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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To think if you live within walking distance of a school you should walk!!

71 replies

AlphaBeta82 · 09/11/2012 09:42

We live in a small village with a local village school. Most the local children go to this school which is on a rural road. nowhere in the village is more than a 10 min walk from the school, yet still half the parents drive their children to the school, cause huge congestion problems, turn around and drive home! Then have the gaul to complain about the traffic problems around school time. the irony skips them completely that they are the problem and therefore the solution. There is a walking bus scheme etc but these are the parents who just refuse to take part in such things.
Now don't get me wrong I get drivng to school if you live outside the village, have a disability or some circumstance (i.e. dropping off before going to work etc) but driving for no good reason, when you could walk is lazy and causes unnecessary traffic problems and road risks. AIBU?

OP posts:

girlsyearapart · 09/11/2012 13:37

Can I just say I am really glad some people have posted saying its more stress/hard work to drive than walk?!

Dh totally fails to understand why I prefer to walk to places rather than drive.

I have four kids - eldest is five.
Getting them out to the car- no driveway, car at nearest is a minute or two away, getting them all in and clicked into the car seats properly, finding a space getting them all out, usually have to get the pushchair out as ds can't walk yet & is a heavy lump, drop the eldest two off then repeat process with the younger two..

All takes much longer than just getting them in the buggy/on their scooters and going.

YouOldSlag · 09/11/2012 13:37

YANBU. There are always exceptions, as quoted above, but I do see this a lot and it baffles me. Parents drive their child to school when it's not even half a mile away and then return home. It's just a bad habit that teaches children they have to be driven everywhere.

Exceptions if: there are health issues, you are en route somewhere else (i.e work or another drop off) and don't want to double back, or the route is very dangerous. Otherwise, I can't think of a good reason not to walk your children to and from school (assuming you are available and not at work)

I do disagree with an earlier poster who says junior kids should be walking alone. That's from age 7 right? I think that's too young personally as we have to cross four busy roads (one particularly bad for boy racers).

Karoleann · 09/11/2012 13:38

YANBU - I would love to be able to walk to school. FFS it often takes 5 minutes to get the children in the car, if the walk is 7 minutes then why bother. They need to paint lots of zigzigy school lines nearby and make it more difficult to park.

kaz1119 · 09/11/2012 13:39

YAB a bit U. we live a 20-25 min walk away from school (walkable, I agree) but I have to drive from school straight to work. I would not have the time to walk home for another 20-25 mins as I would be late every day and could not keep down a job. good for you that you have the luxury to take your time to walk but I think you are being a bit judgmental here.

SophieLeGiraffe · 09/11/2012 13:39

Not school but nursery. One mile, uphill, then up another hill with an extra killer right at the end. I nearly always walk because it is easier, you can guarantee how long it will take and it's a good start and finish to the day. When I work from home that's four miles walking each day but I still walk even though I could take the car.

The times I have taken the car I just end up stressed, panicking about parking and stuck in traffic. DH on the other hand nearly always drives. I just don't understand! It means he always leaves later, gets stuck in traffic and barely makes it!

YouOldSlag · 09/11/2012 13:42

People who have to go to work straight afterwards have been exempted from this! I therefore do not think OP is being judgey as she has accommodated exceptions.

It obviously makes no sense to make yourself late for work because you had to walk back to fetch the car.

YouOldSlag · 09/11/2012 13:44

Sophie- good point there- you always know how long it will take and you never have to park.

GrimmaTheNome · 09/11/2012 13:50

Quite, slag - the OP is only complaining about people who drive for no good reason. If you've got a good reason, you don't need to justify yourself.

ioness · 09/11/2012 13:59

I think a lot of the time it is people who then have limited time to get to work or to a swimming lesson or something.

But there are definitely those at our school who drive when they have no need to. Particularly if it's raining. The only reason it annoys me is that there is very limited parking and they are all coming in and out and parking up onto the pavement, turning by backing up onto the pavement, so it's quite dangerous for the dc and their younger siblings. Some also blatantly park across the drives or garages of houses adjacent to the school, despite being repeatedly asked not to. It must drive the residents bonkers.

I have more sympathy for the ones who live a good half hour's walk away. I can imagine if your dc's been ill or something you might want to save them a half hour walk in the cold.

