As we are all aware the kids are on their summer holidays of seven weeks.
The difference on the roads is incredible, as there is so much less traffic. I am not a believer in the car polluting issues, but what I do believe is that something must be done about the ammount of traffic clogging up the roads.
I believe that dropping little Johny off at school everyday, is one of the worst causes in inner cities. The proof of that is in the pudding as now the traffic congestion is so much lighter, which means that the school run parent is a massive issue.
When I was a kid most of my mates parents did not have one car, let alone two. Now though most families seem to be a two car family.
I do not know what the answers are to the congestion but what I do think is that the dropping off the kids at school of a morning contributes greatly to the problems, and I think that once the morning rush has started it never recovers enough during the day to ease things. Then the same thing happens on picking the kids up after school. Then the evening rush hour has the same problems.
The kid next door to me is 14 and he gets taken to school by Nanny fgs. Why can he not do what we used to do and get a bus? I can understand taking primary kids to school, but come on....why do secondary kids have to be taken? What is wrong with the bus? Plus little Johny has to get dropped right outside the school so every bloody parent is trying to get into two spaces. Are the kids today that lazy that they cannot get a bus like we used too?
What do others think about the huge traffic problems we now face, and is there anything that can be done to make it any better? Because I do believe that one Government or another will tackle this issue sooner rather than later, and we all know what that means.....they will get it wrong and the motorist will suffer financially as usual.
What bright ideas do people have to ease this problem?
Join the most popular community of UK swingers now
Login
Congestion problems
last reply
20 replies
1.5k views
0 watchers
0 likes
I hate the overuse of cars anyway, but my local primary school would have closed 3 years ago if there were no parents able to drive 'little johnny/jane' there. The vast majority of children come from outside the village (some, but not all, by choice rather than necessity). There is no bus service, school or public, whether parents would use it or not. If it closed, this would have meant me driving my own children the 5 miles to the next primary school with places to spare at the time. I am trying to run a shop that opens before school begins and closes after the end of the school day. I'd have to close temporarily to do the school run, so would have to leave it until the last minute and drop off/pick up from the school gate or else accept I would lose a lot of my custom.
One of the worst things that happened in this country regarding school access, was allowing parents so much choice where they sent their kids. It used to be that your children went to the closest appropriate school for their age and ability, and buses were laid on to transport those living outside the acceptable walking distances. Every village had a primary school and it didn't matter how many kids went there, they stayed open with a suitable ratio of staff to pupils. If a school developed a good reputation, house prices went up in the vicinity, and only sufficiently wealthy people could move into the area. How many people cashed in on that little perk when their own kids left school?
My older children go to 3 different grammar schools because of the availablity of places at the time of assignation, and one of those has to be transported by taxi because there is no viable alternative. I can't even pass uniform down the line.
When we lived in a more urban area, they were unable to go to the closest primary school (it was full) but there were enough alternatives within walking distance that it wasn't a big problem. Kids would be a lot fitter and obesity would be less of an issue if they had to get themselves to school, on foot or by bicycle (within reason). Parents say that they can't trust the traffic and the people they might meet on the way, but I truly believe that if parents stopped driving children to school it would help with the traffic issue, and there are no more paedophiles around than there used to be, it is just sensationalised more in the media.
At risk of straying too far from the OP. I feel that kids are mollycoddled far too much these days and we are storing up enormous problems for the future.
One of the worst things that happened in this country regarding school access, was allowing parents so much choice where they sent their kids. It used to be that your children went to the closest appropriate school for their age and ability, and buses were laid on to transport those living outside the acceptable walking distances. Every village had a primary school and it didn't matter how many kids went there, they stayed open with a suitable ratio of staff to pupils. If a school developed a good reputation, house prices went up in the vicinity, and only sufficiently wealthy people could move into the area. How many people cashed in on that little perk when their own kids left school?
My older children go to 3 different grammar schools because of the availablity of places at the time of assignation, and one of those has to be transported by taxi because there is no viable alternative. I can't even pass uniform down the line.
When we lived in a more urban area, they were unable to go to the closest primary school (it was full) but there were enough alternatives within walking distance that it wasn't a big problem. Kids would be a lot fitter and obesity would be less of an issue if they had to get themselves to school, on foot or by bicycle (within reason). Parents say that they can't trust the traffic and the people they might meet on the way, but I truly believe that if parents stopped driving children to school it would help with the traffic issue, and there are no more paedophiles around than there used to be, it is just sensationalised more in the media.
