RE: Oi Fatso - walk to school
Friday 2nd November 2001
Oi Fatso - walk to school
Tubby kids need to leg it
Discussion
This is one of those problems that can't be solved quickly.
I walked to School. It was relatively close so that wasn't a great problem. Also my mother didn't work - so there was little time pressure on her in the morning to take us to school.
Our society has been reaping the benefits of consolidating smaller schools into larger more efficient ones for 50 years. Same with hospitals and other public services. Mums now tend to work - yet more productivity (and TAXES) from the same level of population but now have to get the little dears to school quickly so they can continue on to work. (And if its not Mums its Dads....no sexism here!)
Much of this consolidation is made possible by THE CAR! i.e. can take kids to school further away. can attend Doctor's surgery further away etc etc.
So stop complaining about cars being used for the school run. Its what they're for.
If the Govt want kids to walk to school....go back on 50 years of policy and start building small schools within easy walking distance.
And I'm not even a parent!
I walked to School. It was relatively close so that wasn't a great problem. Also my mother didn't work - so there was little time pressure on her in the morning to take us to school.
Our society has been reaping the benefits of consolidating smaller schools into larger more efficient ones for 50 years. Same with hospitals and other public services. Mums now tend to work - yet more productivity (and TAXES) from the same level of population but now have to get the little dears to school quickly so they can continue on to work. (And if its not Mums its Dads....no sexism here!)
Much of this consolidation is made possible by THE CAR! i.e. can take kids to school further away. can attend Doctor's surgery further away etc etc.
So stop complaining about cars being used for the school run. Its what they're for.
If the Govt want kids to walk to school....go back on 50 years of policy and start building small schools within easy walking distance.
And I'm not even a parent!
Errr, bollox I'm afraid !!
There are a lot of parents who drive their children ridiculously short distances to school and quite frankly there's no excuse for that.
The provision of proper school buses, US style, or minders to keep an eye on kids on their way to and from school would be a much better solution to cutting down on congestion in the mornings and afternoons. Might also help keep the little blighters fit !!
There are a lot of parents who drive their children ridiculously short distances to school and quite frankly there's no excuse for that.
The provision of proper school buses, US style, or minders to keep an eye on kids on their way to and from school would be a much better solution to cutting down on congestion in the mornings and afternoons. Might also help keep the little blighters fit !!
I will have to agree. I live very close to two schools and see parents drive ridiculously short distances at equally unacceptable speeds to drop their kids off in the most dangerous positions on the road possible.
What's more, they appear not to know how to use indicators or have any road sense during these trips. I regularly have to avoid MPV's performing emergency stops before letting their kids out (on the road side) of their sliding doors. Once this operation is complete, the mother/father/nanny then proceeds to pull out into traffic without indicating or looking. Fortunately most 'normal' road users in my area have learnt to expect this and help avoid any serious accidents. However, these drivers also appear not to want to acknowledge the fact that you have stopped to allow them into the traffic by continuing their journey without so much as a thank you !
One last point (yes, this does get my back up), the road approaching the closest school to me is straight for nearlly 600m. The majority of people who obviously think it is acceptable to drive at between 40-50mph (30mph limit) along this road are those dropping the kids off at this school or the one just a little further up the road !
I am very much for school buses, and for more than just the traffic congestion, also for the safety of other road users and those children who do walk to school.
Rant over !
PS Apologies to the few parents who drive with consideration to other road users.
What's more, they appear not to know how to use indicators or have any road sense during these trips. I regularly have to avoid MPV's performing emergency stops before letting their kids out (on the road side) of their sliding doors. Once this operation is complete, the mother/father/nanny then proceeds to pull out into traffic without indicating or looking. Fortunately most 'normal' road users in my area have learnt to expect this and help avoid any serious accidents. However, these drivers also appear not to want to acknowledge the fact that you have stopped to allow them into the traffic by continuing their journey without so much as a thank you !
One last point (yes, this does get my back up), the road approaching the closest school to me is straight for nearlly 600m. The majority of people who obviously think it is acceptable to drive at between 40-50mph (30mph limit) along this road are those dropping the kids off at this school or the one just a little further up the road !
I am very much for school buses, and for more than just the traffic congestion, also for the safety of other road users and those children who do walk to school.
Rant over !
PS Apologies to the few parents who drive with consideration to other road users.
Nick and Don are both right. Yes, parents do drive ridiculously short distances and that's deplorable, ditto the standards of driving. But Don's also right when he points out that schools have been closing all over the place so most kids have further to go. What should they do now? Public transport we agree is crap in all sorts of ways and for all sorts of reasons. I walked to my local primary school 300 yards away but took the train to my senior school, five miles away. I was lucky because I lived in London where public transport is relatively good and thick on the ground -- many don't have that option.
