AIBU to wish fewer people drove their kids to school?

[zizza]

It's been lovely commuting to work since the schools have been (almost) closed. I thought it was because of people also not working, but turns out most of the traffic at "normal" commuting times is school run traffic - kind of knew that from past experience of how much better it in is school holidays, but this has been highlighted by the Covid situation. AIBU to think that more children should walk to school?

I have had to explain to my mum in the past why people drove to school if they have a job to go to straight after dropping off so don't have time to walk to school and then back home to get the car, but I'm still mystified by how many secondary school age children get dropped off by car (again, I understand that some people live too far away from their secondary school to walk but what happened to kids walking up to about 30 minutes to get to school with their friends?) I think I'm getting old...

To be able to walk and have ample time to do it and not do it is lazy, no two ways about it. This is for the environment your kids are going to inherit and grow up in 🌱

There's many reasons - I dropped my kids off because bus fares were horrendous for kids (3/4 of the extortionate adult fare) driving was around 1/4 of the price and I took my DD's friend as well. Nearly 3 miles

Our primary has a one way system and you regularly see parents drive to the entrance, one parent gets put, then the other drives to the exit. That is laziness.

And of course everyone has to park directly outside school (with engines running) as they couldn't possibly park 1-2 streets away.

I hate it when people get there early and keep their engine idling 😡

@VicarofDibley

We live in a rural area if my DC"s were to walk to their secondary school it would not only take them a good probably 3 hrs and be incredibly dangerous .There is school transport but we have to pay it is very expensive and so is the public bus .Me and DH take it in turns as we both work to take and pick up .Some of us have no choice .

I swear MN is 75% aggrieved hillbillies who turn up in everything thread to note that "...but I live rurally so I should be able to to (do whatever terrible thing)" Obviously OP is not referring to those living rurally - a tiny percentage of the population.

And if those who have to drive because of distance but are not constrained by time or disabilities parked a bit further away from the school (rather than parking as closely as possible because apparently they have forgotten what theirs or their child's legs are for) then that would also reduce the parking issues alot

Our primary is slap bang in the middle of a very large housing estate. It's a big primary, almost 700 students so you can imagine the chaos that brings. Our school sent out maps with "zones" so if you drive and your children can walk and are older years you park in a zone which is a 5-7 minute walk away, disabled kids, foundation and yr 1 park in the blue zone which is a 2-5 minute walk away. My house sits just on the edges of both those zones at a reasonable 5 minute walk so I braced myself for the crazy parking in my street (a few years prior the car park for the local shops next to the school closed to be relaid, I found my street manic and had someone actually park ON my drive, so I knew what to expect) and you know what, there was still nothing. A handful of cars parked just at the entrance to my street but still the "blue" area was as heaving as ever.

So the school started to give out prizes for getting to school by any means other than a car, prizes were just little plastic badges. Still didnt make a blind bit of difference. Then we had a child knocked over as cars had parked on the double yellows near a crossing area and made visibility impossible....still no change (thankfully kid was mostly unharmed other than a good few bruises) it was then I realise most people just dont care. They'll do what they've always done and sod everyone else.

We're not even allowed to discuss parking issues on the school fb page, the admin deletes them instantly.

And if those who have to drive because of distance but are not constrained by time or disabilities parked a bit further away from the school (rather than parking as closely as possible because apparently they have forgotten what theirs or their child's legs are for) then that would also reduce the parking issues a lot.

Argh yes. There’s a car park free for school parents to use a short walk from our primary school. Would take at most six minutes to walk from car to school. And yet it’s always half empty, while the narrow streets around the school are full of parents in cars.

The idling engines is my biggest concerns. Are parents really so stupid and selfish to not realise the harm they are doing?

@Stellaris22

The idling engines is my biggest concerns. Are parents really so stupid and selfish to not realise the harm they are doing?

I can only assume so 😔

What gets me are the amount of retired dog walkers who insist on joining the morning traffic to get to their favourite walking spot. They have the whole entire morning to do that!

@Stellaris22

The idling engines is my biggest concerns. Are parents really so stupid and selfish to not realise the harm they are doing?

yes.

Usually the same people who are outraged if someone dare doing that in front of their home, or park in front of their previous windows.

Councils would make a fortune if they started dedicated a team in front of schools at drop off and pick up times. The fines would cover the admin and wage costs in the first day

There's a special mention for the parents picking up kids coming from a trip or other. They KNOW their precious snowflakes are in a coach. They KNOW the coach(es) need to drive all the way to the school.

Would it occur to them to get their car out of the flipping way and leave space for the coach? Of course not. They park as close as possible, complain very loudly the coach is running late (being stuck at the corner because of an imbecile blocking the corner), and blame OTHER parents creating the carnage.

