The School Run

Ham'nd'egger

Today while running through my local area (In my case, Blackpitts), I got caught at a very tight spot on the road with another oncoming car which required me (and several cars behind me) to have to reverse back along a bend in the road and over a speed bump in order to allow the other car and those behind it to move on. The reason why we both couldn't pull our cars closer to the kerb as we would usually do in this case? A fleet of cars picking up kids at the school were parked along the path. Many of these cars were parked on a clearly marked yellow zig zag line, the words "Keep Clear- School" hidden by their cars. Others were parked in gate ways beside the school; some even were waiting on the footpath thus pushing pedestrians onto the already crowded road.

Now, I am aware that this is a typical scene in every locality in Ireland but is there any parents here that can justify some of this woeful parking that goes on on a daily basis?

Davidth88

It's one of my pet hates .... people driving little Johnny/Jane to school half a mile down the road.

Then the same people complain when little Johnny/Jane seems to be putting on weight etc.

The schools around my way all have the same problem , total madness , most of these kids could walk/cycle to school. We have one boys school in our village where the council spent a fortune putting a cycle track all the way there , but of course little Johnny still gets a lift in the 4*4.

Grrrrr Rant over

PS , I walked / cycled every day from the age of 5 ... 1 mile each way, and to secondary school about 1.5 miles.

PPS , I mentioned this to a taxi driver one day on the way home from the airport ( we were stuck in the traffic from the aformentioned boys school ) , he reckoned the parents are all scared their kids will be abducted , what a load of tosh ............ how many kids were abducted in Ireland/Europe last year walking to/from school ?

amacachi

Davidth88 wrote: »

It's one of my pet hates .... people driving little Johnny/Jane to school half a mile down the road.

Then the same people complain when little Johnny/Jane seems to be putting on weight etc.

The schools around my way all have the same problem , total madness , most of these kids could walk/cycle to school. We have one boys school in our village where the council spent a fortune putting a cycle track all the way there , but of course little Johnny still gets a lift in the 4*4.

Grrrrr Rant over

PS , I walked / cycled every day from the age of 5 ... 1 mile each way, and to secondary school about 1.5 miles.

PPS , I mentioned this to a taxi driver one day on the way home from the airport ( we were stuck in the traffic from the aformentioned boys school ) , he reckoned the parents are all scared their kids will be abducted , what a load of tosh ............ how many kids were abducted in Ireland/Europe last year walking to/from school ?

Parents are stupid. It's not just about abduction, they're pretty much afraid to let kids out of their sight full stop.

Davidth88

they're pretty much afraid to let kids out of their sight full stop.

Then the same boys/girls are left to hang around the local shop causing havoc until 10 at night .......

KevR

If you pass by a school 20/30 mins before the kids get off for the day you'll actually notice parents already arriving at this stage. Some of them are determined to always get a prime spot outside the door/gate of the school, because it would be unthinkable for their child to actually have to walk a few yards down the street.

Madness!

loyatemu

Davidth88 wrote: »

Then the same boys/girls are left to hang around the local shop causing havoc until 10 at night .......

different issue - I don't think anyone's worried about teenagers being abducted.

Anyway the danger isn't abduction - the danger is that little Johnny on his bike will be mown down by Little Quentin's mum in her Range Rover because Little Sorcha's mum has parked her RAV4 on the cycle path.

To be fair here, while there's no excuse for parking in a dangerous fashion, bad planning and increased traffic have contributed to this problem. I too cycled to school every day but would be reluctant to let my kids do the same until they're much older because the roads are much busier now.

As for planning; in my town they've just opened 2 new primary schools at the northern end of the town. This is just a few years after they granted permission for over 2000 new houses at the southern end of the town 2 miles away - these houses are now occupied almost exclusively by young families and all the kids are going to end up being driven to school through the centre of the town. Many of the houses in the town centre are at this stage occupied by empty-nesters.

Of course the obvious solution (other than building the school near where most of the students are going be living) is a school bus service, but they only seem to do that in rural areas in Ireland.

Deadeyes

I had a throughly enjoyable walk past a school not too long ago. The road is barely wide enough to let two cars pass each other by, but when the kids come out forget it. Anyway it was the first day back after one of the hoidays and all the parents were there parked all over the place, but so were two traffic wardens scribbling away furiously. I sure they got an earful from the mothers but still it made me smile.

concussion

My dad used to bring myself and my sister to school on his motorbike - me pillion, the sister sitting in front of him up against the tank. Illegal - certainly. Dangerous - yes. But wasn't it great when people weren't so obsessed with safety??

Danno

Every morning in Abbeyleix it is a joke, drop the kids to school, pull in at supervalu - even if it means holding up the whole show because they must park in front of supervalu, then reverse out on to the road taking 5 minutes while the lights are green! Idiots the lot of them and the majority of them are two stone overweight. Isn't it any wonder.

mikemac

Davidth88 wrote: »

PS , I walked / cycled every day from the age of 5 ... 1 mile each way, and to secondary school about 1.5 miles.

Ah bless, did you walk barefoot through the snow too?
Ah no, only messin

Our local primary school put barriers along the footpath as the cars/SUVs kept mounting it. All it does is get they to park ON the footpath 10 metres further up the road. If you've a buggy, forget it, you'll have to walk around it and into traffic as the road and the footpath are narrow.

And if you're on Dublin Bus and another bus is oncoming, hurray,- the drivers realy earn their money as they squeeze past each other.

Ironically enough all this parking by the school only makes it more dangerous:
People can't use the cycle lane
Some people can't use the footpath
Kids can't see down the road due to SUV's everywhere
Did I forget to mention it slows down the 60-80 people on the bus trying to get somewhere?

corktina

and did you live in a cardboard box in middle of t'road? My kids reckon my wife used to have to walk to school in the snow at age 4 5 miles each way, all uphill....:D

Ham'nd'egger

corktina wrote: »

and did you live in a cardboard box in middle of t'road? My kids reckon my wife used to have to walk to school in the snow at age 4 5 miles each way, all uphill....:D

We used to have to build a car out of potato peels we stole, we were so poor:P

murphaph

Hamndegger wrote: »

A fleet of cars picking up kids at the school were parked along the path. Many of these cars were parked on a clearly marked yellow zig zag line, the words "Keep Clear- School" hidden by their cars.

If, God forbid, one of their children is killed due to their reducing visibility to passing motorists then they are 100% responsible. People who ignore school safety zones (especially if they are themselves parents) really irk me. They should face stiff penalties for something like reckless endangerment. Muppets!

murphaph

of course now we have an increase in garda presence in the run up to xmas so rest assured all these potentially fatal accident causing twats will be prosecuted :rolleyes:




(more likely only the following offences will be prosecuted:
Speeding
Drink driving
driving without tax/insurance/nct

ends.)

Davidth88

Hi,

No I walked barefoot each way and it snowed every day, actually I lie totally in primary ( National ) school my father actually passed that way on the way to work , and we got a lift with him , but we walked home ( rain or shine ) , in secondary school I walked both ways, or later cycled ( if I didn't have a puncture ).......

Rawr

The whole school run thing also gets on my nerves.
I'm in my mid-20s and it wasn't an age ago that I went to school, and yet I walked / cycled the distance easily, like most others it seemed.

I wonder if the current recession, and oil prices, will begin encourage parents to make their kids walk to school?