Parents subsidised for driving children to school
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I posted this titbit of information before, but no one
responded - either because the information was tagged onto
the end of another post and was missed, or because the
content was not interesting. Assuming the former to be true,
and I'll know soon enough if I get any responses, here's the
scandalous titbit again.
Parents at the school where I teach receive an annual
subsidy of £70 for driving their children to school.
Colleagues receive an annual subsidy of £200.
Parking in the local car park is 10p for 10 minutes, or
£300 for an annual business permit. For £10 parents can buy
an annual permit allowing them to park from 8.50 - 9.10,
and 3.10 - 3.30 daily. School staff can buy an annual
permit for £100.
I wonder how many fewer parents would drive their children
to school if the £70 driving subsidy was withdrawn and a £70
walking or cycling subsidy introduced.
"Gonzalez" <speedy.gonzalez@nospam.basher.com> wrote in message
news:o9g480lj026h3u4t9bcn4gc9k4rkjo1o9b@4ax.com...
> I posted this titbit of information before, but no one
> responded - either because the information was tagged onto
> the end of another post and was missed, or because the
> content was not interesting. Assuming the former to be
> true, and I'll know soon enough if I get any responses,
> here's the scandalous titbit again.
>
> Parents at the school where I teach receive an annual
> subsidy of £70 for driving their children to school.
> Colleagues receive an annual subsidy of £200.
>
> Parking in the local car park is 10p for 10 minutes, or
> £300 for an annual business permit. For £10 parents can
> buy an annual permit allowing them to park from 8.50 -
> 9.10, and 3.10 - 3.30 daily. School staff can buy an
> annual permit for £100.
>
> I wonder how many fewer parents would drive their children
> to school if the £70 driving subsidy was withdrawn and a
> £70 walking or cycling subsidy introduced.
Which country of the UK are you in?
Gonzalez wrote:
> I posted this titbit of information before, but no one
> responded - either because the information was tagged onto
> the end of another post and was missed, or because the
> content was not interesting. Assuming the former to be
> true, and I'll know soon enough if I get any responses,
> here's the scandalous titbit again. ...
As far as our local village schools are concerned (where I
have been a Governor for some years), the roads into the
village are either small, unlit back-lanes, or slightly
less small, busier 'B' class roads. None have
paths/pavements until inside the village perimeter. Parents
feel their children will not be safe walking or cycling.
So, I'm not sure how much effect a monetary incentive would
have on that.
However, I think the problem may also lie in the modern
"indoor" attitude we are encouraged to have. Since taking
up cycling again in the last year, I've been surprised at
the incredulous reactions from people when I go out in the
rain, or cycle more than three or four miles. We have been
suckered into an indoor, house-to-car-to-destination way of
thinking - we think it's "uncilivised" or in some other way
inappropriate to go out when it's inclement, or when we
have more than a mile or two to travel. Again, a monetary
penalty in using the car for the scool run will probably be
seen as "worth it" compared to their cherubs having to get
cold and wet.
It's no surprise to me that the roads are stuffed full of
cars, which in turn are stuffed full of fat people.
--
Chris
> Parents at the school where I teach receive an annual
> subsidy of £70 for driving their children to school.
> Colleagues receive an annual subsidy of £200.
>
> Parking in the local car park is 10p for 10 minutes, or
> £300 for an annual business permit. For £10 parents can
> buy an annual permit allowing them to park from 8.50 -
> 9.10, and 3.10 - 3.30 daily. School staff can buy an
> annual permit for £100.
>
> I wonder how many fewer parents would drive their children
> to school if the £70 driving subsidy was withdrawn and a
> £70 walking or cycling subsidy introduced.
Eh? Why on earth does the school feel the need to encourage
them to drive?!? Or is the money instead of a bus service?
In which case it should really go to everyone more than x
miles away no matter how they get there, surely?
"Succorso" <chris@ivy-house.net> wrote in message news:c5tifk$e0$1
>
> However, I think the problem may also lie in the modern
> "indoor" attitude we are encouraged to have. Since taking
> up cycling again in the last year, I've been surprised at
> the incredulous reactions from people when I go out in the
> rain, or cycle more than three or four miles. We have been
> suckered into an indoor, house-to-car-to-destination way
> of thinking - we think it's "uncilivised" or in some other
> way inappropriate to go out when it's inclement, or when
> we have more than a mile or two to travel.
