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Child Item

Mammy dropping kids to school in the car

Jeremy Sproket

The amount of cars that are chocked on the road around 9 AM and 3 o 4 pm is bordering on insanity, especially on the roads around the national and secondary schools. I walked or cycled ALL the time when I went to secondary school in my home country, my eldest brother is 18 now and the youngest is 15 (I'm 28 btw).

My brothers did most of their schooling here and we carried on the normality that they should walk or cycle to school. The amount of cars borders on the ridiculous around the school gates, some of the mammies in their oversized SUVs would nearly drive through the doors of the school. They park in the school bus stop (for the coach that operates to it), disabled spaces are fair game, blocking people's driveways (albeit temporarily) is considered normal so little Fintan or Caoimhe doesn't have to break a sweat or God forbid, get a drop of water on them.

You have 200 cm, 100 kg Rugby players getting out of the car with a packed lunch from mammy.

Why isn't cycling and walking encouraged? As I said in a previous thread, my brother who entered school grounds with a hi-vis jacket had it seized for daring to contravene the uniform policy with it 🙄maybe it's the schools policies that need to change.

What about a camera that constantly surveillance the area, double red lines as in the UK. €200 fine for blocking the road and €1000 for parking in the coach stop.

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PicardWithHair

It's mental, I went to school in Dublin in the 1990s and we all walked, no traffic outside the school in mornings and evenings - apart from the teachers.

The same kids that are dropped off in Mammy's Range Rover are the ones moaning about climate change and walking out on friday...

[Deleted User]

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118183864#Comment_118183864

That skirt only policy needs to be called out for what it is - Taliban like. Crazy to INSIST on someone wearing a skirt.

Plus some schools have skirts that end just above the shoe - would it even be possible to cycle in those?

OMM 0000

I live in a country which has school busses which pick up the kids in the morning and drop them off after school.

Think of how much traffic (and probably a lot of second cars) as well as the pollution we could reduce if we implemented that in Ireland.

But nah, we'd have to do something new and the government hates new things.

PS this website is still almost unusable. how have they not fixed all the broken crap yet?

JimmyVik

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118183466#Comment_118183466

I think people dont realize just how dangerous the roads are these days. Its drivers not paying attention thats the problem.

At my kids school the vast majority of the parents have been taking the kids to school now since about 10 years ago when a child was knocked down on the way to school and ended up in a wheelchair. No way will any tickets or cameras convince any parents of children at that school that the kids should be walking or cycling.

About 5 years ago my niece was knocked down crossing the road at the green man on the way to school. Thankfully she only sustained a broken arm.

A few years ago a woman with a pram was mown down off the footpath too. She died and the child was seriously injured. The driver got two years, said he fell asleep.

The roads just arent safe enough to let kids walk or cycle to school. Roads are busier and there are more kids now than there were years ago.

Add that to the fact that both parents have to work now to pay the rent or mortgage and noone has the time to be walking their kids to scholl because they have to shoot off to work themselves after dropping them on the way to school.

ARX

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118183726#Comment_118183726

A few years ago I ended up in a conversation about that with a lady, and was told that many, if not most, of the parents parked on the double yellow lines outside that school are suffering serious financial hardship (how this was relevant to the illegal parking was never explained). I pointed out that if they were hard up they could sell the SUV and get a small car, or send their children to a non-fee-paying school, but this was not received well.

El_Duderino 09

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118184274#Comment_118184274

If the infrastructure was there then lots of people would probably use it. But the infrastructure will never be built without a lot of people engaging in behaviour thst could be described as "preaching" the virtues of spending considerable money on that infrastructure while probably also disrupting the existing private car roads.

Enforcing things like speeding checks, traffic calming and even basic things like not parking in cycle lanes, is unpopular. A politician would be a fool to spend money, take from car lanes, make cycle lanes and then fine drivers for speeding and parking where they used to park (because its now a cycle lane) unless those people understand WHY they're doing it.

Unfortunately, trying to build concensus and explain the virtues of doing all those things can be easily dismissed in a few pithy phrases such as "preaching", " snowflake" and "virtue signalling".