LemonBreeland · 09/11/2012 14:00

YANBU. My DC moved to a school 8 miles away from us last year, so I have no option but to drive, however I park further away than some of the local parents. It must take some of them longer to drive than it would to walk. There is a public car park next to school and most days it is full about 25 minutes before school finishes. I never even attempt to get in it as I would have to leave home so early.

Most of the people in the car park are the ones who live closest to school.

Glittertwins · 09/11/2012 14:11

We walk on the days that I do not have to be in the office. School is just under 1 mile by foot.
I have to use the car the other 3 days because I can't leave the school any earlier than 8:50 am and it's a 1.75 mile walk within 25mins. I can't quite manage that in work clothes (nearly but don't want to be sweaty for work). The other side is that their after school club is over 2 miles from work and again, I can't get there on foot before it closes. Then there is the 1.75 mile walk home from after school club which would be a little unreasonable for 2 reception class children at 6 pm.

Glittertwins · 09/11/2012 14:12

And to answer OP, YANBU.

Jusfloatingby · 09/11/2012 14:15

Some also blatantly park across the drives or garages of houses adjacent to the school, despite being repeatedly asked not to. It must drive the residents bonkers. QUOTE

I live beside a creche and yes, this kind of behaviour does drive residents mad. Why should other people be made late for work, school or appointments because you're too lazy to park a bit further away and walk or you're in a hurry and to hell with everyone else.
Also drives me mad when some parents look at you as if you're a bloody nuisance for daring to live beside the creche and take up valuable parking space. Grrrrr.

Glittertwins · 09/11/2012 14:16

The traffic wardens here have a field day at our school! I don't blame the residents at all for complaining.

skateboarder · 09/11/2012 14:18

I have to drive to school (distance. Terrain, going onto work are 3 reasons). I often park a few minutes walk away fom school and walk the rest of the way. I often see parents bundling children into the cars when i park up and drive them to the same school. I usually arrive back at my car as these parents are locking up their cars and going back in home.
I used to be a bit shocked but ive got used to it now. My friend who lives near school says she drives as it makes her leave the house earlier in order to find a parking spot and less likely to be late.

CaurnieBred · 09/11/2012 14:19

I really looked forward to DD moving to junior school as her old school was less than 5 mins away and the new one is a 20-25 min walk away. However, we don't walk but are able to cycle safely through a park and then up a side street to the school itself. This takes ~10 mins to do and either DH or I have taken her in rain and shine since the beginning of term so I am feeling very virtuous - might not be so easy in the snow which would be the only time I wouldn't cycle with her. DD really needed the exercise to build up her stamina.

I have to admit though to hoiking up my judgy pants when I see my neighbours driving and when I see the same car (not a neighbours') parking on the double yellow lines outside the school every day.

mum2threesons · 09/11/2012 14:22

I walk my two sons to school as often as I can.
We love looking at birds and sometimes see wildlife etc.
There are alot of parents who drive to school all the time and their parking is dreadful, up on paths, across peoples drives and most of the time will dump their cars where they feel like it.

lovelyladuree · 09/11/2012 14:22

We have a 15 minutes walk and we walk past SAHMs piling into their cars who live so close to the school they can see it from their houses. I do drive about once every couple months if I am going straight on somewhere, and it does feel like a huge luxury if I can get parked.

ItsAllintheMind · 09/11/2012 14:28

If you live in town / city and don't have to get to work then i can see the attraction. A lot of rural roads are dangerous and half of the children at our school live a village or two away.

GrimmaTheNome · 09/11/2012 14:39

A lot of rural roads are dangerous and half of the children at our school live a village or two away.

Thats exactly why the families which are within safe walking distance should walk - so there's room for people who really need drive. Our village gets blocked up at either end of the school day, fortunately has 20mph zone and lollipop person which helps what would otherwise be a pretty unsafe situation.

TartyMcTart · 09/11/2012 14:45

To be honest it's not the driving to school that gets me (I'll take my two in the car when I'm rushing off to work straight after) it's the fact that some people who drive insist on parking as close to the school gate as in humanly possible. It's a nightmare!

I'll park a few streets away, as do some other parents, but others are blocking driveways, parking outside garages and on the hash lines outside the school. It's the same people every time and the Head has tried everything to get them to stop but they just don't give a shit We have Community Support officers outside school every so often but they just get abuse when they tell people where they cannot to park.

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