Indeed. See this letter in our local paper wot I wrote:
http://www.simonmason.karoo.net/zmainletter.htm
Simon M.
On Sun, 18 Apr 2004 10:20:42 +0100, "Geoff Pearson"
<gspearson1647@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>"Gonzalez" <speedy.gonzalez@nospam.basher.com> wrote in
>message news:o9g480lj026h3u4t9bcn4gc9k4rkjo1o9b@4ax.com...
>> I posted this titbit of information before, but no one
>> responded - either because the information was tagged
>> onto the end of another post and was missed, or because
>> the content was not interesting. Assuming the former to
>> be true, and I'll know soon enough if I get any
>> responses, here's the scandalous titbit again.
>>
>> Parents at the school where I teach receive an annual
>> subsidy of £70 for driving their children to school.
>> Colleagues receive an annual subsidy of £200.
>>
>> Parking in the local car park is 10p for 10 minutes, or
>> £300 for an annual business permit. For £10 parents can
>> buy an annual permit allowing them to park from 8.50 -
>> 9.10, and 3.10 - 3.30 daily. School staff can buy an
>> annual permit for £100.
>>
>> I wonder how many fewer parents would drive their
>> children to school if the £70 driving subsidy was
>> withdrawn and a £70 walking or cycling subsidy
>> introduced.
>
>Which country of the UK are you in?
England. London to be more specific and Lewisham to be even
more specific.
On Sun, 18 Apr 2004 10:41:04 +0100, Succorso <chris@ivy-house.net>
wrote:
>Gonzalez wrote:
>> I posted this titbit of information before, but no one
>> responded - either because the information was tagged
>> onto the end of another post and was missed, or because
>> the content was not interesting. Assuming the former to
>> be true, and I'll know soon enough if I get any
>> responses, here's the scandalous titbit again.
> > ...
>
>As far as our local village schools are concerned (where I
>have been a Governor for some years), the roads into the
>village are either small, unlit back-lanes, or slightly
>less small, busier 'B' class roads. None have
>paths/pavements until inside the village perimeter. Parents
>feel their children will not be safe walking or cycling.
>So, I'm not sure how much effect a monetary incentive would
>have on that.
This is a London primary school. All the roads are well lit
and there are regular pedestrian crossings on the busier
roads. All our pupils come from a catchment area of less
than 1 mile, unless they have moved since they, or their
elder sibling, joined the school.
>As far as our local village schools are concerned (where I
>have been a Governor for some years), the roads into the
>village are either small, unlit back-lanes, or slightly
>less small, busier 'B' class roads. None have
>paths/pavements until inside the village perimeter. Parents
>feel their children will not be safe walking or cycling.
>So, I'm not sure how much effect a monetary incentive would
>have on that.
Ah yes, the delights of deepest rural Norfolk :-) I have to
admit, I will not allow Nathan to walk to school (it's about
5.5 miles away from home), as the roads are all unlit lanes
with no footpath and we get a lot of traffic on them thanks
to there being a quarry up the road. heck, I wouldn't walk
there myself! It's only fairly recently I've allowed him to
cycle to school unaccompanied - after much accompanied
cycling by either his father and/or I until we felt
confident he'd got the necessary road skills & sense to do
it alone. I still worry, though, as that's part of the job
description of being a mother :-) Mind you, at least in
Norfolk there is the option for many in scattered
communities to use the school bus as supplied by the county
council. Before Nathan went to his current school, he went
to a school in Swaffham (age 7 - 11) for which there was no
public transport, no local authority transport and it was 11
miles away. Car was the normal transport I used due to
logistics at the time.
>However, I think the problem may also lie in the modern
>"indoor" attitude we are encouraged to have. Since taking
>up cycling again in the last year, I've been surprised at
>the incredulous reactions from people when I go out in the
>rain, or cycle more than three or four miles.
