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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Fecking scooters during the school run

125 replies

KneeHighScooterBruises · 12/06/2015 18:21

Due to family circs, I've been picking up my nieces and nephews for the past 2 weeks and will be picking them up for the foreseeable future.

The main gate is at the top of a hill, on a quite narrow but quite busy pavement. The road is also quite busy, especially at pick-up time.

Every single day groups kids have been whizzing about on these scooters- IMO it's a case of when an accident happens rather than if.

One child went straight into the back of my legs today and the mother looked as if it was my fault!

AIBU to ask my sister or BIL to raise it with the school? Or to mention it myself?

OP posts:

CunfuddledAlways · 12/06/2015 18:27

The school can only say no scootering within school grounds. It's only about 5 weeks until the end of term, I should think the scooter is a fun way of getting the kids up the hill without moaning!

footflapper · 12/06/2015 18:29

yanbu!

samsam123 · 12/06/2015 18:31

healthier than sitting in the car

footflapper · 12/06/2015 18:31

Drives me nuts too! I don't think the school can do anything about it tho :/

Original poster

KneeHighScooterBruises · 12/06/2015 18:34

It won't be healthier when one of them goes under a car though!

I know the school's hands are tied though. Hmmm/

OP posts:

HellBoundNothingFound · 12/06/2015 18:35

Sparta kick the fuckers

lagirafe · 12/06/2015 18:35

I understand where you're coming from but sometimes it's a struggle to motivate young children to walk to school if it's a bit of a way especially if there's a hill involved! Scooters make it a bit more fun!
The mother should have advised her son to watch where he was going though, not blame you!

BolshierAyraStark · 12/06/2015 18:38

Scooters get us home from school most days-way easier to get the 3 YO to scoot than it is to walk, sorry
They don't go far from me or near edge of road though & keep close eye on them

Original poster

KneeHighScooterBruises · 12/06/2015 18:39

Sparta kick the fuckers

At the start of this week a little girl was nudging hers into my heels all the way down and again, mother said nothing.

OP posts:

Gottagetmoving · 12/06/2015 18:43

Well if the mother said nothing, why didn't you? I wouldn't have a child nudging my heels with a scooter more than twice before I said something. I wouldn't care whether her mother liked it or not

WorraLiberty · 12/06/2015 18:45

It's bloody hazardous around here.

The local Primary has 950 kids aged 3 to 11yrs.

They scoot ahead of their parents and my heart goes in my mouth every time I see a car reversing from a driveway.

Even if they're only a little way ahead, there's no way their parents can grab them when a car is reversing out, and some of them are so small, it must be hard for the drivers too spot them.

Fun but bloody dangerous imo.

Original poster

KneeHighScooterBruises · 12/06/2015 18:47

I turned around and gave her a look half way down, but was dealing with DN's friendship dramas plus a tired toddler. I'm also quite conscious of not being 'a parent' iykwim.

OP posts:

MrsNextDoor · 12/06/2015 18:49

No YANBU at all. I hate the stupid things. Whoever said "They're fun!"...yes...IN A PARK!

My DD got knocked INTO the road when she was 4 by a boy of about 8 or 9....he came careering down the road and straight into her.

His Mother looked at me biting her lip....DD was on the actual road and could have been killed.

No need. Ban them.

RiverTam · 12/06/2015 18:52

As with anything else, if children aren't behaving then say something!! There are lots of scooterers at DD's school, including DD but they seem pretty in control and I would go nuts if one rammed me in the ankles!

CombineBananaFister · 12/06/2015 18:55

welcome to the school run I feel I have to mentally prepare every morning before setting off with DS - scooters, bikes, dog poo, cars mounting pavement to do dropoff/pickup, cars reversing out of driveways, Cars doors opening in your face who are already parked on the path !!

Don't think the school will do owt until they get inside school gates though. It would all be fine if everyone was not so fast and a little bit more considerate

MrsNextDoor · 12/06/2015 18:55

Tam it makes no difference. The type of parent who allows small children to scoot ahead, won't give a hoot if you say something. They're too selfish and thoughtless.

TheFairyCaravan · 12/06/2015 18:57

YANBU.
I loathe scooters, I think they are very, very dangerous to pedestrians especially vulnerable ones. Nine times out of ten the parents are mooching along behind with no idea of where, what or who they little darlings are banging in to. Bloody dangerous things.

And don't get me started about kids going round supermarkets on scooters.

Original poster

KneeHighScooterBruises · 12/06/2015 18:57

There are so many of them though! There are nearly 300 kids in the school I'd estimate that about half of them this week had been whizzing about on them (plus siblings!).

I really think there has to be a general message sent out from the school before someone gets seriously hurt.

OP posts:

Original poster

KneeHighScooterBruises · 12/06/2015 18:58

Supermarkets?

On scooters?

I'm still to encounter that particular delight!

OP posts:

redskybynight · 12/06/2015 19:00

Worse where I am as the last bit into school is downhill. So you have children whizzing down, unable to stop. I've had a few near misses when I've very unreasonably tried to go up the other way after dropping my own DC off. I did point out to one mum that her DC shouldn't be riding a scooter if he didn't know how to stop it, but she just told me (or rather ignored me and spoke to her child) that it's a shame that adults don't look where they are going. As I was right over by the side of the path practically in the bushes and her child was weaving round erratically across the whole width of the path I'm not sure precisely what else I should have been doing.

Gintonic · 12/06/2015 19:00

God yes. It isn't the scooters that are the problem, it is the parents who are too selfish and lazy to teach their children basic manners. More interested in chatting to their friends, some of them don't even bother looking where 4 and 5 year olds are when going along a v busy road. Unbelievable.

zoemaguire · 12/06/2015 19:05

MrsNextDoor when I read comments like that I think I must live in a parallel universe. Id estimate that 70% of kids at my children's primary school arrive by either bike or scooter. All of them scoot ahead (as much as possible on a crowded narrow pavement), mostly well controlled, and everyone is pretty amiable about it. I don't think 70% of parents at our school are thoughtless and irresponsible! It is just how children get to school nowadays, might as well ban cars (which are rather more likely to kill somebody - i'd be well up for banning cars on the road our school is on!)

Notso · 12/06/2015 19:07

YANBU we went to the Trafford Centre recently, it was full of little kids scooting, DS3 was run over by a boy on a balance bike in a shop. His Mum just rolled her eyes and huffed "he gets bored" when I suggested it wasn't suitable to use the bike in a shop.

Scooters are for the park or similar IMO.

hazeyjane · 12/06/2015 19:08

yanbu. It drives me crazy, we walk up a narrow lane to school, ds is normally in his buggy as he is disabled, but sometimes he wants to walk a little way. Twice now he has been knocked over by a child whizzing past on their scooter super fast and way ahead of their parents. There are cars that can pull out onto the lane, so apart from the fact that they treat ds like a bowling pin, it is bloody dangerous for them.

Original poster

KneeHighScooterBruises · 12/06/2015 19:09

There's definitely an argument for pedestrian only zones around schools, but it would probably just delay the problem for 2-3 roads.

Scooters are unlikely to kill someone, but they can be really danger if a child went straight into a pregnant woman, smaller sibling or anyone on crutches or unsteady on their feet.

OP posts:

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