The End of the school run is nigh?

[summerdays]

Question: when I was at school, there was a rule that if you lived more than (I think) two miles from your school, the local authority had to provide transport.

For most kids at my school, that meant a school bus, or cheap tickets on a regular bus. A few came by taxi - paid for by the council.

Even the taxi children came two or three to a taxi, because the council wasn't going to pay for two or three cars to do the same route.

Is this rule still in place?

I think the distance rule might differ according to the age, so primary school I think its 2 miles, secondary it is 3 miles to your nearest school (or nearest church school). The rules probably vary depending on different councils?

Bristol has managed to mess up their school admissions processes so that parents living close to schools can't get in as they didn't predict that primary parents would move to an area to get into the catchment area for secondary school. So they are currently trying to add loads of temporary classes to schools or bus them over the city to other primary schools.

The only child I have ever know to be taxi'd was one that was in foster care - so probably special circumstances.

 

[very-near]

That also applies to kids walking to school.

The issue isn't with the children, but drivers. If you're accepting that children have less road sense than drivers, then it's the driver who needs the work.

Any driver who thinks it's ok to drive at 3mph near to a school is an idiot.

Our head doesn't encourage kids riding to school because of the risk from the roads. And up to now that's about as far as the conversation has gone. It's wrong, and it's passively pandering to the dangerous driver.

I couldn't agree more, it would be quicker to walk

 

[summerdays]

I couldn't agree more, it would be quicker to walk

I don't know ... I only cycle at twice that past the school. Its really narrow - parked up on the other side.... they can't pass me - its my act of rebellion. Just occasionally a car forces me to get off when they decide to squeeze by from the other way.

 

[Piemaster]

There are times I want to change career and become a traffic warden. There are always the parents who think the 'no stopping' lines don't apply to them, a convenient place to pull in at the school gates. Every day.
I'm not actually convinced ticketing every car that stops would get the message through to some though...

Piemaster the Merciless

 

[grhm]

Question: when I was at school, there was a rule that if you lived more than (I think) two miles from your school, the local authority had to provide transport.

For most kids at my school, that meant a school bus, or cheap tickets on a regular bus. A few came by taxi - paid for by the council.

Even the taxi children came two or three to a taxi, because the council wasn't going to pay for two or three cars to do the same route.

Is this rule still in place?

Not sure about now, but when I went to school in the early 90's, you could get a free bus pass if you where more than 3 miles from school. Although my school was over 3 miles away, I didn't qualify as there was a nearer school I could have chosen (the local failing comprehesive that no-one wanted to go to).

 

[Lazy-Commuter]

There are times I want to change career and become a traffic warden. There are always the parents who think the 'no stopping' lines don't apply to them, a convenient place to pull in at the school gates. Every day.
I'm not actually convinced ticketing every car that stops would get the message through to some though...

Piemaster the Merciless

.. possibly wouldn't: there's one mum at the Little-LC's school who always parks on the clearly marked "don't park here" bit right outside the school gates, actually going across the path and pulling a little way into the entrance of the school.

Playground gossip has it that she's been fined twice but sees this as a small price to pay for the convenience of parking there.

 

[Nortones2]

Anti-social driving (alarm distress or nuisance to others) - S59 applies. http://tinyurl.com/c98xt4 After second warning, vehicle seized. Price gets higher

 

[Willow]

My perception of this problem [Disclaimer: I don't have kids] is that the government's policy on having a choice of school to go to, rather than everyone from one place going to one school, is THE cause of the school run.


absolutely and what is happening is the better schools get better the worse schools get worse and the divide widens. Is there a choice, well only if you apply for an under subscribed school.

 

[Willow]

Question: when I was at school, there was a rule that if you lived more than (I think) two miles from your school, the local authority had to provide transport.

For most kids at my school, that meant a school bus, or cheap tickets on a regular bus. A few came by taxi - paid for by the council.

Even the taxi children came two or three to a taxi, because the council wasn't going to pay for two or three cars to do the same route.

Is this rule still in place?

yes (in Surrey) but only if you applied to your nearest school and that distance is over 2/3(?) miles and/or is full and you get allocated a place further away.

 

[HJ]

It also had a 6 mile car vs. bike commute race, and the bike won
http://www.rainmiles.com/archives/doms-on-the-case-its-faster-by-bike.html

Strange how that always happens, but when you try to explain it to car drivers, they also insist that it is the cyclist that slow them down, not all those other cars...