Things parents say why kids not riding to school

Sydguy
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Re: Things parents say why kids not riding to school

Postby Sydguy » Sat Oct 13, 2012 9:20 am

I used to ride a BMX a long freaking way to school - in fact on the days I rode I never brought any books etc.. they tended to get in the way.

Never had any issues with cars, these days you can't even cross at a green light with any confidence.

We often get idiots driving at 60 or 70 in our local streets which are all 50 or 40 zones. It is so common I don't let it upset me anymore. Saw 2 kids come within a metre of being hit, the motorist doing at least 20 over the limit yelled at the kids...

That is where we are at. Cars have dominated our society. As pointed out above people are apparently using DVD players for 5 and 7 minute trips in their cars. Until something that requires less effort than cars comes along cars are it.

Maybe these drone cars will be the next big thing, that way you can legally text and sit in the drivers seat.

JM

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Re: Things parents say why kids not riding to school

Postby il padrone » Sat Oct 13, 2012 10:28 am

Sydguy wrote:I used to ride a BMX a long freaking way to school....

....Never had any issues with cars, these days you can't even cross at a green light with any confidence.
I'm guessing you must have been riding somewhere in the country.

Commuting back in the 70s, I had lots of trouble with Melbourne suburban drivers. They drove much faster, commonly 10-15 kmh over the limit (everyone, the speedsters drove 20-25 kmh over), people were completely arrogant and aggressive to cyclists, close shaves were the norm, bus drivers were horrible, the horn was used to excess, on outer suburban rides it was not uncommon to have various missiles tossed out car windows at you. "Get off the ******* road!" was the typical chant.

These days the traffic is much more malleable and considerate.
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Re: Things parents say why kids not riding to school

Postby bychosis » Sat Oct 13, 2012 11:47 am

I suggested to my wife that I could connect up the tag-a-long and take my son to school(6yo). She said no, the traffic is a nightmare around the school. I drove him to school that day, and realistically the school is in a bad spot, there are only narrow residential roads approaching it with limited footpaths. The traffic IS stupidly dangerous even though not at high speed, people doing u turns, reversing, waiting for oncoming traffic to pass before proceeding etc. i had to wait for about 5min out the front one day for the buses and cars to clear enough for me to move from a parking space, no real problem with that, but indicates the amount of traffic on the route to school. I use the back entrance now that is easier to park in, but more traffic to ride through.

one day we will ride, but probably leave early/late to avoid the chaos and wait til his mad riding skillz have improved, especially how to read traffic.
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Re: Things parents say why kids not riding to school

Postby il padrone » Sat Oct 13, 2012 11:54 am

bychosis wrote:I suggested to my wife that I could connect up the tag-a-long and take my son to school(6yo). She said no.....

.....I drove him to school that day....

....The traffic IS stupidly dangerous even though not at high speed
Do you see the irony in that ???

:twisted:
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Re: Things parents say why kids not riding to school

Postby bychosis » Sat Oct 13, 2012 1:16 pm

il padrone wrote:
bychosis wrote:I suggested to my wife that I could connect up the tag-a-long and take my son to school(6yo). She said no.....

.....I drove him to school that day....

....The traffic IS stupidly dangerous even though not at high speed
Do you see the irony in that ???

:twisted:
Indeed there is irony, but seriously I don't think I'd be keen to ride to the school n peak traffic after the stoopid things I've seen done. The local high school on the other hand has a much safer access (wider streets etc), and the sons will be walking or riding there.
bychosis (bahy-koh-sis): A mental disorder of delusions indicating impaired contact with a reality of no bicycles.

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Re: Things parents say why kids not riding to school

Postby Mulger bill » Sat Oct 13, 2012 2:37 pm

il padrone wrote:
bychosis wrote:I suggested to my wife that I could connect up the tag-a-long and take my son to school(6yo). She said no.....

.....I drove him to school that day....

....The traffic IS stupidly dangerous even though not at high speed
Do you see the irony in that ???

:twisted:
Can you dig out the Yehuda classic for me please Pete? Running out of time before work :(

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Re: Things parents say why kids not riding to school

Postby il padrone » Sat Oct 13, 2012 3:04 pm

Ah, yes, good old Yehuda!

