The days of driving your child to school could soon be at an end if clean air campaigners get their way.
The Swap The School Run For A School Walk report, submitted to the government, outlined 21 recommendations to make it easier for children to walk to and from school, including a call for a ban on cars at the school gates at drop-off and pick-up times.
Government in the dock
UK charity Living Streets, whose mission is to achieve a better walking environment and inspire people to walk more, has delivered a report to the Transport Minister, Jesse Norman, asking for the government to take urgent action to improve the walk to school.
Jenni Wiggle, Living Streets Director of Local Impact said “We would like to see more local authorities working with schools to ban people from driving up to the school gate – adding to air pollution, congestion and road danger during drop-off and pick-up. Walking to school not only improves our air quality but is a great way for children to build more exercise into their daily lives, helping them to arrive to school healthier, happier and ready to learn.”
Only last week The European Commission announced that it will refer the UK government to the Court of Justice of the European Union for continuing to ignore levels of air pollution.
New figures from the Department of Transport have shown that cars used for the school run account for one in four cars on the road at peak times. This comes only one year after a joint investigation by the Guardian and Greenpeace’s UK’s journalism project Unearthed announced that thousands of children were being subjected to threatening levels of air pollution outside teaching and care facilities.
Killer statistics
- Over 1,000 nurseries in England and Wales, which look after 47,000 babies and children, sit within 150 metres of a road that is breaching legal limits of NO2 from diesel traffic.
- Air pollution causes long-term health issues and debilitating diseases and results in 40,000 premature deaths each year in the UK.
- A study of 11,000 children in the US confirmed that children living within 500 metres of busy roads had reduced lung growth compared to children living over 1,500 metres from such roads. It also establised that children exposed to high levels of NO2 had a higher chance of getting asthma.
Diesel vehicles most responsible
Leaders of eight cities with a serious air pollution problem labelled the government’s new clean air plan as inadequate. Campaigners said a ban on petrol and diesel cars from 2040 wouldn’t help the thousands of people dying every year from illnesses linked to deadly exhaust fumes.
Elżbieta Bieńkowska, Industry Commissioner, said: “We will only succeed in fighting urban air pollution if the car sector plays its part. Manufacturers that keep disregarding the law have to bear the consequences of their wrongdoing.”
A spokesman for the Department for Transport said: “We are determined to make cycling the natural choice of transport for people of all ages and backgrounds, and we want to increase the number of children that usually walk to school. This government recognises for those living in rural areas there may be few alternatives to driving to school, which is why we are also investing £3.5bn in green transport [and] encouraging the uptake of electric vehicles, which will also improve air quality.”
Children are extremely susceptible to air pollution as their exposure is often greater and they absorb and keep pollutants in the body for longer, say experts.
Alison Cook, Director of Policy and Communications at the British Lung Foundation said that toxic air is linked to asthma and chronic chest problems, and damage to the lungs in early age is irreversible. Illegal levels of pollution around schools is worrying, and while banning cars from school gates will help reduce pollution in classrooms and playgrounds but will that make a big enough difference? Ms. Cook added that action on local and national level is needed to help people move to cleaner forms of transport such as walking, cycling and public transport.
Rosie Rogers, Senior Political Advisor at Greenpeace said: “Ministers’ apathy on this issue so far has been nothing short of a dereliction of duty. Michael Gove should swiftly come up with a clear plan to tackle the diesel vehicles responsible for most roadside toxic pollution and an outright ban on the sale of petrol, diesel cars and vans from 2030.”
Changing the tradition
For years parents have done the school run with many walking their children to school on a daily basis, talking to other parents and getting the latest information from the teacher. In more recent years, thanks to Ofsted ratings, parents are driving their children out from their local schools to ones that are rated higher in the hopes of ensuring their child has a better education.
Could one simple change that the campaign has missed out on be sticking to a school within walking distance of the house? Most people growing up walked to school unless they were in rural areas, and then some got the bus. There are often grants for families with young children who need bus passes and some counties offer minibus service for primary school age children.
Do you do the school run? Are your children affected by air pollution near their schools? Do you agree with the proposed ban? Let us know in the comments.
For some people, walking simply isn’t an option. We live just over a mile from school but on a country road with no pavements. The speed limit is 40 but the road is really best tackled at 20 as its very narrow in many parts and lots of bendy bits; you still get people driving like they are in a rally. Totally unsafe for an adult to walk on it these days never miind a child. The report also fails to take into account that many parents head straight to work from the school drop off. Saying all that, at my sons school there are many people who live less than 10 minutes walk away who still drive their kids there, those are the people who need to be targeted
NO, you are included, you can drop your kids ten minutes walk from school (you admit this is reasonable). The issue here is keeping vehicles away from schools, nothing more. Do you have a bus passing by in the morning, or does that mean your kids have to get up too early? My daughter buses (two of them) to grammar school because she knows children who walk to and between buses, walk to school or cycle there are more awake and engage better with the education process. So, no excuses for your winkle diddimd kiddiwinks, just do what everyone else may have to do.
How passive aggressive are you? Congratulations on making your child aware of the benefit of exercise, millions of others haven’t. And there are millions of reasons for that. I hope your kids do not turn out like you.
Your comment totally proves that you and your ilk are low life mindless inconsiderate idiots who do not have any respect for others.
By driving dangerously, way over the safe speed limit for the road, park and stop where you want and have lost the total ability to use your legs and walk!!!!!
What on earth are you talking about – observer?
How exactly do parents drop their kids anywhere when the primary school does not accept kids that arrive without an adult and fines parents when their kids are late? One way or another we have to drop off our child and then be in work. In his mother’s case (as a teacher) she has to be at her school to accept the kids being dropped off.
As to putting primary school kids on a series of buses? We have a 2-3 mile walk to school depending if we walk through fields or not … or he can walk 1 mile to a bus stop that takes him to another bus stop where he gets another bus then another bus then he is still 1/2 mile from the school supposing you think it’s acceptable for primary school children to walk down a dual carriageway with no pavement … and of course he would have to wait at a bus stop on a busy road
And you expect a 5yr old to do this by themselves in the dark at 6am so his mother can be at her primary school to receive the kids whos parents also have to be at work ? The fact his mother is a primary teacher just illustrates the cyclicity easily … would it be different if she was a nurse for example ??? The reality is for most today is that both parents need to work and be at work by a certain time. Primary schools don’t allow 5yr olds to walk alone and parking a 10 min walk away is not 10 mins but 20 and just shifts the problem. 10 mins radius isn’t a circle … we have major dual carriageways, a railway and canal … in reality for my kids school this leaves one obvious area within 10-15 mins
I live in a house with a football stadium at the other end … I knew this when I bought the house .. at weekends the road is often blocked and I personally have no interest in football … however it would be selfish of me to campaign for those that do shouldn’t park in my street
There is UK law on unaccompanied kids arriving at school, just school rule… get on the board and change the rules. I walked 3 miles to school at the age of eight.
I think you meant NO UK law – indeed there isn’t one. It’s just something that school insists on and would almost certainly never stand up in court – indeed what do they do if an unaccompanied child turns up – turn them away! I think they’d be prosecuted for that!
Fair point mark, I walked eight miles to secondary school and eight miles home. Along country lanes with no footpaths whatsoever. When i borrowed my friends bike i cycled.Often in dark or foggy weather.
Incidently there were no school buses.
Thats called not having your #### wiped.
child minders do a service called school drop off and pickup service why not use that, why not see if other people in your area are going to the same school , there are allsorts of other ways. USE THEM
My child is 4, she’s been attending school nursery since she was 3. There is no way you can drop a child of this age 10 minutes walk from school! I won’t be allowing her to walk unaccompanied for at least 4-5 years!
