Ministers want 60% of children walking or cycling to school by 2035

[ebikeerwidnes]

The attitude is all wrong

"They" try to promote cycling
but the people implementing it try to save money

so we end up with just a line on a road
or a magnificent wide shared path
which means you have to stop every 100m for a road joining
and no clear signs showing where the things ends and how you get to it

 

[annedonnelly]

First School I worked at - some kids came on a school bus from 10 miles away
and lots of cars came at kicking out time

because it was well-known as a Good School


The problem isn't kids not walking to school
The problems is people getting their kids into the best school they can

which is not always close enough to walk/cycle to even if they would let the kids do it

And once those parents who have to drive their kids to school because of distance do so the amount of traffic near the school increases making it much more dangerous for those kids who live near the school. And so they don't walk/cycle either.

When I lived near a school (and was greatly entertained by watching the school run) I always thought that car parks should be setup about half a mile from schools and no-one apart from those with additional needs would be allowed to be driven any closer than that half mile radius.

 

[Andy in Germany]

I had always understood (uncertain from where) that NL cycle infrastructure was initially driven by the petrol fuel crisis of the time.

I've no doubt there were other factors: it's possible that existing activism suddenly became more popular because of an oil crisis, and the political system meant smaller political parties could push for change.

I recall that in Amsterdam the local government's plan to smash a ring road around the old city met with great resistance when they moved in the demolish a historical building, and became a catalyst for change.

 

[PaulSB]

And once those parents who have to drive their kids to school because of distance do so the amount of traffic near the school increases making it much more dangerous for those kids who live near the school. And so they don't walk/cycle either.

When I lived near a school (and was greatly entertained by watching the school run) I always thought that car parks should be setup about half a mile from schools and no-one apart from those with additional needs would be allowed to be driven any closer than that half mile radius.

Oh, I wish. My village is a dead end unless you have a canal boat . The small primary school has a very strong reputation. At a guess 80/90% of the children are driven in. At school run time it's chaos as the road is single track due to residents and school parked cars. The sensible thing to do is park about 500 yards from the school and walk. Many do but those who don't are a nightmare.

I'm often leaving on my bike at 8.40/45. It's my right of way exiting, up hill, on cobbles with parked cars on my right. I've had several stand offs with parents who drive towards me. I stop. I will not give way. I make them back up. One lady said to me "you should be on the pavement" That's the pavement full of primary school children.

There are few more self-entitled people than a parent late on the school run!!!

 

[nogoodnamesleft]

At school run time it's chaos as the road is single track due to residents and school parked carsThe sensible thing to do is park about 500 yards from the school and walk. Many do but those who don't are a nightmare.

Likewise in my (and nearby) village. Something of a "status" thing to park close to school entrance, sort of "parental pecking order". So cars arrive ½ hr before kids come out of school and in winter sit parked window open to let vape could out of car and engines running to keep them warm!

But riding along that road at School Run time is a nightmare, doors opened without looking, cars pulling out without looking or indicating. Driving past difficult as in one village cars park forcing 2 lane road into a single track road on a bling sharp bend forcing you into oncoming lane without being able to see anything!

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

Likewise in my (and nearby) village. Something of a "status" thing to park close to school entrance, sort of "parental pecking order". So cars arrive ½ hr before kids come out of school and in winter sit parked window open to let vape could out of car and engines running to keep them warm!

But riding along that road at School Run time is a nightmare, doors opened without looking, cars pulling out without looking or indicating. Driving past difficult as in one village cars park forcing 2 lane road into a single track road on a bling sharp bend forcing you into oncoming lane without being able to see anything!

When I pick the grandkids up I drive to the school
where there are lots of cars parked

and drive past (slowly!) well before kicking out time

The go up the next road at park somewhere near the top
the kids walk up the road with me quite happily holding my hand

then we have an easy drive out of the chaos as we don't have to drive past the actual school

people who scramble to park near the school are trying to work out who can go where and when while we just walk past

 

[Andy in Germany]

The sensible thing to do is park about 500 yards from the school and walk. Many do but those who don't are a nightmare.
...
There are few more self-entitled people than a parent late on the school run!!!