Instinctively, I would normally come down on the 'we hate the school runners' side but Don's made some good points. If this problem is to be solved rather than just us sitting here making ourselves feel good by whinging (though there's nothing wrong with that :-)), we have to find a solution to the problem.
-Manek-
Instinctively, I would normally come down on the 'we hate the school runners' side but Don's made some good points. If this problem is to be solved rather than just us sitting here making ourselves feel good by whinging (though there's nothing wrong with that :-)), we have to find a solution to the problem.
-Manek-
You haven't convinced me I'm talking bollo yet, Nick....but the points you make are quite valid.
Ludicrously short school commutes are definitely to be discouraged...and walking is certainly the right thing to do here BUT surely this isn't the majority of school runs...maybe in city centres (e.g. London)..but once you get into more spread out towns/villages/country the majority of runs are much further. (See point below - they closed all the little schools!)
School Buses would be good in these cases too...I admit...
I suppose I tend to see the viewpoint from a small town/country perspective because that's where I live. City problems are different and to be fair that's what the article was about.
Oh..and I can absolutely guarantee that legislation will be made from the perspective of the City of London with absolute disregard for anyone else...
Everything above IMHO of course...
Ludicrously short school commutes are definitely to be discouraged...and walking is certainly the right thing to do here BUT surely this isn't the majority of school runs...maybe in city centres (e.g. London)..but once you get into more spread out towns/villages/country the majority of runs are much further. (See point below - they closed all the little schools!)
School Buses would be good in these cases too...I admit...
I suppose I tend to see the viewpoint from a small town/country perspective because that's where I live. City problems are different and to be fair that's what the article was about.
Oh..and I can absolutely guarantee that legislation will be made from the perspective of the City of London with absolute disregard for anyone else...
Everything above IMHO of course...
Speaking entirely for myself I thoroughly enjoyed the school bus - a high point during an arduous (?!) day. Better still when it broke down (regularly) or slid off the road on the ice. But then I went to school in Canada, and played ice hockey and baseball and things. It really was a totally different thing compared to school in this country - loved it.
I would have thought busses were a pretty good solution. Little bleeders can walk to the bus stop or in worst case be dropped off at it by car (at least the concentration of moronic 4wds will be dispersed over several bus stops rather then funneled into one location). Bus companies would know they'll get a decent concentration of customers. Win win. Back this up by putting a bulldozer scoop on the front of the bus to clear illegaly parked cars off the red routes, and we'd be in business.
How are kids supposed to learn to take responsibility for themsleves & become streetwise?
I'm sure when I was kid, we all had far better traffic awareness than kids nowadays - I never speed in built up areas but I'm constantly amazed how many times I've narrowly avoided running some little brat down. I partly blame the worryingly prevalent 'motorist's at fault' attidue.
Marcus
& Ocean Haze Griff 500
I'm sure when I was kid, we all had far better traffic awareness than kids nowadays - I never speed in built up areas but I'm constantly amazed how many times I've narrowly avoided running some little brat down. I partly blame the worryingly prevalent 'motorist's at fault' attidue.
Marcus
& Ocean Haze Griff 500
On that note I drove past a School in Enfield North London a few weeks ago at chucking out time and couldn't believe my eyes to see the bus stops being "patrolled" by bomber jacket wearing security guards looking like night club bouncers, have things got so bad that teachers can't do the job. The bottom line is the country has gone to rat sh1t and fat play doe faced kids being dropped off by fat play doe parents incase they meet any ill is another side effect.
When I lived in a town it was (uncomfortably) close to a primary school. The parents would drive less than half a mile to drop their little darlings off. Right outside the gates. I'm surprised there wasn't a shuttle service to carry them between classrooms.
These days I have to travel into Milton Keynes to work and the journey time more than doubles in term time. It really pisses me off. Those of us who actually want to get to work end up driving through the estates - rather than the Vs and Hs - probably pissing of the mothers in the process and ensuring that more of them use their cars because "it's too dangerous for my children to walk".
God it annoys me and I'm only 28. Mind you, when all the kids' legs fall off from under use I'll be laughing.
These days I have to travel into Milton Keynes to work and the journey time more than doubles in term time. It really pisses me off. Those of us who actually want to get to work end up driving through the estates - rather than the Vs and Hs - probably pissing of the mothers in the process and ensuring that more of them use their cars because "it's too dangerous for my children to walk".
God it annoys me and I'm only 28. Mind you, when all the kids' legs fall off from under use I'll be laughing.
Thank you Petrol Ted, I just hate when this happens, lukily they took nothing, and no one has yet been able to get a pennie out of me :-D. But the real problem is this has happened four or five times in the last year. Im not exactly a lil'shrimp either, Im over 6 foot, slim and 16, yet I am still targeted. Thanks again for your support.
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