Unnecessary congestion
Comments
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The clogging of areas around schools by parents' cars is happening for 3 main reasons
Laziness / Downright Laziness / Selfishness
The parents and their children would all benefit from using their legs and walking.
No reason why those with a few miles journey distance don't leave their cars in the local municiple car park and walk the rest of the way.
Good for the kids and good for the parents AND would improve road safety at the school gates.
K
Please do not tar all parents with that brush. See my earlier post, my Sons and DIL's are none of the above and I take great exception in them being called that. They are very hardworking and loving parents, none of them are lazy or fat as they get plenty of exercise. They too are frustrated by lack of parking near schools, they don't want their children run over or be the cause of someone elses child to be run over. Where possible they do park away from the school but even that can be difficult at times. They would love for their children to go on a school bus but the councils don't run them from their area to the schools they have to attend.
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Tammy In your case its the Majority who by their actions, give a bad name to the minority who have a ligitimate need,where as normally its the other way round
Well thank you for that but I'm not so sure, there are many parents that are in the same boat as mine. As towns and villages get bigger and bigger then so must the schools, but it would seem that is not the case. Schools are not getting bigger because there
are some that still have capacity for pupils so until all these are full the powers that be seem very reluctant to expand, which means there are areas where children have to travel miles to school at parents expense, if the council was to provide transport
then that would cut down the number of cars at the gates. By the way how do you all know that the cars belong to parents we live within say a mile of the school? that's a distance I would say most infants should be able to walk IF it is safe to do so, ie
pavements.0 -
Tammy if all parents dropped their children off at a safe place 1/2 mile from the school, and let them walk from there, it would be much safer than currently dropping them off at the gates. Everyone thinking the only safe option is to drop their off spring at the gate causes major safety issues due to the congestion caused. When on gate duty at the school I worked I never stopped being amazed by the downright dangerous things parents would do including, driving and parking on the pavement and parking in neighbouring driveways then reversing out onto the main flow.
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Tammy, one of the problems with the school in our village is that it is considered to be a good school and parents apply to get their children in, the population of the village is approx 1200 people so not a big village and I would say that 75% of people
haven't got children. The parking stretches for approx 1/4 of a mile, there isn't a shop in the village and after 0900 the street clears, and you can then get two cars by one another. What would be good is a car park near to the school so parents could park
there and then walk,thus creating less obstruction and safer for the children. There was a field behind the school which as just had some affordable housing built there, but that would have been ideal for a car park and a footpath built to access the school
from the back,that would have been totally safe the children not even going on a road. If the county planning had have been concerned or even the parish council it could have saved a lot of bother. There is a road which is dead end with a footpath through
to the school gates but do parents use their common sense and park on there, no, they would sooner park next to the school gates and create problems.0 -
We live on the outskirts of a Garden City,there are nine schools , primary 7 comp 2 private 1,within 3mls and a good school and service buses to most,but as our local councilors state,as they have done surveys,the majority of parents questioned said the
times of any other form of transport,including "walking buses" is not compatable with their timetables for the school trip, or in other words its easier,and quicker to get the car 0 -
Ta my, you know Worksop, I walked from concrete city to StMarys from the age of 10 didn't walk everyday caught the bus some days but I like the other kids that walked with me would sooner have walked than catch the buss. My parents were both working and
couldn't take us to school much the same as most parents that lived in the vicinity. Please don't think I am getting at you or your family I'm not just outlining what we used to do.0 -
MD, did that make you what was called a 'latchkey' kid?
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Ta my, you know Worksop, I walked from concrete city to StMarys from the age of 10 didn't walk everyday caught the bus some days but I like the other kids that walked with me would sooner have walked than catch the buss. My parents were both working and
couldn't take us to school much the same as most parents that lived in the vicinity. Please don't think I am getting at you or your family I'm not just outlining what we used to do.Yes I know and I used to walk from Hamilton Street to Crown street, but that was then, roads are busier, parents work etc. you said from the age of 10, I'm talking about infants/juniors 4 - 10 I don't think anyone would expect these to walk miles. 1 set
of my grankids live in Tidworth their school is in Collingbourne Ducis its 15 mins drive on country roads that I don't even like driving, as i've said if the parents could get kids into local schools then the need for cars would be less.0 -
There was a field behind the school which as just had some affordable housing built there, but that would have been ideal for a car park and a footpath built to access the school from the back,that would have been totally safe the children
not even going on a road. If the county planning had have been concerned or even the parish council it could have saved a lot of bother.This is what I'm saying the powers that be are causing the problems by not adressing them, provide a safe place to park, provide buses, provide spaces at local schools its not rocket science. Some schools have breakfast clubs so parents can drop the kids
off before going to work, some provide after school clubs, these help spread the congestion, some schools have earlier starting times (DIL works in one that starts at 8.30 its difficult for parents when children go to differant schools but have to be picked
up within minutes of each other.I know it is perceived that ALL parents are useless waste of space these days but they are not, they are all working hard to provide a better life for their children just as we did, but I believe they have a harder time now then ever we did.