My daughter’s friend got pulled into a car and assaulted while waiting at a bus stop – who wants to take the risk?
Walk with her then. Or is it you that is the lazy one.
Mile from school on a country road – so, no, there probably isn’t a bus passsing at a convenient time (school bus or otherwise) and maybe the lady can’t afford bus fares if she lives outside the catchment zone for school bus to be an option.
It’s a terrible shame that they have no buses in your area. This would solve a lot of the school run issues.
It’s a shame the bus company have cut many of the services so people feel they have to drive! When I was young we often used to walk a mile to school although there was a bus every five minutes. Okay more people have cars now and there is less public transport, now the roads are clogged with cars. Where you used to find one or two parked outside a school the road is now clogged with mums (dads) with their engines running. I enjoy walking but now have to breathe all the pollution. If parents could drive into the classroom I am sure they would then drive to the nearest coffee shop for a latte.
People don’t FEEL they have to drive. They HAVE to drive.
Not ALL people some could walk
You need to lobby the highways council for a kerb to be made so you are able to walk safely.
I think you mean a PAVEMENT. Country roads are too narrow to have pavements. And how about clearing these roads of perverts?
The problem is that pavement/path are expensive. We had a 50m stretch installed in our village, cost £25k.
Probably inept council not knowing what needs to be done and how much it costs/quality of workmanship/value for money etc.
Applies to most councils as they do not have the necessary qualified staff to make business transactions work in the taxpayers favour.
Actually I think you’ll find that a pavement and path have to be able to support the weight of vehicles not just pedestrians. Hence the expense.
The law (unless amended by local councils) states that it is not illegal to park on the pavement.
It would be great if this law was amended, wouldn’t it!
Contrary to remarks, most pavements are not able to carry the weight of more than a ton (0.5t/axle) so this would exclude 4×4’s, suv’s, vans and lorries which all weigh 2 tons or more.
The reason is that for most of the UK the underlying soil is composed of clay and clay has a habit of either being completely rock hard or completely soggy.
That’s why pavements in general, after repeated car/van loading buckle and distort.
See the following:
http://the-contact-patch.com/book/road/c1602-the-pavement-structure
Road compositions are designed differently with greater thicknesses of stabilised gravel and hardcore material, as the loads, whilst fleeting, are greater. This is a general rule however. Notice that in some slow lanes on motorways that the lane can be distorted by the wheels causing ribbons of grooves. Not good when driving a car over these!
What price a life, or in the case of an accompanied child – 2 lives?
One thing that causes increased air pollution is forcing ALL vehicles to travel at inefficient speeds near schools, and in many other places, by introducing 20 mph at all times and not just when children are entering/leaving schools.
For instance, why between 10 pm and 6 am?
Perhaps more thought could be given to the hours of operation?
Speed humps are also a major cause of pollution with the constant breaking and speeding up again.
True, but speeders and reckless accelerators have brought this on us.
But automated ‘stingers’ that popup when vehicles exceed the speed limit would be a far better deterrent!
You’ve thought that through well. Do tell us what would happen to emergency vehicles.
Nor have you “Old George” A similar technology as happens with Bus lane bollards could be employed. They only drop for Buses. “Stinger” wouldn’t pop for emergency vehicles
Cheaper and more effective just to put up a pair of average speed cameras
Carry a transponder to cancel the detector menchanism
sensors on emergency vehicles nit picker
Stefan, quite so!
If everyone drove slowly down residential roads there would be no need to ‘put obstacles’ in their way.
What’s wrong with people in this country – there is no need for all this speed, aggression, inconsiderate and often dangerous driving.
Everyone is in so much of a hurry these days to get there two minutes earlier.
For goodness sake SLOW DOWN!
You are spot on John T with your comment. We have just driven north on the M25/M1 from Guildford to South Yorkshire. The amount of aggressive and dangerous driving is unbelievable. I am afraid to say mostly from German car drivers. I firmly believe that modern cars are much too powerful. Every car on the road today and van for that matter will cruise at 70-80 MPH but the power of some cars is ridiculous and merely creates competition with some drivers to “prove” how fast their cars are.
why brake and speed up? the idea clue is in the name….
Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.
Here we go again.
Speed humps were put in my residential road many years ago to stop brainless drivers driving down the road at 40 + mph.
These brainless people still try to do so between the humps – accelerating, braking, accelerating, braking.
If you drive down the road at the posted 20 mph you do not have to keep braking – you can maintain a constant speed.
And you save fuel, brake pads – and my patience!
If you drive at 20 mph, you are driving in a lower gear, thus engine revs are pumping out more pollution because they are higher.
Incorrect. Engine runs at lower load so pollutants are reduced. Revs have not very much to do with it really (a little, but not much).
I drift along 20 mph humps in 3rd easily at 1600 rpm , easy , never touch brakes for that !
Utter tosh Jean – you burn fuel when you accelerate. If I drove down a 1 mile road at a constant 20 mph, it would take me 3 mins. If you drove down alternating between 40 and 20 mph as you negotiate each traffic calming measure, it would still take you over 2 mins, but you’d have burned as much as 3-5 times the amount of fuel, not to mention all the other increased wear and tear on your brakes, tyres, suspension, clutch and gears. All for a saving of less than 1 minute.
100% agree , people are impatient , they stress themselves and others to save a minute or two , put twice as much wear and tear on their vehicles including vans.
I laughed out loud at your comment.
You’d only be burning minimal fuel. You’d be feathering the throttle at that speed. Doesn’t matter what your rev counter is saying.
Also very painful for anyone with a bad back!
Agree – no matter what speed you go over speed humps it hurts the back and damaged the shock absorbers.
A pair of average speed cameras would be cheaper in the long run and more effective
The schools around our area have speed limits that are imposed for an hour in the morning and afternoon (to coincide with drop off and collection times). They do this with signs that have a bright flashing amber light and information that says “20mph when light flashes”. It’s a pity that they didn’t program them to not activate on bank holidays and teacher training days though!
In US the limit by schools is 15mph. BUT only when school is in session. Parking/ stopping on road to pick up or drop off is prohibited.
Plus of course the US has a network of school buses to get children to school. Which by law you are not allowed to overtake. Ever. In some states they’ll probably shoot you if you do.
You obviously have no idea of the actual regulations. Why post such nonsense?
The US law if you can pass them while they are dropping off passengers when the vehicle mounted stop signs extend. Some are enforced by vehicle based enforcement cameras. http://www.redflex.com/en-us/news/press-release/school-bus-stop-arm-photo-enforcement-protects-children-communities-nationwide
I live near a school and welcome this proposal. There’s too many cars around schools at school run time making it very dangerous
Totally agree as much as possible. Those parents living in awkward locations should be exempt, maybe with a pass or similar. But, they could still drop the child a distance from school regardless. It has been shown that kids who walk/cycle to school are brighter and engage better with the education process. Would also rid us of the SUV (shed) blight.
Similar to Fiona, we are 2.5 miles from the school, rural area in Wales. School in village was closed a year or so ago so no option. I sometimes wonder where some of these campaigners live, albeit that I am in support of cleaner air! Fionas final sentence says it all, I see it all the time – they can’t be bothered making the slightest effort with some living no more than a few hundred metres away.
Fine, but drop them a ten minute walk from school, the issue here is keeping your dirty vehicles away from the school, nothing else.
Drop my five year old ten minutes away? See my other comment and tell us all what you are doing about it.
Yes. Park the car and walk with your 5 year old that 10 minute walk. Is that so bad?
OK, we’ll all do that. Park in the centre of the road, because there’s nowhere else.
Another totally mindless, selfish, inconsiderate idiot who has no respect for others.
You must walk your obese obnoxious offspring too and from school.
as this would make you and your obese obnoxious offspring much fitter healthier and able to concentrate on their school work.