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Re: Things parents say why kids not riding to school

Postby Xplora » Sat Oct 13, 2012 3:06 pm

bychosis wrote:Indeed there is irony, but seriously I don't think I'd be keen to ride to the school n peak traffic after the stoopid things I've seen done. The local high school on the other hand has a much safer access (wider streets etc), and the sons will be walking or riding there.
Gun in the jersey pocket. If that is too illegal, screwdriver/hammer. Maybe a shifter? Something to equalise the odds. I ride a short stretch of Victoria Road in peak hour, in the right lane, every day to work. It is just easier to do it that way. If the road is genuinely too dangerous to ride a bike to school, you are putting your child at risk by driving them there as well, because cars are just as easy to crash as bikes... and whiplash hurts even worse than flying through the air at 40kmh. :idea:

The call is always "someone think of the children" and they fail to realise that the castration of our kids is making this situation worse, not better.

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Re: Things parents say why kids not riding to school

Postby high_tea » Sun Oct 14, 2012 6:10 pm

My daughter started school this year. The whole transporting-kids-to-school thing is freaky wierd, I tell ya.

Like many here, in my day riding was common and accepted. Nowadays, well, it happens, but there's all of one bike rack, near as I can judge. The school predates the car being the major means of transport, so there is considerable traffic chaos around the school. Here's what's wierd, though. There are roughly two parking options: nearby, with the aforementioned chaos and bitter competition for parking (bonus: when you park, you get to walk through a chaotic carpark full of people competing bitterly for parking - yay), or further away (like 5 minutes' walk, max). The latter is easy peasy to deal with
because only a few eccentrics park there! I've been asked why I park there and my answer is, Because it's more pleasant and the time penalty is trivial. There's this huge aversion to walking to and from one's car. It's odd. I feel it too, so I'm not judging or anything. Maybe the fact that carparks are generally quite nasty to walk through has something to do with it.

PS She also cycles and walks to school depending on various stuff.

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Re: Things parents say why kids not riding to school

Postby Comedian » Sun Oct 14, 2012 7:11 pm

Now we have a whole generation that haven't ridden to school...

I rocked up to school swim club direct from work last week. As I grabbed the bike to ride home a little girl said "are you going to ride that all the way home?". I said sure am and rode the 1.5k home.

My point is the bike is now an entertainment or training tool in aus now. It's not for transport... :(

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Re: Things parents say why kids not riding to school

Postby human909 » Sun Oct 14, 2012 7:38 pm

high_tea wrote:There's this huge aversion to walking to and from one's car. It's odd. I feel it too, so I'm not judging or anything. Maybe the fact that carparks are generally quite nasty to walk through has something to do with it.
I find the obsession with parking to minimise walking distance hilarious. People drive circles around car parks just to save an extra 25m walking. Despite the fact that it is often quicker and easier to simply plonk the car in the empty section and spend 10seconds walking.
Comedian wrote:Now we have a whole generation that haven't ridden to school...

I rocked up to school swim club direct from work last week. As I grabbed the bike to ride home a little girl said "are you going to ride that all the way home?". I said sure am and rode the 1.5k home.

My point is the bike is now an entertainment or training tool in aus now. It's not for transport... :(
Its sad. I was a stil a child less than 2 decades ago. But as far as knew as a kid a bike was a way to get around independently.

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Re: Things parents say why kids not riding to school

Postby Xplora » Sun Oct 14, 2012 9:12 pm

Oxford wrote:
human909 wrote:...

I find the obsession with parking to minimise walking distance hilarious. People drive circles around car parks just to save an extra 25m walking. Despite the fact that it is often quicker and easier to simply plonk the car in the empty section and spend 10seconds walking.

...
I don't find it hilarious personally.
You honestly believe that 99% of the population suffers the same pain you do, while exhibiting the same behaviour? Cmon Ox, you know this isn't directed at you. His comment is bang on the money, and it's ridiculous. I'm hearing story after story lately of people basically risking their financial freedom to buy crap cars that will hamstring them further... can we imagine how many lives would be helped by abandoning the car?

