Should schools be telling parents to walk kids to school?

[bellamountain]

This isn't an argument for the environment or to keep kids fit but to stop the roads around schools becoming so dangerously congested and for parents who do need to drive their kids, to be able to do so and not have to battle for parking. I take the kids to school and then have to shoot off to work, any one doing the same and the car is essential. However, the majority of the mums at my school do not work, they could easily walk their kids the relatively short distance but choose not too. They all have huge cars and all aim to get as close to the school as possible, it makes crossing the road dangerous, even with a one way system in place enforced by the school. Parents also sitting in their cars with the engines idling with the heater or air con. I'll be the first to admit that I love my car and I couldn't live without it, but when I'm not at work I walk to school and back. It's far less stressful yet the same parents clog the roads every day. I swear it's a pissing contest sometimes to flaunt who has the nicest car and this is a state school!

The OP hasn't suggested reorganising streets ffs. They suggested using an American school type drop off system within schools.

By all means, call out the OP for coming across like a tit, but don't just make shit up.

I live on a road perpendicular to what was our school. I once watched a neighbour drive her kids to school. She moved the car so it was two houses closer than when it was sat outside her house 🙄🙄

For those with journeys under a mile, there's no reason why kids can't walk either with a parent, with friends or alone from 9 or so. For suburban/rural schools it's a different matter, with parents needing to head to work they don't have the time after to walk 30 mins back. Bicycles should be heavily encouraged too but until they sort out the traffic that's not always safe

I should have said for suburban/rural schools journeys are often considerably over a mile, my kids went 1.2 miles and we were not the furthest in a city

why aren’t you doing this then? Walk the kids to school, nip home for car to go to work.

definitely seems like you think other people shouldn’t drive but it’s fine for you to. Like people who complain that somewhere is busy when they are there, adding to how busy it is too

There's a huge new estate in our small town about a mile down the road from the High School's playing fields across which there is a path up to the school buildings. Waiting for a taxi after dropping my car off for a service I was amazed at how many people drove their 11-16 year olds past the path and into an area of narrow roads, to drop their prodigy at the school gate, then having to turn round and come back. Lazy sods.

Total garbage deary. It has been suggested in more than one post that the schools should get involved in parental spats about parking. Maybe let them do their jobs and leave policing the streets to the police and Councils.

It's never going to happen. My youngest us 25 now and it's always been a problem probably long before he ever went to the local village Primary school.

I live on a small estate which is exactly 1/2 mile from school. Pavements all the way and only 2 quiet roads to cross. It's like the Cannonball run on my road at 8 35 every morning and 2.30 in the afternoon. And they nearly all return just after school starts! The parking around school is chaotic - people park on the zigzags. I often walk past the school at 2.15pm and there are many parents already parked in the 'prime' spots with their engines running - school finishes at 3pm. There is a free car park 200m from school - virtually no one parks in it to do the school run as they prefer to park on the road which is a few meters nearer.
They're clearly not all rushing off to other things straight from school either as on dry days the local park is full of school children after 3pm with the parents cars parking all over the place there too - so the poor little darlings are too tired to walk home from school but plenty of energy to run around the park!

The school has tried running a walking bus but lack of volunteers means it's not sustainable.

This has nothing to do with needing to use the car and everything to do with laziness. This is clearly evidenced by the fact that these same parents, and others beside, will park on double yellow lines and keep clear markings to 'pop' to the shop rather than park legally a few meters further away.

There was a family at DD's primary school who used to drive from one street away- it took under 5 minutes on foot and would have taken longer to drive by the time she got the 2 kids into the car then herself and her seat belt. She wasn't going on anywhere else either, she went straight home.

DD's current school is having a walk to school initiative this week. I always walked her to her current school (primary was 7 miles away) until my mobility issues stopped me and DH dropped her off by car on his way to work. She's now old enough to walk herself and walks both ways every day.

Fair enough but the catchment is very small for my school, it wouldn't take very long to nip back for the car and then go on to another commitment. It's just too many cars in tight spaces and corners and ultimately not a very safe space around the school.

Then do that?!

So you want to be able to drive but you don’t like others doing it?

My mate at secondary was driven to school by his mum every day. School's probably just under a mile from his house, maybe 15 minute walk. Even at 16 he still didn't know the way.

If you're saying 'need' to drive I thought you meant because parent or child is disabled or something. Working parents don't 'need' to drive but it is much more convenient than walking

Pretty much sums it up. But it's given us eight glorious pages of fun.

If a car is vital for you... I'm sure it's considered vital by the other mums as well! There could be umpteen reasons why they've chosen to drive to school that day. Not really any of your business, especially as you are contributing to the problem.

If you have to get to work on time after dropping children off at school then that is obviously a perfectly valid reason to use the car. If you drive because you're a sahm who has to get to a tennis lesson straight after then that isn't a valid reason. It's that simple.

For the people who live within a cycleable distance and who can cycle to school reasonably safely, I would really recommend an electric cargobike. Fits 1-4 kids plus stuff. Even works great on hills.

Says who?

That's the thing about needs. They're subjective and you don't get to make the rules.

But I'm enjoying your implication that a working mother's needs are more important than a sahm's. Are women really still arguing about that kind of shit?

It is shocking sometimes! We walk the short 15 minute nursery run everyday, yet I see a woman getting in her car on the same street and pulling up at the school at the same time because of the one way system. I think cars should be banned from school for a certain radius and If its really an issue before work or whatever put your kid in breakfast club.

The need of someone who is going to work to earn money and has to get there on time is more important than that of a sahm who can organise appts or activities so that they aren't immediately after school drop off. They may not choose to but they can. I know this because I've been the parent who had to drop off at 2 different schools then dash across town to get to work on time and I've been a sahm. Being the sahm meant I could walk my children to school.

@orwellwasright That's the thing about needs. They're subjective and you don't get to make the rules.

I'm not making the rules. I'm giving my opinion.

I just simply don't agree that having a job makes your time more important than anyone else's. And I say that as a (single) parent who works full time.

I would never think I have a right to drive to school but someone playing tennis or meeting her friends didn't. I'm just not that entitled.

Very few appointments and activities can be arranged at a whim! You can’t turn down a long awaited appointment just so you can walk the school run rather than drive it!

It seems sense is finally prevailing with some posters actually seeing the whole picture rather than making up some story about everyone's needs being just as important, even if they are going home to watch This Morning after drop off! So many have jumped on my original post, regarding me as some far too important business woman who absolutely must have priority parking over the sham's. Not the case. I walk on my days off and won't have time to walk and go back for the car on the days I am needed in the office, there wouldn't be enough time. Not everyone has high flying careers and it's frowned upon if you arrive to work late. I personally know many of the mums, as lovely as they are, they've never walked the kids to school.