are commuters the problem or is it school traffic?

School traffic most definitely has a large impact on my commute. One point is right past a Primary school, where the parents seem to think it's fine to completely block off one lane of traffic, causing a standstill right on a junction. That bit's a pain.

On the way home it's the same, and taking the main road up our village also has a few parents still parked at stupid points (slight bends, etc.) as they're picking up young Josh from his extra curricular activities.

Bank holidays, half terms and summer holidays make the trip a joy, though. The aforementioned roads are clear, and the final main junction and road that I have to take -- which, during term time, is a regular pain with waiting for someone to let you in AND the subsequent 5mph crawl in traffic -- is blissfully clear.
 
Hmmmm so this is serious, are you seriously saying there is more school traffic on the roads than commuting? No way.
It's not even provable, when does the entire commuting population take a week off or even one day, to give a comparison?
Yes traffic is a lot better without the school runs, but not as bad as commuters, you only notice it because of 1/2 terms & hols, and then combine that with a or both potentially commuting parents having that same time off too.
Also, I drop my youngest off on the way to work, so am I in the school run or commuter bracket, and I know many also do this ?
 
Jez said:
In my opinion (from observation) it is not school traffic which is the issue. The primary reason that the roads are quieter during school holidays is due to the fact that the workforce at most places of work is greatly reduced during school holidays, as parents naturally book annual leave to match these dates.
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Bingo.

Paradigm hits on a good point as well. Used to make me laugh when I worked in retail, fighting my way through town with the rest of the workforce to get there in time for the 8:45 briefing before the 9:00 opening time. First customer... usually about 10:00 :rolleyes:

New job will mean getting there for about 8:00 and I'll be back on the road by about 15:30, should miss the traffic both ways :cool:
 
Also surely most of the school end of day traffic is long gone by 'rush hour', my youngest is back home by 3:30 and my eldest who gets a school bus back is home by 3:45 - this was just before 4 on his previous school which wen't round the villages before getting back here, also not your 'typical commute route' so again not really in the equation.
 
if they change school times to be after buisness times then it messes with the millions of parents who drop the kids off on their way to work...
 
The Running Man said:
There have been many complaints about commuters, trying to force us to use public transport more, opening bus lanes and depriving car drivers of faster moving traffic systems.

However around my way it seems that the vast majority of in town traffic on my commute is actually school traffic.

Are we approaching the traffic problems incorrectly by increasing car tax, fuel tax etc and claiming this is to improve our road networks when instead simply changing school start times to not coincide with the typical business day might solve so many problems?
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I welcome teachers' strikes - they make my commute so much easier :)

Joking aside, the school rush is a symptom not the cause. School times are inextricably linked to work times as that's simply when parents can deliver their children - or pick them up.

That shouldn't be solved by changing school times, it should be changed by changing transport behaviour and offering improved ways of getting kids to school. Looking at it from another point of view, teenage boys are known to learn better with later classes. But what's more important - keeping the roads free or educating the next generation?
 
I've noticed this for years and it's always baffled me.

There's generally zero congestion on the A roads, motorways and towns around these parts when the kids are off - all throughout the year.

Makes you wonder which fortunate buggers have the flexibility and holiday entitlement to book every school holiday off to look after their kids.
 
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The_Abyss said:
offering improved ways of getting kids to school.
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This.

Also, roads outside schools generally grind to a halt with relatively dangerous traffic situations and overtake attempts - risking both drivers and kids crossing. There should be better, more localised bus runs that drop the sprogs off inside school grounds.

I've no doubt that there are however, parents that will absolutely, under no circumstances let their kids walk to school alone or get a bus.
 
Many schools do have drop off in grounds.

I'm my own boss so I'm 'lucky' enough to have some time off when it suits term times - and pay 3 times more for holidays than if I'd booked the week before.
Last year a friend booked their summer holiday the weeks before the summer hols - it saved them £1200 :eek:
 
Dead Dog said:
Many schools do have drop off in grounds.

I'm my own boss so I'm 'lucky' enough to have some time off when it suits term times - and pay 3 times more for holidays than if I'd booked the week before.
Last year a friend booked their summer holiday the weeks before the summer hols - it saved them £1200 :eek:
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As opposed to book it months in advance or the day they want to go?
 
Or the weeks after. I'm going in September, just after the schools have gone back.

I also went away last week, the week before bank holiday / half-term. That saved me 66% over the cost of this week.
 
I see the problem being the growth in population vs little to no growth in roads.
More and more people are getting on the roads and with that comes more traffic. Unfortunately there's little that can be done about it.

South on the A1 into London just gets worse past Stevenage 3 lanes into 2. The trains are just as full and cramped.

More people commute, more kids go to school. Also, in some areas, the schools are miles away from the residential areas where some of the kids live, this just makes it worse.
 
start work at 8:30 and finish at 5:30 so normally I set off around 8ish and leave just before 6.

There is a school near where I live and it's a ghost town on school holidays! Traffic is massively worse during winter months too, even when there is no snow/ice.
 
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