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Re: Things parents say why kids not riding to school

Postby greyhoundtom » Sun Oct 14, 2012 9:41 pm

Aah........the old shopping centre car park........I will drive around for 5 minutes just to get a spot ten car spaces closer to the entrance than the empty one I have just driven past.........much to the disgust of my GLW. :lol: :lol:

It’s just a thing I have about car parks. :oops:

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Re: Things parents say why kids not riding to school

Postby Mulger bill » Sun Oct 14, 2012 10:06 pm

See them all the time round my way, makes yer wonder.
D'yer reckon this'd be understood?
Image


So, Ox. With your injury, why can't you get a permit? Is the system in QLD that borked? :shock:

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Re: Things parents say why kids not riding to school

Postby il padrone » Sun Oct 14, 2012 11:43 pm

BigPete wrote:I don’t see much difference between leaving a child alone in a car for a minute or two while the parent ducks into a shop to purchase something to allowing a child to cycle to school.
http://www.vicpolicenews.com.au/more-ne ... board.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Re: Things parents say why kids not riding to school

Postby Comedian » Mon Oct 15, 2012 7:31 am

Oxford wrote:]Out of curiosity I checked, I wouldn't actually get one unless I think I absolutely really needed it and I only use a car typically once a week anyway. Basically I didn't meet the rules for one and I hope I never do.
That's no good... makes it even more disappointing when able body people park in them.

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Re: Things parents say why kids not riding to school

Postby master6 » Mon Oct 15, 2012 8:08 am

Comedian wrote:My point is the bike is now an entertainment or training tool in aus now. It's not for transport... :(
Interesting.

We get warm and fuzzy about doing our thing for the environment, by cycling. We mock motorists.

How much of our cycling is actually an alternative to motoring?

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Re: Things parents say why kids not riding to school

Postby human909 » Mon Oct 15, 2012 8:56 am

master6 wrote:
Comedian wrote:My point is the bike is now an entertainment or training tool in aus now. It's not for transport... :(
Interesting.

We get warm and fuzzy about doing our thing for the environment, by cycling. We mock motorists.

How much of our cycling is actually an alternative to motoring?
For me? 95%.

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Re: Things parents say why kids not riding to school

Postby barefoot » Mon Oct 15, 2012 11:27 am

Crowz wrote:When I was at school (finished 09) there were maybe... 0 students who rode their bike. My situation is a lot different to others but I attended a school that made me wear long pants, tie etc and were particularly forceful making students wear the correct uniform in and out of the school grounds. Obviously no one wants to ride in 30 degrees in long pants and a button up shirt. Some schools need to take the blame here.
I wore long pants and a tie [1] to school too. And rode my bike to the station every day.

There's an amazing device called a "trouser clip".

I still use them every day, 20 years later. I don't wear a tie any more, but I've ridden in trousers and business shirt in >40°C plenty of times.

Carrying my bassoon on the bike on band practice days was a bit more of a challenge... ;-)

tim

[1] well, there was a summer uniform, but it was horrific, so nobody wore it

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Re: Things parents say why kids not riding to school

Postby DavidS » Tue Oct 16, 2012 12:06 am

Oxford wrote:
Comedian wrote:
Oxford wrote:]Out of curiosity I checked, I wouldn't actually get one unless I think I absolutely really needed it and I only use a car typically once a week anyway. Basically I didn't meet the rules for one and I hope I never do.
That's no good... makes it even more disappointing when able body people park in them.
Damn right, bugs the crap out of me when you see able bodied relatives parking in them using the disabled label without reason. Off course you never know if they are there to pick up the disabled person. I have seen someone take a shot at a driver parking in one only to be told rightly so by the driver that they were there to pick up the disabled person. That's why I say, don't be quick to judge. You just don't know.
There's also other possibilities. My father has been told off for parking in disabled spots. Thing is, he is disabled. He has an artificial leg and you can't tell this from just looking. Since he is disabled I do have strong feelings about non-disabled people using disabled parking spots, but I only go after them if there is no permit.

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Re: Things parents say why kids not riding to school

Postby BigPete » Tue Oct 16, 2012 3:27 pm

il padrone wrote:
BigPete wrote:I don’t see much difference between leaving a child alone in a car for a minute or two while the parent ducks into a shop to purchase something to allowing a child to cycle to school.
http://www.vicpolicenews.com.au/more-ne ... board.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
I am at a loss what the above web page article has to do with leaving a child in a car or riding to school. What am I missing?
il padrone wrote:
BigPete wrote:I don’t see much difference between leaving a child alone in a car for a minute or two while the parent ducks into a shop to purchase something to allowing a child to cycle to school.
The key difference in this little comparison is age of the said child. The laws re children left in cars especially on warm/hot days concerns the safety of children who are mostly well below the age that a responsible parent would consider allowing to ride solo to school. Once the child is more than 5-6 years old they are pretty much able to open the door or wind the window down if they get too hot.