At risk of straying too far from the OP. I feel that kids are mollycoddled far too much these days and we are storing up enormous problems for the future.
Sex God
We could sterilise all the women and then we wouldn't need the schools and then..voila!!! no more traffic.
Sorry was being facetious, not like me at all but couldn't resist.
Is there a bus that gets said 14 year old to school at the right time of day? If not that's why Nanny might take him. Or maybe she is on her way somewhere at that time of the morning anyway so she's killing two birds with one stone?
I think it's all in the name of "progress". The more we are able to do and have in the human race, the more we want and in order to get what we want it means we need to work and in order to fulfil our contracts, keep up an image and achieve our "wants" we maybe travel further, longer and in better and bigger machines (thats where two cars comes in as working harder means both members of the relationship have to work).
Anyway back to schools, I've wandered
kids need to get to school if there are not the appropriate bus/train routes they are left the option of the car or walking if appropriate. Parents are not responsible for bus and train routes and they are not responsible for how many parking spaces there are at the school so they do what they have to I presume.
Fire xx
Sorry was being facetious, not like me at all but couldn't resist.
Is there a bus that gets said 14 year old to school at the right time of day? If not that's why Nanny might take him. Or maybe she is on her way somewhere at that time of the morning anyway so she's killing two birds with one stone?
I think it's all in the name of "progress". The more we are able to do and have in the human race, the more we want and in order to get what we want it means we need to work and in order to fulfil our contracts, keep up an image and achieve our "wants" we maybe travel further, longer and in better and bigger machines (thats where two cars comes in as working harder means both members of the relationship have to work).
Anyway back to schools, I've wandered
kids need to get to school if there are not the appropriate bus/train routes they are left the option of the car or walking if appropriate. Parents are not responsible for bus and train routes and they are not responsible for how many parking spaces there are at the school so they do what they have to I presume. Fire xx
ahh in cornwall the problemis reversed in summer,roads are full of holiday makers, and all driving at go slow speeds to admire the views.
any how ....
my kids have always walked to school, hardely enough exersise these days as it is so the walk wil do them good. only time i have dropped them off is if it is pissisting it down and i dont want them sat in soaking wet clothes all day.
maybe schools should ask parents when registering kids at their school if they plan to walk or drive to school? ffs i thought there was a catchment area thing going on, so if you have to live close enough to get into a school why not walk it??
maybe more free bus pick ups might help out? like the park and ride thing? that way if kids must get dropped off at some point they can stop so many dangerous cars being at the schools?
its the way some parents drive near schools that really pisses me off.
xx fem xx
any how ....
my kids have always walked to school, hardely enough exersise these days as it is so the walk wil do them good. only time i have dropped them off is if it is pissisting it down and i dont want them sat in soaking wet clothes all day.
maybe schools should ask parents when registering kids at their school if they plan to walk or drive to school? ffs i thought there was a catchment area thing going on, so if you have to live close enough to get into a school why not walk it??
maybe more free bus pick ups might help out? like the park and ride thing? that way if kids must get dropped off at some point they can stop so many dangerous cars being at the schools?
its the way some parents drive near schools that really pisses me off.
xx fem xx
Sex God
Adopt the American yellow school bus system. dedicated buses circulating to the ends of peoples streets not just one or two collection points. OK there are always going to be those in out lying areas that need to use their cars I know. What about, for those who live within say 1 or 2 miles of a school having the equivalent of a lollipop lady/gent but walking certain routes collecting children on their way and the same on the way back?
Quote by Firelizard
We could sterilise all the women and then we wouldn't need the schools and then..voila!!! no more traffic.
Sorry was being facetious, not like me at all but couldn't resist.
Is there a bus that gets said 14 year old to school at the right time of day? If not that's why Nanny might take him. Or maybe she is on her way somewhere at that time of the morning anyway so she's killing two birds with one stone?
I think it's all in the name of "progress". The more we are able to do and have in the human race, the more we want and in order to get what we want it means we need to work and in order to fulfil our contracts, keep up an image and achieve our "wants" we maybe travel further, longer and in better and bigger machines (thats where two cars comes in as working harder means both members of the relationship have to work).
