They are shutting the road to the school

[CheckMate2]

My DC school has just announced that the road to the school will be shut at drop off and pick up times to make it safer for social distancing.

This is a huge problem for me as I have 3 to drop off at different schools, they are asking us to park far away and walk.

I think it's down to the residents complaining about the parking but to close it completely seems so ott for the working parents and the parents who have to drive.

What do you think?

Not all the parking issues outside schools are caused by working parents. I live 1/2 mile from the local primary. The estate where I live is busy with cars setting off on the school run from 8.30 - 9.00 followed by their return shortly afterwards. I know for a fact that most of the parents aren't rushing off to work - they just cba to walk.
People are still parking up at 2.15 outside school to get a space (I walk past regularly) so it's hardly a time issue - and they haven't even got the excuse that they're racing off to stop little Maisie/Freddie at football/swimming/gym classes atm because there aren't any. For every working parent who will struggle with timing due to this arrangement there are plenty who could manage fine if they got into the right mindset.

Drop not stop!

A school near me has part closed their road. You can no longer use it to cut through to a main road (and drop your kids off on the way).
It’s long been a nightmare. They are allowed to use the large car park of a sports facility literally one minutes walk away, and they just won’t. They park over drives, ruin verges and block another main road along the school (which makes everyone else in the whole world late for work).
If parents aren’t going to help then this is the consequence. I don’t believe the ones parking badly are all working as they all sit there from 2.30pm with their engines on.

I worked in a school where parents would arrive at 2pm to get a ‘good spot’. I don’t know why any of those children can’t walk at all (parents of children with mobility issues, including injuries, got a pass for a pick up point by the main entrance).

When the local primary went the school walk way another positive that came from it was less cars in the area full stop making parking easier for those who needed a car. Many of the school only users sold them.

THey started doing it about 8 years ago and have a couple of drop off points where staff members are there waiting.
Parents also worked together and it's the norm to walk with a couple of extra children.

Its very short sighted of the governors to not want outside of school care. If they didn't want to do it themselves, they could always rent out space. Not all schools run their own after school, but someone else outside does.

Oh yes the 2.15pm parkers for a 3.15pm pick up.

They are something special.

My SIL lives next door to a school entrance and the parking there at pick up times is mental. People block drives, park on the pavements, double park, park at right angles to the road and seem incapable of checking their mirrors when they pull out.

I'm staying with her atm and yesterday afternoon was mental. Someone had parked on the pavement, at right angles to the road, and across the entrance to their drive. This coincided with a skip lorry arriving to collect a skip from their drive.

The skip lorry couldn't remove the skip because the car was in the way, so had to double park while the driver waited for the parent to come back and move her car. The whole road was impassable for 20 minutes, and the tail back was soon straggling along both the main roads that border the area. It was so bad, it made the local traffic news!

We (and presumably many others) were held up for 25 minutes, all because of one inconsiderate driver.

SIL would love their road to be made a "school street".

On my days off, I used to ask them where they worked cos their hours were amazing. Any positions going at their place. Would love a job that is a couple of hours, and allows me to be ready for the school run at 2:15. At the time I worked overlooking the main road parents used to park.

It was obvious who was working and who wasn't. The working parents would park up, run in with the dc's or kick them out of the car and got out of there quickly. The 2:15's morning and afternoon lots of hanging around, and talking to other equally important people well after 3:30

@Macncheeseballs the system doesn’t support working parents. Childcare costs a fortune and it’s not always available. Where I live it’s impossible to get before or after school care guaranteed every day. There aren’t enough childminders in my area. You have to work full time to be able to afford childcare. There isn’t usually a school bus system. The only schools that have walking buses are the ones with active PTAs.

It’s nice that you can walk to school and cycle to work. Lots of parents don’t feel they can (rightly or wrongly) so they drive and make the problem worse.

bigbluebus
I don't think they are all working parents either. I just find it funny that on any thread where people talk about the problems around schools and pickup/drop off parking, many posters scramble to tell everyone that people have jobs / need to go to work etc so they have no choice to stop on the yellow school markings because it's only for a few minutes.
Then when schools and councils try to relieve the problem a little, there's more complaints about how awful it is that working parents can't park 2m from the gates, can't walk from the next street or a church carpark, don't you know some of us have places to be etc.

The working parents card seems to be played when anyone discusses the obvious parking problems at school gates, but then if people say 'ok then you need to sort your own childcare out and your own schedules out' we are met with 'but it isn't working parents'.

It reminds me of something I saw a few years ago that said 'you aren't stuck in traffic, you are traffic'.

If it is anything like the road past my DD's school, I would support such a move (even though I drive DC to school when I'm working).

With so many cars manoeuvring and doors opening etc, the narrow pavements are quickly blocked during pick up and block off as people wait for cars to unload and load young kids. This does definitely disturb ability to social distance on crowded pavements.

Then add in the pre-covid issue of massive people carriers doing irresponsible 3-point turns, people parking on thick white lines and double yellows, across people's drives, pulling up on corners and leaving engines running while they watch their DC hop out and run into school - it is a nightmare.

I appreciate it is a huge PITA, OP, but I can understand why the school has decided this.

The only schools that have walking buses are the ones with active PTAs.

How do you get an active PTA? How do you get a walking bus?

Its obviously by complaining its not fair that there isnt eithet at the school your child is at.