But your comparison is quite an ironic one to raise. It is just the sort of thing that our taxi-mums are so very likely to do :roll: :P
I understand about very young children left in hot cars compared to school age children being left in cars or riding to school. However I am looking at this purely from a legal point of view. The law basically says that children under 12 can not be left alone for an unreasonable time. So in theory parents can be negligent if their child (under 12) is alone in the house, in the back/front yard, walking to school or shops, while paying for petrol at the service station or any other number of places. I don't watch the current affairs on the 7 or 9 networks but this article http://au.news.yahoo.com/today-tonight/ ... egal-trap/ was at the top of the list of my search and points out how parents can be caught out with this law.

The bottom line is why would parents let their children ride to school when the justice system favours them being driven to school in a car?

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Re: Things parents say why kids not riding to school

Postby high_tea » Tue Oct 16, 2012 4:00 pm

BigPete wrote:
I understand about very young children left in hot cars compared to school age children being left in cars or riding to school. However I am looking at this purely from a legal point of view. The law basically says that children under 12 can not be left alone for an unreasonable time. So in theory parents can be negligent if their child (under 12) is alone in the house, in the back/front yard, walking to school or shops, while paying for petrol at the service station or any other number of places. I don't watch the current affairs on the 7 or 9 networks but this article [url]<a class="vglnk" title="Link added by VigLink" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://au.news.yahoo.com/today-tonight/ ... egal-trap/[/url"><span>http</span><span>://</span><span>au</span><span>.</span><span>news</span><span>.</span><span>yahoo</span><span>.</span><span>com</span><span>/</span><span>today</span><span>-</span><span>tonight</span><span>/</span><span>article</span><span>/-/</span><span>14363066</span><span>/</span><span>child</span><span>-</span><span>protection</span><span>-</span><span>legal</span><span>-</span><span>trap</span><span>/[/</span><span>url</span></a>] was at the top of the list of my search and points out how parents can be caught out with this law.

The bottom line is why would parents let their children ride to school when the justice system favours them being driven to school in a car?
Well, let's look at it legally. One, I assume you're talking abot s364A of the Queensland Criminal Cose. That's what the linked article seems to be referring to. Two, the law has nothing to do with negligence. Three, it depends on all the circumstances: the act says as much. Four, it's much broader than leaving kids unsupervised.

I recall reading that someone got charged. It ended up in court and they were, as I recall, unconditionally discharged. I don't know if the judgment was reported or not. That suggests, though that a bit of common sense is being applied. You'd hope so, with such a broad law.

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Re: Things parents say why kids not riding to school

Postby Mulger bill » Tue Oct 16, 2012 4:27 pm

BigPete wrote:The law basically says that children under 12 can not be left alone for an unreasonable time.
Raises two questions...

What does it actually say?
Define unreasonable?
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Re: Things parents say why kids not riding to school

Postby il padrone » Tue Oct 16, 2012 6:14 pm

Totally unwilling to rely on Today Tonight for any sort of legal opinion :roll:

In Queensland the Criminal Code states you can't leave a child under twelve unattended, and carries a maximum penalty of three years’ jail.

It’s a serious breach that’s lost on many parents.
I think what is lost on many commercial TV journo's is the irony in that :lol: :lol: :lol:
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Re: Things parents say why kids not riding to school

Postby il padrone » Tue Oct 16, 2012 6:22 pm

BigPete wrote:
il padrone wrote:
BigPete wrote:I don’t see much difference between leaving a child alone in a car for a minute or two while the parent ducks into a shop to purchase something to allowing a child to cycle to school.
http://www.vicpolicenews.com.au/more-ne ... board.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
I am at a loss what the above web page article has to do with leaving a child in a car or riding to school. What am I missing?
An expert parent driving their child about :roll: Just 'ducking into' the local fast food drive-through, didn't want to leave the kid in the car :wink:
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