Anyway back to schools, I've wandered
Fire xx
Nola smacked my botty yesterday for trying to be funny about something similar, I wonder if she smacks your botty too? :shock:
No Nanny luvvy takes him to school because quite simply he would not go otherwise. The Father either does not have the time to take him or like many relies on others to bail him out.
A 14 year old that gets taken to school by Nanny because he will bunk off otherwise fgs. :shock: Tell him to get on a bus and get to school or tell him no din dins when he gets in...awwwww little love.
I understand those people that live in villages but I was talking about inner city schools where the traffic is made far worse by taking the kids to school, when they could very easily hop on a bus, which is what this Government tells us adults to do. What about the kids being told too, and stop being mollied by their parents.
God when I was a kid how did we ever get to adulthood ffs?
Sex God
My brother and I used to walk the 20 mins to junior school on our own and caught a bus for the hour journey to and from school when we were in secondary school ... everyone walked/bused to school then.
Infants need taking to/from school obviously and people in remote villages have no choice but to drive but other than that, todays parents are stupid/paranoid that their kids can't get to/from school without some jumping out of the bushes to abduct their sprogs ... and kids are on the whole lazy/spoilt ...
Infants need taking to/from school obviously and people in remote villages have no choice but to drive but other than that, todays parents are stupid/paranoid that their kids can't get to/from school without some jumping out of the bushes to abduct their sprogs ... and kids are on the whole lazy/spoilt ...
Sex God
Junior schools should be close enough to walk - say a mile.
I used to walk/bus 3 miles to secondary school. It wasn't fun - but who said life had to be fun/easy? the idea of driving a teenager to school is bonkers to me. Unless there is no bus and walking would be hazardous - ie no paths along country roads.
I was in convo with another mother at my son's school (junior) and she said 'I drive cos otherwise it would take me half an hour to walk here' and I was just looking at her with 'and?' written all over my face. This was 30 mins through a nice safe suburb in summer.
And then we chase the kids out to 'get some fresh air and exercise' - hypocritical or what?
I used to walk/bus 3 miles to secondary school. It wasn't fun - but who said life had to be fun/easy? the idea of driving a teenager to school is bonkers to me. Unless there is no bus and walking would be hazardous - ie no paths along country roads.
I was in convo with another mother at my son's school (junior) and she said 'I drive cos otherwise it would take me half an hour to walk here' and I was just looking at her with 'and?' written all over my face. This was 30 mins through a nice safe suburb in summer.
And then we chase the kids out to 'get some fresh air and exercise' - hypocritical or what?
Sexlightened
I lost my driving licence due to being drunk behind the wheel, went a winter without a car, and discovered I didn't actually need the thing. Never bothered to get the licence back. For years now I have been free of car insurance and maintainance, road tax, the ever-increasing price of petrol... and most of the time, bad drivers. So much stress off my back.
The one major factor in driving is time. Get the kids to school on time, then get to work on time. The car is the best way to do that, because even if things get messy at 0830, a car can make a difference. However, I suspect people choose to drive when they don't have to far too often. These people have to stop taking other modes of transportation for granted.
(As for car pollution... car exhaust isn't bad for the environment so much as our environment. The people who whine about it rarely make this important distinction. Car exhaust fumes can kill us - it's even a valid suicide method - therefore I'd rather we produce less of the stuff.)
The one major factor in driving is time. Get the kids to school on time, then get to work on time. The car is the best way to do that, because even if things get messy at 0830, a car can make a difference. However, I suspect people choose to drive when they don't have to far too often. These people have to stop taking other modes of transportation for granted.
(As for car pollution... car exhaust isn't bad for the environment so much as our environment. The people who whine about it rarely make this important distinction. Car exhaust fumes can kill us - it's even a valid suicide method - therefore I'd rather we produce less of the stuff.)
Traffic in urban areas is a nightmare. We are over reliant on cars and have a terrible and expensive public transport system as a result. When the problem reaches crisis point I assume we as a society will invest in public transport rather than subsidising the car industry ( have I mentioned how angry the car scrapping scheme made me?)
To give examples, my missus's daughter goes to the nearest sixth form school which is 4 miles away and pays an astonishing £4 a day in bus fares. My son has a 20 mile commute because he didn't want to interrupt his studies mid way through his exams when he came to live with me. That costs a more reasonable £12 a day. Both trips would be cheaper using mom or dads taxi and that is wholly wrong.
