New School Year, New School Run!

This will be me from Tuesday. I only do the morning runs when parents have early morning meetings but the traffic is horrendous at times and I have to get 2 GD's to 2 different schools in opposite directions. My youngest daughter goes to Cape Town next week with her work for 2 weeks so I will have 10 days of morning school runs. I can hardly wait! Afternoon pick ups are a doddle in comparison.

When my kids were little we walked to school- and no it wasn't the nearest. When they went to senior school they caught the school bus. The good old days...?

keepingquiet

When my kids were little we walked to school- and no it wasn't the nearest. When they went to senior school they caught the school bus. The good old days...?

Too far to walk to either school and no school bus, more's the pity. I have often wondered why local authorities don't run school buses which would remove several cars from the morning rush hour thereby reducing traffic, pollution and then nightmare of parking. I think many families would happily pay for this service.

It’s just something Mums, Dads or G Parents have to do isn’t it?
I do object to all the 4x4’s tho🤬

I agree about school buses, say from local park and rides where they exist. But someone needs to be funded to do it.

Sarnia, yes, I wish local authorities would go back to running free school buses. In our area, some schools do have school buses, but others don’t and they’re not free unless you have SEND or live a considerable distance away or on a route without safe pavements.

So for example a choir friend’s grandchildren catch a school bus to a school about half a mile away from DGC’s school. Because it’s not a great distance, they’re not allowed to get the subsidy.

DGC non-school-bus rides costs 4.50 per day, though we would if necessary buy cheaper weekly tickets for them.

So for DD to drop her children at school, instead of the 2.4 mile walk, then drive to work, it’s cheaper than sending them on the bus.

Oreo

It’s just something Mums, Dads or G Parents have to do isn’t it?
I do object to all the 4x4’s tho🤬

I agree, just something in a day's work.

Why is it usually 4 x4 s that leave their engines running while they get out to drop children off?

50 mile round trip for me with the DDs, morning and afternoon - did it for 13 years until DD2 could drive herself there.
I spent so much time on the road, (3 hours a day minimum) that I wanted to do it in something big and comfortable, but I’d never leave the engine running, then or now.

At my gc school, giant cars park in alternate spaces straddling the lines which reduce the space in between so a normal size car ( like ours) can’t get into them as the spaces left are too small.
The area I am talking about is suburban yummy mummy land where everyone bar a few, appear to need huge cars.
Thank goodness gc have moved to senior school and our job is done.

Sarnia

keepingquiet

When my kids were little we walked to school- and no it wasn't the nearest. When they went to senior school they caught the school bus. The good old days...?

Too far to walk to either school and no school bus, more's the pity. I have often wondered why local authorities don't run school buses which would remove several cars from the morning rush hour thereby reducing traffic, pollution and then nightmare of parking. I think many families would happily pay for this service.

There are school buses but only for children living a certain distance from school, even though the bus may pass by a housing estate which could be 20 yards inside the limit.

If a child goes to a school just out of catchment area there are often private bus companies running school buses but it's expensive. £5 per child per day here, expensive if you have more than one child, so it could be more economical for a parent to drop children off if it's in the same direction as their work.

Why do they park on double yellow lines, or half on the pavement or blocking people's driveways?

Then tell off the residents if they politely ask them to move? 🤬

School runs (driven) are always difficult.

Until a suitable public bus system is in place - it is what it is.

I have such sweet memories of doing schoolruns for my GS and GD. They have now gained their Degrees.
GD has a job offer . GS is still waiting. In the meanwhile , he has the Bar job at his Golf Club.
How time flies !

I know a near squillionaire whose children 10 and 9 are transported to and from school by taxi paid fir by the council while mum stays home all day and the Porsche sits on the drive.
The same council is talking about cancelling school transport for SEN children, which these aren’t. Difficult to understand.

Allira

Sarnia

keepingquiet

When my kids were little we walked to school- and no it wasn't the nearest. When they went to senior school they caught the school bus. The good old days...?