Every. Single. Time.

The PTA should start selling popcorn to the local residents to enjoy the show.

@Crystal90567

Two bags? Or shoes in with all their books?

For 30 mins in the rain from age 11. You wouldn't ask this of an adult. No drying facilities in secondary schools. They'd still be damp in a plastic bag at the end of the day.

Unfortunately yes GoldenOmber, it really upsets me. No boots is on every uniform list I've ever seen. My kids secondary is oversubscribed so goes one step further - None of what it calls trainer style shoes, that is what they call it, but they reinforce it strictly so it covers clarks shoes and any velcro shoes too. They mean only office style thin leather shoes for boys. Most girls wear ballet pump style leather shoes. Supposedly its smart!

I walk half an hour in the rain carrying my laptop bag and gym kit as part of my journey to work, no drying facilities there either and I cope just fine. Lots of people wear trainers for the commute and change when they get here. I think this argument is emblematic of expectations being wrong. 30 mins is really really not an excessive walk.

30 mins is really really not an excessive walk.

Totally agree with this. We’ve been so conditioned by a car dependent world, it’s ridiculous.

@TheKeatingFive

30 mins is really really not an excessive walk.

Totally agree with this. We’ve been so conditioned by a car dependent world, it’s ridiculous.

I agree too

'Let's blame women and children again shall we'

This is spot on.

It's always always women who are blamed for all societies ills. Constant drip since we're young of everything being women's fault.

Always 'mums in their 4x4s' to blame for traffic. Never men driving to work which they could do at home.

Always 'single mums scrounging on benefits'. Never vilifying the absent fathers who enjoyed a one night stand and disappeared.

Always 'my mil never helps out with childcare'. Never fil.

And on. And on. And on.

It would take an hour to walk to school and then an hour back to pick up my car.

Also, whilst I am wfh at the mo my school drop is part of my commute. My ds previous school (moved during covid) was half way between home and work, it was literally on the way 4-5milre of unwalkable roads to school and then 7 on to work.

I would hazard a guess that most of the people driving are also commuting and are enroute to work.

yabu to suggest that they are in your way imo

'Let's blame women and children again shall we'
This is spot on.

You are the ones who say women. We say PARENT.

And let's not pretend women do more school run than men. Around here, they don't, and parents are equally working from home these days.

You're going to find every reason/ excuse in this thread for parents to say why they have to drive their kids to school....

In reality air pollution is costing lives, causing damage to human health and the planet. We HAVE TO stop....

It's not just on parents though - governments, councils etc have to take actions to lead this change.

Where I live the local council has made it slowly more and more difficult to drive your kids to school- you can't stop outside the school for drop off there is a camera and you get an automatic fine, they've made the rest of the street resident permit and the traffic wardens come at the right time. They've also installed bike lanes and bike racks near the school.

You can see the results of lazy parenting on school trips.

Every single year the school has complaints (every school year without a pandemic that is) because some precious children were EXHAUSTED/ nearly fainted/ nearly killed even, because they were expected to walk an inhumane/shocking/outrageous/offensive 3 or 4 hours that day. And by god it was hot/raining/ windy and it was horrendous.

The children were so tired they barely had diner and went to bed early. It's an absolute disgrace to inflict such an ordeal on young children.

Every single trip, and it's not just 1 complaint.

If it wasn't so tragic it would be comical.

Who is 'you'? I meant - generally in society - in the papers, on Facebook, everywhere. The correct people say 'parent', the majority say 'mum', no one says 'dad' (for anything negative).

What gets me are the amount of retired dog walkers who insist on joining the morning traffic to get to their favourite walking spot. They have the whole entire morning to do that!

For me its the driving 20-30mph below the speed limit that gets my goat. If you want to go for a leisurely drive then doing so at 8am in the morning, on a weekday is simply cunty.

At the moment there is no breakfast club at my dds school, so my husband has to drop her off between meetings. We are really close to the main entrance so normally we would walk. However, its the other entrance he ends up having to drive to get back in time....

We live 2 blocks from my DD’s school and people in my street drive their kids to school.
It is literally quicker for us to walk with a toddler in tow than it is to drive and wait in the car drop off line.
We drop off and get back home before they do and that’s with having to name every gecko we see on the way home (it’s Australia so there is a lot of geckos)

My DS gets a free bus to school along with several other children in our development. Maximum walk from the furthest house to the bus stop is 8 mins. One mum drives her child to the bus stop every day and then waits with the engine idling. She isn't going straight to work as I have seen her do it in PJs and dressing gown.