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Just had a quick chat with the headmaster at the local primary and it's a categorical no to putting in a shelter! Our kids are currently using their bikes but the wife has to then wheel them home! Bit of a shame really!!
but the wife has to then wheel them home!
Jeebus 😯
Shut up Dd, wheeling two small bikes over a mile ain't the kindest on your back! It was even more of a struggle the first time they went down and she'd rode with them 😆
Our local primary school has a bike shelter.
Not sure about the senior school that my eldest will be starting at in August 😕
Shut up Dd
Wasn't taking the mick matey 🙂
Just surprised that there's nowhere in the school for the bikes.
It's apparently too dangerous!! WTF. He reckons all the fat arses who drive to within 2 metres of the gate pose a danger to the children when they race off late for Jeremy Kyle etc. Can see his point to be fair because it is busy in a morning! Least I haven't got to push them home!! 8)
Apologies Dd thought it was the usual stw ripping when someone has a gripe! Just rang the mrs to say I'd spoke to the boss man, she moaned and said how was she supposed to talk whilst pushing two bikes 😆
get a hold of your local council's transport policy.
Chances are that somewhere in there it says that they'll encourage the use of cycles/walking as a way to get to school.
Take the text and write a letter to the chair of governors (copy the head in as well) saying that you'd like details of what the school is doing to meet the LA's policy in this area and that you are surprised that there has been such a negative reaction to your request for a bike shelter. It might be worth, separatly, writing to your local councillor (copy head and chair of governors in) askign if the council has policy about providign funds for shelters in schools)
Raise the issue with the PTA - see if there's enough opinion in favour that the PTA is willing to allocate funds to providing shelter.
Also - use scooters as an example - there's hundreds of kids who scoot to school - at my daughters school there's more scooters than bikes in he bike shleters. This will also get mroe parents on your side - they don't like carryign scooters home and back every day either.
[edit] re: the too dangerous bit - ask why the school thinks that providing a shelter is making it any more dangerous for your children who already cycle anyway. Make the point that you, as their parent, are responsible for your children and it is not the school's responsibility to provide a risk assesment for every childs journey to school.
Same here, must be some kind of policy at Primary schools?
My kid rides his scooter at the moment though, so a bit easier for the wife to bring home.
Our local primary school has a bike shelter - and it filled to overflowing as soon as it went in.
If you want to take this further contact the CTC - they can give you all the arguments you need to further your case.
And have a look here to be inspired (this all came about after Mark Kiehlmann was told his kids were not allowed to cycle to school): http://edscyclecoop.org.uk/about/
Most schools should have a green travel plan. The plan should include cycle provision. Ask to see a copy.
He's a sound bloke to be fair and pushes the school into loads of sporting activities. He said they'd consulted the local highways several times and they were the ones who'd assessed it as too dangerous. However I think he's been there 20 odd years and he said to me why do you think we've never had one in the past? Were as many people driving sprogs to school 20/25 years ago?? Not sure on that one to be honest!
The opposite here. Every couple of weeks we get a letter from the school requesting we try and encourage our kids to walk or cycle. The bike racks are always stacked out with bikes and micro-scooters. And they've always got the Bike Ability people in doing what us elderly people used to refer to as 'cycling proficiency'.
I used to take my two in in the trailer (which they loved), unhitch it, leave it in the bike sheds and cycle into the office, then pick them up on the way home. Sadly I no longer work close enough to do that 🙁 but they still walk or cycle in regularly
We have one at ours, but before it was there some people were cycling anyway and just locking the bikes to the fence. Is this not an option?
[i]Were as many people driving sprogs to school 20/25 years ago??[/i]
No. We used to walk. We used to walk bloody miles! (er, hang on. That was 30/35 years ago 🙁 )
my kids school has just got one, quite expensive but all grant funded as is the cycle training they run.
as for the cars being a danger to the kids, i'd say some of the kids pose a big enough threat to themselves the way they ride.
We've got a shelter. I ride in with the kids (6 and 7) every day, rain or shine.
Don't take "categorical no" for an answer. If there's space for one then you should have one. If the Highways Dept think it is too dangerous then they should be doing something about it - that's their job!
Actually, given that the head has been there 20 years, do you think he might just be a bit complacent over this?
He said they'd consulted the local highways several times and they were the ones who'd assessed it as too dangerous.
