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?

MessAllOver we moved to a rural area & amazed to find people choose schools (because they are undersubscribed) so lots of people don’t go to their catchment school, & drive a few miles further to another school.

For all the people going on about rural schools, are any of these rural schools part of this scheme? Or is it just in areas with small catchment areas and lazy/difficult parents who insist on parking on double yellow lines or the zig zag hatchings every day but the one the traffic warden shows up?

*@GoJoe2020 no, but it's not that unreasonable to ask you to drive to within 10 min of the school and then walk.

And if there is no parking anywhere within walking distance of the school that isn't someones driveway or farmland?

Many people here can't seem to grasp that driving IS essential for some people, and that they can't just walk or cycle. Rural living is an actual thing.

Parents are the worst when it comes to school drop off and pick up. Speed, park in double yellows. Park on zigzags, park on pavements and double park, block people on drives. I'd welcome this.

This has happened at my dcs school.
All the parents respecting the rule have reorganised their morning plans etc.
The parents that this ban was aimed at (ie the ones who park fully on pavements/ double park/ leave their cars running while waiting/ just cause mayhem) They have still carried on as normal. Parking where they like and as the street is quieter they now have their pick of the spaces.
Their life is even easier than before but the people who where responsible are inconvenienced.

Sounds like a great idea! Most schools around here have no parking. Kids should be going to locals schools IMO.

Can I ask though, what happens to the residents that need to drive THEIR kid, or have to go to work. Do they have to leave before/after the road closure? Or are they exempt?

Residents in my road can get in and out of the road at all times.

Hasn’t happened here yet but I would fully support it if it did.
People park like pricks at school pick up and drop off. It’s so dangerous.

I understand your issue OP. To allow the extra time to park away and walk will mean you will be late to the last school. How many minutes are we talking here?

@FudgeDrudge I live LESS than 10 mins from my dc school...a whole 4.7km but we can't walk it...and can't do your suggestion of driving "as close to it as possible"...that would be ridiculously unsafe and pointless to be honest...do yes for some your suggestion is HIGHLY unreasonable

Clearly it doesn’t work for all schools. However, it’s working really well at the one DS goes to. We live in a city and our house is on the edge of the catchment area.

The caretaker deals with the sign. Sometimes the council or Sustrans monitor it.

I just wish they’d do it for the junior school we have to cycle past too.

@FudgeDrudge I live LESS than 10 mins from my dc school...a whole 4.7km but we can't walk it...and can't do your suggestion of driving "as close to it as possible"...that would be ridiculously unsafe and pointless to be honest...do yes for some your suggestion is HIGHLY unreasonable

Think you misread there. I'm disagreeing that its everyone can just walk, if you look.

@DoesThisMakeSence

This has happened at my dcs school. All the parents respecting the rule have reorganised their morning plans etc. The parents that this ban was aimed at (ie the ones who park fully on pavements/ double park/ leave their cars running while waiting/ just cause mayhem) They have still carried on as normal. Parking where they like and as the street is quieter they now have their pick of the spaces. Their life is even easier than before but the people who where responsible are inconvenienced.

Then what this needs is a few visits from a traffic warden, not an abandonment of the scheme. A few well-publicised fines would sort that out.

That's difficult. How old are the other children. Can they be left on their own? My daughter start d walking on her own aged 8 for about a 10 minute walk. There was one big road to cross but we spent a few months learning how to cross it safely.

@kittykat35

But when you get to the school do you park on the pavement so pedestrians have to walk in the road? Do you park on or over other peoples drives? Do you park on the zig zags where the children are crossing? Do you pull up out right outside the school and sit there in the road while your kids take forever to get out?

If none of the above then none of the vitriol is aimed at you. However, if they close the road you can blame the twats who do do the above.

Do they have a walking bus?

My DDs school used to where you could drop them off in the car park further away and volunteers would take in turns walking them to school and back to the car park.

@TheDowagerDuchess

We have this at our school, it’s called “school streets “. It’s not to do with social distancing but people driving dangerously into the cul de sac where the infants’ gate is and parking illegally. People were also just dropped dc at the curb and not getting out which his highly inappropriate.

Parents of disabled children obviously get a permit to drive in.

Some people disobey it but it’s been fab. The by-product is that social distancing is easier as you can walk / cycle/ scoot on the road rather than on the narrow pavements.

We have it in my area, it's part of the Lower Traffic Neighbourhoods scheme but the council says it's to do with lower carbon emissions, so every council seems to be giving different reasons as to why they're 'necessary'. Has caused a big upset with some of the residents who feel that they should have access to a road that they pay to park on with permits (I agree) and are unable to get deliveries during this time, and also to the delivery drivers who quite often have a time limit per delivery.

OP google LTNs, some have been reversed in our area due to protest. All it's done is spilled traffic onto neighbouring streets

To be honest not knowing the background I can understand why they are doing it but then again councils should only allow children to attend their local catchment schools to reduce the need for parents to drive their kids everywhere

Our catchment school is over 10 miles away down country lanes and A roads.

Our secondary school is also in this scheme. Doesn’t normally affect us as she catches a local bus. I had to collect her last week, at school’s request as she had fainted.

I asked them if I would be able to drive to school, they hadn’t thought of that, but said if it was a problem ask the person to contact the office.

I tried 3 different routes to the school, all blocked by signs and accompanying people, given that I only tried 3 of 5 possible routes, this seems ludicrous to me,

@ArcheryAnnie sorry i never made myself clear, I totally 100% support the new rule as it will keep the children safe
But we have asked for it to be enforced/ policed by wardens and where told they do not have staff to do this
It feels pointless as the dangerous/ irresponsible people are still there and its no safer

At a local school there is a community centre car park 10 min walk or a new estate with slightly more parking.
Instead parents (always the same)
Park

• in the turning circle
• over driveways with cars on

The road actually says no entry!

It's a dead end so they have to turn.
Today both sides of the pavement had to wait for a range rover to do a 3pt turn.
Tbh it doesnt help that estates are so full of parked cars people arent using to drive to work (normal not covid) or parking on driveways. But some people will not walk anywhere at all.

@MissMarplesGlove

the parents who have to drive

No-one HAS to drive a car. We have legs.

What a smug so and so you are @MissMarplesGlove

I have legs. They don’t work. I walked the older ones to primary school every year for nine years. Now I have to drive the youngest, because she needs an education.

So, yes, I do have to drive.

@MissMarplesGlove

*the parents who have to drive

No-one HAS to drive a car. We have legs*

You really must be hard of thinking. I live rurally. Our catchment primary is 4 miles away along country roads with no pavements, apart from the last few hundred yards. My other child goes to preschool another 9 miles away. My work place us 6 miles in the other direction from home. This us as good as I can get it, until they both goto the same school and even then, I'm not sure how having working legs is goingto help us.

I love school street but we're able to walk to school. Makes for cleaner air and less dangerous driving/parking. Parents were parking right up on the pavement, it was seriously scary. As others have said, you probably need to leave a bit earlier OP, tricky when you have 2 other drop offs.

I would love it. I live near a 3 school site and it would make my life (and the lives of mobility scooter users and people with small children much easier. Having to walk in the road because of inconsiderate parking is no fun.
However our Council considered it and decided it would just move the problem further away from the school, because people would want to park just outside the car free area.

No-one HAS to drive a car. We have legs

That 10 mile unlit no pavement country lane and A road Walk is going to be a long one.