What would convince you to ditch the car on school runs?

[amispeakingintongues]

Just that really.

Hit me with your suggestions please.

I start work at 9:30 so I never need the car. (2 mile walk). Losing 30 mins pay was worth it in petrol and wear and tear on the car costs. My boss was desperate though, I'm lucky.

It's a 3 mile walk, with part of route being a busy main road with no pavements. The youngest (5 years old) hasn't learnt to ride a bike yet.

If it was walking distance then I would walk. If I was confident with kids biking ability and raod safety then I would consider cycling in summer.

P. S. The kids can do a 3 mile walk, but not daily, and certainly not at the end of a school day.

We walk to nursery then I get the bus to work. It works for us because:

1. It's only a 15 minute walk
2. Nursery drop off is from 8am
3. They have buggy parking
4. The bus stops right outside nursery, comes every 10 mins max and is 20 mins to work where it's only a 2 minute walk
5. I can run late on the return journey without being late for pick up

It still feels tricky when it's hot or raining and the other week when it was crazy hot I drove because I didn't fancy turning up to work a sweaty mess when I could chill in air con.

For school it will only work with getting him in wraparound school club, plus it'll be harder if we have to juggle nursery and school drops.

Having a job that didn't start at 9! For year 4 I did drop dd despite it only being 10 mins walk because I didn't have time to walk back and get the car then drive to work. I know I wasn't alone. If schools allowed parents to drop a bit earlier it would really help

Safe cycling route

1. Having a public transport alternative that wasn't enormously delaying. School is a 5 min drive then 15min drive on to work. The same journey on bus is 10min walk to bus stop, 15 min on bus, then 1hr 20min to work. I'd have to abandon my kid outside school before breakfast club even started to make it on time.

1. Similar to above, having school within a walking distance that didn't mean a 40min walk there and back (to then pick up car and go to work)

1. If I didn't have to use my own car for work on the approx 3/5 days (not in any sort of routine) that I have to go offsite

Not needing to get to work immediately after drop off and having all three schools within walking distance.

Better weather.

when school starts it will be 40 degrees with a uV index of 11.

surprisingly quickly that will shift to -10 or even -17.

There might be a week or two of pleasant weather in there somewhere, but odds are it will come with severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings.

We walk because:

Carrot: it's an easy journey, the bus stop for me to get to work is on the way, the majority of the journey close to the school is pedestrianised so I feel comfortable having dc walk in with friends after we've crossed the 2 busy roads.

Stick: When they pedestrianised the road, they took away all the parking that would have saved me time/effort by taking the car on wet/late days so I just have to suck it up.

Other similar situations where I've used the car (e.g nursery), it was because it was too far to walk, I have no storage at home/outside home for bikes, I would have needed to take 3 buses to get to nursery and then to work which was crazy.

Living closer and not having to go to work straight after would have been the only things that made a difference.

I think most people that live within easy walking distance and who don’t have time restraints already walk to school. Schemes to encourage people to do something they would already be doing if they could are a complete waste of time.

It is about the demands of work isn't it for s lot of people. Even those who live 5 min walk from school have to use cars die to timings. Gates open 8.45, work starts at 9 10 min drive away, you can't realistically walk to school and then home and then drive to work so instead you drive, throw child out and go.

My child rarely goes to school by car, they walk or cycle with either a parent or the childminder but I completely understand why people drive.

Now those that insist on waiting for 15 min outside school at the end of the day with engine idling and those that pull up half on the pavement right on top of the zigzags..... today I do not understand!

Not living 6 miles from the school!
That's 6 miles of fast, bendy and at times, dangerous roads! Hideous in the winter with ice and snow etc.

I cannot wait for my boy to finish school. 2 years to go!

I have to drop mine off on the way to work In my community nursing job which is in the opposite direction and need my car for work anyway

My kids get on the school bus but it’s 8 miles down a rural windy road with a 60 speed limit. No way we could safely get there without a vehicle.

I'm very lucky that we're a 10-15 minute walk to school so walking is the easiest way of getting there.

But when I had to drop off/pick up from wraparound care with one at school, one at nursery and commuting, there was no way to make it work that didn't involve driving and parking at the station. The combination of having both in the same place and more WFH has been transformative for us.

We get a lot of kids being driven as it's the sort of school where parents move further out for the bigger house/garden after securing a place for their eldest child.

DS1 starts secondary next year; we're in London so depending on where he goes he'll walk, cycle or take a coach.

Being able to get a space at the school near home

Not having a 45 minute bus journey to college (it was only 20 minute bus while at secondary and a ten minute walk at primary) and not having to work.

Like most people already said, having a hope in hell of getting in to our nearest primary school. In fact when my DDs started primary there were actually three primary schools that we could have conceivably walked to. But we could only get a place at one that could only be accessed by either a less than ten minute drive down the dual carriageway to the next exit off or a much longer drive down single track country lane (no paths). Pretty much everyone had to drive unless they were lucky enough to live on the one bus route that went past. But that bus route was only a single decker that was often full before it has got to any stops after the first few. That bus route has now been scrapped btw, by the bus company (along with three other routes serving the villages here).

There was one (outstanding) comprehensive school that they could also have walked to but it is always oversubscribed. They actually were bussed to a school on the opposite side of the nearest city, about a one hour and fifteen minute journey (ie two and a half hour round trip per day) in rush hour traffic. As this bus was often either over full, or as there was only one a day, not available if there were any before or after school activities, I often had to drive to and from there too.

But we live in an area of the SE where the local plan will see almost 31000 new homes built in the area over the next few years. And yet there is not one single extra school planned in that (or Dr surgery, or hospital provision). So, it’s hardly surprising, is it?

Not having to run off to work straight away.

Safer cycling routes sound like they might help quite a lot of people get to school without cars. A few miles doesn't take long on a bike and if there was good bike parking at schools and safe cycle routes seperate from road traffic then it would be a quick way to get to and from school safely.

Not having to do drop off and then drive straight to work with barely enough time to get there as it is.

My DC have never been driven to school by car. Not once.

Due to:
Living within short walk
Living within perfectly reasonable walk (secondary)
Free Oyster cards for public transport (other secondary)

London.

Lots of people living more than 3 miles out but not having a school bus. Is part of the issue local/catchment schools being better?

I mostly walked my kids to primary, on days dh took them in he drove as he had to go straight to work. Now at secondary they get the bus. Dd hates it but not much alternative, I’m not going to drive her to the next town, horrible drive and no parking.

i think lots of people do drive because it’s easier, one parent drives about 500 yards to local primary school, actually would be quicker to walk. If I ruled the world I’d ban parking on roads outside schools. I’d also prioritise safe walking and cycling to schools. The numbers of teens driven to my school because there’s no safe alternatives.

Not being 20 miles away.

A school bus.