are, or factors to do with that specific school.

It also doesn't mean that most parents can choose whatever school they like for their child, regardless of catchment or distance.

If their parents are driving past the school on their way to work why does it concern you?

Some people are so over obsessed about the lives of others.

Not as strict as this anymore. We pass 3/4 primary schools to get to ours but got in no problem. We're Birmingham and the school is Worcestershire so different districts too

That would be amazing.
My commute is glorious during school holidays.

I live close to a school and the way they just abandon their cars is horrendous. I have to be hyper vigilant because of some twat parked like an idiot/doing illegal maneuvers/blocking the road.

Occasionally I email the school and council. It's hilarious to see them scatter when a traffic warden rocks up 😁

Not sure you even read my post.
Why are secondary school parents driving their children to school when they live within walking distance? Have they not realised that their children have these legs you speak of?

The majority of parents that drive their children to school do it because they also need to drive to work, not because it hasn’t occurred to them that they in fact have legs.