General Chat

Wonderful…Not!

For the last 6 weeks or so I have been driving around a reasonably traffic-free Birmingham. OK! So the road works have been a problem but I can live with them because there is always the hope that things will get better. Tomorrow morning all the mums will load their offspring into the 4 wheel drive in which they can barely see over the steering wheel, and drive them the 200 yards to school. Of course they won’t be able to park so they will abandon the monster in the middle of the road while the pampered tot is settled in. Then they will decide that, since they have had to get up early, they might as well go for a drive round. In the afternoon the whole process is repeated in reverse and, with delivering the kids to their karate or tap dancing lessons, they can string it out until the rush hour (joke) starts at 4-O-clock. Roll on Christmas. Of course I realize that this does not apply to any of the lovely people on this site but if, by chance, you are near a school in Birmingham, and there as a large white truck trying to get past, please be kind to the driver - It might just be me. Bob

Have to say, I'm with you guys on this one! There are 2 or 3 schools in close proximity to where I work, and my goodness it's a frustrating journey if I happen to leave 5 mins later than norm......... I have a 15 minute journey to work, but you would not believe how stressful that journey can be - I think the kids round my way must live in danger of experiencing 'G-force' if they get driven to school at the 40mph that is allowed on the route - ok if you must drive at 10mph below the speed limit, at least try and keep the vehicle ahead in view still.........all that open road ahead and nowhere to get past them and use it :( ggggrrrrrr

I walk to work, taking younger child with me en route. Older child walks to school. I enjoy passing all the people in their cars stuck in jams as we go. But on the other hand, if my job wasn't walking distance (20 mins) and I had to drive, I wouldn't have time to walk son to school, walk back to collect car to drive, so I would drop him off on the way in my car, which is what lots of working mums do. This is because we have a silly system where all the schools and most jobs have to start around 9 am ish. nel

4 years ago hubby and I were like you people, living in the subs working in London. Nightmare. Then we had the opportunity to live in Northern Ireland and we jumped at the chance. With only just over a million people living here it's almost traffic jam free ( 'cept for the cows , sheep and tractors lol) The children are taken to school by bus either rural or town.........I think this is the answer for the mainland too SCHOOL BUSES. I think the scots and the welsh have them too. So why is it England doesn't follow suit? Feeling for you guys ( but at the same time feeling smug as a 20 min drive is a a drive not a 5 min drive and 15 min sat still) Much happiness Debi

totally in agreement, hubbie refuses to take the kid's to school, when he's home me or my daughter walk them, we can get there quicker by walking than if the old mans driving. We used to walk as kids, why cant everyone else Shan

and its not just traffic,spare a thought for us that live in the same road as a school,we now can't get parked for all the teachers cars, karen

As a Lollipop Person- albeit in Melbourne-my pet hate is a wet morning. Kids don't shrink you know;50secs after doting parent has illegally parked to drop 'em off as close as possible to school gate, they're out in the yard jumping in puddles! And even though I am now one, grandparents are AWFUL. Bobby in Melbourne

i hAVE TO DRIVE MY SON TO SKOOL AS HIS SKOOL IS ABOUT 4 MILES FROM WERE WE LIVE AS WE MOVED FROM HIS SKOOL AREA AND I REFUSED TO CHANGE HIS SKOOL,,,ID RATHER DRIVE HIM TO SKOOL THAN CHANGE IT AS HE'S ALREADY CHANGED SKOOLS ONCE,,,,BUT BOY I CAN'T WAIT FOR MONDAY MORNING, SEEIN HIM SMARTLY DRESSED IN HIS NEW UNIFORM, THEN PICK HIM UP AT 3PM, AND HE'LL LOOK LIKE SOMEONE HAS DRAGGED HIM THROUGH THE BUSHES,, BUT WEN I DID LIVE IN HIS SKOOL AREA I DID WALK HIM YET ME NEIGHBOURS WUD DRIVE AND IT'S A 5 MIN WALK (HONEST)