How to broach this school run traffic problem

[JenniferBooth]

i live opposite an infant/junior school. For the last 29 years. The traffic is a nightmare. Has been steadily getting worse over the last five years particularly the last two. Todays normally ten min bus journey at 3.30pm took TWENTY FIVE minutes. The bus driver could see that the three cars in front of him had ONE parent and ONE child in it. Ludicrous. Been living here 29 years and it never used to be like this. Im going to ring the Head and ask him if he can ask the parents to carpool or something. But ive already been told this is a stupid idea so what do i do.

Volume of traffic I do not think you can do anything about.
Parking can be issue near schools, parking enforcement can be a bit lax, so if parking on yellow lines, and other no parking areas is the problem, then see if local parking enforcement could make more of an appearance at peak times. I think street parking is typically local council level.

Some schools have a voluntary one-way system on roads around the school. That system cannot be enforced, but schools do send out reminders about it to try to encourage drivers to go a certain route past the school.

Bus company and county council... is the bus route appropriate if it is being held up, is there an alternative route?
In the village I live in, one bus route has been changed so the bus does not go past the school. But there have been complaints about people having to walk further to a bus stop on the new route.

I'm not sure what you can do. Sometimes I'm that parent; not sure what is so ludicrous- I have to drive to get to work.
I don't want to car share or be reliant on someone else as I need to get on the motorway.
Appreciate its twice a day but only 36 weeks of the year and perhaps 20 mins each time?

Moving is your only option.

I think it's just part of living near a school tbh. Parents have just as much right to use the roads to drop off their children as anyone else does for any other reason. I get a bit fed up with this bashing of people on the school run. Move house to somewhere not near to a school?

Unfortunately i live in social housing so a i didnt choose it You get what you are allocated. The parents used to park in the HA car parks. The HA employed a ticketing company who gave an £80 fine each time

Approach the bus company. If the bus is being held up they might reroute it.

Can you get the 3.20 bus? Seriously. 10 minutes can make a massive difference at that time. I sometimes drop my DS at school if I’m heading that way (depends where I’m based that day) but couldn’t take his friends as they live in different directions from school: picking them up would turn a 7 minute school run section of my commute to 27 minutes plus, with a 25 minute drive afterwards

Wow where are you living that your buses are every ten mins. Ours are ONE every HOUR.

I live right by a school. There’s a lot of traffic and congestion for 15 mins or so morning and afternoon. It’s a bit of a pain for those short times, but the school was there when we chose the house. I don’t think there is a lot you can do to actually stop it, but as far as possible plan around it ie travel at other times.

I feel the same way about commuters during rush hour. A car journey that normally takes 20 mins, takes over a hour, plus everyone is irritable and tired. But people have to get to and from work. Kids have to get to and from school. That’s life. It’s part of living in a society. This isn’t a “childfree” issue so much as resenting their having to go to school opposite where you live.

Honestly I’d just avoid travelling at school run time if you can. Go early and find something to fill in the time or later.

This is the worst time of year as new parents haven't worked out yet who they can lift share with, and older kids haven't got used to walking home alone yet. But I'd say of course you can contact the Head and ask him to promote walking and car sharing, the two schools my DC have been to have both done that.

Definitely contact the head, they should be promoting and rewarding active travel it’s so much better for the children’s health and learning. Can you contact the council to request a school street where traffic cannot drive down the road at drop off and pick up? We live by a primary school which has a school street and barely any traffic

I'd love to car share and there are several families in my road where that could potentially be an option but the main thing that stops me is sorting out appropriate car seats.

I walk when I only have my 6 year old but most days I have to drop my 2 year old at nursery (4 miles from my house) before school starts. I don't have time to drop her, drive home and then walk the 1 mile to school so I end up driving to school straight from nursery. People may judge me but that's the only way I can get both my children to school. That's also the reason I can't give lifts to other kids.

Walk down to the next bus stop? Walk/drive?

i have certain roads which I avoid during school pick up/drop off times. If you live near a school you’re obviously going to be impacted during drop off pick up.

It's just the way it is now. People use their cars because they have to get to work themselves. I live near an industrial estate. Hundreds of people coming and going to work.

Far too many kids are driven to school nowadays unfortunately and it won’t change - certainly not anything the head can do. People have become very lazy - and also believe their kids can’t walk far. I’ve been in education for over 20 years - it gets worse every year 🤷‍♀️.

Walk down to the next bus stop? Walk/drive?

Errm the parents cars were in a traffic jam which went up the road. Up the whole road of the estate Thats what a traffic jam does 🤔 So we also crawled slowly plus were stationary at the next bus stop AND the next. Going to the next bus stop would have made fuck all difference Unless you think the parents cars all magically got off the road when they hit the next bus stop by becoming Chitty Chitty Bang Bang by growing wings and flying. How the hell do you think they drove home and got off the estate.

I can understand parents needing to drive to school for various reasons, many go straight to work after (as do I) but you can park a little walk away and not be as close to the gates as possible. It makes me shudder seeing all the cars turning around on the little side road by my school, blind bends as well.

How the hell would driving have made a difference. I dont own Chitty Chitty Bang Bang either

Is your whole commute the ten minute bus drive? Because if it is, is commuting by bicycle an option?

The school could set up a walking bus where children get dropped off at a certain point and all walk with some adults the final part.
Or they could use a school bus. This also allows parents to drop off earlier at the bus stop, or pick their child up later than they would do from school.

No room for a bicycle to be stored in this HA flat. Plus we arent allowed to store things like that in the communal hallway.

Rishi Sunak says he is on the side of the motorist. Hence not on the side of us bus users in this debate

My child's teachers have not managed to understand that I work too. My child can walk for miles. But when I was dropping her, I needed to go straight to work.

Maybe stop judging parents. The judgemental teachers always seem the most miserable in their jobs.