To give examples, my missus's daughter goes to the nearest sixth form school which is 4 miles away and pays an astonishing £4 a day in bus fares. My son has a 20 mile commute because he didn't want to interrupt his studies mid way through his exams when he came to live with me. That costs a more reasonable £12 a day. Both trips would be cheaper using mom or dads taxi and that is wholly wrong.
I do think that encouraging older kids to make their own way to school instead of being transported by mum/dad/nanny/au pair, would contribute to their gaining independence, as well as easing congestion and even alleviating inactivity and obesity. For younger children, mum/dad/nanny/au pair accompanying them on a walk to school rather than driving, might help with the adult obesity explosion we keep getting warned about. I know that some people take their charges to school on the way to their own place of work, and that is fair enough, but many only get the car out to do the school run and less than 3 miles at that.
3 miles ?
A 3-mile walk to school in 2009 is a lot different to a 3-mile walk to school in 1970(ish).
Hundreds of kids converging on one area at one time, all walking. Nightmare. All crossing roads at any place they can....avoiding underpasses in favour of the direct route...one way of reducing the population I suppose.
A 3-mile walk to school in 2009 is a lot different to a 3-mile walk to school in 1970(ish).
Hundreds of kids converging on one area at one time, all walking. Nightmare. All crossing roads at any place they can....avoiding underpasses in favour of the direct route...one way of reducing the population I suppose.
Sex God
Quote by JTS
3 miles ?
A 3-mile walk to school in 2009 is a lot different to a 3-mile walk to school in 1970(ish).
Hundreds of kids converging on one area at one time, all walking. Nightmare. All crossing roads at any place they can....avoiding underpasses in favour of the direct route...one way of reducing the population I suppose.
Not that different. There were 1500 kids at 2 schools next to each other. Both accessed across one of the main roads into York city centre. In my 7 years there I was aware of only 1 serious traffic accident and that was the head teacher getting wiped out by a 4x4.
Of course, more children walking = fewer cars around the school to be a hazard in the first place.
You want to avoid hordes of kids on the roads? Stop letting them out at lunchtime. Not you personally of course LOL.
that's just one school. There are plenty of others where the speed limit outside is 40+, and that verge onto high-traffic-density roads. The perception of danger is different now. Every adult is a child molester, until proven different.
‘We do not trust ourselves, or at least other adults. This is a definite change because in the past we would trust other adults to discipline our children, or at least challenge them. It is now very difficult to “look out for†children at home, in school or on the street… How many people do you know who are prepared to ask children on the bus to be quiet?’
I'm very lucky I live 5 minutes walk from 2 different primary schools so I dont have a problem walking my children to school, however it appears other local parent around me do. I see parents driving their child the 1 minute it takes them to get their, but it takes them another 10 minutes to find a parking space get the kids out the car cross the road, drop the kids in class and then get back to their car and drive off. Are these people completely mad?
I dont actualy drive so I do often wonder how much easier my life would be if I did. Would I turn into a lazy sod and instead of walking the 10 minutes to the local supermarket would I drive there instead. However I now have to learn to drive as my son is disabled and I need to be able to get him to hospital appointments, etc but I am dreading the day my kids finally realise that I have become a taxi service for them.
Should we not option to follow Beijing Driving Restrictions
* Cars with number (license) plates ending with 1 or 6 will be banned on Tuesdays
* Cars with number (license) plates ending with 2 or 7 will be banned on Wednesdays
* Cars with number (license) plates ending with 3 or 8 will be banned on Thursdays
* Cars with number (license) plates ending with 4 or 9 will be banned on Fridays
* Cars with number (license) plates ending with 5 or 0 will be banned on Mondays
I dont actualy drive so I do often wonder how much easier my life would be if I did. Would I turn into a lazy sod and instead of walking the 10 minutes to the local supermarket would I drive there instead. However I now have to learn to drive as my son is disabled and I need to be able to get him to hospital appointments, etc but I am dreading the day my kids finally realise that I have become a taxi service for them.
