To wonder why so few parents walk their kids to and from school these days?

[JellyDiamonds]

This evening I had to quickly pop into town and my route takes me down a side street where there's a large old Victorian primary school with a smallish car park that's for teachers only. It was 3.15, and despite the fact that it was absolutely glorious, warm and sunny, I couldn't get over just how many parents had driven to collect their kids from the school.

It was absolute chaos, cars double parked, parked on corners, parked at strange angles, blocking entrances to a business and even blocking the entrance to the school itself. I felt so sorry for the people who live there, most of the houses are terraces with no off street parking at all. It made me think, I was rarely picked up or dropped off by car. I always walked, even in the rain. When I got to secondary school I got the bus as it was further away. The only time my parents even picked me up by car was if we were going somewhere straight from school, which was so rare.

Surely most children live within walking distance of their primary school? And on a gorgeous late summers evening there is surely no excuse for such laziness? We have all legs don't we? Why don't we use them more often? I don't understand it...

I find it lazier to make assumptions about people tbh.

"No one has yet explained to me why it seems to be acceptable for parents to park so dangerously and cause such an inconvenience for residents and other drivers....."

Because most people responded to the question you ask in your OP, which you seem to have rapidly dropped, perhaps because you got some good answers showing you were wrong?

One mile with a 4 year old - 35 mins each way. On busy main road that is so noisy that I can't even talk to her without shouting.

Or I could jump in the car, be home in 2 minutes and do something nice instead.

Feel free to call it lazy. Its all about how you want to spend your time.

And she gets plenty of exercise before you start on that.

Perhaps op should tell us what her job is.......

It's quite ironic really....

Ds is asd, it's easier and safer to drive. Also working and only having something like 1/2 hour to finish work and get to the school after a busy 7-5 hours on my feet.

SO OP why didn't you walk into town instead of 'quickly popping' in your car?

I agree with you that inconsiderate parking is an issue.

WRT to your assumptions about why people drive, may I suggest you don these:

Ha ha.... A quick look at op other threads reveals her job.... V interesting!

The problem is dangerous parking not the driving. This morning I had to walk 4 year old DS in the road as someone decided they could park blocking the whole pavement. On a bend.

I have no problem with people driving but I do have issue with the parking like a knob. Park a bit further out and walk.

it's a bug of mine but thats for the parents that dont go to work after drop of,that i think we can all understand

but parents that are not on their way to work,yes they are lazy and add to the congested roads

the trouble is if you ask those that do drive to school why? (not working) their reason trumps all the others,their need is greater than the parent driving next to them

bye the way i do not drive but am lucky to have the school my children attend no more than a ten min walk,that was one of the reasons i choose my house where it is

I think its work related OP

I can remember the streets being fairly empty during my first school runs with our older dc and most parents walked to school, ff to a few years ago and the roads are chocca.
Mine walked whatever the weather we had no choice, but we did have lots of fun. I don't have a school run anymore as H.ed, its great not having to get up for 9am every morning.

ilovechristmas so you know all the reasons then? You brand them all. 'Lazy'.... Even the ones with disibilities. How nice of you!

ffs so predictable

When we lived a 4 minute walk from school I still used to drive them.

Breakfast club opened at 8, I started work at 8.30. I would get them through the door then run back to my car outside and usually got to work at 8.29. That 4 minute walk was the difference in me being on time or late.

Very short sighted of you op.

because they shut our village school, so our school is now 6 miles away in the next fucking town this year.

"We all have legs don't we?"
No, some of us don't.

Definitely work related - I started at nine and finished at 3, therefore had no time to walk . And before that I had one in nursery and one at school five miles apart.

Or maybe some non working mothers have a toddler or two as well and it is just easier to get in the car with them. Or maybe they have to go onto nursery after school/before school

Very judgey aren't we OP?

yanbu to wonder, but yabu not to be able to work it out for yourself, it's fairly obvious really.

Also yab extra specially unreasonable to change your original question when it became clear that you weren't getting dozens of replies agreeing with you that other mums are all lazy cows.

I work school hours - so I drive straight to work from school & vice versa.

I 'use my legs' when I go cycling, running and playing various other sports in my spare time, as do the dc.

HTH

There are many reasons parents need to drive to the school work, different drops offs, disability's. Although there are some mums who could easily walk at my DD's school as I know some of them who are at SAHM'S within 10mins walking distance and still choose to back log the whole estate even on a beautiful day. Id put money it is not only at that school many drive unnecessarily.

I would love to be able to afford a house near to the school the children attend... in the mean time I drive as the children's walking tolerance is not sufficient to walk the distance to the bus stop and I would rather that dd was not in pain at school all day. I would also rather that ds not be tortured by a bus journey which would make his disability worse.

The vast majority - i.e nearly everyone -in the schools round us walk. Small catchments, local.

Same at our closest comp: most walk, then bus.

But I think that has a lot to do with London, too.

I have a very late sleeper. I have to wake her up every morning after 12-14 hours sleep. I like to leave her as long as possible as she is generally happier.

I am a half hour walk from the school with her (she is 3) or a 5 minute hassle free drive. I work from home and want to get back to crack on.

I drive to collect as not once has she made it home without exhaustion induced tantrum.

I also have anxiety issues and find the chats after school run very draining.

Then I get judged by someone who has no bloody idea.

Op says on another thread that she works as a school escort......yes people, she accompanies children to school in a taxi

She knows it's not quite so easy as using your legs!!!

were you walking OP?