Observer – what are you trying to say?
AND SLEEP ON A NIGHT
Walk with your child! 🙄🙄
Yes, walk, cut some of the children putting on weight!
Walk your child the last five minutes! Do you both good.
Some people clearly don’t have a clue! It’s bad enough your local school closing or not being given a local school to walk to and be forced to drive as a bus journey is not viable.
So then we are expected to drive and then walk ten minutes too!? You Must be joking if I’m forced to drive in the first place there’s no way I’m walking too!! If you were in our position you would understand! I go early find a sensible space and turn my engine off, unlike a lot of others. By the way my kids aren’t fat they eat healthy and exercise and would walk to school if possible but unfortunately the council have made that impossible, as they have with Peter too.
Complete and utter codswallop.
There is no need in any circumstances for children to be driven to school.
It is just bone idol, selfish, idiots who drive their children to school.
When I was younger my sister and I had to walk 6 miles to and from school in all weathers.
As the Local authority then and now have no statutory require to provide transport for children who live 3 miles or less from their school.
As you claim to drive your children every where in your car they deffinately are not fit and healthy regardless of what you incorrectly claim.
Hi observer – a bit of self-righteousness never harmed any one, and your judgements are way off beam.
You Obviously are one of these selfish, modern, inconsiderate, mindless totally incompetent unfit parent. Who blames everybody else for your non-existent problems.
WALK your totally obnoxious obese brat to school from your home. It would lead to both of you being much happier, fitter and healthier.
Hi observer – I presume you know what you are talking about here!
so your quite happy to do your shopping be it for fags ,milk, bread etc, at the local corner shop which is supplied by BIG lorries/wagons. which are often very close to schools, and normally during the same period as children going to school.
My granddaughter’s school is next to the huge carpark for a busy “out of town” Superstore. There are far more vehicles using that at ANY time of the day than ever are involved in the school run. All the vehicles also have to negotiate speed humps with their attendant pollution problems.
How else are shop shelves going to be restocked? By horse drawn transport?
The roads approaching our school have no pavements, how would you deal with that ?
Bring back local buses!
Who pays for the? Are they cheaper than putting in a pavement?
Lobby the County Highways folk for a pavement. And/or cycle.
The school runs often by large SUV’s add to childhood obesity and increase pollution. Vehicles blocking roads around schools, often with engines running polluting the air should stop. Walk, cycle and school buses that are electric or hydrogen for longer distances. Time to stop bad behavior.
Yes Rich you are right, why do people think they need huge vehicles to take children to school. I have seen some unbelievable antics by drivers trying to manoeuvre their cars around at school entrances.
it’s the parking that worries me most of all
parents will park anywhere and everywhere with constant disregard for the safety of their child/children , often getting them out of the car into the road and causing an obstruction for other road and pavement users.
I wonder what the death rate is outside our schools ?
Children are still being killed – so sad
Utter nonsense. Children alighting from vehicles is not a dangerous event. People speeding at school gates is
I think you(JO Shome) miss the point the number of parents who get their children out of the car onto the road is unbelievable, and these are often the same ones who park on zig zag markings and have utter disregard for anyone else’s safety, and speed along without a care in the world.
I have seen time and time again Parents letting the Children out of the car ( waiting for a parking space ) in the middle of a busy road .
Rob, would these be the same kind souls that think it’s ok to block people’s driveways or the pavement and then act entitled/offended if someone dares to challenge them?
Oh yes. The old ‘it’s your fault for buying a house near a school’ argument.
Once there was an ambulance on route to pick up an elderly gentleman who lived next to the school by us. He was taken ill, and 999 was called. Parents parked blocking the driveway. The neighbours explained the situation and asked the parents to clear the drive for the ambulance only to be told ‘we’ll move when they get here’.
They also park on the pavement (all four wheels – not just bumped up on the kerb!), and to save having to use their arms to turn their steering wheels so much, or having to reverse, will drive over the grass areas outside our houses, churning up the grass and turning it into mud.
When we moved here there was no school. Twenty years later one has been built nearby with a side entrance at the bottom of our cul de sac…..we didn’t choose to be by a school !!!!!. At least one of my neighbours has been verbally abused when politely requesting a parent moves their car from blocking their drive so they can leave for work. Disgusting behaviour and inconsideration has been experienced from these parents.
If the police and council did there job we would not have this problem. Parking across a dropped curb is an offence cover by both RTA 1988 and TMA 2006. As for parking your car on a footpath (pavement) , will its an offence under RTA to drive onto that footpath (pavement) in the first place . Read the RTA 1988 for enlightenment.
What police.
Yes it is lazy, inconsiderate and parents who do this teach their children to behave in the same way as they do. With a total disregard for their fellow men and to be self obsessed.
Our kid has been Victim to abduction threat from foreign gangs who trade children, and victim of a serial paedophile neighbour.
She will be driven to and from school
No one said you cannot accompany her to school to ensure she is safe, only suggestion is it is not in a car.
You don’t say if you are close enough to the school to walk in which case you could escort your child. Yours is a typical amiguous response from the school run brigade lacking in detail and the sort of detail you would probably prefer to withhold just to justify your argument.
Walk, you lazy ****** (fill in the gaps as you choose)
Rude and unnecessary
Comment
Well then David you should take responsibility for your child and WALK. What a selfish attitude.
David you are foolish! WALK with your child (unless ‘the kid’ you refer to is a goat)
Dont make such childish remarks.
are you both in possession of legs?
David, you’re a fantasist. If there are gangs who trade children, they just do it, they don’t threaten to do it.
seems we’ve hit a nerve…..
Not where I live… kids run ito the road to get into back seats and get hit, parents block driveway and even road blockages have had to be manhandled because double parking blocks roads. Parents drive like they are on a race track too … parents and the school run is a danger to kids and others.
Your reply is contradictory. It is a fact that parked cars anywhere including at or near school gates is a traffic calming measure. You mention double parking and road blockages and then mention parents using the road as a race track. Absolute tosh. You cannot have both. If you take all the parked cars away then people will drive faster. Congestion outside school reduces the speed of vehicles and thereby increases stopping distances. I much rather this than a big wide road which encourages drivers to go faster and we know that increases the risk of death or serious injury.
Double parked cars, congestion and squeezing through gaps cause people to focus on the other vehicles so as not to hit one, it also causes frustration and sometimes aggression, do you really want people on the road with that mindset? It’s all very well if someone replies with, they shouldn’t be driving, it’s a fact and there is no getting away from it.
My daughter lived on a school road and it was incredible how selfish parents can be. Her driveway was blocked almost every day in the scramble not to walk an inch further than necessary. Three children in one year were hit by cars. The parent drivers would park wherever they fancied with a disregard for anyone’s safety. Then they failed to give way to each other. We’re rude when asked to clear the driveway. One shouted at my daughter and told her she could bloody well wait until little Johnny had come out of school. In the end she moved. There were speed bumps but parents charge around between the bumps and slam on the brakes to negotiate the bump and off they rev again. The only way to solve the problem is to insist parents use the nearest school to them. No choice to drive to a further away school and put a half mile no stop zone so children have to walk the last half a mile. If that was the case I suspect half the parents would stop using their cars.
what about the people that live half a mile away when the parents park outside their houses
Not contradictory, parking is in side roads, race track is on the main road past the actual school We don’t have big wide roads in Lincolnshire, just death trap narrow single carriage ways. You sadly are talking tosh as you put it. Love you to meet the fire brigade who have had to lift parents cars out of the road to get by the blocked roads and meet the police who constantly give out the tickets.
You actually get police to give out the tickets!! We had a bus bay and parents would park in it 30 mins before the end of (Comprehensive) school so the buses could not get in – the police said it was private property and would not give tickets out. In the end we shamed people with photographs.