I see this in different situations: you end up with a sort of natural selection where the entitled drivers who ignore the rules are by definition are aggressive and dangerous.

As an aside, I bet the teachers could tell you which parents act this way without ever meeting them...

 

[Andy in Germany]

One of the things that used to annoy me, was the way other parents treated my kids as if they were somehow being "pampered" because they were in the Bakfiets, while these same parents loaded their kids into huge (often illegally parked) SUV's.

 

[oxoman]

I live within 400 metres of the nearest school in my area with another 2 within 1/4 of a mile and school times are horrendous. There's parents who insist there kids are unable to walk 500m from home and drop them off, friends of ours included. I certainly walked to all of my schools as did my son's, even when there high school was 1,1/2 miles away. They had the option of local service bus but chose to walk with mates. As to cycling infrastructure its disjointed at best and useless / dangerous at the other end of the scale. My local council has spent over a million pounds in the last 18months on cycle paths and traffic calming and I dont use any of them as there all in the wrong place or create unnecessary dangers.

 

[Punkawallah]

As to cycling infrastructure its disjointed at best and useless / dangerous at the other end of the scale. My local council has spent over a million pounds in the last 18months on cycle paths and traffic calming and I dont use any of them as they’re all in the wrong place or create unnecessary dangers.

Our cycle route on a main road into the town centre disappears before you get there. You are then expected to negotiate two lanes of traffic to rejoin the route and then take a minor road in with no cycle path. Classic.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

Our cycle route on a main road into the town centre disappears before you get there. You are then expected to negotiate two lanes of traffic to rejoin the route and then take a minor road in with no cycle path. Classic.

Yup - best cycle path round here is fine going to Warrington

and is 2 way

but coming back there is no clue that it is even there
and if you know and want to get to it
you have to cross a major dual carriageway

then know when to cross back otherwise you end up at a bridge with steps to get over it
(no idea how a wheelchair ir mobility scooter is supposed to get over that either!!!)

I think road design should need to be looked at by a regular cyclist before it is approved
some clearly were designed by someone who last road a bike with stabilisers!!!

 

[Electric_Andy]

some clearly were designed by someone who last road a bike with stabilisers

Yes I think this is the main issue. With all of these so-called designs and improvements, the correct experts and/or users are not consulted first. There is a stretch of road near me with a painted line 12 inches wide; I always drive to the side of it (even though it's always empty) because it appears natural for me to do that i.e. it's a lane that motor vehicles should not be in. But nearly every car I follow without exception, is driving in the painted cycle lane because to them it's just part of the road. There needs to be physical segregation, and someone in charge with some backbone to defend these decisions from the usual moaners who might say "but it slows down cars".

Getting back to the point, perhaps if the roads were physically safer for kids, you'd get more walking or cycling to school. I always tell my son, it's not that I don't trust his roadcraft but rather I don't trust idiot drivers, and if there's no physical barrier to protect him from others mistakes then it's just not safe these days

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

On the point of "it slows down cars"

generally it just doesn;t
cycle lanes would - I think - probably speed up cars a bit

because it provides a specific space for them so they do not "get in the way"

and the cars can pretty much assume that they will stay in the separate space
ASSUMING of course that some other car driver has not decided to park in it
in which case that is down to "car drivers" - if all cyclists are lumped together (we ALL go through red lights as we know!)
then it makes sense that all car drivers are to blame for the one idiot???

Anyway - proper cyclelanes should speed cars up

IMO

 

[Hicky]

Unless cycling infrastructure is done well and building works completed swiftly then the aim of improving health and traffic reduction is totally lost. Castleton in Rochdale where I live is one such place, we have one covering 50% of the village it took at least 12 months longer than expected, there is ZERO parking for any bikes, the parking created for the lost street parking isn't advertised and isn't used. The lane is constantly blocked by farkwits parking in it. The council scored a total own goal.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Anyway - proper cyclelanes should speed cars up

Actually we do not want them speeding up. We want them slowing down, paying attention, and driving in a safe competent manner.