School run mums (and dads)

[Sandra6]

What is it that happens to a person when they get into their car to take their offspring to school that makes them suddenly unaware of all other road users and feel they no longer have to obey certain rules of the road? Or do these people routinely mount pavements, park in no parking zones and drive headlong at other people whenever they venture out??
Thankfully I'm not usually on the road at the same time as them, but this week I have 3 early starts and need to set off as soon as my own children have all left for their schools -on foot! My route to work unfortunately takes me passed the primary school and at 8.45 I'm in the thick of it.
Today I avoided two potential collisions thanks to my ability to read minds.
On the way to work, car rounds the corner and pulls in on the wrong side of the road, driver is just getting out as I round the opposite corner. She looks at me, and I swear we made eye contact, then she turns and shuffles a little in the opposite direction. I slow right down thinking "surely she won't actually just step out in front of me now" But yes, she does. I brake and shout "careful" and she jumps out of her skin, apologises and when I tut and point out that looking where you're going generally helps she gets all angry and shouts at me about it being an accident and did I never have an accident. Well not like that, because I tend not to walk out blindly into traffic.
Coming home and I'm on the same road, opposite direction. Car in front bumps up onto the pavement and I approach cautiously thinking, "yes, she is going to open that car door straight into me isn't she?" And as I go wide - out flings the car door.
I'm backing any government initiatives to force parents to walk to school from now on!

 

[byegad]

I'd shoot my local school run mums and dads out of a cannon, without a safety net. I deliberately don't go out come home on the roads past the local school, some 200yds from my house around 9.00am or 3.00pm. The moron who lived next door to me for 5 years used to drive his kid to school and pick it up every day. As there is a bit of a one way system he must have driven a mile each way. It's not as if the only road the little cherub had to cross is busy as the only traffic is local. Mostly idle fat so and sos driving 200yds for a packet of fags, or the school run! No wonder the local kids are mostly as wide as they are tall.

 

[Saluki]

I have been knocked off my bike by a "4x4 Mum". She looked down at me and said "I'm on the school run with my KIDS". She was afronted when I picked myself up (with difficulty) and asked if that meant it was ok to simply mow people down who were in the way. I sued her backside from here to Christmas. This was way back in about 95 when I had a tatty old MTB. I was off work for 8 weeks with a broken arm and a broken collar bone. She didn't want to wait for the police as she was late for her daughter's assembly. Tough.
Her daughter was 14 and as far as I could see had all her limbs. Then again she looked like a doughnut so maybe she couldn't walk 250 yards The police instantly took my side especially when the woman said "I could see she was signalling and turning right but I just overtook her anyway as she is only on a bike". The police were brilliant and her insurance company were mortified. She was insured with Norwich Union and I worked in their claims department. Naturally I was not allowed anywhere near the claim but I got payment for a new bike (nicer bike) very very quickly and the didn't muck about with the pain and injury settlement either.

 

[Brains]

the school directly opposite my front door is very popular.
The catchment area is 276 m from the school gate ( not a typo, 276 m )
Yet every morning and afternoon the road fills with cars to pick up and drop off the little darlings, so they don't have to do all 276m ( maximum) on foot.

 

[TonyEnjoyD]

Thankfully I now start and finish an hour earlier so miss the early school run at a school I have to pass, and miss the after-school club pickup at 5.
It was a nightmare and they would randomly stop where they wanted to, with no rhyme, reason or logic.
Also no indicators or checking before reversing out of spaces.

 

[Sandra6]

I
"I could see she was signalling and turning right but I just overtook her anyway as she is only on a bike". .

I'm open mouthed at this! So pleased you got a good pay out and she got what she deserved!
I very much doubt any of the parents driving in live more than a mile from the school, it's sheer laziness that makes people drive their children to school.

 

[Saluki]

We used to live within 100 yards of a school and our neighbours used to drive their grandchildren to school as the hill was too steep Fair enough I probably wouldn't skateboard down it but it wasn't like that cobbled street in the Hovis ad. The neighbours started young so were only about 2 years older than us, so were in the region of 47 at the time.

Lazyitis is endemic in the UK, IMO.

 

[Silver Fox]

These 4x4 mums are more than likely vacuous air heads driving hubbies car and more interested in meeting their cosmetically enhanced girlfriends at the local coffee shop than caring about where or how they deposit their offspring for the day.

 

[Born2die]

There's a family who live directly behind me who drive there kid to the same school as mine every day takes me 10 mins to walk less than 5 if we bike

 

[ianrauk]

My kids nursery is a shared building with a church. There is a sign saying please do not park in the church car park. Do the 4x4 mums take any notice? No of course they don't. My litt'lun (3yo) is the only child to ride his (balance) bike to school. And I do take great pleasure in holding the mums up by walking out of the car park veeeeeeeery sloooooooooowly.

 

[gbb]

When I did commute, I used to hate school run time with a vengeance, and avoided school roads for the reasons you highlight sandra.
I always found the greatest irony was, they will go, quite rightly, to any lengths to protect their children, and yet be completely oblivious of others welfare and safety. Downright dangerous the way some of them drive.

 

[Sara_H]

My kids nursery is a shared building with a church. There is a sign saying please do not park in the church car park. Do the 4x4 mums take any notice? No of course they don't. My litt'lun (3yo) is the only child to ride his (balance) bike to school. And I do take great pleasure in holding the mums up by walking out of the car park veeeeeeeery sloooooooooowly.

I do that when I take my son to his football matches. The ground is about 1.5 miles away, and we are the only family that arrive on foot or bike. We have to walk through the carpark to get to the pitch and I like to make sure we all spread out a bit!

 

[Cycling Dan]

I'm open mouthed at this! So pleased you got a good pay out and she got what she deserved!
I very much doubt any of the parents driving in live more than a mile from the school, it's sheer laziness that makes people drive their children to school.

Catchment zones don't tend to be that big. Primary school I went to it was 5miles. Then everything past that was you will be considered. High schools tend to be considerably bigger.

 

[Cycling Dan]

School mums driving on their phones is another big thing I notice. "Oh i'm close to the school, ill just quickly hop onto the phone". "Im near the school to pick the kids up, lets ring them so they know".

 

[XRHYSX]

We live less than a mile from the kids school, takes us about the same amount of time to cycle as it does to walk (10 minutes) Our next door neighbour (who we don't talk too) drives her 10 year old son to school, its quite funny when we leave our houses at the same time and arrive at the gate the same time, .. she has a 18 month old and her son to take, I walk my 7 and 8 yr old and the 2.5 yr old on his balance bike!