Never mind about the contradiction. Just your excuse to do the “school-run” instead of walking. I sued to walk and bus miles in my school years
Parked cars anywhere on the road are a hazard. This is why they slow the traffic down – drivers recognise the hazard and slow down. Parents cannot use the road outside the school as a race track – it is full of double parked cars, children getting out into the middle of the road, open doors on the off side of the car and parents running up and down. Don’t believe me? come to the big primary school near where I used to live, over 350 pupils and one entrance down a cul-de-sac. A car park 250 metres away with crossing patrols nearby but no-one will use it.
I rest my case.
I think the issue is that anyone with any common sense would prohibit stopping to drop off at school and put a quarter of a mile no stopping zone around schools. Zig zag lines etc The evidence is clear. I can get to work in ten minutes in school holidays and it takes me 45 mins some days in term time. I have to drive to work as I work in the community for the NHS. if I did not need to have my car at work to use for visits I would rather walk. It would not take me much longer I suspect.
bear in mind there’ll be a bunch of parents who have taken leave during the holidays in order to look after kids so fewer workers on the roads too.
>I can get to work in ten minutes in school holidays and >it takes me 45 mins some days in term time
Seems to me a parent with no road sense, should not even be on the roads never mind claiming it is not a danger dropping the children off in such a busy road.
Yes indeed. When I took my daughter to school by car I would set out in time to park away from the school. Many if not most of the parents appeared to expect there to be a space at the school gates right up until the bell sounded. There were disgraceful scenes when elderly and disabled people were brought home to the sheltered flats next door ; these involved parents parked on the ‘safety’ zigzags and ambulance drivers bellowing obscenities at one another when the patients could not be de-bussed. In front of primary school children who doubtless had their vocabulary expanded as a result! All because of a lack of forethought and consideration for other road users.
Having the joy of transporting schoolchildren of both primary and secondary ages I can assure you that their vocabulary is in no need of expansion ,parents at all schools that I have experienced recently just abandon their cars without consideration for anyone else
“Epitome of the ME generation “
Opening of a door on the drivers side without first looks is a major problem. But then we can’t expect children to do it properly if they have arrogant and selfish parents, who would be the first to complain if there car got damaged.
Rot. The LAST thing ANYONE can do is speed at school gates!!! Too congested!
If it is not a dangerous event then why do we need less disabled parking spaces at the supermarket and more Parent and child parking spaces?
Totally agree with Angela
At our local school it’s mayhem although getting better now that the police have got involved
And what’s wrong with these kids – don’t their legs work
Make them walk. And I don’t mean in to the classroom from the closest point that Mum (it’s usually but not always mothers) can get to the school gate – I mean make them walk from home (as Jenni Wiggle says in the article)
when i was a lad my school was miles away from our house. we always used to walk to and from school which meant we needed to go to bed early to sleep because we were so tired. Not like kids of today who get their #### wiped and taken every where by car.Can’t the parents of today see what a nice quieter life they would have if they exercised their kids more and tired them out.
Yet another minority group thinking that they speak for the majority. Keep out of our lives. I am not driving home to walk a mile to the school to then walk a mile back. I wouldn’t do that but couldn’t get the time off work anyway. Driving and health are not linked (I did 22,000 steps just yesterday and that is not uncommon). The issue is the destruction of the natural environment that tackles nitrous oxide production and carbon dioxide. That and cramming as many people as you can into a city. They should be concentrating on encouraging planting and increasing the amount of water sources. We can use the naturally occurring nitrogen and carbon cycles to greater effect.
Quite right Peter, here in Milton Keynes we are very lucky to have so many trees that it more or less balances out the air quality around many of the schools
Isn’t this post about the school run? If less cars did this then we wouldn’t need more trees would we?
This issue is about using alternative methods of getting to school and back home. Parents with young children who live in rural areas with no local schools and no buses have little option but to use their cars. On the other hand, many parents use their cars for their own convenience, meaning they don’t have to get up earlier and walk their children to school etc.
Exactly Alan
Our village primary school is closing in the summer and all local schools are full. We have been told that the local authority can make our children travel for 45 minutes by road and with no available schools nearby it is more likely to happen than not. Do these campaigners really understand the logistics many parents have to put in place to get their child to school. I can only imagine they live in an inner city area where the schools are just a short walk away. They need to live in the real world.
We live 7-8 miles from Manchester city center. So can hardly be described as ‘inner city’. The trouble is here, that far too many lazy, unfit parents, cant be bothered walking their equally unfit children, in many cases, a few hundred meters to and from school! Choosing instead to always take the car. The easy selfish option.
Its a disgrace…
What do these people intend to do to protect children form the “allowed” vehicle movements at school time. While the speeders continue to run amok around our schools these proposals will place children at greater risk.Are we going to create a hierarchy of worthiness, Your not worthy of safe delivery to school because of where you live while another can threaten your child’s safety with a speeding filthy diesel 4×4 because of where they live. Makes no sense whatsoever.
Blanket views of 4 x 4 s stating that they are “speeding filthy diesel 4 x 4” is totally misleading and untrue.
My 4 x 4 diesel had N02 and carbon particulate emissions that are less than the average petrol vehicle. Good maintenance is essential though. It’s true that older diesel vehicles can be polluters but please don’t make emotional statements on false information. I need a vehicle with a good towing capability and as yet there is little alternative.
To all those that are using the ‘ there is no option other than to use our car ‘ argument – that’s nonsense, hardly any of my generation were taken to and from school by a vehicle we all walked and so could the modern child – it would be good for them and their minder!
Not so good when run over by a speeding truck
Or by a speeding parent dropping off their child at school..
Maybe trucks might speed less if the school run traffic wasn’t there to delay heir journey. But so few people respect speed limits these days, including many Petrol Prices contributors, judging by what they write in the forum.
Do you keep to the limits? Or do you just expect other drivers to do that on the school run roads, but not elsewhere if they are slow you down and get in the way of your speeding??
Don’t let you ignorance get in the way of a good judgement eh! I walk my 5yo to school every morning FYI and every morning my and his life is threatened by the brainless twits that are late for work OR have a delivery to make OR are late for their GP appointment. Do you expect me to disappear so you can continue your race. “Maybe trucks might speed less” are you listening to yourself?
Are these personal attacks helpful? I am sorry for making an incorrect assumption about you.
You may have misunderstood me.
I don’t race. I drive carefully and obey speed limits. I just wish more people did that too. Maybe can agree on that.
Sorry to hear of your experience.
Well done! Walking your 5 year old to school every morning. How do you deal with those fat/unfit/unthinking /selfish parents driving their children? Do they respect you as a pedestrian?
Book them for obstruction, parking on the pavement, anything and keep on doing it
Jo Shmoe,
One can get run over by a speeding truck back in old fogies day too, and anywhere one might be. Your comment has nothing at all to do with school run.
The problem is fat/unfit/unthinking /selfish parents in fat cars creating fat/unfit/unthinking /selfish children.
When we were young every village had a school. Now most have closed and infants are expected to travel miles to their only available one. Parents are expected to both be at work, so there are few options other than driving for concerned parents.
The policy makers should take these factors into account when pontificating about school transport.
I would never leave a 5 year-old child to travel independently, either by bus or walking.
where in country where there is no pavements just a 60 mph road i wouldnt walk on it way to dangerous never mind children stupid comment
villsge i meant and back then in them days there would have been a lot less traffic
We all had local schools in those days,
No longer the case now unfortunately.
nonsense….parents in those days (as one who walked to school myself) didn’t have cars, they also didn’t have a 40 mile commute to work as I do. Totally different scenario. I have to pass my daughters school on the way. Why on earth would I NOT drop her off ?????
