To think that I shouldn't be made to feel guilty for driving on the school run?

[DSM]

Some people have to drive their children to school, I am one of them.

AIBU to feel put out at the constant letters home and remarks from other parents/teachers about driving to school? To the point where last week I was given a very hard time for not signing the petition to stop parents driving to school?

As much as I agree that walking to school is a great benefit for children, the campaigners really should consider that its not a viable option for everyone.

Consideration ought to be given to those who have no conveniently-timed bus service or have too far to walk or cannot ride bicycles.

When mine started school, I would walk the mile with them until we got a car. Who, in their right mind, would agree to children cycling along main roads to get to school?

How far away from the school do you live? If its within a mile then YABU but if its a good 10-15 drive away from the school then YANBU. The traffic caused by the school run at the school I live near to is horrendous.

If you have a car, tax it, insure it and ensure your children have food, fresh air and excercise, then you can drive wherever you bloody well want and feck the fascists.

YANBU. If you need to drive then it's really none of their business.

Well tbf, given how shitty the traffic is around schools at drop off and pick up times, it's great that the school are doing what they can to encourage people to not drive.

Whether or not YABU depends on what your circumstances are for driving the children to school.

A petition to stop parents driving to school? What all the time?

DH drops DD off on his way to work.. would they prefer he walked her thereand walked back home to pick up the car? Actually, don't answer that

I'm with you DSM. I'm thinking of wearing one of those sandwich boards that saying 'yes I did drive my kids to school because I have to go to work. I don't have the luxury of an extra 15 minutes to walk home and get my car and then go to work. So fuck off with your comments.'

Thing is it would probably take me five minutes to wrestle the sandwich board back into my car every morning, by which point I could have been half way home.

We need to know the circumstances of OP driving kids to school before commenting further as obviously if OP is on the way to work afterwards then it is acceptable to drive the kids to school but if you are driving kids to school when you only live a short walk away and have no work to go to then that is probably the parents OP's school are trying to target. I have been hit in the stomach when heavily pregnant by a car door thrown open and my DH has been knocked off his bike 3 times by parents swerving to park outside of the school. So while there are genuine reasons for driving your kids to school I can see why schools are keen to discourage it wherever they can.

It depends entirely on your individual circumstances.

I will need to know intimate details before I can judge decide if YABU

I live within walking distance of nursery but rarely do walk it because I am usually going on somewhere else not within walking distance after drop off. If I walked the 20 minutes back home to get the car, I'd be late!

Glad I am not alone.

Yes - I live within a mile of the school but I have to drop DS off at 8.45 and be at work (3 miles away) for 9am. So I have no choice but to drive. If I am on holiday, we walk. That is very rare. I could give up my job so we could walk to school but then I'd have difficulty feeding my child and I regard that as a higher priority.

Yes - a petition requesting all children walk to school. DS is 6 and it's a 30 minute walk along a main road. So, no thanks.

a few years ago DD's1&2 went to a village school nearly 3 miles away. I had a 20 month old and a new born, it was their walk to school week , and I was given a black mark for not trying to walk there!
I was furious when DD2 came home saying she was not allowed a safety sticker as we had arrived at school in a car. There were no paths from our house to edge of school/village either! I sent her in next day with a 'homemade'sticker!

YANBU. There are lots of reasons why families may have no choice but to drive to school. However, it's in everyone's best interest if as many families as possible use alternate methods SO if it's at all within the realms of possibility to walk, cycle, scooter, or ride to school then you should. The campaign is about awareness.

It's none of their business how you get your child to school, tbh. Usually the only people that walk to school are those who can't drive or who live so close to the school that it would be silly to drive. If you need to drive or choose to drive, there is no law against it. Dd is usually driven to school by dh on his way to work, I could walk her, but quite frankly I do enough walking as it is, the rest of the time. She walks home, she has to as I don't drive, if dh is off work he will pick her up and my neighbour very kindly gives her a lift home if it's raining.

I take your point DSM - about the petition and your circs

But a less than a mile walk (if not dawdling!) is perfectly doable for a 6yo in 15 minutes (unless it's an Everest hill!) - not that, that helps you drive 3miles to work obviously!

I live near a school - parents block my driveway often and often park all 4 wheels on pavement. Many arrive 25 mins before pick up time just to get their spot.............
The head has sent letters home mentioning the police being called as next option.

Oh. If (not you OP, just generally) you're driving to school because you have to go to work next but you don't HAVE to go to work then YABU. I feel so strongly about the benefits of walking that I think it needs to be made a priority.

if you live in catchment there isnt really a need to drive to school surely? unless you live in thr country.

maybe it would be a good idea to introduce a plan where different parents take groups of kids to school in turns?

Drive and then park a bit further away so no-one knows. And presumably wouldn't care either as you wouldn't be endangering any kids.

i cant walk my son to school its a 14 mile round trip, (28 miles a day)

if i could id walk him, i used to love walking to school when we lived a 30 min walk away, great times for chatting and the like,

x

Am I reading that right? If someone's work is not a case of breadline or not breadline, then they should give up that job in order to walk to school? Bugger me.

Some people's lives are so simple...

LauraIngallsWilder - "25 mins before pick up time". And the rest. Our our local school I have seen cars parked up at 2pm for a 3.15pm pick up and parents are sat in cars reading newspapers!

Phone cut me off- grrr!

I get that some parents need to drive for the school run -but many don't(well not every day?)
And getting here 25 mins early to bag a spot.........

Cocyx - in those circs I would drive and park 10+ mins away from school and walk the rest? (best of both?)

It really is simple. All this ridiculous traffic at schools, childhood obesity, hyperactivity, lack of quality time. We could all do with making a bit more time for simple things; like walking your children to school (if you are able). Good for bodies, good for the environment, good for schools.

And a little less time for complicated things like earning a living....