I get the same. When I cycle into Dereham to do a spot of
shopping and I've used my bike as opposed to the car, it
makes me smile when people tell me I'm "brave" and how they
couldn't do this. When I point out that as a middle-aged fat
bird I have no problem doing it, they are somehow at a loss
for words. Yes, when I first got back on my bike I had to
stop several times on the way into town to catch my breath,
but with cycling, it's lovely the way you get a noticeable
increase in level of fitness very quickly. It's a pity the
pounds don't fall off as quickly ;-)
>We have been suckered into an indoor, house-to-car-to-
>destination way of thinking - we think it's
>"uncilivised" or in some other way inappropriate to go
>out when it's inclement, or when we have more than a
>mile or two to travel.
You are correct I think. Personally I don't mind cycling in
the rain - it's the wind that's the killer for me. I dislike
to having to pedal to be able to downhill in the face of a
strong headwind!
>Again, a monetary penalty in using the car for the scool
>run will probably be seen as "worth it" compared to their
>cherubs having to get cold and wet.
Again, I think you are correct.
>It's no surprise to me that the roads are stuffed full of
>cars, which in turn are stuffed full of fat people.
True - but some bikes still have fat people stuffed on to
the saddles - me :-)
Cheers, helen s
--This is an invalid email address to avoid spam-- to get
correct one remove fame & fortune
h*$el*$$e*nd**$o$ts**i*$*$m*m$o*n*s@$*a$o*l.c**$om$
--Due to financial crisis the light at the end of the tunnel
is switched off--
"Mark Thompson" <pleasegivegenerously@warmmail.com> wrote in message
news:Xns94CF6EE22F5DCpleasegivegenerously@195.92.193.157...
> > Parents at the school where I teach receive an annual
> > subsidy of £70 for driving their children to school.
> > Colleagues receive an annual subsidy of £200.
> >
> > Parking in the local car park is 10p for 10 minutes, or
> > £300 for an annual business permit. For £10 parents can
> > buy an annual permit allowing them to park from 8.50 -
> > 9.10, and 3.10 - 3.30 daily.
School
> > staff can buy an annual permit for £100.
> >
> > I wonder how many fewer parents would drive their
> > children to school if the £70 driving subsidy was
> > withdrawn and a £70 walking or
cycling
> > subsidy introduced.
>
> Eh? Why on earth does the school feel the need to
> encourage them to drive?!? Or is the money instead of a
> bus service? In which case it should really go to everyone
> more than x miles away no matter how they
get
> there, surely?
Is this a state school - taxpayers money going on this?
Succorso wrote:
> "uncilivised"
LOL! Weird thing is - the spell checker didn't throw any
wobbly. Anyway, you know what I meant...
--
Chris
Gonzalez <speedy.gonzalez@nospam.basher.com>typed
> This is a London primary school. All the roads are well
> lit and there are regular pedestrian crossings on the
> busier roads. All our pupils come from a catchment area of
> less than 1 mile, unless they have moved since they, or
> their elder sibling, joined the school.
And, I presume, there are regular, frequent bus services.
Under 11s travel free on London Buses [1]. Most primary
schoolchildren are under
11.
ISTR Lewisham also has railway services.
[12] They need either a valid Photocard or to travel with
someone who has a Bus Pass or has bought a ticket.
--
Helen D. Vecht: helenvecht@zetnet.co.uk Edgware.
dirtylitterboxofferingstospammers wrote:
> I get the same. When I cycle into Dereham to do a spot of
> shopping and I've used my bike as opposed to the car, it
> makes me smile when people tell me I'm "brave" and how
> they couldn't do this. When I point out that as a middle-
> aged fat bird I have no problem doing it, they are somehow
> at a loss for words. Yes, when I first got back on my bike
> I had to stop several times on the way into town to catch
> my breath, but with cycling, it's lovely the way you get a
> noticeable increase in level of fitness very quickly.
Good innit :). I went out on the bike the other week and
did a lot of riding up bloody steep hills and lots of
heavy going on muddy tracks, and then the next time I went
out I was riding a fair bit quicker. All I need now is to
get my saddle positioned right so that I can do more than
15 miles or so without needing a replacement ****. When I
first started cycling, I had to stop a couple of times to
quietly die ;).
