Walking vs driving kids to school

[OpportunityKnocks]

I've seen a few rants about traffic on local Facebook pages.

Every single time there is someone who says 'well, if the parents walked their children the half mile to school then we wouldn't have this problem' with an inference that parents are lazy.

Well, actually, people usually drive because it is quicker, just like they drive to work because it's quicker than walking or public transport.

Parents, like the rest of the population have stuff to do. It wound me up because a lot of comments were targeted at parents that don't work. I'm currently on mat leave and drive DS to/from preschool. I have other reasons why I drive him aside from time, but that's irrelevant. Why is my time any less valuable than someone who has to go to work? That half a mile is a 40 minute round trip walking vs a 20 minute round trip driving.

So AIBU to call these people out on blaming parents for traffic?

I always drove the 1 mile when I still worked as school was en route to work. I would not have managed to walk the mile back and then drive to school. But since giving up work, I walk. I do get why some people have to drive but for sahms who do not have any mobility issues, it's just lazyness IMO.

Our school has a catchment area of 400m and still there are loads of cars. It's frankly ridiculous.

Cycling is also an option (waits for cyclist haters). I drop DS off then cycle to work.

To be fair, lots of people walk to school with us but the ones that drive cause chaos in the road leading up to the school.

cycling is also an option

I am all for cycling but OP is on mat leave and I can see why this may not be appealing with a baby on a carrier seat and keeping and eye on a child too. Some areas have better cycle facilities than others but in some places, it is outright dire (I cycle s lot but would have not taken baby and a 6 or 7 year old on the road)

As a SAHM how can you NOT have time to walk HALF A MILE? Fair enough if you work and have to drive straight on to work. But you don't. Do you have other children? Can they not walk or go in a buggy?

OP, it’s not only your time that is important though. It’s also that you and your kids get exercise, get outdoors and there’s less pollution if you walk. The walk has value. There’s no way I’d drive if it was only a 40 min round trip. Unless I had to get on to work or something.

@Vulpine and what you said about clean air

And the fact that the amount of cars double when it's raining. People are not "busier" in the rain than on a sunny day...*

No but they don't want to get wet!
Who wouldn't want their child comfortably dry?
When it's raining I drop my eldest at college so he doesn't get soaked before dropping my younger 2 at nursery too.

Shoot me at least they're not soaked.

When its raining we wear coats and hats

Agent prentis - yes my time is important to me thats why i cycle. I'm probably one of the only people at work who are never late because i dont have traffic or transport issues and its quicker

I drive because school is 3.5 miles away and public transport is erratic. Dd2 (5) wants to walk though, we live in a city area and traffic is often busy meaning it can take 40 minutes to get home (1.5hrs last week) although journey there is easier, so we park a little bit away and walk the rest.

@WestCountryLady, surely someone who is old enough to be at college is old enough to wear a coat? And the nursery age ones are young enough to have coats put on them?

You know, the alternative way to not get soaked other than driving?

As a SAHM how can you NOT have time to walk HALF A MILE? Fair enough if you work and have to drive straight on to work. But you dont

Yes this.

You’re a SAHM living half a mile from the school. If you can’t get your act together to walk in then the mind boggles. WTF is the problem?

I have good raincoats and rain trousers for my kids. They dont get wet and love the splashing.

The problem with school drop off is that it is a big rush, all at once, and hundreds of cars all parking at once in a place that wasn’t designed for it.

But all (healthy, able bodied) adults using a car as a default for a half mile journey are equally BU.

For half a mile, I don’t even think it is quicker, by the time you have bundled and strapped everyone in, turned round, found parking, got everyone out safely, turned round in school run rush.,,,

Scooter
Buggy Board

It's only ever winds someone up, when they are the target audience. Why anyone would buy a house near a junior school is beyond me.

I admittedly drive too much for journeys of circa 2 miles round trip that I should walk. But always walk DS (6) to and from school as he lays into me if I don't! School heavily campaign (via the children) for walking/scooting/bicycling, for both health and environmental reasons, which DS is quite concerned with as a result. Which is a good thing. I just have to factor it into my day and make time sacrifices elsewhere.

I will never walk past my car in the pouring rain and proceed to walk down the road getting soaked, I have a car and I will use my car, that's why I bought it.
We enjoy walking most of the time but I have driven past people walking in terrible weather and we've decided it's not for us if they're happy that's fine.

WestCountryLady
We all do that at times.
I normally walk to the shop but yesterday it was blowing a gale and chucking it down so I drove. I think most people will do some trips like that. Equally, I'd bet we all have moments where laziness wins

The funny thing on this thread is seeing the logic behind the every day short school run drivers because it absolutely couldn't possibly be to do with laziness at all. They're just so busy and couldn't possibly factor a short walk into their day at all.

People ARE lazy. If you can avoid driving, you should. I usually walk DS to playgroup a mile and a half down a muddy track. There will always be occasions where you need to rush off to work or another appointment or something, of course. But generally speaking if you live within a 30 minute walk, you should be walking.

YABU - it’s what you prioritise. A walk would be better from traffic/congestion/environment/economical point of view, and it would be better for your fitness and mental health. You and DS would get to spend some quality time together, have conversations you wouldn’t possibly manage behind the wheel and it would do wonders for both your immune systems. It’s sad that you think your time is ‘too valuable‘ for this. Unless you are running errands and it’s on your way, you could easily make time to walk DS to school.

When I was at infants school, about 3/4 mile, my mum walked me to school. When I was at primary, which was 1/2 mile away, even from age 7, I walked to and from on my own. The only people who didn't walk to school were bussed in from outlying villages. No one in our small town drove to and from school. It amazes me when I see the total gridlock and lack of consideration for other people outside schools now.

Do you really drive half a mile?

Half a mile is a 10 minute walk.
My 3yo nursery is half a mile away, it takes 10 minutes and yes there's a busy road to cross.

Sorry but disabilities aside it is truly lazy to drive half a mile to school. By the time you've got them in the car, strapped in, found somewhere to park etc is it not just easier to walk??

You sound lazy OP. I hope you're not someone that moans about congestion and pollution for your precious children, because you are part of the problem.