Parent Drivers

Wed 28 Mar 2007, 08:10

i'll let julie have you as shes a bigger fan than me.

Tue 27 Mar 2007, 22:55

Oh you are awfull Ivan

Fri 23 Mar 2007, 18:58

julie if you want to start a fan club be my guest but i think mandy is my number one fan. so no fighting over me.alison how do you know i keep owls it is supposed to be a secret.john h you are always in my thoughts.

Thu 22 Mar 2007, 08:01

Not to stray to far from the main topic, it sounds like the Romans had a more balanced approach to the use of their roads than we have these days. I noticed in Pompeii last summer how in the ruins of the city, every intersection had a raised stone pedestrian crossing that effectively forced chariots to yield to those on foot.

Ahh, those were the days.

Wed 21 Mar 2007, 14:56

Igor, your funny.

...anyway my daughter tells me, Roman law forbid the use of vehicles in urban areas in the main. The Lex Iulia Municipalis restricted commercial carts to night-time access within the walls and within a mile outside the walls.

So what with Akerman Street passing close by there must be an old 'car park' that need to be reastablished round here somwhere.

Wed 21 Mar 2007, 09:17

'No cars, no roads', now that's the kind of creative logic that really helps find a solution.

I suppose the Romans all travelled by jet pack.

Tue 20 Mar 2007, 10:44

Richard, I have seen a pic of Old Charlbury where Church st is full of parked vehicles,think it was market day.A few Model Ford T's

Tue 20 Mar 2007, 09:11

Graham/Geoff - now, that's not strictly true. There are some lovely pictures of old Charlbury in the museum and on the walls of the Rose & Crown, and I don't remember seeing a Ford Focus parked up in any of them.

Mon 19 Mar 2007, 20:27

Ivan, If you feel that your wives should walk the 7 miles to school and back, I take it that you walk to your local post office and to the pet shop if you still have your owl.

Mon 19 Mar 2007, 18:12

Hear HeaR Graham, pedestrians please take note!!

Mon 19 Mar 2007, 17:45

If there were no cars, there would no roads?!

Mon 19 Mar 2007, 09:16

The only argument I've heard against walking buses in Charlbury is that it's difficult to chart a safe route that doesn't have to go on the road when there's no pavement. e.g. Dancer's Hill

In fact, I've heard parents who drive their children to school claim they wouldn't have to if they felt it was safe for their kids to walk to school.

Woodstock appears to have addressed the problem by painting white pedestrian paths on roads where no pavement is possible and the general set up makes drivers very cautious and respectful of pedestrians.

I think Charlbury needs a shift in perspective that acknowledges the fact that our roads are actually for everyone's use, not just motorists.

Sun 18 Mar 2007, 16:54

Oh Ivan ........we love you!!!!!!
Ever thought of setting up ur own website/fanclub?

Sun 18 Mar 2007, 14:33

i do not allow my three wives to drive. they have to walk the seven miles to the local school and back with the twelve children.it is good exercise for them and it makes them appreciate the loving husband that they are married to. apart from that my carbon foot print is nonexistant.

Sat 17 Mar 2007, 22:51

I've seen a walking bus working extremely well in Bloxham. They are a great idea as the walkers get exercise and learn road sense at the same time, can't be bad!

Fri 16 Mar 2007, 17:21

There are "walking buses" in Britain, too - I once saw one around Alvechurch in Worcestershire.

Fri 16 Mar 2007, 16:11

There was a similar movement in Australia called The Walking Bus where parents organised a set route and took it in turns to accompany children walking to school who they picked up at designated 'bus stops' along the way.

Fri 16 Mar 2007, 14:49

Thanks, these are good points---keep them coming.

Here's resource link to a parent campaign for walking to school in Georgia called KidsWalk:

www.peds.org/kw_resources.htm

Fri 16 Mar 2007, 13:16

A safer walking environment should put some parents off driving. A proper crossing on The Slade is desperately needed, also actually on Pooles Lane - several of the many parents walking up from town have commented how some drivers don't check for pedestrians walking down from the Playing Close nor do most slow down enough on the stretch without a pavement which means children have to walk in the road. I'm sure such fears make some parents drive their kids to school with in turn exacerbates the problem at the school gates.

Thu 15 Mar 2007, 17:54

Zebra crossing, flashing lights, and a lolly pop lady would be good! Then cycle lanes, children and parents cycling to school, bicycle storage space at school, and a complete overhaul of British car-obsessed culture would be the next logical step.

Thu 15 Mar 2007, 17:08

i came past the slade this morning and there was at least 10 cars and work vans there which makes it very hard to get past

Thu 15 Mar 2007, 09:25

I've been invited by Jane Holt to the upcoming traffic meeting with the local police to discuss possible solutions. I would like to refer to this thread as a reflection of community input.