Too far to walk to either school and no school bus, more's the pity. I have often wondered why local authorities don't run school buses which would remove several cars from the morning rush hour thereby reducing traffic, pollution and then nightmare of parking. I think many families would happily pay for this service.

There are school buses but only for children living a certain distance from school, even though the bus may pass by a housing estate which could be 20 yards inside the limit.

If a child goes to a school just out of catchment area there are often private bus companies running school buses but it's expensive. £5 per child per day here, expensive if you have more than one child, so it could be more economical for a parent to drop children off if it's in the same direction as their work.

Ok so why not park a walkable distance away from the school and then walk?

There is no need for parents to park as close to the school as possible.

At my healthy living old bats club the other day lots of people were talking about going to the gym etc and the importance of walking.

I then asked how it is that users of gyms always seem to want to park near the entrance?

It is a modern mystery to me...

We have a great many school buses in this area. Most of the colleges and secondary schools have large areas for the children to leave or enter their bus. A very safe system

There is no reason to park right outside the school on double yellow lines or where there is a no parking area marked on the road, just park a bit further away and walk the child into school. It shouldn’t be a battle of the SUVs trying to park where it isn’t legal to do so. We have a junior school near us and a large free car park just a short walk away. Many do use it but the diehards still insist upon trying to get as close to the school gates as possible.

The Junior school near us also has staggered start and finish times for different year groups which hopefully helps with drop offs and pick ups.

I regularly used to ask all our parents to respect highway regulations outside our school gates. It would improve for a few weeks, but gradually slipped back. There was once a road rage scene between two mothers in the road outside!

My poor kids were always one of the first in the playground on the days I worked.. I then had to drive into town as I worked in the local Hospital.

silverlining48

I know a near squillionaire whose children 10 and 9 are transported to and from school by taxi paid fir by the council while mum stays home all day and the Porsche sits on the drive.
The same council is talking about cancelling school transport for SEN children, which these aren’t. Difficult to understand.

Why is the taxi paid for? People like these entitled wastes of space make me sick! Who do they think they are?

I was lucky as my DC always walked or used school buses.

Age 10 to 16 my school commute went like this - mum would drive me a mile to the one (non-school) coach a day that went into town. I would walk from the coach terminus to the bus station. Would take a 3 mile journey through town on Midland red bus.
In the evening the reverse, except there were 2 coaches back so if I missed the 4.30, I could get the 6.15. But mum didn't pick up in the evening, I had a mile walk home from the nearest coach drop-off.Occasionally there weren't many people on, the coach driver would drive along our lanes rather than the correct route, & drop me off. Bliss!
A lot of hours of my life, but we had a lovely gang of friends (fellow-sufferers) on the coach so not all negative.

I used to do the school run in a 4x4, not my vehicle of choice but a necessary evil due to the remoteness of where we lived.

keepingquiet

Allira

Sarnia

keepingquiet

When my kids were little we walked to school- and no it wasn't the nearest. When they went to senior school they caught the school bus. The good old days...?

Too far to walk to either school and no school bus, more's the pity. I have often wondered why local authorities don't run school buses which would remove several cars from the morning rush hour thereby reducing traffic, pollution and then nightmare of parking. I think many families would happily pay for this service.

There are school buses but only for children living a certain distance from school, even though the bus may pass by a housing estate which could be 20 yards inside the limit.

If a child goes to a school just out of catchment area there are often private bus companies running school buses but it's expensive. £5 per child per day here, expensive if you have more than one child, so it could be more economical for a parent to drop children off if it's in the same direction as their work.

Ok so why not park a walkable distance away from the school and then walk?

There is no need for parents to park as close to the school as possible.

At my healthy living old bats club the other day lots of people were talking about going to the gym etc and the importance of walking.

I then asked how it is that users of gyms always seem to want to park near the entrance?

It is a modern mystery to me...

Well, yes. Space was designated in a local car park so that parents could walk their children the few hundred yards from there to the local primary school but many won't use it, prefer to clog up local roads. The thing is, they don't arrive at 3.25pm for pickup, some arrive an hour or so before and are working (or otherwise) on their phones!