If people want to address these issues get together, join a group in your village/town and have a bigger voice, its the only way, don't come on here moaning about it because this forum won't be of any use solving the issues.
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I agree with Tammy, distance has to be a factor in considering whether to use a car to take the kids to school, but why, when there is a nearby car park followed by a walk of, at most, 200m, will some parents still clutter up the private road by the gates,
often parking on the 'no park' zigzag lines?Conversley, there was even a case a while ago of one parent who parked outside our house and then walked her child to school almost the same distance as if theyd walked from home( I knew where they lived)
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I agree with Tammy, distance has to be a factor in considering whether to use a car to take the kids to school, but why, when there is a nearby car park followed by a walk of, at most, 200m, will some parents still clutter up the private road by the gates,
often parking on the 'no park' zigzag lines?Conversley, there was even a case a while ago of one parent who parked outside our house and then walked her child to school almost the same distance as if theyd walked from home( I knew where they lived)
SteveL, as you know "theres nowt as queer as folk"
Who knows why they do things like that, we have a similar problem here, why do guests of
the hotel across the road park in our private car park and not in the hotel one provided, they havecome out with alsorts of rubbish when challenged even "I didn't know it was private" as they park under the sign, or "I didn't know the hotel has a car park"
but the one that always amuses me is" I'll only be a minute"0 -
Tammy, I have been to the parish council also to the local MP I am not a parent and do not live on the road where the problem exists. The council had the police to a council meeting and were told that the police couldn't do anything about it, obvious they
weren't prepared to. As as been shown on here it's not just local to our village there are many schools throughout the country tha have the same problem. As you rightly put its down to the local councils and planning to come up with a suitable solution which
as I wrote, our council could have done. As for our MP he toes the party line with everything, I wouldn't think we would get any joy in that direction, it will take a child to be killed or maimed before anything is done.0 -
Perhaps schools should have a 'drop off zone' like airports used to have ie. drive in drop off drive out
We tried that TG - we agreed with the local soccer club that parents could use their car park as a drop off point. It had direct access into the school grounds and we even had a dedicated hard surfaced path built aound the field perimeter for youngsters
to use. It involved a walk of maybe 800 metres. What happened was that the youngsters who walked from town anyway used that access - I'll leave you to guess how much use was made of it by parents who drove and dropped youngsters off!
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it will take a child to be killed or maimed before anything is done.
and there lies the sad truth of it, as you say you are not a parent or live on that road but you are concerned. We have a very good group in our village that have good relations with the council but I know it takes a strong will to keep at it sometimes.
The easy option these days is ignore it and hope it goes away, I can't see that the issues will go away they have to be dealt with.The reason I posted was that it was coming across that ALL parents were . . . . . Lazy, Very Lazy and Selfish they are not, just some.
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Perhaps schools should have a 'drop off zone' like airports used to have ie. drive in drop off drive out
We tried that TG - we agreed with the local soccer club that parents could use their car park as a drop off point. It had direct access into the school grounds and we even had a dedicated hard surfaced path built aound the field perimeter for youngsters
to use. It involved a walk of maybe 800 metres. What happened was that the youngsters who walked from town anyway used that access - I'll leave you to guess how much use was made of it by parents who drove and dropped youngsters off!
as an ex teacher you will be aware of 'education, education, education I'm
afraid that's what it needs, the parents/guardians need educating to do these things. Why do people park in disabled bays or parent and child bays rather than walk a few feet more, or drop litterrather than put it in their pocket until they see a bin.Until we tackle these people they will keep doing it, we have become a nation of undisciplined adults how are the children ever going to turn out any better
See I'm starting to put everyone in the same pot now Some people are undisciplined not all
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One of the comps near us has a drive in drive out area for drop off and pick up it is used by some in the morning, (unless they think they may mean being held up on the way out )if in direction of travel!!,but not if it means turning across traffic?but in
in the afternoon they would rather stop on the road outside to wait as they think it will hold them up if going inside
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Tammy, you are right about this forum, it cannot provide a solution but, look at the ideas that have been generated. It's a pity that more discussions like this don't take place on here.