TLDR: ts tricky to get things done and nigh on impossible to do so without "preaching" or at the very least "virtue signalling".

zom

"You have 200 cm, 100 kg Rugby players getting out of the car with a packed lunch from mammy."

200 cm, 100 kg Rugby players state for 1% of thise kids so if your porobem is only 1% that means you are a problem.

zell12

We have laws on parking etc.

Garda and wardens simply refuse to enforce it.

crossman47

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118184537#Comment_118184537

You have a point re smaller children but I have seen big lads being driven to St. Marys in Rathmines (probably rugby players). And the mammies are clearly not on the way to work either - plenty time to chat with the others.

[Deleted User]

The roads aren't safe - that much is true. Neither are the footpaths with all these kernts cycling, skateboarding, and scootering on them. And then; there's mammy and daddy parking up on the footpath (sometimes taking the whole path up, so as not to inconvenience other drivers 😧) to collect their kids from school; thereby adding to the safety problem, with people being forced to walk on t'roads . Why they can't park a couple, or a few hundred yards away, is beyond me.

McGrath5

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118184938#Comment_118184938

Roads are safe, its the 1500KG pieces of metal flying around that are the problem.

There are nice new wide footpaths for kids to walk or cycle to school nearby to me with plenty of pedestrian crossings to but alas there is a large cohort of parents who insist on driving their kids the few hundred meters to school.

boardlady

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118184537#Comment_118184537

You have succinctly summed up the two main issues there. It's a bit similar to the 'please tell me you don't drive the 1km to the shop for milk'. Unfortunately, if it is 9pm at night and blowing a gale and you have 1000 things to do yet before you sit down that evening, then yes, you will drive for it.

The infrastructure is just not there to allow parents to let their children cycle or walk. We are simply too aware of the dangers. Yes, we all walked and cycled in the 80s and 90s but there was far less traffic then, less speed, and I believe, lives weren't so busy - we are all distracted drivers with the busy thoughts going round and round in our heads now. We are time short, harassed and anxious. Covid on top of it all. I do agree that it is not ideal though. Choking the roads with fuel guzzlers and making school entrances dangerous. Infrastructure, infrastructure, infrastructure ... I wont hold my breath though.

boardlady

I also forgot to say, my lad could happily cycle to school a lot of days as there are back roads to the school but the weight of the bag makes it completely impossible - and believe me we have tried several ways!

[Deleted User]

jaysus boards really has just turned into a comment box at this point.

mammy's dropping their kids to school????? what's next, cooking their dinner!!!!

Cdemess

Mammy??? People still say this lol

monkeybutter

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118184274#Comment_118184274

Are your kids in junior infants then is it

[Deleted User]

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118185254#Comment_118185254

I have a daugther 11 and a son 7. Other two kids are too young for any of that lark yet :)

monkeybutter

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118185336#Comment_118185336

you are making your 7 year old walk 2 hours, 8 to 10 k is it, a day, on their own with different end times at least.

[Deleted User]

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118185371#Comment_118185371

As I said I do not "make" them do anything. They have three options in normal to moderate weather. Walk. Cycle. Bus. I am generous with their pocket money. They can choose to use some of that money for a bus ticket when they wish. Sometimes they do. Sometimes not. I find it instils in them a good sense of the value of their money. They get to choose how to use it and spend it. And they get the sense that money can be used for comfort ease or convenience - or small comforts sacrificed in the interest of conserving money. And that is a choice we all have in life every day. There are things we spend money on because of the ease or convenience it brings us. But we can save that money too if we so choose.