I was in school 1950 onwards. You walked because few had a car and so there were few cars on the road. Basically it was safer and there was no alternative. Did I like arriving in school soaked and cold? No. Have I seen a child get hypothermia waiting for a school bus that did not come – Yes I have. As a teacher I had the problem of risking my job by giving her a lift or leaving her in the cold and snow.
definitely ban cars for the school run – it is scandalous watching ‘little jonny’ being dropped off right outside the school gates and often being driven into the school carpark so they only have to walk right into the front door poor dears
and they don’t even carry their own schoolbags and kit these days the carers seem to be the packhorses.
I drop my son off on the way to work as do many parents what do you suggest we do?
These people need to go to school themselves – one arrives ‘at’ school, not ‘to’ school!
Abarthur,
If all you can give to this forum is a sacastic comment on grammer then you need to seriously get a life
He/She could probably offer lessons on the spelling of sarcastic and grammar too.
People are only thinking of their own situation. I used to teach on an estate In north east England and many children were driven to school, sometimes from houses within the estate. One mother when her own car was unavailable, hired a taxi to take her child to school. People need to think more about what is happening to their own children’s health. Obesity is increasing. The air quality outside schools is frequently poor, probably due to the number of cars delivering children to school. I do not believe anybody expects a five year old to walk along country roads alone to school, try to think of the whole picture not just your situation. Many more people could walk their children to school.
All our neighbours drive their kids to school, bearing in mind the traffic at that time it actually takes them longer in the car than to walk.
Some parents when it comes to pick their kids up arrive 30 minutes early so they have a spot to park even though it would take less time to walk.
Ive noticed that when the parents have delivered their kids having parked on the road outside the school causing major traffic congestion for those of us just trying to get to work , they then don’t get in their cars and move off, but stand having a social chit chat with other parents for some time. And its the same in the evening a pick-up time. They don’t give a toss about the rest of us who have to get to and from work. My journey time is doubled during term time, and its very annoying. I say they (the parents) could do with re-educating in manners and consideration.
Says a lot about the indifference to other road users attitude of MANY female drivers.
I agree with your observations, but would add my own observation that during that protracted wait, it’s not uncommon for engines to be left constantly running to maintain the car heater in winter, and the aircon on warm days, which is another factor in the pollution levels in the vicinity of schools. They may be cacooned, but will of course be breathing in the pollution they have created. Sweet justice.
So if this ban goes ahead they will park outside our houses near to the school and subject us to the Noise and Air Pollution
We have a village primary school, with many of the pupils living several miles away. They’re expected to walk, along roads with no pavements, leaving home maybe an hour or more before school starts, in the dark in the winter?
About time some of the idiots who come up with these ideas joined the REAL WORLD!
Organise a school bus together, or maybe some could cycle? The private car is not the only alternative to walking.
Bill Bailey Why don’t you make a post instead of sniping at what everyone else has to say your a typical back of hall heckler.
So far as I know, replying comments is a legitimate way of joining the discussion.
As for “your a typical back hall heckler”, to the best of my knowledge you know nothing about me. And personal attacks don’t help discussion in my view.
You have to have enough demand to justify the cost of a bus. Some rural primary schools have less than 100 pupils total, and they won’t all live in the same place. Also, young kids cycling on 60mph roads with no footpath doesn’t seem like the best solution either.
CYCLE?? Are you determined to kill the children? That would solve the problem, woudn’t it?
And who pays for this – it is far far far more expensive than individual private cars
They are not expected to walk. They are entitled to free school transport, if they live ‘several miles away’
https://www.gov.uk/free-school-transport
All children between 5 and 16 qualify for free school transport if they go to their nearest suitable school and live at least:
2 miles from the school if they’re under 8
3 miles from the school if they’re 8 or older
They are expected to walk if they live 2.99 miles away.
Sorry Chris the answer is yes. I had a walk to my primary school of over a mile and my secondary school was 3 miles. I was eventually allowed to cycle in the last two years. There is no one situation that fits all!
I live in rural Wiltshire. Our village school closed years ago so our children go to the primary school in the next village; this school has got the usual problems and complaints associated with the school run as the area is simply not designed to cope with the shear number of cars that need to get in and out of the area. My kid’s walk to school would be similar to how you’ve described (2.5 miles along unlit, unpaved roads). But our Local Authority does NOT expect them to attempt this walk..so provides free transport in the form of a local Taxi firm which we make use of, as do another family in our village whom go to the same school (however there are three other families with kids going to the same school but still insist driving their to school! Can’t have it all I suppose!); we work with the school to ensure that our kids are dropped off and picked up safely and it works! Also secondary school aged kids in our village that go to the local comp (in the next town) are also served by free transport. So can’t help wondering if this type of service is available in other local authorities with rural locations; our scheme is not well advertised….not advertised at all in fact (we heard through “word-of-mouth”!)
I am sure that there is somewhere sensible to park that is not immediately adjacent to the school.
We have lived in the same town (Lewes, East Sussex) for 30 years, & brought up 3 children here. We’ve lived through the change imposed by Government which took away parents’ right for their child to automatically have a place in the NEAREST school, and replaced that right with the “Choice” buzz word.
We watched the immediate result –
the stupidity of parents from this side of town crossing to the far side of town, by car. And parents from the far side of town driving their children here. Passing each other. Twice daily, at 9am & 3 pm. Because they believed they had found a better school.
“Parking’s a nightmare!” (surprise!) is the tedious complaint heard daily since this ill conceived idea was imposed.
School run time twice daily brings traffic chaos to commercial and public transport systems. Immediately each school holiday begins that chaos doesn’t happen.
We’ve believed from the start that restoring parents’ right to enter their children in the nearest school only, would completely & instantly end the traffic problem – and the health problems now becoming apparent.
I agree with you, I live in a small village in Sussex with a school at each end of it. Parents park from a corner all the way down the road which is on a bend and makes it impossible for people to see what is coming towards them.
The village comes to a complete stand still at 9am and 3pm with school busses and parents parking.
Most of the parents live less than half a mile away from the school and still drive the children to school.
Children should go to the local school rather than miles. That’s how they make friends in their local area rather than parents having to drive again for play dates.
And what if the nearest school is a bad/underachieving one? Would you really send your children there?
Alan,
You Hit The Nail on The Head here. The problem with education today is that all schools should be “good and achieving” but it seems they are not due to “League Tables”. When I was at school there was no such thing and everyone went to your local school be it Infants, Primary, Grammer, Technical or Secondary and children were taught to their ability.
Nowadays if a child is not at a level that “Ticks the Box” the the school is to blame so it gets a bad reveiw, so parents will try to get their children into the so called good schools, thus having to travel further to do so which involes them in the “School Run”
When “Sats” were first introduced into Primary Schools, it was meant to show how well children were being taught by there teacher as the Sat Paper did not show the childs name. Comparing results from the Primary School classes showed what teachers were good and those which were poor and measures could be taken to improve where required, but nowadays the “Sats” are used to imply what is a good school and a failing school and until “League Tables” are thrown into the bin the chaos of the “School Run” will continue unabated.
More interference from these environmental morons. I’m all for protecting the environment, but these people need to to grow up and get serious. First of all on the subject of man made global warming, which is possibly an even bigger hoax than religion. When they start to take environmental facts into account instead of bleating on in their pathetic left wing way, then maybe we’ll listen. It is not practical to do what they want. They are making things harder for people who are already stressed in the morning over getting their kids to school, much of that stress already courtesy of these environmental lobbyists who make it impossible at times for people to go about their daily business.
We have enough c**p to deal with. Our freedom is being taken away from us gradually and quite swiftly now, and this kind of thing is just another example of their determination to control everything we want to do. A few years back, when petrol hit 86p per litre, people were up in arms and truckers were blocking the motorways. Last night I paid 126.9p per litre for unleaded….where are the protests? It’s time WE demanded enough is enough!
