to ask if you've heard of School Streets, and whether you think it's a good idea?

[Toomuchstuffwillkillme]

I just caught a bit of 'Clean Air for Kids' on R4 about School Streets in Hackney. Had not heard about it. (Must listen to whole programme properly in a bit!)
Seems like the sort of thing we should all be thinking about? I appreciate actually getting car-loving parents on board might be difficult, and there are probably a lot of issues that would need ironing out, but worth a try?
hackney.gov.uk/article/4379/School-streets

Problem with a walking bus I would presume you need some adult to be responsible in a safeguarding type way.

Well whether you like them or not more councils are most likely going to implement them where useful and appropriate. I love them. There are some in my area, fingers crossed my kids school will be soon.

Yes you probably love them because it won't effect you!!

Why do families economics trump children’s health? Why does fucking anything trump that?

Because people don't want children dying of hunger or exposure compared to a slim possibility of a lung related disease at some point in the distance future.

Maybe more walking bus stops is the answer? I've never seen them in my area through.

Sounds a bit like cancelling the last bus because it's always too full. It moves the problem, it doesn't eradicate it.

The lung disease isn’t in the future, the children’s lungs are affected in the present. It’s the children that travel inside the cars that are effected most

A little run down for you. Air pollution:

• is carcinogenic. Causes cancers.
• increases likelihood of asthma and heightens asmathic severity. Because children breathe faster and their lungs are developing this is even more severe for them.
• short term high exposure can cause heart failure and strokes
• Children aged between 8-10 years old, who lived in highly polluted parts of cities, had up to 10% less lung capacity than normal . Dr Ian Mudway, a leading expert on the air pollution impacts on child health, suggests this reduced lung function may never be reversed.
• exposure in pregnant women was found to harm brain development and contribute to behavioural and cognitive problems later in childhood.
• can be a catalyst for obesity and diabetes in young children. A recent study of children aged 8 to 15 who were exposed to higher levels of air pollution were also found to have a lower insulin sensitivity. As well as a decline in beta-cell function and a higher body mass index (BMI) at age 18.

Seriously, this is like the crisis around smoking in terms of public health and so many of you are making very individualistic reasons to not help the situation. Just because you can't see it, smell it or sense it, doesn't mean you and your children are not breathing in air pollution. And for those children in cars, they get the worst air of all, so don't think that being in a car shields your children from these effects.

I'm not denying there is a problem. I just don't think this is the solution. It will heavily penalise working parents.

The government can't have it both ways. They want everyone in work. They can't also have all children with a sahp to walk then to school.

Ella Kissi-Debrah death is linked to the pollution. The hospital where she was treated could even track her admissions to when the pollution was high.

Where does the government say it wants both parents to work?

*I'm not denying there is a problem. I just don't think this is the solution. It will heavily penalise working parents.

The government can't have it both ways. They want everyone in work. They can't also have all children with a sahp to walk then to school.*

It is possible to be a working parent and not drive to the school gates. Solutions include to walk and use breakfast club, cycle to the school gate then back home to the car, to drive to school but park on a local street and walk the last few metres, to name just a few. It takes just a little creativity, and frankly just being less lazy.

The majority of parents who I see drive do so not because of working either, but because they can't be bothered to walk or use public transport.

The solution needs both parents to compromise employers to compromise and drivers to drive less polluting cars and buses to go electric.

I am a single parent.

I was on unemployment benefit.

The government policy is that I had to find work with a commute of up to 90 minutes each way. My commute in practice was just shy of 2 hours each way because I walked to the train and I was out of the house 7-7 every day.

I live rurally and did then too. My children’s school was too far away to walk - used to be approx 4 miles and where I live now it’s 2.5miles to the nearest primary along A roads in the country with no footpaths.

I’m now disabled. I walk with crutches. I have no blue badge. So I wouldn’t be eligible for a permit.

The school nearest to me has no breakfast club. No after school club. The nature of my disability means I can’t ride a bike.

