Parking and the school run, what are your views?

[WideWebWitch]

Well, if mumsnet is anything like real life, this thread should degenerate into a slanging match but I hope not

At ds's school the majority of the (mostly middle class, I feel I should point out) parents on the PTA committee take the view that driving to school is a heinous crime and that daring to park outside the school (even legally!) is just as bad (although they seem to think it's OK if you're a teacher. Hmm). Apparently we should all walk or park miles away and then walk the remainder of the journey so our kids don't have traffic anywhere near them. In my view this is unrealistic since many parents have no choice - they have to drive to get their child/ren to school and get to work on time and simply don't have the time to park and walk. Or, like me, they have other very small children or babies with them. I walk sometimes but others it just isn't possible - if I have somewhere to go straight after school, for example. Also, we live in a city and I feel the kids should be taught road sense - they're far more likely to get run over in Sainsbury's car park since I think the parent drivers are very careful on the whole.

It seems to me that parents get a hard time for driving to school despite the fact that the majority of morning and pm traffic is NOT the school run, but commuters (I assume, but I think I'm right). So, my questions are:

• What do you think? Is there a big old row/driving drama going on where you live too? IME parking and driving the school run is a huge preoccupation of many parents I know.
• Anyone know where I can get some stats re traffic, the school run, accidents and where they happen etc etc? I'm torn between staying out of it at our school or wading in to the battle with both feet and joining the transport committee to argue for The Drivers. Eeek!

Asa teacher can I just say please don't blobk the roads thats all. I sometimes struggle to get into the staff car park as I can hardly get down the road for cars stopped everywhere and in front of the car park entrance. This is secondary so different I know.

In respond to the teacher issue - maybe the teachers don't live in the catchment area. IME very few teachers do. Also they may have a lot of makrking to carry. I regularly take home my bag, my lap top and one or two big boxes of pupil's folders - I can't carry them on public transport.

I do understand why some parents feel the need to drive their child to school. I will have to once DD is going. I think schools or councils rather need to think this one through and come up with a better solution - maybe by arranging a drop off point round the corner with a suitable adult to meet the children and walk them to the school.

It always amazes me why anyone would want to live opposite a school as they must hate the morning/afternoon drop of/pick up times.

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I couldn't do it without a car. DDs are in different schools - as it is I have to be in two places at once and just couldn't do it. DD1 does cycle to school in the morning though - I pick up her bike in the car.

Ooooh, very emotive issue here
Personally, I have rarely driven my children to school but that's only because I've always lived very close by and tbh it's been more trouble than it's worth. Some people, I know have no choice, they live too far away, have other children, need to go onto work etc. Other people are just plain lazy, but hey it's a free country, they can be lazy if they want.
What I do object to is people not parking properly, ie on pavements, on yellow zig zags immediately outside school gates etc, for the sake of having to walk a few metres more. It's selish, dangerous to other kids and really p**s me off.
I don't think there's too much of a row about this at my ds's new school as most children either walk / get the school bus there but I know it was a bit issue at his last school.
Don't know where you would get the stats you want, Dept of Transport maybe...

I live about 8 mins walk from school and the majority of the time I walk. However, if the weather is really bad I do drive but only because I have a small baby and we would get saturated. I love the walk anyway and it gets me moving which is the main thing. It just depends on how close you live and whether kids go to the same school (which helps).

Walking bus is a brilliant idea.

I don't have much choice but to drive- we live miles away and then I have to drop ds2 at nursery in the other direction. I don't arrive at the same time as anyone else though so I don't have parking problems. Mind you I may have caused a stir as I asked the teacher yesterday whether I could park in the staff car park as ds1 is going through a phase of running out into the road (he thinks it's funny). It's fine when I just have him, but impossible when I have ds2 and/or baggage. Teacher said yes unless I hear otherwise.

Think your PTA sound a bit up their own arses to be honest. Tell them to get a life and worry about something worth worrying about (that would go down well).

A child was knocked down outside our school by some tw@t (a parent!) reversing right by the gate where the infants come out so it does happen...in fact, thinking on, a mother was knocked down once too. There are yellow zigzags immediately next to the gates but not opposite or just up the road (a cul-de-sac).

I do think that people should walk when they live close enough and if they don't have to go on to work or whatever. Ditto with picking up. Round here a lot won't walk if it's raining. Don't have umbrellas, apparently.

The traffic problem is far worse for secondary schools because of numbers, distance to travel and buses, but I think most of the rows/complaints are at primary schools. Can't think how it can be dealt with though!

My dd has just started at the local school nursery in the afternoons. We live about 5 mins away (10 mins with a tired 3 yo) so walking is the norm and that is fine most days unless I have something to do like get into town for the bank or food shopping. However, if I worked I would of course use the car more than I do at the moment even though I live close by as time would be precious. I admit it is horrendous outside the school in the mornings (9.00 am) and at the end of the school day (3.30 pm) with bad parking on pavements, on corners, double parking etc but it does disperse quite quickly and by 4.00 pm the road is clear again. I don't know the school's view at the moment as dd has just started there. The walking bus idea sound great though.

I walk to school every day, there and back regardless of the weather it takes 15mins each way atleast so that's a minimum of 1hr a day walking for me.

I have done this since dd was at pre-school last year and will continue to do this because it's good for all of us to be out in the fresh(ish) air and to walk.

I live in North London where the school run is notorious. I feel v strongly however that mothers are made out to be pariahs for trying to get their children to school safely. The statistics say that the school run accounts for 20% of all traffic. yes, the cars contribute to congestion but no-one ever seems to question the commuters who must make up most of the other 80% of traffic and are often only one to a car. What the criticisers never seem to take on board is that it is not a one-way journey for carers. Whoever takes young children to school has to get back home/onto work again. Therefore, if public transport takes a long time mothers are going to drive (also if they have younger children/babies that have to be taken along as well). I do get annoyed by people who seem to think that mothers actively enjoy spending time this way and would not seek out a better option if it were available. That said, i do know there are selfish parents out there who do park badly and obstructively - in which case by all means ticket them relentlessly. Enough ranting?