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One of the comps near us has a drive in drive out area for drop off and pick up it is used by some in the morning, (unless they think they may mean being held up on the way out )if in direction of travel!!,but not if it means turning across traffic?but in
in the afternoon they would rather stop on the road outside to wait as they think it will hold them up if going insidebut isn't that a sign of the times everyone is in such a rush
we notice it most when returning home from abroad, we got off
the ferry in November at Portsmouth and it was like Brans Hatch, why! it was lovely once we got back home again.0 -
One of the comps near us has a drive in drive out area for drop off and pick up it is used by some in the morning, (unless they think they may mean being held up on the way out )if in direction of travel!!,but not if it means turning across traffic?but in in the afternoon they would rather stop on the road outside to wait as they think it will hold them up if going inside
but isn't that a sign of the times everyone is in such a rush
we notice it most when returning home from abroad, we got off the ferry in November at Portsmouth and it was like Brans Hatch, why! it was lovely once we got back home again.We try not to use the car when at home,because everyone is in such a hurry,we tend to travel by Bus or Train,and when travelling by bus it is so noticeable what the drivers have to put up with as no one will give way to a bus,there is a junction near us that is at times difficult to exit,I will always let the bus out and have on several occassions had following vehicles sound their horns or other forms of displeasure,as it might hold them up a couple of seconds
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We have four schools on the same site, nursery, infant, junior and senior. With the exception of the nursery these schools have been there for more than 50 years, each one of them has increased in size. There are roads on either side of the site and the
infant and junior school have a large roundabout inside the site area, this is packed with cars on either side of the road at least one hour BEFORE the schools finish. What a waste of a person's time on collection duty. The congestion is unbelievable and
despite zig zag lines and school entrance all over the road those collecting children ignore them.I walked mine to and from school, I was lucky I didn't have to work so didn't need to be anywhere at a set time after dropping them off. This was always a social time, with children and parent chatting together and as they became more independent the place
I met them gradually got further from the school get until they came home by themselves. It's a very different world these days. Just as it was when mine were smaller compared to when I was.I have to agree with Tammygirl everyone here seems to be in a such a rush all the time. I'm not sure we gain anything, apart from indegistion and the likes
, from the speed we live our lives.0 -
Parking ib residential streets is similar. You can have three or four cars parked on one side of the road but rather than park the same side and walk across, some plonker will park opposite the parked cars slightly offset creating a giant slalom course.
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What I find interesting is the general acceptance of the need to take children to school by car. My feeling is that to save society a £1 in schooling costs, it is actually costing us far more in other costs. The difference is in the accounting.
If school buses were reintroduced, congestion could be reduced. Time, money and pollution could be saved. (And lazy people could become even lazier.)
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What I find interesting is the general acceptance of the need to take children to school by car. My feeling is that to save society a £1 in schooling costs, it is actually costing us far more in other costs. The difference is in the accounting.
If school buses were reintroduced, congestion could be reduced. Time, money and pollution could be saved. (And lazy people could become even lazier.)
To a certain extent it will be a bout budgets. School buses would hit councils, probably I don't know now as not all schools are council run. That in turn would hit council tax or income tax citizens moaning about high taxes
Driving your own car means the cost falls on the individual. Also if the government want both parents to work there are time
elements and the parent would need to take the car if their child needs accompanying to school as there is could be insufficent time to walk and return and then take the car if that's necessary. Also instead of going to your local school you have a choice
of where to send them, assuming that they get in. Certainly in our area the schools a FULL and there have been cases where parents have to get 3 children to 3 different schools in various directions. I hold my hands and and say I don't know how it can be
solved. Budgets are king these days0 -
Any system that result in three children having to attend three different schools is flawed.
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Our secondary school has a good bus service, and still there is total congestion due to those that chose to use the car in preference. Add to that adapted vehicles for those with disabilities and taxis, a few bike riders and those walking and it is a wonder
there are not many accidents. With some lateral thinking, the school has now created a turning circle for the buses within the school complex so students can get on or off safely away from the cars. However, there has to be two members of staff to stop the
cars using it!!0
