![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
As if I needed any more evidence that we've become far to addicted to our cars, my told me something last night that brings me almost to the point of despair.
In our county, school bus service is not available to any student that lives within a mile of the school, unless there is a "major" (i.e., high traffic volume) street in between. Since we only live a block away from my daughter's school, there is no bus available for her to ride, which is fine with us...after all, its only a block. However, there is one intersection where the sidewalks are a little wonky, requiring either a scramble up a grassy embankment, or a short walk in the street, which irks my wife a bit.
My wife recently tried to talk to the school principal about this, hoping, I think, to get some support to get the sidewalks corrected. My wife pointed out that the current configuration requires that the children walk in the street, which is hardly the safest place for them. The principal's response, completely serious, was "Who walks?" She seemed to believe that all the students who are not transported by bus are driven to school by their parents.
First of all, that attitude is appalling. I know we aren't the only family that has their children walking to school. We aren't all so addicted to our cars that we will drive our children to a school a few blocks from home. However, a lot of people do drive their children. Every afternoon, when school lets out, the street in front of the school is completely lined with cars waiting to pick up children. All of this makes me wonder what the heck we're teaching our children?
In our county, school bus service is not available to any student that lives within a mile of the school, unless there is a "major" (i.e., high traffic volume) street in between. Since we only live a block away from my daughter's school, there is no bus available for her to ride, which is fine with us...after all, its only a block. However, there is one intersection where the sidewalks are a little wonky, requiring either a scramble up a grassy embankment, or a short walk in the street, which irks my wife a bit.
My wife recently tried to talk to the school principal about this, hoping, I think, to get some support to get the sidewalks corrected. My wife pointed out that the current configuration requires that the children walk in the street, which is hardly the safest place for them. The principal's response, completely serious, was "Who walks?" She seemed to believe that all the students who are not transported by bus are driven to school by their parents.
First of all, that attitude is appalling. I know we aren't the only family that has their children walking to school. We aren't all so addicted to our cars that we will drive our children to a school a few blocks from home. However, a lot of people do drive their children. Every afternoon, when school lets out, the street in front of the school is completely lined with cars waiting to pick up children. All of this makes me wonder what the heck we're teaching our children?
Tags:
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2006-06-06 02:25 pm (UTC)But, I agree that something needs done about the sidewalk. Can you go before the city council? If the climb up the embankment is on private property, could you work a deal with the owner to put in some sort of walkway yourself, with paving stones or something?
I hope you find a solution. Kids in the street is never a good thing.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-06-06 05:20 pm (UTC)As for getting the sidewalk addressed...here's the problem:
The "sidewalk" in front of our house is technically a bike trail, installed and maintained by the county. This asphalt trail ends (or technically, begins) at the intersection at the top of the hill. From that intersection to the school, it is an actual sidewalk (poured concrete), which is maintained by the state. The sidewalk turns at the intersection and follows the side street. At the intersection, the sidewalk is on top of a small embankment (about 3 feet high), and does not come down to street level at the intersection. So, when walking up to the school from our house, we follow the bike trail to the intersection, where it ends. Across the street is a 3 foot high embankment with a sidewalk on top of it. Because the sidewalk and the bike path were installed and maintained by different jurisdictions, neither one is going to feel that fixing this issue is their problem. We are planning to talk to our representative on the County Board of Supervisors (who is generally pretty responsive), but I'm not holding my breath on getting things fixed anytime soon.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-06-06 02:42 pm (UTC)That's all. Just, "UGH!"
(no subject)
Date: 2006-06-06 03:13 pm (UTC)Hope you get your sidewalk fixed. Have you talked to anyone else about it (I assume a city person?)
(no subject)
Date: 2006-06-06 05:21 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-06-06 03:35 pm (UTC)Some of our schools, in an effort to encourage children to walk, organise walking buses, where a group of kids walk together under supervision from adults who work on a rota and are police checked. There's lots of local sponsorship and publicity. The schools are usually eager to promote walking, both for health reasons and for traffic reasons.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-06-11 01:46 pm (UTC)I get your frustration, I drive my girls to school because the bus won't go down my road and I must drive them to the bus stop. School is 5 minutes away so it just seems easier to drive them. I don't like depending on my car.
princessrica is a friend-mind if i friend you?
(no subject)
Date: 2006-06-12 01:11 am (UTC)Be my guest!