We walk, but then we live about 200 yrds from the school!! Actually we are really lucky our school is on the heath in the middle of our village and there is no vehicle access (except for teachers) across the heath. This means no drivers park outside the gates, they park on three sides of the heath, and then have to walk. Also it is great for the safety of kids as they are away from the school before they get onto a pavement or road crossing situation.

All I can say is that in the school holidays the traffic flows freely in London. Outside the school holidays it is gridlock!

I don't see why mothers have any less right to drive than commuters though. I find it unbelievable that so many people are allowed to drive to work in central london when they live near public transport, just because they have a parking space! I would tax these spaces out of existence personally.

Why do schools not make designated supervised "drop off" areas if they are getting their knickers in such a twist? One say 5 mins walk away where it is safe to unload children and someone can walk them crocodile style to the school in safety?

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That's what I suggested CD but not as eloquently! Would make sense to avoid the huge problems near the school gates. Maybe have a choice of 2 or 3 drop offs from different directions so the drop off points don't get too busy either.

The people in charge would have to be responsible adults who are police checked but not necessarily teachers (last minute prep time then - well, for me anyway). What about a rota of police checked parents who could take it in turns?

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This is really a hot potato www!
We live close enough to ds' school to walk with ease and are lucky to do so. A lot of the parents don't, and have to drive. And I'm sorry, but a lot of them park very inconsiderately, blocking in local residents (including us sometimes), on junctions, and even dissing our wonderful lollipop lady when she points out they're on the zigzags. The very presence of their cars makes the immediate environment more dangerous for local pedestrians, that's the sad truth.
At the end of our road is a large, tarmac-ed car park belonging to the Conservative Club that lies empty all day and is only really used on Friday and Saturday nights. I think ds' school should come to a formal arrangement with the Club to use it as a safe pick-up/drop-off place. It's a minute's walk from the school. Maybe, as someone else said, more schools could be exploring these types of option as there are always going to be parents who have to or want to drive.
I too wish more people who could do would walk. One mother ONE road further away than us from the school regularly drives - one child and not working outside the home. That I do think is lazy and selfish, personally (even though she is ever so nice etc). In my darker moments I sometimes think legislation might be necessary to stop behaviour like this, but then it penalises people who have a very good reason to drive. I don't know what the answer is, to be honest, www.

I walk every day - then walk back to collect my car to go to work (I work part-time).

I have actually been in contact with Police and Council regarding problems at our school. DS1 was almost run over by a car reversing ONTO A PAVEMENT! I don't have a problem with people driving to school BUT what I do have a problem with are people who insist on parking as near to the schoool as possible - at the bus stop, zig-zag lines and block up the roads whilst stopping to let "little cherub" out.

We have a Lollipop man directly outside school, who approaches parents parking on the zig-zags to be met with a mouthful of abuse most times. The Headteacher sends out numerous letters on occasions - which solves the problem for a week -then starts up again.

Was chatting to the Lollipop man last night - and they are now putting Double Yellow Lines along the whole road by the school so hopefully this might improve things. Police have been monitoring things over the last few weeks.

Interesting responses and some great ideas so far, thanks. Marina, I know, it's a hot potato all right, I was nearly lynched for my views at a PTA meeting...but if I do walk to school and back it's 2 or more hours out of my day (minimum of 30 mins each way) with a baby and sometimes in the rain. I do have an umbrella but it's a great big cumbersome pram and I'm not sure I could manage it and the brolly. Also, I don't have even 1 pair of waterproof shoes atm and neither does ds. So my reasons are far more complicated than they might seem to an observer and I suspect other peoples are too. Even though I'm a SAHM atm, 2 hours is a lot I think, out of a 6.5 hour school day. Nearly a third in fact, and I do have other things to do sometimes (yeah, yeah, I know, I could spend less time here...)

sorry, I sound very defensive don't I? That'll be because I am

I don't know what to think about this one www.

On the one hand, it's okay for me, because we live 100 yards from school. BUT we chose to send our child to that school partly because I believe very strongly that we should support the local school etc etc (obviously I also had to be happy that DS1's needs would be met there or as near as possible etc etc).

And on the other hand, I am told by the headmistress that there have been several near accidents outside the school resulting from inconsiderate and in some instances downright dangerous driving by parents dropping off/picking up. If my child was hit by a car driven by another parent I don't think I would have too much sympathy with that parent even if the alternative for them would have been a long walk to school in the rain.

I don't understand why parents have to drive right up to the school. Why not stop two or three streets away and walk from there?

I am surprised your PTA is so anti-car, www - and would totally agree that anyone with a 30 min walk and a little baby is entirely justified in driving, honest Last term ds, dd and I all got drenched on a regular basis on our four-minute trot to the school gates!
Our PTA is pretty pro-car/parents' right to choose which is understandable as I think there are only three families in ds' year who live in the immediate vicinity.

It is a hot potato! Local school now have police outside shooing parents away/checking where they park etc!

I would love to walk but have to take a damn heavy laptop to work (can't be left at work, not secure enough!) plus a briefcase sometimes. I'm usually out of the office on the road so walking would delay my working day by 1/2 hour which I would have to make up for.

But a walking bus is a great idea.

Marina - as your school appears to have a different approach on this topic, do they have any strategies on how to reduce the problems out side of school?

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I think there's a difference between driving to school and parking sensibly or driving to school and parking dangerously. In www's case it sounds as if the PTA are just anti car use full stop.