This is the best sensible comment I’ve heard so far. The problem today is children not living near their local school. Catchment areas have changed, also to build more housing than ever without a new school is madness. Blame the councils and government.
The Government and local authorities are not to blame for this situation that affects every school in the country.
The people who are totally responsible are selfish, obnoxious, bone idle, mindless idiots JUST LIKE YOU ARE.
@gerrym. In world evaluations, Britain is a very, very small polluter. Travel to most other parts of the world would indeed open your eyes.
The USA is a huge polluter, where 40% is coal power generated. In the UK it is 2%.
China even greater. I know, I have to travel there (unfortunately) for my work). Saying that it is a hoax that global warming is not man made is ignorance of the reality.
The only way we can practically reduce the school run is to use more environmentally fuelled buses.
Gerry M
Nailed your flag to the mast 🙂
The flags says you must be a right-wing bigot with head up his ass, so he can’t see the reality of man-made global warming. A person who is a part of the problem and too selfish to consider others, nor the health of his own family. Such a small-minded fool! 🙂 🙂 🙂
It is your choice to have bigoted, offensive, obnoxious, unhealthy, unfit, obese brats.
It is your responsibility to provide for and care for your, bigoted, offensive, obnoxious, unhealthy, unfit, obese brats. Thus it is your responsibility to get them to school on time every school day without causing any inconvenience to other road users or residents around their school.
You are an obnoxious, offensive, bigoted, fascist, brain dead, mindless idiot who has no respect for others or the environment.
If the government had concentrated on the “poor” schools (and the “poor” parents) without having named and shamed them parents would not be driving their children miles to get to a “good” school and walking to the local school could become the norm again.
If the teachers were paid a realistic salary to attract only “good” teachers all schools would be roughly of the same standard.
How many live within walking distance of a school? Schools have closed under successive governments and the land sold. My daughter has lessons spread across three schools, one of which is on the far side of town, the huge amount of folders and books required to carry around would make it the walk to and from rather long, especially when considering her epilepsy.
Long overdue to ban school run. Adds to traffic congestion, pollution and child safety so why don’t children use buses and walk as we used to?
It’s a sad fact that over 80% of children live no more than a mile away from their school. No wonder there is an obesity epidemic!
Much as I personally approve of the idea I feel it is entirely pointless. With new schools being built next to already busy roads (as in Woking) and some pupils being bussed in (in diesel-powered buses) children are being gassed anyway.
I am afraid those who make these decisions are unfit for purpose. If it is air pollution they are tackling then stop moving coal for our power stations from Australia and just dig it up, we have/had enough without shipping it (and the associated pollution) half way round the world.
The proportion of power fuelled by coal in the UK is down to 2%, so hardly a large polluter! Cars produce more pollution than power stations. Gas produces 40% and nuclear 32%. The remainder is wind and other renewables.
UK coal is high in sulphur hence the previous imports.
Coal is due to be phased out by 2025.
We need to phase out poor drivers!
We need to phase out LAZY drivers!
Absolutely!
Ban cars everywhere its scandalous watching BIG Johnny expecting to park at the supermarket door every time he arrives. As regards what some older generation did….Well just look at the mess you left behind you
What did some older generations do to make this mess you are referring to?
Not sure how you could ban cars on the school run. In any case, my wife (who does often walk our youngest to school) always drives him in on Tuesdays and Thursdays because those are the days she has to drive to the office. The school is in between home and work, so while she does drive to school, she is not making a special journey (bar a 150yd detour). If you stopped her from driving, she would be late for work, as she would have to walk home to get the car.
Many schools now open early. Our local infant/junior school was pressurised by parents who formed a group. This group then put forward a motion to the governors who had no option but open the school earlier (and close later). This meant that the timescale in which parents could drop off their children (up to the age of 11……….older children at senior school should really walk or take public transport if available) was extended and there was less of a parking issue.
I’m not saying this is a solution but may help in some small way, especially for those with limited or no public transport and live far from the school gates.
For years I worked in Environmental Health and attempted to persuade schools to prevent cars parking right by school gates for all the reasons mentioned in the report but mainly road safety. I only had limited success. One small village was totally congested at school times with cars of all shapes and sizes. It seems it was better to show off a new flashy car than a new buggy or bike.
Many of the parents lived less than a quarter of a mile from school. The problem is getting worse with nearby streets now congested. Any initiative to reduce cars at schools would be a big step forward.
What did you do about speeding drivers passing school gates. What did you do about local residents parking on footpaths forcing children to walk on the road Reducing car use across the board is a good thing I agree but not because you think they are showing off. There are better reasons than that. Get everyone out of cars the children the workers the old. Maybe less strain on NHS if the fogies moved a bit more. Far to many cars in the country. Stop picking on the children. Let the elders lead the way! see how far we get.
Bit or a generalisation Jo! I’m old enough to be one of your ‘fogies’ (assuming everyone of retirement age is one).
However, I walked to my junior school (along main roads) about a mile away and had to take two buses to my senior school, taking about an hour or so each way.
Admittedly there were not so many cars around but the simple answer is to increase bus usage, especially for school children. I’m sure many parents would agree to a bit more funding, especially as they would not have to use their own cars.
Alan old chap tongue in cheek !! Dropping children at school isn’t a problem, its actually necessary for the healthy functioning of the economy going forward. The problem is excessive vehicle use in and around towns and in particular around schools.How they did it 50 or 60 years ago it totally irrelevant. If we can provide a safe environment (vehicle free) around schools it will encourage more walking. You cant ask parents to take children out of safe cars to walk on unsafe roads. Bus usage wont provide clean air. There are associated problems that need addressing first. Were on the same side.
Jo, the only practical way of easing the congestion of the school run is to use new environmentally friendly buses. That is not to say that children who live near schools shouldn’t walk. It’s just that rural villages do not always have schools, especially primary ones and these children at such a young age cannot walk along rural roads in the dark in the winter and with no pavements. Somehow they have to get to schools (and back home) and the only practical way of doing it whilst reducing the number of cars on the school run, is by using more buses. This is the way I travelled to my school and it should be for those who can. It helps the kids physically to walk as well.
As to buses not providing clean air well, one bus versus 20 to 30 cars regarding pollution?
I don’t think so.
Alan… going on Jo Shmoe’s other comments I guess they are one of the people being targeted by this report and they don’t like it. I’m probably younger than him/her (twenty years ago i was 6) and I quite happily walked the mile or so I lived from school at the time. Normal “i need to wrap my kids in cotton wool” attitude that has got us in the mess around schools. Maybe stop trying to protect your kids from EVERYTHING! and they might lead healthier happy lives.
Jo It’s known that traffic jams negatively affect the economy as a whole, and the potential health complications from breathing fumes will have a negative impact of the NHS so I don’t know where you get off saying that it’s good for the economy. Also you’re saying their is excessive vehicle use in cities, OK agreed but many of those vehicles could be providing a net benefit to the economy (business use) how does your tax burden children and your car churning out fumes outside a gate help the economy?
Have another go at reading what I said, Ware your glasses this time you might get the gist of it.
Wear not ware
Jo, Your temperament is about as good as your spelling. Maybe you could go back to school yourself? :LOL:
Exactly fogie – the same observation struck me (grammar also!) – but Jo would probably drive there like some of the ‘oldies’ at a school I know.
You probably did what I did and cycled 15 miles there and back, come rain or shine (yellow oil skin cape and all). I kept fit and learnt a bit of self preservation and initiative. That’s kept me going to the grand old age of 81, through three ages of walking generations to school and inspiring exercise.
Should be ‘put down’, I hear many cry. It will eventually come to that for those who survive the perils of modern life and the demise of the NHS.