Should we not option to follow Beijing Driving Restrictions
* Cars with number (license) plates ending with 1 or 6 will be banned on Tuesdays
* Cars with number (license) plates ending with 2 or 7 will be banned on Wednesdays
* Cars with number (license) plates ending with 3 or 8 will be banned on Thursdays
* Cars with number (license) plates ending with 4 or 9 will be banned on Fridays
* Cars with number (license) plates ending with 5 or 0 will be banned on Mondays
Quote by soul-girl
I'm very lucky I live 5 minutes walk from 2 different primary schools so I dont have a problem walking my children to school, however it appears other local parent around me do. I see parents driving their child the 1 minute it takes them to get their, but it takes them another 10 minutes to find a parking space get the kids out the car cross the road, drop the kids in class and then get back to their car and drive off. Are these people completely mad?
I dont actualy drive so I do often wonder how much easier my life would be if I did. Would I turn into a lazy sod and instead of walking the 10 minutes to the local supermarket would I drive there instead. However I now have to learn to drive as my son is disabled and I need to be able to get him to hospital appointments, etc but I am dreading the day my kids finally realise that I have become a taxi service for them.
Should we not option to follow Beijing Driving Restrictions
* Cars with number (license) plates ending with 1 or 6 will be banned on Tuesdays
* Cars with number (license) plates ending with 2 or 7 will be banned on Wednesdays
* Cars with number (license) plates ending with 3 or 8 will be banned on Thursdays
* Cars with number (license) plates ending with 4 or 9 will be banned on Fridays
* Cars with number (license) plates ending with 5 or 0 will be banned on Mondays
The police cannot respond to a burglary, how are they going to enforce what days a car can use the road?
I agree something has to be done but what I do not know.
They don't need to enforce it. The rapidly-being-extended ANPR system could be used to enforce it.
The cameras video the vehicles, software extracts the registration number/s, so further software could be used to extract vehicles with specific end/start numbers and then issue fpn's to the registered keeper.
Oh, and ANY video system can be used for ANPR, the only requisite is the quality of the video. Fixed Truvelo units can already be used for static video surveillance and ANPR.
The cameras video the vehicles, software extracts the registration number/s, so further software could be used to extract vehicles with specific end/start numbers and then issue fpn's to the registered keeper.
Oh, and ANY video system can be used for ANPR, the only requisite is the quality of the video. Fixed Truvelo units can already be used for static video surveillance and ANPR.
Quote by JTS
They don't need to enforce it. The rapidly-being-extended ANPR system could be used to enforce it.
The cameras video the vehicles, software extracts the registration number/s, so further software could be used to extract vehicles with specific end/start numbers and then issue fpn's to the registered keeper.
Oh, and ANY video system can be used for ANPR, the only requisite is the quality of the video. Fixed Truvelo units can already be used for static video surveillance and ANPR.
Ah then it is bound to happen....anything that is enforcable by a camera and fines the motorist sounds good.
As I have seen over the last couple of weeks, dropping kids off at school when they only live 5 minutes away does not help. The traffic is so much better, so the school run must contribute hugely to the congestion.
It is the inner city schools and not the village ones that seem to be the problem. I am lucky as I only work 15 mins from home so I do not see a huge problem but I go past the Dartford bridge and some mornings and especially nights, it is awful....and ya have to pay.
Maybe cameras are the future?
Sex God
Quote by soul-girl
I'm very lucky I live 5 minutes walk from 2 different primary schools so I dont have a problem walking my children to school, however it appears other local parent around me do. I see parents driving their child the 1 minute it takes them to get their, but it takes them another 10 minutes to find a parking space get the kids out the car cross the road, drop the kids in class and then get back to their car and drive off. Are these people completely mad?
I dont actualy drive so I do often wonder how much easier my life would be if I did. Would I turn into a lazy sod and instead of walking the 10 minutes to the local supermarket would I drive there instead. However I now have to learn to drive as my son is disabled and I need to be able to get him to hospital appointments, etc but I am dreading the day my kids finally realise that I have become a taxi service for them.
Should we not option to follow Beijing Driving Restrictions
* Cars with number (license) plates ending with 1 or 6 will be banned on Tuesdays
* Cars with number (license) plates ending with 2 or 7 will be banned on Wednesdays
* Cars with number (license) plates ending with 3 or 8 will be banned on Thursdays
* Cars with number (license) plates ending with 4 or 9 will be banned on Fridays
* Cars with number (license) plates ending with 5 or 0 will be banned on Mondays
My registration ends with an N. When do I get to go out?
