Why do people drive their kids to school??

[brightonbaker]

Every day My oldest DD 11 walks to school, she is at secondary school and it is about 8minutes walk away. There is one road to cross. I walk my younger DD 8 to school, her school is the same distance. I then get home and go to work, I'm lucky I can start at 9:30.
I think it is good for them to walk to school as it is a good start to the day, exercise, fresh air etc.
I have two neighbours with older DDs about 13 and 14 who I am quite sure have never walked to school, ever. So they leave about the same time as us and get back about the same time as its only 8 minutes walk and by the time they have found somewhere to park** illegally it takes the same amount of time. So why? Why are they doing this? one of the parents does not work so no need to rush and I'm not sure what the other one does.
Really gets on my nerves so thought I'd see if there are some legitimate reasons why people drive to a very local school ?

I have chosen a place to live, schools and jobs on the basis of public transport and walkableness

Yes. So did we. And we didn't get into the local school and the biggest employer shut down.

Sometimes life throws a curve ball.....that doesn't mean you're better prepared that hasn't happened to you. It makes you lucky.

Just like I am lucky that I was able to start my own company and make it successful.

As a previous poster says, there will simply be another option.

I do everything I can to live as environmentally friendly as possible - I would recycle less without a car. I would buy online rather than supporting independents because I like their commitment to lower packaging.

Some days my car doesn't go out at all. Not sure on a micro level the trade off is worth it.

Because they live quite far away and 4 miles is a bit much to walk each morning?! The only alternative is 2 buses which can take up to an hour and 45 minutes,depending on traffic,and waiting times for the buses. Which would mean having to be up at 5.30am every weekday in order to leave the house by 7am.

Posted too soon. Meant to say,doing the journey by car takes15 minutes on a good day,20 minutes at most.

Because it's a good 40 min walk uphill and I can drop off youngest at primary school and drive straight to work.

Simple as.

It's a bit judgemental an attitude. Other son walks. Because his school is nearer and he can.

Because it's not our catchment school (we moved between reception & year one) and it would take about 45 mins down country lanes to walk, not safe!

Because I have shit to do and can't always fit in the 30 minute amble to the school gates. My DC are currently really interested in twigs and like to find 'special' ones that I need to keep and take home with me ready for their return. It turns a 15 min walk into a 30 min expedition. As sad as it sounds, I don't always have time for that. I need to get to work to earn money and pay bills.

We live out in the country. A parent lives at the bottom of a hill (not a big hill) and it's a 5 minute walk through a field (no cows), to get to the school.
But she always drives, having to do two dangerous right hand turns onto main roads. Then she goes home to walk the dog!
Ehh?!

“I live in London”

That explains everything.

I live in London, where the roads are so grid locked during the rush hour, that walking home be it 5 miles, or 8 miles, is often faster than catching the bus.

I have also lived, and frequently travel, to many rural locations around the uk, where public transport is often far faster than in London, where it exists, and walking/cycling is possible where it does not.

Because I have shit to do and can't always fit in the 30 minute amble to the school gates. so you feel the shit you have to do takes precedence over the rest of humanity having breathable air?

You do realise that the pollution coming out of your car is killing people, right?

I live in London, where the roads are so grid locked during the rush hour, that walking home be it 5 miles, or 8 miles, is often faster than catching the bus

Sounds hellish. Can't remember the last time I saw a road gridlocked around here unless you count waiting for sheep.

If you've travelled to many rural locations I am sure you'll appreciate (a) public transport can be patchy. Where it serves around here it's excellent. It doesn't serve anywhere near everywhere and (b) walking/cycling everywhere isn't possible

Because it's a good 40 min walk uphill this is the excessive entitled attitude that I am complaining about. You seriously beleive that it is worth getting a car out and poisoning the planet to avoid walking 40 minutes uphill? That is the height of spoilt and pampered!

I don't think we are disagreeing with each other Jaqueshammer, we both think you shouldn't drive unless you have to, is that right?

People drive to school for The same reason 50% of car journeys are under 2 miles

People want to drive. They don't want to walk and the don't want to cycle

so you feel the shit you have to do takes precedence over the rest of humanity having breathable air

Don't be disingenuous. I can't speak for the previous poster but the shit I have to do is earn a living. So yeah, pretty important

How do you feel about people's responsibility to procreate less to ease the burden on the environment?

because it's nearly three miles and the eldest has adhd and autism. The closer school is 1 mile but has a headteacher who actively dislikes having to provide EHCP-regulated support, so it's not an option for Ds1.

@Silver47 agreed - but I also think you and I have very differing expectations of what "essential" driving is.

Not that you would know but when we had are kids at the local school 5 mins drive 15 walk. I was crippled with mental health problems. The idea of walking was genuinely too much for me to consider.

@JacquesHammer totally agree - overbreeding bothers me more than drivers.

Come and try getting anywhere at all in rural Shropshire by public transport on a Sunday, or before 8am, or after 6pm.
The secondary school I went to covered a very rural catchment perhaps 25 miles across. There were school buses, but only for those living 4 miles away or more. Are 11 year olds to be expected to walk 4 miles to school and back, down country lanes in the dark in winter weather? Is that reasonable?
Private vehicles are not doomed, though fossil fuel ones are in the long run. We have another 20 years to sort out the electricity supply and the charging network for electric cars.

Don't be disingenuous. I can't speak for the previous poster but the shit I have to do is earn a living. So yeah, pretty important

it is perfectly possible to , reprioritise and do things differently. reorganise

it is often as simple as get up earlier and allow longer for the journey, that is all.

We have another 20 years to sort out the electricity supply and the charging network for electric cars.

I don't think you have quite grasped the reality of the situation.

We. don'. have . the . capacity.

Electricity doesn't come from nowhere, it comes from another energy source. Our sources of energy are shrinking not growing. We are going to be living with LESS power available to homes and workplaces in the future, and that is BEFORE we start charging cars.

the only real possibility on the horizon is hydrogen fueled cars, and right now and for the forseeable future it takes more energy to extract hydrogen than we get from hydrogen.

@silver47 to get to tomorrow's meeting on time I would need to set off before public transport starts 😂

Sure. I'm just not prioritising hard enough