Answer = Sustrans safe routes to schools. Get your local rep in.
my girls school has a shelter, funded by Last years Bike events week,
its Always full, bikes and scooters, during 'the big pedal' there were over 200 bikes at the school, a good 75 still ride in now, but its fair to say is a little different down here in Darkest Cornwall,
there is also the big advantage that in the middle of the village is a wood with a proper path that runs through and around the back of a field into the churchyard Opposite the school, so is a very safe way to get to school for the children,
still an Awful lot of parents that have to drive the children though, even though its less than a mile!
i'd definately agree witht he others along the lines of green transport policy, ask the school governers too, and the teacher parents panel if they have one, but the head may have you out as a trouble maker if your speahead the campaign!
we are very lucky that the head at the school here is Very Pro cycling, and during the cycling month as was (the big pedal and bike to school week) ran events for the children art the school to motivate them into cycling in!
Thats my worry, on a personal note, I couldn't give a monkeys what he thinks of me, but my kids have got 2 and 5 yrs left to still go there, also my wife works in the school as a helper which she loves doing and i wouldn't want to jeopardise that for her either. I might make a few enquiries on the quiet but not sure how best to go about it. I don't know anyone on the governors or PTA personally so can't even sound them out. My main concern if I pushed for it and it then happened would be if little timmy ended up getting reversed over by some goon in a 4x4 who only uses the mirrors for looking at themselves!
My lads school has a shelter. But this week they have taken to locking the access gates to it forcing bikes, prams and all pupils up a set of narrow stairs.
"It's for security" they moan. No it isn't, they've all been on an H&S course and don't understand what they are doing.
I don't know anyone on the governors or PTA personally
Don't be complacent; it's not an exclusive club, get yourself on the panel.
Or stop moaning.
my kids got one last term as part of the schools green travel plan.. only holds 4 bikes though but it is full every day
Why not just lock the bikes to the railings?
Why do you need a shelter? just leave the bikes somewhere in the School grounds.
On an average day there must be 50+ bikes at my kids School and they do have a bike shelter but TBH it's awful, it's clearly been designed by someone with little to no experience of kids bikes, it's simply a perspex roof with about 16 rails to lean bikes on (or lock them to) and takes up the space you could easily fit 40-50 bikes in (in proper racks) but instead there are generally about 25 bikes and 10 or so scooters all tangled up laying on top of each other, my kids leave their bikes leaning against the trees behind the shelter instead.
Two bike shelters at school but no spaces because every pupil who as ever owned a bike, ever, has left their lock on 'their' space.
The impression I got this morning is bikes are not welcome on school grounds full stop!
Lovely bike shelter at my lads village primary school - usually has two bikes in it out of nearly 400 kids.
Only those who have done the cycle training can ride to school - years 5 & 6 then!
Can only be accessed through the schools front gate - off a busy road, parked cars etc.
Kids who ride then have to go back out of the front gates, alongside the busy road, then go in via the side gates for pedestrians.
This leaves the bikes available to any passing toe rags as the front gates are always open, while the pedestrian gates are locked in school hours......
One of several issues I have with the school, waiting for the next governors vacancy to come up.......
Three covered cycle parking areas with Sheffield stands - although one serves the Nursery side entrance to the Primary school. The covered cycle parking is very well used and makes such a difference compared to storing them out in the open.
My kids school has a shelter and I got a letter towards the end of term asking who would be using it next year as they have limited space and would allocate spaces in a raffle kind of fashion. Tbh I very rarely see more than a couple of bikes in it.
Maybe also report the headmasters concerns about the dangerous traffic & parking to the local police/traffic wardens (whoever is responsible for this stuff). Seems they are dealing with one negative behaviour by creating another, instead of actually dealing with the problem.
Its about time tickets started getting issued for traffic offences for the parking and stupidity of parents in cars around schools.
He reckons all the fat arses who drive to within 2 metres of the gate pose a danger to the children when they race off late for Jeremy Kyle etc.
That's surely an argument to not allow parents in cars to pick kids up from the gate.
If they're a danger to kids on bikes, they're a danger to kids on feet.
My kids nursery school and the adjoining primary school has loads of bike parking and pretty much nowhere to park cars nearby - only difficulty is finding somewhere to lock bikes up if you're running late as it's so popular.
Our primary has an overflowing bike shelter.
Our head has on a number of occasions in the weekly newsletter a) encouraged kids to ride to school b) told parents that they aren't allowed to use the school car park to drop off their kids.
Lots of kids ride to school, and also lots of lazy gits make it a dodgy act getting into school by parking where they shouldn't.