You obviously your attendance at school was very ocasional as you can not write a gramaticaly and spelt correct sentance.
The person you are replying to is 100% correct in what he or she wrote.
You obviously are a totally failed, unfit for purpose parent amd a selfish obnoxious person.
Walk your obnoxious, unheathy, unfit, brats to school.
Then they would be a lot healthier and fitter. As well as being able to properly concentrate on their schoolwork.
Hi observer – look in the morror, sorry mirror!!
JoShmoe, Try finding positive angles rather than negative. Dropping children at school is big a problem, it’s actually bad for the healthy functioning of the economy going forward. Opinion like statistics differ depending mostly on any person’s (hidden?) agenda.
Same here and I have lung disease. Walking did me good.
Likewise all three of my children walked a mile to school and a mile home. They were rarely if ever ill and didn’t suffer from obesity-the surge for children now. Type 2 diabetes in young children!! Unheard of in my nursing days!
There are cars in the country because the bus services are disappearing – if they ever existed – I say get rid of the cars in cities, there is no need there are buses every few minutes and tubes and trains. The point is this: REPLACE DIESEL AND PETROL WITH ELECTRIC in our cities. We used to have trams and trolley buses – now replaces with ‘better’ modern diesel. It was crazy then and now we are paying for it.
People should go to places like Hull and York and see how they go on. Nearly everybody has a bike some with carriers on to carry their children.
My dog is on medication.
Due to EU rules I am only allowed to purchase a small amount at a time.
This necessitates frequent drives to the vets( no public transport around here)
How many other pet owners clutter up the roads because of similar EU rules?
Why doesn’t the Government get this sorted out before harassing parents?
Put a 1 mile exclusion zone round the schools, also a large problem is parents who arrive early and sit with the engine running for anything up 30 mins before & after school.
Isn’t that just moving the parking problem to different areas?
Alan,
Possibly, but it would provide cleaner air around schools, so why object?
Cleaner air around schools perhaps but all that is happening is dirtier air somewhere else, perhaps near housing where babies and children live! As others have pointed out, the parents want to park as close to the school as possible so that they have the minimum distance to walk. Near a school where my son lives the parents park along his road. So the pollution has moved from the school to his road. Has that solved the problem?
It’s not solving the problem, just moving it somewhere else, isn’t it?
It would spread it out and in reducing congestion round schools and discourage early parking-up to bag a space \social chat. Pare rd could also take the initiative and organise walking trains.
Hi Paul,
There is a primary school not far from where I live which is situated at the bottom of a hill that has a series of “S Bends” leading to it. At pickup time cars arrive over an hour before the children finish school and start to park just after the last bend causing mayhem as this is a very busy road used by all types of vehicles and not that wide.
I have seen children picked up less that 200mt’s from their homes! no wonder there is concern about child obeastity nowadays.
My husband walked to school when he was young, with his Mum for over one mile. Kept him healthy and caused him no problems having to walk that distance. The attitudes of children today seem lazy.
I am a grandparent and my services are sometimes called upon to take our grandchildren to school or pick them up when daughter in law is working nights etc. It’s a 40mile round trip for me so no way can I walk them, especially in the mornings which already means I have to get up aroud 6am.
It’s a shame that your daughter has no friends that live close by that can help them out.
Jim, I would be surprised if you would be considered part of the problem. It’s parents who live within a mile or less of the school who are mostly the problem.
Great idea to restrict cars to prevent the ridiculous polluted gridlock around schools. Many of them mamby pambies who are in easy walking or biking distance. It’s a nightmare for local residents who need to get cars out of their drives to commute long distances, or want to walk or bike and breathe clean air.
The biggest part of the problem in towns and cities is that parents choose to send their children to what they perceive to be the best school rather than the nearest which would cut the amount of car journeys required. I do understand that in rural areas some children need to be transported by private cars due to distance.
Would you really send your kids to a failing school though, just because it is the nearest?
I think not. Anyone with an ounce of common sense would try and get their child into a good school.
I live at the end of a cul-de-sac opposite a school. We get dozens and dozens of cars down our road, turn at the end and stop to drop of their kids; twice a day. So we know that pollution shoots up twice a day.
I welcome the ban on using cars. Most of these kids are LOCAL, maybe a 10 to 15 minute walk at the most.
What’s even worse is that the parents are regularly asked to use the huge car park that belongs to a local attraction (no charge). It’s about 200m past the school: but that too bl**dy far for their kids!
If many dropped them off a quarter of a mile or so away and let them walk the rest it could radically reduced the problem and give the kids some exercise.
Why do they need to get so close and congest and pollute a small area?
That doesn’t solve the problem does it? It’s just moving the parking issue further away from the school and jamming up another area!
We need to remove the school run altogether, one way or another.
Doesn’t solve but does start to help to alleviate the issue.
If all the parents drop off/collect their children just 1/4 mile away, then that’s 250 miles less motoring pollution per 100 cars each week and the vehicles are spread around a 1/4 mile radius, not concentrated in just one spot.
If the parents then walk to meet the kids at the school gate, then there’s no 30 minutes of idling engine.
Once they start walking 1/4 mile and start getting fitter, so may then start parking further away and hopefully, eventually, leave the car at home and walk the full distance.
If ‘many of the pupils [live] several miles away..’ then they are entitled to free bus passes/transport.
see
https://www.gov.uk/free-school-transport
‘All children between 5 and 16 qualify for free school transport if they go to their nearest suitable school and live at least:
2 miles from the school if they’re under 8
3 miles from the school if they’re 8 or older…..
…If there’s no safe walking route, they must be given free transport, however far from school they live. Contact your local council if you think that the walk to school isn’t safe.’
The school close to me, has many parents – nearly all of whom live within 12 minutes walk – who drive their children to school; park where the road-signage bans vehicles; park on private land; park on roundabouts and park in such a way on both sides of the road, that passing traffic, struggles to get through.
Then the obese parents, stand talking for half-an-hour outside the school gate.
The school-run is driven by laziness and selfishness in the main. There will always be exceptions, especially in rural locations but even in my semi-rural village, there are two free car-park,s 6 minutes walk from the school but they go unused.
Parity of esteem for all, your trip to work is no more important than the child’s trip to school. If you want to stop car trips to school show the way and stop car trips to work the supermarket the cinema buses go everywhere nowadays I’m reliably informed. Let the elders who should know better show the way.
You’re right about some of those things Jo, might be a bit tricky on the supermarket run with lots of bags, if the supermarket is 6-miles away.
There is no denying that children (and people generally) are more obese than 40-years ago. In my school of 1,300 pupils in the mid 70s, were 2 obese children, one of each sex.
Nearly all the children lived within a 3-mile radius and about 90% walked or cycled; of the remaining 10%, most caught a bus.
Just being provocative Ragebe trying to encourage rational thought so people realize how silly the whole proposal is without a holistic approach
It does indeed need a carefully considered approach; presumably that’s the stage the plan is at now. I also expect every commentator today is influenced by their own personal circumstances.
Twice a day, on Monday to Friday, my cul-de-sac is blocked by people parking their cars to drop-off/collect children, yet the vast majority of those drivers live within a 10-minute walk.
I have a radical solution, why not build or provide schools locally in villages etc. That way so many parents wouldn’t be forced to drive their children many miles to and from school. Also many of the ‘school’ buses provided by local councils are 20/30 year old relics with aging diesel engines that don’t meet any emission standards primarily used because they are cheap, is that to be addressed. Some parents actually don’t drive their children to/from school themselves but either singly or jointly regularly employ a taxi or private hire service, typically to well known Public Schools, so is it proposed to ban taxis etc. as well?