There’s a school bus but it’s one bus in the morning and one in the afternoon. My DD got it to and from primary - childminder put her on it - but as she got older at secondary her journey was very complicated with two buses and three walks carrying heavy kit and if she stayed even slightly late she missed it and there was absolutely no alternative way home for her other then for her to be collected in the car. By then, I worked in the town she went to school in and I dropped her on my way to work. I didn’t drop her right at the school but in a lay by near the back gate and she walked in.

That’s one experience of one family. And I haven’t even talked about closing off major roads.

Tell me what other options I had that I could have used that I didn’t think of. Please.

Because people don't want children dying of hunger or exposure compared to a slim possibility of a lung related disease at some point in the distance future

Dying of exposure if the local street is closed?

"Dying of exposure if the local street is closed?*
No, because if people cannot work, they then cannot afford somewhere to live (or to feed themselves and the children).

Blue the school streets closure has only been trialed for under 11/12 years old not secondary school

Why do families economics trump children’s health? Why does fucking anything trump that?

As a single parent, I have a huge issue with this kind of statement. My children rely on me for everything. I have a responsible job I couldn’t do if I couldn’t use the school breakfast club. I drop at 7:30am. A walk to and from school from as little as 5 minutes away would have a massive impact on my ability to get to work on time. It could only work for me if the breakfast club were to open earlier - and then we’re getting into the realms of children getting up at 6 or even earlier.

I would love to have the luxury of being able to walk my children to and from school everyday without the worry of time but that’s not the reality of my life. So yes, economics are way more important in the here and now even if I am able to ack owledge it’s a good idea and probably sorely needed.

Ivy how would it even work at primary where I live? I can’t walk. It’s too far. If the road was closed you’re closing a main road between two villages that leads to and from other larger towns.

If they closed the roads at every primary between here and my way to work I couldn’t get to work. I must pass 2 or 3 primaries on my way.

Cantleave but the school streets only operate for 45 minutes at the start of school. So the school street closure wouldn’t be in operation at 7:30 am unless school starts at 8:15am. So you would continue to drop your children at breakfast club at 7:30 and not be involved in the closure of school streets

Blue you said in your pist your child was at secondary school

They are finished school now.

But that doesn’t change the point that for the rural primary she attended it wouldn’t work.

Also, it doesn’t change what would be put in place for people like me who are disabled but have no blue badge.

Doesn’t change the fact that for primaries on main roads, closing the main road at commuting time would be a disaster.

I cross a river by a bridge on my way to work. There is a primary at the end of the road with the bridge on it. Were that to be closed my detour would be around 20 miles of an additional journey to get up and around and to the next bridge.

Blue have any of the trails closed main roads? Have you looked at how the trials have worked? Without being rude you’re iver thinking this, it hasn’t happened in your area and you haven’t got to worry. Good luck with your blue badge application I truest hope you get that sorted

I’m only pointing out that there are areas where it will not work and that not everyone is making an excuse.

I sent DD on the school bus every day to primary because I had no choice. I parked in a car park, walked to the station and got the train toand from my job at that time.

I then got a job closer and dropped her to school on my way once she went to secondary. The secondary has a primary right next door (50 yards away) from one of the sites so I assume, in this utopia, that road would be closed.

I wouldn’t have a permit. (No blue badge)

So she would have a journey to school that meant her leaving the house at 7.30 to get to school for 8.50, and the same home again. When I can take her in the car and it’s 25 minutes and it’s literally on my way. I drive right past the back gate. I never dropped her right up to school, just dropped her at the lay-by at the gate and she walked in from there.

For all of those complaining about this, do you even know if your schools will be affected? I’m guessing here but I would have thought if you live rurally rather than a hop, skip and a jump away from major gridlock you’re unlikely to be affected.

The approach may need to differ from area to area and school to school but I doubt there is a school in the country which doesn’t need to tackle the issue and a big part of sorting it is changing parents attitudes!