BENDYBINN

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118183742#Comment_118183742

Agree, the odd belt of a car didnt do us a bit of harm.. It toughened us up

Thelonious Monk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118184458#Comment_118184458

Wow how do you know they are the same kids, did you do a survey or something? Also should you not be pointing the finger at the adult driving the Range Rover instead of somehow trying to blame the kids for creating this ridiculous setup in the first place?

monkeybutter

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118185400#Comment_118185400

but by being so generous with their pocket money are you not undoing the lessons learned above, how much are you giving

You would be far better having them earn the money in the first place

are you not going with them? the 7 year old that is, to school that is, just by the guessing of how long it takes makes it seem you are not

One of the reasons people are driving is they don't have 2 hours a day to be essentially wasting if their child chooses to walk to school

[Deleted User]

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118185507#Comment_118185507

You want details on my personal salary too? :) I think I will not be discussing exact figures with you thanks heheheh.

But joking aside - nah I talked to other parents to get a general idea what the going rate for pocket money is these days - and I increased that a bit. So depending on their choices that can come out behind or ahead of the general average of their peers. So it works out ok for them either way really regardless of their choices.

Yeah their pocket money is tied to certain obligations in their life. So they are not lost on the notion either that money is earned not granted. So I come at it from two directions when instilling in them the concept of the value of money. They value it because it is earned. But they also value it's worth in learning that you can spend it different ways - and have more to spend depending on choices you make. Overall I think their relationship to money is coming on pretty healthy.

So I think I have found the best balance I can between generosity and lessons. I do not feel as you have suggested that either is currently undermining the other.

To your comment about the time people have available and why they drive - I have to hasten to add that I am doing and will do nothing but mention what my choices are. I am not commenting on whether my way is better or worse - and I am sure as hell not suggesting anyone else do it my way. Everyone should find the system that works best for their situation - their kids - their goals. Do not take anything I am writing as a commentary of any kind on parents who are driving their kids to school! (You might not be doing so - I say it just in case is all).

monkeybutter

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118185571#Comment_118185571

I mean what could you be giving up by not saying how much you give in pocket money

are you letting your 7 year old walk to school alone? 10 k each way, but maybe 16k, as you don't seem to have walked it yourself with them

Strumms

My secondary school was 3.4 kilometers away according to google maps... about a 35 minute walk in each direction.

There was no bus service I could avail of. Once the weather was fair or good, I’m cycling... if it was raining heavily my dad would drop me as it was a minor enough detour for him from his journey to work, would mean though I’d need to walk home...

no problem kids being dropped to school if they don’t live nearby but the way these muppet parents park.. the attitude is almost ‘ hey I have children which absolves me from any responsibilities as regards the safety of anybody else on the road ‘... this attitude it’s definitely more prevalent the last 10 years... the IGKB ( I got kids brigade ) seemingly just think the world revolves around them.... their needs and convenience, fûck anyone else.

monkeybutter

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118185733#Comment_118185733

so they had you walking or cycling home in the pissing winter rain in the dark at 12? Probably with no lights and hardly even a jacket to toughen you up

Andrewf20

Alot of parents drop and then head to work in the car.

BurgerFace

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118183864#Comment_118183864

WHAT???

Cycling keeps you warmer than walking FFS. The girls in my local girls school wore skirts and cycled to school year round. Plus cycling to school say 1 mile will take about 4 minutes...hardly enough time to get cold. Walking a mile will take about 20 minutes. And the school has no say over what a girl wears in transit to school. She can very easily don a pair of leggings or trackie bottoms under the skirt and take them off once she gets to school. Lads who cycled used to wear waterproof leggings to keep their trousers dry if it was lashing.

If girls are tough enough to play an hour long game of camogie in a short skirt and jersey in February then they are tough enough to cycle to school for 5 minutes in a knee-length skirt.

monkeybutter

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118185860#Comment_118185860

the best lesson they could teach their kids is to not drive all the time themselves (within reasonable distance)

its weird how all the hard lads raised to walk to school barefoot with a sod of peat in their hands turned into such lazy adults given the life lessons drilled into them by parents who couldn't be arsed to bring them in themselves

Strumms

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118185813#Comment_118185813

its not dark at the time I got out of school.... plus there was a cycle lane for about 75% of the cycle.

probably with no lights ? Well I always had lights and PPE as well as a nice warm jacket... maybe you should refrain from judging others by your own standards ;)