Jo, buses don’t go everywhere as you state. However, they are the only practical solution. One bus could hold 40 kids, so that would be taking at least 20 cars off the road per bus. Obviously we need environmentally suitable buses but that small investment would free up millions of lost hours in traffic jams wouldn’t it?
Not only that but everyone wins, the environment, our health, both physically and mentally and our pockets maybe?
You mean you win. More space to run down to the corner shop or around the block to the GP. Yea lets trade modern fuel efficient clean running cars for a “small investment” fleet of filthy smoke belching old diesels. This is about the self appointed deserving motorist deciding that parents and children don’t deserve the same rights they have. Just a bandwagon for those longing for the old days when only the well off had cars. Its over, the new generation is here and guess what the millennials will turf you guys out of your ice vehicles in quick time so I suggest you get a bus timetable or a bike instead of ordering every one elses life. Oh let me guess you already have,,,yea sure.
You need to get into the 21st century Jo! Newer buses run on cleaner fuel (gas) so much better than old diesel. I don’t want old buses on the road any more than you do.
My experience is that many lorries are belching out fumes and that includes white van man as well with their old beat up diesels belching smoke!
I’m not longing for the old days either as you seem to suggest. We have to move forward. It would be useful if you could come up with viable solutions to the school run issue instead of pillorying others.
“Ban the school run as it adds to traffic congestion”
Now there’s a real beauty……
Force the kids to walk in a gas cloud dodging speeding cars so there is one less car in the traffic queue for the deserving who’s needs far outweigh those of the children. Some people are truly out to lunch.
newer diesel cars are no worse than petrol .
newer diesel cars are no worse than petrol
It’s a well known fact that pollution INSIDE a car (especially in the winter) is greater than outside. This is due to air conditioning units being turned on.
Still want to take your kids to school in a car now?
“It’s a well known fact”
hahahahahahahaahahahaha
What utter nonsense. Show me the data.
Pat, you’re obviously not a well read person so the proof is in the following articles and has been known for a number of years:
httpd://www.airqualitynews.com/2016/02/16/higher-air-pollution-health-risk-inside-car-study-finds/
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jun/12/children-risk-air-pollution-cars-former-uk-chief-scientist-warns
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/business-41931140/tackling-the-toxic-danger-inside-our-cars
Would you like any more evidence?
Stop criticising people for your own ignorance and say something useful like suggesting a realistic way of not harming our children outside schools!
The reason that so many people use their cars these days is the governments fault by closing all the small schools and opening large ones miles away from where people live.
I would be happy if they were stopped from taking their children by car as I live in a caldesac and it is impossible to enter or exit twice a day,and the parents are very rude and insulting if you ask them to move.
Most schools are controlled by local governments, not central government. Local governments, as voted in by you and me, are mainly responsible for the funding distribution unless the schools are free or academy status.
Trouble is, schools have been closed down due to lack of both central gov. funding and pupil numbers. There is no getting away from that fact.
It does mean though that many schools that are still active are now oversubscribed which is why some children have to travel greater distances.
It would be interesting to know actually how many primary schools (these are the most vulnerable to closure) out of the total in England have been closed.
Even so, it needs parents to get off their backsides and actively participate with their councils on how to overcome the school run congestion issue. It’s no good moaning on this and other websites as it won’t get us anywhere.
We voted in the council members. Make them work for their positions of power!
PS. My house backs onto a primary school. The school wanted to build low cost housing on the playing fields. With a bit of effort (targeting households nearby, arranging meetings with the council, setting up a website, security of children etc) the council eventually backed down.
It can be done. Councillors do not like bad publicity!
All children should be made to walk to school if they live within a mile of the school. I had to right from Infant school. Children should also be forced to go to their local school and parents not given the option to pick and choose to try and find a better school. People who are clever will be clever at whatever school they attend!
I totally agree with this Paul. Two of my three children could have gone to Grammar school outside the catchment area. Both chose to go local secondary schools. Both were clever. Youngest son excelled after leaving uni. If they are bright they will achieve wherever they’re schooled.
I went to an open air school age 8. Schooling was dreadful! Attended local secondary modern-now comprehensive. Didn’t stop me achieving either.
A good idea as long as there are good alternatives for children living more than a mile from the school. Roads are mostly a joy during school holidays!
I see no movement in this direction from my local authority. i live in a rural area and there are no safe ways for children to cycle or walk and there are no plans to change that. requests for a pedestrian crossing on a busy road have been declined, and the local authorities are now consulting to remove subsidised bus transport. at just under 1k per annum per pupil for the bus, i think most parents will be relying more on their cars to take kids to school.
My friend lives near a Junior school and its constant parking all day with teachers and part time workers . They don’t care where or how they park. Many times double parking. waiting for children with their car engine running. Parking on pavements (which I believe is a motoring offence). They certainly have no respect for local people living near schools . They are inconsiderate selfish drivers and about time some thing was done about it.
When I was at school I had to walk every day and it done me no harm.
My wife and I have lived on a small side street directly opposite a busy school for 30 years now. All my children actually attended the school, Elmwood primary in Middleton, North Manchester.
The problem with drop off/pickup traffic during school time combined with large amounts of teacher/staff car activity has steadily become worse and worse as the years have rolled by. Added to this my wife and two of my children have developed breathing, chest conditions. My wife has COPD and my two now adult sons, both suffer ongoing chest/breathing problems. We have loved the house we have lived in but we both agree, if we had our time over again, we would never choose to live in a house opposite a school. Sadly also, the vast majority of the parents using their car to transport children to and from the school, are only living within 1 mile of it. Sometimes from only on the next street!
Bring on the car ban I say! It should have happened years ago.
sorry to hear of your experience Pete
Scrap the postal codelottery when comes to catchment areas. Parents should be able to choose the school that is nearest to them. One family could live 100 yards from a school but it has a different postal code and have to take their child/ren more than a mile away. How are these children be able to walk to school?
its the lorries and vans that is the problem…. time to get the goods on the railway.
All pupils should be made to attend the school that is closest to where they live, and all this rubbish about grading schools should be scrapped, with all of them aiming to achieve the same standards. This could be achieved if the government backed the teachers to give them more authority to punish unruly pupils.
Steve, this is a difficult issue to address. There are many schools in deprived areas or in large council estates where the children do not always have the support necessary, either from the school or their parents. This puts these schools at a disadvantage, where teachers are more likely to be challenged and therefore spend more of their time defending their position than teaching. These schools also have many more teaching assistants than the average thus putting them under financial strain.
There will never be a level playing field regarding education as long as this status exists.
The teaching unions are very reluctant to give up their power therefore damaging any changes to the good of the pupils who are most disadvantaged. Teachers are held to a rigid code of teaching and cannot express their individuality so pupils lose out. It’s a case of the lowest common denominator, not the highest where the best are allowed to shine. (this obviously does not apply to all schools)
I would love to see all schools, especially comprehensives, challenge each other academically, in the arts, engineering, trades and in all other areas of education but while we have the disparity between areas of poverty and richness, it will always be so.
Ofsted reports actually try to bring up the standards of schools but without the teachers and funding it is not always possible.
Regarding teachers punishing pupils……………well they do in a way by excluding them. It doesn’t really solve the problem though does it?
I agree with most of this – but, having been a teacher in the days when it was possible to be flexible in teaching and to ensure that children could be motivated, Nat Curr and associated regulation is so restrictive that teachers are drowning under paperwork and self-assessment and observation (designed to sack the incompetent – whatever that means) that teaching does not really get done anymore, there is just a package. Wilson said a grammar school education for everyone – it did not happen. Schools need to be improved by allowing teachers to teach – resources is a minor problem (put 30 children in front of computers and the job stops – I have seen his often). When we have a system that helps the disadvantaged there will be no need to travel around to schools in cities.