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...

I think a lot of areas are set up for cars first and every other mode of transport has to fit around the cars. So DD, for instance, travels 5km to secondary school and she could in theory cycle as there's about 80% cycle lanes but in practise any route she could take would have at least three very dangerous sections so I won't let her do that until she's older. Better town planning with proper crossings would be a start.

I had to drop kids off pre covid as rushing straight to/from office. Working from home at least 2 maybe 3 days is definitely an option going forward so I will be driving less when we get back to normal. I much prefer walking than negotiating parking at the school with kids everywhere and little space. Maybe as more home working happens the roads will be quieter.

The nearest primary schools to our village are in neighbouring villages at least a mike and a half away. It is impossible for the route to be walked as most of it is along a busy, fast A road with no pavements. There is a bus, but if people waited until the bus picked up they would be late for work.

I’m lucky enough to be able to walk my child to school almost every day as I do shifts around school times. Even when it’s thoroughly miserable with wind and rain, I walk past all the cars struggling to park somewhere and am so glad I walk! But not everybody has that luxury, they need to drop kids off before work, and at the moment, I’m not so sure I would want mine on public transport either so each to their own really.
The only time school traffic stresses me out is after a night shift and I have to sit in the car for an extra half hour caught up in traffic when I’m trying to get home for the children so my husband can get to work on time.

YANBU. Those saying YABU clearly haven't seen the recent videos of Bincote Road in London: twitter.com/GlennWilson92/status/1370404874622472195

Parents driving on verges and pavements because the roads are so packed! The above chaps twitter feed also has photos of what it looks like when it's not school run time.

It's absolutely disgraceful. Everyone will always have an excuse as to why they can't possibly leave the car at home.

We live in in homeless accommodation far from school so I drive because it’s too far to walk for my primary kids my secondary kid I’ll sometimes drop off if I have time otherwise he walks. He quite likes it if the weather is nice he’s not a fan of the rain mind you, upsets his hairdo apparently.

A lot of parents in the next village over are driving their kids in at the moment because they have a weird reduced timetable and they are supposed to be doing a full 1 metre social distance on the school bus. I can see why just jumping in the car feels easier/safer tbh.

Yanbu OP. Totally baffled by able-bodied people unwilling to walk 1-2 miles in suburban areas like where I grew up. Probably the same people who drive to the gym. The 'residents should be more considerate' is a howl too!

Our neighbours drive their kids to school. We live 5 minutes walk away....

You want kids to walk or get the bus to school rather than be drive, in order to make your car journey to work easier?

Hmmm

Why don’t you walk or get the bus yourself?

The walk for DS is 3.4 miles as the crow flies. Sadly DS walks rather than flies, so it’s closer to 4.5 miles along an unpleasant, fast road, which is unlit and runs between fields. Public buses are on a reduced timetable so are crowded and social distancing is impossible.
He gets dropped on my route into work, about 0.75 miles from school.

when OP is annoyed because her car drive is longer because of parents driving their children to school.

To be fair, she doesn't say she is in a car. She might be on a bus.

Although my first thought agreed!

I’m guessing at the moment a lot of parents will be trying to avoid kids going on public transport, but YANBU to wish fewer people drove to school in general.

I know plenty of people don’t realistically have a better choice, but a lot do. There’s a school near me where the catchment area is tiny, no more than 10 minutes walk in every direction, and there’s still cars everywhere parked up waiting half an hour before the school gets out.

@Jumpers268

I love the people saying OP isn't unreasonable based on environment issues, when OP is annoyed because her car drive is longer because of parents driving their children to school.

Quite. And how into other people's business they are that they completely know other peoples' situations, health, finances, work schedules.

Our secondary school have specifically requested that if we can drop them off therefore avoiding public transport please do. So my dc get taken part way (and then walk in) rather than public transport. A lot of parents are doing this.
Yanbu about it to some extent we live 0.6 miles from primary school our neighbours (and many others) always drive but come straight home after. When mine went there we walked on my days off and car when I had to go straight to work.

@rosiejaune

YANBU. There is far more risk to people's health from air pollution from individuals driving cars than there is from their child getting the bus to school.

We have only had widespread car use for the last few decades, and people have become very reliant on and feel entitled to it very quickly (like flying). We need a societal mindset change and to adapt our ways of living to not drive.

This is totally right. But we also need politicians and policy makers to prioritise active travel, public transport and walkable cities. And stop being so elitist and exclusive about education but provide enough decent schools within walking distance so that people don’t need to cross the city. Also some ideas on this thread are crazy - of course a five year old can walk a mile. My four year old walks just over that twice to and from nursery everyday. He mostly enjoys and doesn’t moan as he is used to it so what would be the point. It might not be practical for people due to work I understand but they can easily do it.

I think people can only legitimately complain about this if they never drive unnecessarily.
Unless someone is parked illegally/across your drive and therefore compromising your safety, they have a right to drive and don't have to get their reasons okayed by anyone, certainly not by people who are also driving but whose reasons are so much more important.

There are lots of reasons why more parents are driving their kids to school at the moment. Not wanting to use buses, lack of room on buses, to far to walk,no adequate footpath. You want kids to walk just to make your commute easier, kind of ignorant on your part. Why don't you walk?

Too many people where I live drive their kids to school. Takes us seven minutes to walk there (primary) and there’s people who live closer who drive - then drive home. I genuinely do not understand why.

I think many people are worried about their Childrens safety TBH.As Gachabread says above , her poor daughter has been followed by 2 different predatory men on her way home from School! I think most women work now and have the use of a car .Therefore it makes sense to drop off DC en route surely?

@Waxonwaxoff0
Of course our teens go out but not through quiet streets that have been overtaken by drugtaking twenty somethings! The dealers hang around in their Audi's and BMW's and aren't afraid to be seen trying to coerce young kids into taking drugs, the police are too busy doing I don't know what and when my teens did go out pre covid it was never in the direction of these streets. They go to friends houses or their favourite hangout and steer clear of druggies and thugs.
( I have nothing against BMW and Audi drivers by the way, it's just the vehicle of choice used by dealers in this area)

It's not just school traffic that has increased on the roads since the schools went back. It has been noticeably busier this week for me to - and I've been in work before 8 every day.

DS gets the school bus.
It's a 4.5 mile walk to our catchment school.
Public busses get there at 7.10 or 9.10. If the threatened cut to school transport happened I'd have to drive him (not safe to bike give thecroads hecwpuld gave to use).
If they increased the size of the school 300m from our front door, we might be a walkable distance from our catchment school!

I think many people are worried about their Childrens safety

This is also a reason I wish fewer parents would drive to school. Increasingly fed up with the careless/dangerous drivers in a hurry who drive up onto pavements to park, try to sneak round the lollipop lady, and so on when I’m walking mine to school.

I know nobody on Mumsnet would ever but there are a sodding load of parents who do , and think being in a hurry and “it’s only for a moment” is a fair enough reason to do it.

It would be great if more people would walk or cycle to school and work - if feasible