Banning the school run

[AElfgifu]

leading on from driving/walking thread, Gove suggests banning driving children to school.

All schools to be double red lined ( not stopping, unloading, pausing at all.)

all roads within half a mile of a school to be resident parking by permit only during school drop off or pick up time.

parents not allowed to park within half a mile of their school.

(Although most roads round here must be within half a mile of a school?)

How about disabled parents.

Or disabled children, those who taxi into school.

Those in special schools ( sorry if that's the wrong term) who get picked up in a minibus.

It doesn't make sense.

In the town I live in, some parents are doing drop-offs to three or four different places (pre-school, infants, junior & sometimes secondary). They all start at roughly the same time and have walking distances of between 10 and 40 minutes between them. If parents weren't allowed to drop off then they couldn't get their children there in time.

We live in quite a rural area where many people have to drive to get to work, rather than going to the town centre nearest the schools. I used to have a job where I had to start by 9.15 and it took 30 minutes to drive there. I had to park as close to school as possible, drop as soon as the gate opened at quarter to nine and then I just made it time.

A rule about parking half a mile away would have added time that I didn't have. There must be many of working parents in similar situations. They are not choosing to drive because they are lazy, it is just because they need to get to work or drop other children off as well.

rookiemater You do know that you can apply to any school you want even in Scotland?

Well it might work if we could send kids to the nearest school, but what with 'choice' and all it is perfectly possible to have 3 kids all starting at similar times in schools miles apart.

Judicious use of breakfast clubs, a car and careful planning might see all four get to where they need to be on time. Bit harder if the dropper offer has to walk 3 miles in the morning and another 3 for the evening drop off. And get to and from work.

Perfectly do -able of course, but not helpful to the minimum wage single parent. But they are scum so they don't matter anyway. We will be fine of course,nanny will just have to walk.

Every time that man opens his mouth I am just glad he left Aberdeen and now has nothing to do with Scotland.

All he is doing here is moving the school run congestion half a mile down the road!

See I think Americans have the better idea with the school buses and car pooling.

In villages where everyone knows eachother then why not car share. It's ridiculous when three people turn up with one kid each and struggle to find a space when they could take turns and take one car

This cannot be policed. We live within walking distance of at least 10 schools. Dd at one, traffic is an utter nightmare, we walk then I go home for car/work or use car if she goes to bf club. What annoys me are people who refuse to send children to nearest schools and as a result expect to park outside my house, on pavement and locals can't walk down pavement to get our children to our nearest school. Grrrrr!!

Surely inconsiderate wankers will still be inconsiderate wankers half a mile down the road.

What about shopping streets within half a mile? How will they survive when people can't stop?

It must be reasonably common to have several schools within half a mile, creating a sprawling red zone.

It's very Mathew Wright. If you have kids your time is worthless, you couldn't possibly be on your way somewhere after the school run, unless it's a cup-cake icing workshop.

Lady My sister lives in a resident only parking zone and blue badges cannot be used there.

All the residents have an extra badge for visitors, though.

What else is that arsehole going to come out with next?! Hardly an excellent idea keeping! Must be a pita for residents, but if you buy a house close to a school you can hardly complain really.

Doesn't sound workable to me. American style school buses would work better. Parents have to realise that driving their kids everywhere is damaging to both them and the country as a whole.

nob, so many reasons why this is unworkable.
perhaps changing government polices and encouraging pupils to go to their local school might decrease the need to drive but otherwise.

1. working parents and drive and drop off kids and then go straight to work.
2. parents with children at 2 schools and is physically impossible to walk to both in the time constraints
3. disabled and those with temporary problems. God forbid someone might twist their ankle!
4. those who live in rural areas and there is no school bus.

Why doesn't he come up with more workable solutions instead of these brash statements said to gain political points (with the likes of DM readers).

Lets see what better solutions we can come up with?

• time limited parking restrictions around schools (but 1/2 mile is just plain daft) and each school needs to decide what parking restrictions it needs.
• encourage students to attend local schools within walking distance if possible
• subsidised school buses especially in rural areas.
• better cycle lanes

What else can you think of?

Mind you, I'd be fine driving my DCs the quarter mile to school because, obviously, I already have a residents' permit for the area. Have they thought this through?

gileswithachainsaw - I do agree that more provisions in place would be a good thing.

However re the car pooling - my work is past DS's school anyway so I'm already heading in that direction ( Gove's bright idea would mean that I'd have to drive the additional 1.5 miles into work, rather than parking my car using the free and fairly empty parking spaces, beside a park before anyone complains about it, then walking). I'm happy to give and receive lifts occasionally with other people's children, but DS tells me stuff in the car and we talk together, I'd rather keep that time of my day to just us where I can.

Stupid idea. For those parents who have intermittent difficulties but don't qualify for blue badges. I live near a school. Its really not a big deal for the hour or so a day where it gets busy.

well our school has 2 big car parks (doctors surgery and retail car park) which parents can use - no one double parks or blocks people in - it's not an issue - but I often drop off on my way to work in my car! also I have to pick all 3 children up for various appointments - CAMH's, medical stuff etc - and drive to our local hospital/clinic 35 mins away - so not really practical

I would love the double yellows outside of work to be red though - although the idiots would still double park along the drive way - our car park is off an access road (ACCESS) for the teachers car park - parents have decided this means the private road and car park are for their sole usage - so they double and triple park, block us all in and give us verbal (and racial) abuse if asked to move - they are a delight

He really should have more respect for parents than this.
Just as a very straight-forward example I usually took my DC to school before going on to work, which started at 9am.

We parked round the corner and walked together the last 5 mins to school - I'd be happy to see some serious efforts to get more parents to do this - rather than just park on the double yellows and Zig-Zags anyway - as it means congestion is much less bad and improves safety considerably

It's a good idea. Lazy parents driving from a few streets away parking their gigantic 4 x 4's up on a grass verge so nobody can get past. Ban the lot of them.

DC school have just had yellow zigzags put outside and 4 disabled spots.

The lollipop lady have said that the road outside the school have become more dangerous as the congestion meant the cars couldn't go fast.

*I think it's an excellent idea.

I am so sick of the inconsiderate wankers who park outside schools, covering crossings and blocking the road. For residents it must be a huge pita.

If you can't manage a half a mile walk (excluding those with disabilities who I'm assuming wouldn't be included in this) then something's wrong.*

I agree with this viewpoint

children could actually walk to school by themselves in the main (yes there are some that live to far away to walk but could cycle) it happens in other countries and they are amazed that here we are still taking children to school at the age of 5

the dangers are parents in are dropping of and parking and making the roads busy - stop them and you will take away 95% of the danger

There were many reasons why the bedroom tax was unworkable and unprofitable, didn't stop them introducing that !

If nothing else people need to be more thoughtful when they park. If, drive ways weren't blocked in, roads left unsafe to cross. Road markings ignored to the point of emergency service vehicles wuite possibly being unable to fit down the road etc then there wouldn't be a problem.

I know it's not workable for every one but those who CAN walk or who CAN park further away and DO have time to spare and won't drop dead if their coffee is a few mins later then they SHOULD.

Then those who need to, can actually drive and park safely.