This is precisely why i do not give a fuck about how certain things inconvenience parents.

I know a bunch of people who volunteer their time for all sorts of community things. Everyone bar me has a full-time job. They also have very demanding jobs and other personal commitments. When one of them asked a lady to help with the group her son attended she threw a shit fit saying she didn't have time and how dare they ask. They were asking for 2hrs once a term for an activity that her son benefitted from and it was made clear that membership of the group was on condition of this parential support. She worked 2 and a half hours a day as a dinner lady. Some of the leaders of the group were working 50hr weeks (plus) and then volunteering for a couple of community ventures.

Its quite remarkable to see which are difficult parents and think they are the busiest people in the world. And what the reality is.

If there is no walking bus and no pta and they are desperately needed the question always comes to - well whats stopping you from rectifying it?

At which point people either shut up or come up with a bunch of lame excuses.

shrug

4 of our local schools have done this. It's caused almost gridlock on the surrounding roads. But I guess it has to be done as the paths are very narrow near 2 of them.

Sohardtochoose - by 'the system', do you mean the education system? I was just talking about school streets, stopping traffic in them, as for the education system not supporting working parents, I've always been very grateful that my kids were at school whilst I worked

@Macncheeseballs no i mean the patriarchy

You also find congestion decreases when a busy place does a walking school, thus making it easier for those who do drive to work.

The lazy people realise it's not worth it anymore.
Less cars on the road, less congestion around the school thus making this easier for those working.
Families that need access within the zone are given consent from the school.

Another benefit was after the lazy got rid of their cars, parking became easier for everyone else and more people could park on their roads rather than having several roads to walk.

RedToothBrush
I agree with you.
I highly doubt those complaining about lack of wraparound care (despite apparently there being huge demand and willingness to pay enough to make a viable business) are looking into voluntary groups, or lobbying their council, or raising issues with their MP, or offering to help fundraise with the PTA to help finance an arrangement.

Those who complain the most, in my experience, tend to also be the ones who volunteer the least and are never around to help.

I would be interested to see what would happen if you had someone with teeth to police the parking (with the legislation).
So able to fine for parking on pavement, blocked drive ways, idling.

Theres a local volunteer around here who has the saying with regards to charitable work "if you want something doing, find a busy person to do it".

Its amazing just how true it is. Its always the same people who put themselves out.

Yup, they moan that local children services are closed but where were they when it could have been stopped?

And incidentally, the primary school that introduced walking schools years ago, majority of the pta worked. It was working parents who set it up and have kept it going to this day. They fundraise and get insane amounts for the school community.

The school also utilises their earning potential to the max. They rent out the space for after school wrap around. It has been scaled back since September, but it's still happening in bubbles. Again, something the PTA campaigned for and fund partially to make it affordable.

Some of the original members are so committed to it that they are still there even though they don't have children attend anymore. They do it because they realise it's a very good community service the school offers and it would be a shame for many things to disappear.

Sohardtochoose, one can blame the patriarchy for many things but not sure this is one of them, unless you're joking!

And yes I agree with others, what's stopping people organising their own walking buses

@macncheeseballs I was half joking. We are in this mess after years of underinvestment in “the system” and “the system” being geared towards those who can afford it. It’s just meant we are all chasing our tails and short termist and individualist.

You can call it patriarchy, neoliberalism, capitalism... doesn’t matter. It’s not really benefitting any of us. It’s bigger than the roads and the council and the schools.

So yeah I think life would be better if we all had a bit more time and space to get the kids to school and ourselves to work. And we change the system collectively. In a sustainable way. But that would mean all the people who drive their kids to school need to start thinking about more than getting their kids to school on time today. And are they going to do that?

@HugeAckmansWife

privatdoor 5-10 mins for me would mean being unable to park at my place of work. Incurring £8 per day parking charges and being late to register my form. They'll be there waiting for me. I can't change that. Its not just a case of being at m desk a bit later or not having time for a coffee. And I can't drop them earlier because I'm not allowed. Of course there will always be lazy twats on this issue but many many people simply do not have other options but to drive, do not have the option to build in more time to allow for walking or biking, or use routes that would be unsafe.

Its a pain but that isn't really the schools problem is it? Due to covid, we have staggered starts, so I now have to drop my dc off 10 mins later than I did previously. The school put out pleas asking parents to stick to this. It is partly because lots of parents don't want their dc on the school bus (this is a primary) so lots more cars around school, causing havoc for local residents. I now have to pay for morning childcare, to make sure I get to work on time. Its a bummer yes, but I am hardly going to expect school to make exceptions for me, it is up to me to sort getting dc to school on time and me to work on time. Schools are simply doing their best to make things safe for as many as possible.

None of this is easy for everyone, every single person I know has had hassle this year, but we just have to get on with it.

none of this is easy for everyone, every single person I know has had hassle this year, but we just have to get on with it.

but it's not. Some parents are far more impacted than others? How do you work around not being able to park and being late to work and not being able to access childcare (all childminders round here are full and the school stopped the breakfast club), private?

I bet it's usually those who have alternatives, don't have to be at their desk at certain times or get help who sprout about this nonsense.

I can WFH right now but with being in the office, it would have been a massive issue for me.

I don’t care how you take your child to school.

I don’t care how late you may be to work.

Just don’t part like an idiot and all will be fine!