Lord PercyPercy

...oh yes, and the issue about a lack of seatbelts. Excellent point.

Yorkieabroad

I saw a documentary a while back about the number of accidents on unprotected rail crossings on an annual basis. Can't remember the figures now, it was a while ago, but it was very high. Think that's where it comes from. There are a lot of crossings out in the country near us that have no more than a sign warning that it is there - no barriers, lights, nothing. Of course, the requirement to stop doesn't do any good if they are stopping in a place where they will be hit if there is a train....that's just plain stoopid!

Yorkieabroad

Make's perfect sense...means they can get out quicker when the driver stalls on a railroad crossing....

Nutek

Doubly dangerous!

You would want to spend as little time on the railway tracks as possible. Therefore going FASTER would be the preferred option. The lack of seatbelts makes the children bounce around the inside of the vehicle, making it much harder for the driver to achieve the desired velocity.

SultanOfSwing

Never mind the stopping at level crossings (which is a pain in the arse, but makes sense at least), there's the stopping at every single bloody side street along a not very main road. Why the clucking bell can't they just use a selection of centrally located points, like a normal bus would. I suppose they'd cite the lack of existing bus stops but we have loads of those round our way.

The worst thing in the morning is when I'm running late and I hit not only the school buses picking up early drop off school age children from right before the bloody exit to daycare, but then I turn onto the road where the level crossing and a million individual pickup points are and there's six of the obnoxious yellow cnuts already there.

WTF, indeed.

Yorkieabroad

Mine have only ever ridden the school bus on field trips - they ride their bikes to school every day. Elementary and Middle school are safe, easy rides, but unfortunately the High School is not so convenient. Its only about 3 miles away, but along a busy road that, in the morning, is jam packed with crazy parent drivers and even scarier students. I wouldn't ride my bike along there at that time, let alone allow the kids to do it. So there might be a 2 year window where mine ride the bus, between getting into 9th grade and being old enough to drive themselves. Either that, or one of us drops them every morning. Deep joy.

Lord PercyPercy

Don't be ridiculous, that would lead to some children and parents having to walk to one of those main bus stops. That will never do.

SultanOfSwing

Sure, half the bloody parents drive to the stops anyway, then sit there blocking traffic at the end of the road

My daughter will have to ride the bus from next August, until she gets into middle school. The middle and high school are both within a 15 minute walk from our house but the local elementary school is three miles away opposite the direction we both drive to work. Unless her brother stops being a scrote so we can buy him a car and he can drive her

I get up early enough and she's enough of a pain to get ready as it is, I'm not bloody well getting up at 5:00 am just to drive six miles out of my way every morning

Yorkieabroad

Tut tut tut....you seem to be suggesting that Little Johnny should be required to walk further than the end of his drive to board the his school provided transportation. How very dare you!! A very slippery slope that one....What will be next? Asking them to go outside to run around at recess? Making them do PE when it might be a bit chilly (below 40F) ? Or a bit warm (above 90F)? Ours had a rock paper scissors tournament last week because it was too cold to go outside...

SultanOfSwing

Bloody right I am. All the middle schoolers and high schoolers who live in town (like my son) walk about a mile or so to and from school every morning, in all conditions. Surely 300 yards isn't too much to ask ...

Yorkieabroad

Homeschool.....?

Yorkieabroad

did you see that program on childhood obesity last (?) year - there was this woman who had a 250lb 12 year old that drove him to the school bus stop - they measured it and it was 75' from the end of her driveway.....

Nutek

That's ridiculous.

They could have had Mrs. H. push him.

Lord PercyPercy

It's definitely glandular.

SultanOfSwing

Wash your mouth out

No, I missed that one . Our bus stop is at the end of the cross street just by our house, so that's a block or so, well within walking distance which we intend to do when conditions allow. I can understand sitting in the car with the heater on this time of year when it's absolute zero outside, but in September/October or in spring when it's lovely out, just seems silly to me.