The most sensible restrictions introduced

[adc82140]

As an antidote to the most over the top restrictions thread, how about some new restrictions added in the name of Covid, but which are actually beneficial long term?

Like this

'School Streets' plan to help Reading pupils return safely

A council urges schools to sign up to a scheme banning motorists during drop-off and pick-up times.

www.bbc.co.uk

Schools across Reading have been urged to join a scheme that will only permit pedestrians and cyclists to use roads outside at drop-off and pick-up times.

The School Streets initiative will allow more space for social distancing, Reading Borough Council said.

Council transport boss Tony Page said the return of schools in September presented a "considerable challenge" amid ongoing coronavirus restrictions.

Mr Page said the scheme would make school journeys safer.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I personally like the one-way markings in motorway services, which reduce the effect of dawdlers when you just want to go in, use the toilet and go out as quickly as possible. They could be simplified if used for flow purposes only, but I'd certainly support laying it out basically like a road[1], including space to stand to the side marked as such if feasible.

[1] Actually drawing a road on the floor might actually work really well, as kids (and it's families with kids that are the main dawdlers) would love to "play the game" properly and would make their parents do it too.

 

[Bantamzen]

As an antidote to the most over the top restrictions thread, how about some new restrictions added in the name of Covid, but which are actually beneficial long term?

Like this

'School Streets' plan to help Reading pupils return safely

A council urges schools to sign up to a scheme banning motorists during drop-off and pick-up times.

www.bbc.co.uk

So given that many children will be going to school by car, the idea is just to move the problem elsewhere?

 

[joncombe]

As an antidote to the most over the top restrictions thread, how about some new restrictions added in the name of Covid, but which are actually beneficial long term?

Like this

'School Streets' plan to help Reading pupils return safely

A council urges schools to sign up to a scheme banning motorists during drop-off and pick-up times.

www.bbc.co.uk

What about people that live in these streets and need their car to get to work?

 

[adc82140]

So given that many children will be going to school by car, the idea is just to move the problem elsewhere?

Walking? Park & walk? School bus? There is no need to be dropped off at the school gates. Our local school has an advisory car exclusion zone, ignored by some, but observed by many, whereby you park in the Co-op for free (Co op have agreed to this) and walk the 6 or 7 minutes to school.

What about people that live in these streets and need their car to get to work?

Well obviously residents still have access.

 

[Yew]

I don't mind the "Keep Left" signs in towns. Though it could be that the actual thing that's helping is that towns are emptier at the moment

 

[Bantamzen]

Walking? Park & walk? School bus? There is no need to be dropped off at the school gates. Our local school has an advisory car exclusion zone, ignored by some, but observed by many, whereby you park in the Co-op for free (Co op have agreed to this) and walk the 6 or 7 minutes to school.

And that is exactly what won't happen, I know it, and you know it. Shut off the roads directly in front of schools without providing transport in for the kids, parents will just battle it out on other streets. I'm sorry to say this is another example of a solution looking for a problem, and creating many.

 

[adc82140]

Do kids really need transporting 600 yards up the road? No wonder we have an obesity problem. It is most definitely a problem having this many cars outside schools. Two kids got run over by speeding parents last year. Fortunately no major injuries.

 

[Bletchleyite]

And that is exactly what won't happen, I know it, and you know it. Shut off the roads directly in front of schools without providing transport in for the kids, parents will just battle it out on other streets. I'm sorry to say this is another example of a solution looking for a problem, and creating many.

The problem is obesity as well as the issue caused by the actual cars, and the solution is that kids need to be walking to school, certainly at junior level where it's local. It might need some fixing of problems e.g. pavements and providing more crossing patrols, but I would be completely up for an outright ban (with exceptions given for disabilities, obviously) on dropping/picking up primary kids at school by car. For infants, "walking buses" are a great idea and again it's local - the Swiss use these.

Above junior, all kids (again other than those with disabilities) should be getting themselves to school - on foot, by bicycle or by public transport - only if this is not physically possible (e.g. too far and no appropriately timed public transport is available) should cars be used.

To clarify on "walking buses", these are where you have a couple of staff or parent volunteers walk with very young children in a very controlled way. Typically hi-vis is worn and the children walk in pairs like is common on school trips. Some of the Swiss ones use a rope they all hold onto to keep them together in their pairs.

 

[Bantamzen]

Do kids really need transporting 600 yards up the road? No wonder we have an obesity problem.

Do kids really all live 600 yards from school? You may need catching up on the issue in this country.....

And just to clarify, I was pointing out that moving drop-off points off the streets outside schools is just moving the usual scrum outside many elsewhere. It won't reduce distancing, just shift it around, therefore solving nothing.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Do kids really all live 600 yards from school? You may need catching up on the issue in this country.....

And just to clarify, I was pointing out that moving drop-off points off the streets outside schools is just moving the usual scrum outside many elsewhere. It won't reduce distancing, just shift it around, therefore solving nothing.

The 600 yards is from the Co-op drop-off point. It sounds a great idea to me with basically no disadvantages. Perhaps junior schools could do something similar and arrange a "walking bus" so they can walk together without parents.

 

[adc82140]

I never said they did live 600 yards away. You were suggesting they needed transporting from the agreed drop off point, which in this case is 600 yards away.

 

[Bantamzen]

I never said they did live 600 yards away. You were suggesting they needed transporting from the agreed drop off point, which in this case is 600 yards away.

No I said it was shifting the problem from A to B. I've no problem with kids walking where they can (and they can't always), but simply shifting the drop-off point down the road simply shifts the same problem. In fact it might make it worse, depending on the effect it has on other traffic. But it won't reduce distancing, parents will all still arrive at the same time, kids will congregate & wait for their mates, only now they'll be doing so 600 yards away and walking in large groups.

