School run mums are fed up too
Survey shows school traffic frustrates everyone
Next time you get stuck behind a 4x4 ferrying kids to and from school, take heart from the fact that the mother behind the wheel doesn't want to be there any more than you do.
That seems to be the conclusion from a survey by the RAC Foundation, which suggests that most of the UK's working mothers would opt for the gift of time rather than traditional Mother’s Day presents, and almost three quarters feel that they could achieve that by sometimes working from home or having more flexible hours.
According to the RAC Foundation, teleworking could also significantly affect congestion – potentially cutting the worst commuter traffic by up to ten per cent within five years. As well as reducing congestion and improving the efficiency and quality of life for workers, teleworking can also increase workforce catchment areas, improve rural employment and promote all inclusive working.
As a result, the Foundation has applauded recent moves by some Government agencies to instigate more flexible working methods for employees but has appealed for a continued combined strategy from them, employers and unions to encourage a greater take up in other industries.
- Women make over 40 per cent more escort trips (accompanying someone else, like a child to school) a year than men and 20 per cent more shopping trips.
- Men travel further each year than women (14,800 kilometres compared to 9,900 kilometres) but that difference has narrowed in recent years with an increase of ten per cent in annual mileage for women and four for men.
- 62 per cent of all trips made by women are by car.
- The proportion of women holding driving licenses has increased from 54 per cent to 61 per cent between 1992 and 2004 while the proportion of men holding likeness has remained static at 81 per cent.
- The average distance commuted has gone up 17 per cent to 8.5 miles
- The average worker in the UK commutes 2,906 miles annually by car.
- More than half of working mothers would choose to stay at home if they could afford to.
- More than 70 per cent of working mothers said they would like the chance to work flexibly or spend some of the week working from home.
- Asked what they would like for Mother’s Day more than six out of ten asked for more time to spend with families.
- Women now work half a day longer than five years ago - an average of almost 34 hours a week.
- A quarter of working mothers said that the UK’s long hours culture had a detrimental affect on their mental health, their relationship with children and their sex lives.
- One in four women have cut their hours at work because of parenthood.
A recent report from BT on congestion and technological solutions suggested that flexible working and commuting times, the ability to work from home and increased take-up of online shopping could make a major contribution to an issue which costs the UK £20bn a year.
Achieving a 10 per cent reduction in commuting, business travel, shopping and personal business trips would save 14.5 billion miles a year. This equates to 17 million cars foregoing a trip from Land’s End to John O’Groats or about three years’ growth in car and taxi traffic at today’s rates.
Research from the Telework Association states that other benefits to employers can include savings on office space and greater flexibility from home-based staff.
When I were a lad we got to go to the school nearest home (I lived in several places growing up). No brainer (I won't get into the fact that we walked to/from school). Some schools were not exactly top of the league, but they were find if you had a dose of common sense. Stupid kids don't do so well, clever ones do OK and get their GCSEs or whatever. IMO, maybe even better that the school isn't too sanitised anyway. They do drugs and have fights at posh schools too.
I wonder if parents are trying a bit too hard to give their kids the best upbringing. I've nothing against this in principal, it's their right. But how come it is so different to 30 years ago?
But, I have a very good boss who trusts me and treats me as a professional - this is sadly unusual for bosses to trust their staff. My colleagues in the parent organisation think its a skive working at home! Tell that to me when I am working on servers remotely at 10pm at night!
Give tax breaks for home working and watch the flood start!
Z
1. A total paranoia that their child will be abducted / run down, despite the fact that we have the safest rods in the world and Michael Jackson is not on every corner.
2. Laziness. I once watched in disgust as a women ferried her two kids into the car, drove onto the street and then dropped them off at the school 150 meters down the road! No wonder so many kids are getting obese when they can't even walk to school.
We should provide school buses and give people who stop at school to drop kids off 3 points for their trouble, theres no need for it.
If that's a concern, why can't kids walk in groups or be escorted by a parent or two in a group? It wouldn't take much to organise!
If I have kids I certainly won't wrap them in cotton wool as so many parents do today and produce kids that can't do much for themselves. It's indicative of the insular, lazy, everyone for themselves society that has developed.
Most of the bright, best behaved children are from families who get their priorities right.
Vipers said:
Make the buggers walk to school, get some lard off them.
the answer to this problem is very simple.
get the mums to make strategic relationships with other mums via the school. take turns in taking their kids and someone elses.
say you have 2 mums with 2 kids each. the car has 5 seats. why not use all the seats? and halve the amount of traffic.
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