Please post your suggestions for solving the problem.

Thu 15 Mar 2007, 08:45

The development you refer to Neil is Greystones, unfortunately.

Thu 15 Mar 2007, 08:07

The one thing that nobody mentions, and who would have thought it was going to take so long, is the workers parking all along, across, and around that part of the Slade; from their cars being left there all day, to the heavy equipment which you just have to hope you can pick a way around.This encourages those recidivist drivers to find other holes in the parking to get into. I don't think that the developers have been very considerate there, and should be told. Just think of all the extra cars from there to be debouched into the Slade too.
Then there is the planning application to do the same thing at another house - is it Greystones, or is that one Greystones?

Wed 14 Mar 2007, 16:53

At our boys’ last school there was a similar problem and the head used to periodically stand outside and take down the registration details of the offending cars then publish their number plate, colour and make of car in the newsletter. If she caught them more than once their details were passed onto the police with no second warning. I'm not sure how I feel about a 'name and shame' campaign however, it did work very well. I'm not suggesting Jane Holt should be out there each morning clipboard in hand but there are more than a few irate and concerned parents who may be willing to take a turn.

Tue 13 Mar 2007, 10:13

Back to the original topic:
there's a near universal consenus that the drop off and pick up congestion in front of the school and on The Slade is just an accident waiting to happen.

We've already had drivers undergoing their own little road rage tantrums and plowing through the lolly pop lady during a school crossing. (The police are aware of this and are increasing presence; offending registrations will be taken down and drivers fully prosecuted).

The question is: what's to be done about it?

Tue 13 Mar 2007, 10:12

Back to the original topic:
there's a near universal consenus that the drop off and pick up congestion in front of the school and on The Slade is just an accident waiting to happen.

We've already had drivers undergoing their own little road rage tantrums and plowing through the lolly pop lady during a school crossing. (The police are aware of this and are increasing presence; offending registrations will be taken down and drivers fully prosecuted).

The qq

Mon 12 Mar 2007, 21:19

ok so i made a few spelling mistakes but then by your comment you must still live in the 1920s when women were told what to do by there men. i take it your not married.

Mon 12 Mar 2007, 15:49

Hey, how come I can't post pictures?

Is anyone really taking 'Ivan' seriously?

Sun 11 Mar 2007, 17:58

Well done, Richard: just the posting this sort of discussion needs!

Sun 11 Mar 2007, 17:04

ivan.....Are you married/have a woman in your life?

Sun 11 Mar 2007, 13:24

Sun 11 Mar 2007, 12:55

i forgot to point out they cannot spell either?

Fri 9 Mar 2007, 22:23

i dont think that is very fair to make comments like that about women
as it is a fact that more men have crash there cars than women.and also if women didnt do all the things like taken children to and from school and makeing sure they got there in this day and age its not safe for them to walk to school on there own.

Fri 9 Mar 2007, 19:03

igor did you know it is a scientific fact that womens brains are smaller than a mans.as such they should not be allowed to use any thing more complicated than an ironing board or a sink tap.after the no smoking ban comes into force next month women drivers should have there licences revoked as they are more hazerdous than smoking sixty ciggaretes a day

Wed 7 Mar 2007, 08:55

I didn't think it was unique to Charlbury (things rarely are); however, I had hoped that common parental concern would prevail convenience.

To expect children from 7-11 to make way for motorists first thing as they come out of their school is taking the tyranny of the combustion engine to extremes.

It's a shame that official restrictions have to be imposed in the wake of common sense; but I agree preventive action is needed and have spoken to the head about the problem.

Tue 6 Mar 2007, 21:24

Igor, this is not unique to Charlbury.
It seams that alot of parents like to drop off and pick up their children as close as possible, to the school. They seam to think it is a right to use the car park, and heaven help you if you are in the way.
Many of them will live well within walking distance.
Schools should be gated at the beggining and end of day,for the safety of pupils and pedestrians, it stops them !!!!

Tue 6 Mar 2007, 18:12

Why do parent drivers feel entitled to pull into and park in the Charlbury Primary School parking lot? And then drive out again after picking up their children while expecting other parent's children to avoid them?

I observed this ritual today at 4.15 pm while children were coming out from their after school activities.

Surely the parking lot should be reserved for teachers, school staff and school transport vehicles.

At all times.

Is the slight inconvenience of making your child walk up to Crawborough to meet your vehicle not worth the avoidance of risk?

And to the parent driver who slammed her car door in my face I after I politely inquired why she thought her vehicle had priority over student pedestrians because she caused children to jump back on the pavement in order to avoid her vehicle backing up: I have your registration number and next time I see you driving recklessly, I will file a report.