 

[Bletchleyite]

No I said it was shifting the problem from A to B. I've no problem with kids walking where they can (and they can't always), but simply shifting the drop-off point down the road simply shifts the same problem.

Shifting it to a Co-op car park doesn't shift the problem. It gets rid of the problem by providing a suitably sized parking area for it not to be a problem. It might mean the store is not very usable for about an hour or so each morning, but the store clearly doesn't mind and that's their prerogative, and I bet they gain business by the parents going in once their kids have gone.

Some schools might be able to deal with it themselves if they could have kids congregate indoors before lessons (e.g. in the school hall) instead of on the playground, and then could mark out and marshal a proper drop off facility on the playground. But how feasible that is will depend on the layout and access. I know my old primary could have done it but my secondary wouldn't have been able to as there was no easy road access to the playground.

 

[Bantamzen]

Shifting it to a Co-op car park doesn't shift the problem. It gets rid of the problem by providing a suitably sized parking area for it not to be a problem.

Erm, I rest my case....

​

It might mean the store is not very usable for about an hour or so each morning, but the store clearly doesn't mind and that's their prerogative, and I bet they gain business by the parents going in once their kids have gone.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Erm, I rest my case....

As a private business that's the store's choice and not yours. If you don't like it, take your business elsewhere.

Very, very different to blocking public roads.

 

[Bantamzen]

As a private business that's the store's choice and not yours. If you don't like it, take your business elsewhere.

Very, very different to blocking public roads.

And how would people approach the car park, using flying cars as in Back To The Future? As I said, it is shifting the problem from A to B to be "seen to be doing something". A concept that seems to have gained traction out in the real world, and on here, but often amounts to little more than virtue signalling & in some cases creates more problems than it solves.

 

[Cowley]

As pointed out to us to us by one of the staff team... This thread is probably just going to become a case of someone offering up what they think is a sensible restriction, while other people argue why it isn’t...
On that basis it may not last long unless it stays constructive.

 

[DB]

Do kids really all live 600 yards from school? You may need catching up on the issue in this country.....

Depends on the school, but I live close to several and they are within walking distance from pretty much anywhere in the town, yet loads of kids get dropped off - OK some might live in the villages, but that wouldn't account for the number of cars. One neighbour takes her daughter to school by car, and given how quickly she reappears it must be the one just down the road which would be quicker to walk to at that time of day.

 

[Ianno87]

Above junior, all kids (again other than those with disabilities) should be getting themselves to school - on foot, by bicycle or by public transport - only if this is not physically possible (e.g. too far and no appropriately timed public transport is available) should cars be used.

Plenty of instances where kids get dropped off by a parent that happens to be on the way to their place work anyway, which strikes me as a sensible thing to permit (basically car sharing)

 

[duncanp]

I quite like the table service only in my local pub.

No more queuing at the bar, and no chance of losing your seat whilst you are at the bar if you are on your own, and someone else enters in the meantime.

 

[Ianno87]

I quite like the table service only in my local pub.

No more queuing at the bar, and no chance of losing your seat whilst you are at the bar if you are on your own, and someone else enters in the meantime.

I agree! Although some bars "queueing" was a very loose interpretation of the term.

 

[brad465]

When things return to normal and/or in high passenger use areas this may become an issue, but I have seen some benefits to GWR's use of one way doors on carriages: as long as there's compliance it's possible to board immediately, the minority of idiots trying to get on while passengers are still getting off are not an issue, while in principle all doors are still usable to empty a train at its destination, especially if it's at a point at the physical end of the line and/or where the service hasn't been declared to future passengers (i.e. so no passengers wanting to immediately board).

 

[Bletchleyite]

Plenty of instances where kids get dropped off by a parent that happens to be on the way to their place work anyway, which strikes me as a sensible thing to permit (basically car sharing)

I'd still discourage it. Travel on foot or by bicycle is exercise, and on public transport it builds independence.

When things return to normal and/or in high passenger use areas this may become an issue, but I have seen some benefits to GWR's use of one way doors on carriages: as long as there's compliance it's possible to board immediately, the minority of idiots trying to get on while passengers are still getting off are not an issue, while in principle all doors are still usable to empty a train at its destination, especially if it's at a point at the physical end of the line and/or where the service hasn't been declared to future passengers (i.e. so no passengers wanting to immediately board).

Indian Railways have done this for ages in normal times. Not sure how well respected it is, though.

 

[DelayRepay]

I liked having just one queue in the supermarket for the checkouts, rather than individual queues for each till (with a separate queue for small shops/self service). In most supermarkets they've gone back to normal now but I think Morrisons still have just one queue.

And I agree about the table service in pubs, which feels rather continental and I hope is something that will stay, at least in some places.

I went on holiday last week (self catering) and the check in process was much improved. You checked in online and were allocated an arrival time (you could change it if the allocated time wasn't suitable). Staff member passed keys through the car window and wished you a nice stay. I didn't go there last year but my sister told me they had to wait an hour to check in because everyone arrived at the same time and there was a huge queue, with each check in taking quite a while due to forms having to be completed etc.

 

[Richard Scott]

Do kids really all live 600 yards from school? You may need catching up on the issue in this country.....

And just to clarify, I was pointing out that moving drop-off points off the streets outside schools is just moving the usual scrum outside many elsewhere. It won't reduce distancing, just shift it around, therefore solving nothing.

In my area no child can possibly live more than a mile from primary school so almost all could walk. Can't get down the street at pick up time for all the SUVs. This is one thing that does gripe, most could walk and probably would. Blame lazy parents. Know some have to drive as may be coming from work but sure many don't.

 

[Cowley]

I think as pretty much everything on here is covered in the various other threads we’ll lock this for now.
Thanks all.