> It's a pity the pounds don't fall off as quickly ;-)
Eat a bit less. I seem to be managing somewhere between 2
and 4 pounds a week by eating less biscuits, having no sugar
in tea and coffee and doing a bit of cycling. That said,
I've seem to be able to lose a couple of pounds a week
fairly easily if I'm not eating rubbish, and I barely drink
at the moment.
dirtylitterboxofferingstospammers wrote:
>>Eat a bit less. I seem to be managing somewhere between 2
>>and 4 pounds a week by eating less biscuits, having no
>>sugar in tea and coffee and doing a bit of cycling. That
>>said, I've seem to be able to lose a couple of pounds a
>>week fairly easily if I'm not eating rubbish, and I barely
>>drink at the moment.
>
>
> Alas - would that it were that easy. I can lose weight but
> then "plateau" at a weight where I'm still overweight but
> even though I don't stuff my face full of sweets,
> chocolates etc., etc.. and exercise regularly, it doesn't
> shift anymore. I don't have sugar in drinks (haven't for
> years), I don't buy biscuits, I used skimmed-milk, little
> fat (and what is is olive oil mostly), don't eat fried
> food etc., etc.. I am happy with the great increase in my
> level of fitness and any weight loss is a bonus.
>
> Cheers, helen s
>
Dumping all processed/manufactured carbs, and potato, helped
me get past a plateau - not quite an Atkins diet, but
certainly low-carb.
Getting the balance right between fuelling cycling/activity,
and keeping carbs under control is tricky though - there's a
fine line between overloading on carbs and bonking -
especially when you need to load carbs a day or so ahead of
a long ride.
I've read that it *is* possible to do low-carb and not bonk
- but I've not managed it yet...
--
Chris
dirtylitterboxofferingstospammers wrote:
>> Eat a bit less. I seem to be managing somewhere between 2
>> and 4 pounds a week by eating less biscuits, having no
>> sugar in tea and coffee and doing a bit of cycling. That
>> said, I've seem to be able to lose a couple of pounds a
>> week fairly easily if I'm not eating rubbish, and I
>> barely drink at the moment.
>
> Alas - would that it were that easy. I can lose weight but
> then "plateau" at a weight where I'm still overweight but
> even though I don't stuff my face full of sweets,
> chocolates etc., etc.. and exercise regularly, it doesn't
> shift anymore. I don't have sugar in drinks (haven't for
> years), I don't buy biscuits, I used skimmed-milk, little
> fat (and what is is olive oil mostly), don't eat fried
> food etc., etc.. I am happy with the great increase in my
> level of fitness and any weight loss is a bonus.
If you're happy and getting exercise, then there
probably isn't a lot wrong; there is a range of
weights for different people even before we count in
the no-exercise-couch-potatoes.
However, my brother-in-law decided he was getting
overweight. He has lost a fair bit since Christmas by the
simple process of weighing his food before preparation. Thus
he has 2oz of rice in a meal, rather than a "handful", 4oz
veg, 8oz potato, etc. He commented that at first the
measures looked and felt a bit small, but has concluded that
his approximate measures had gradually crept up over the
years resulting in a higher food intake.
I've heard from other sources that using a smaller plate can
help the meal appear less tiny.
Offered as a thought towards a strategy.
- Nigel
--
NC - Webmaster for http://www.2mm.org.uk/ Replies to
newsgroup postings to the newsgroup please.
dirtylitterboxofferingstospammers wrote:
> deep-fried Mars bars.
>
mmmmm.... I love it when you talk dirty... ;)
--
Chris
On Sun, 18 Apr 2004 10:41:04 +0100, Succorso <chris@ivy-house.net>
wrote in message <c5tifk$e0$1$830fa795@news.demon.co.uk>:
>As far as our local village schools are concerned (where I
>have been a Governor for some years), the roads into the
>village are either small, unlit back-lanes, or slightly
>less small, busier 'B' class roads. None have
>paths/pavements until inside the village perimeter. Parents
>feel their children will not be safe walking or cycling.
>So, I'm not sure how much effect a monetary incentive would
>have on that.
We have one family who drive half a mile because one bend is
so dangerous. We are trying to persuade the council to
introduce a 20 zone. The road is on NCN5.
>However, I think the problem may also lie in the modern
>"indoor" attitude we are encouraged to have. Since taking
>up cycling again in the last year, I've been surprised at
>the incredulous reactions from people when I go out in the
>rain, or cycle more than three or four miles.
Tell me about it. My kids were out running around in the
rain this morning after Church - there were a lot of kids
who stayed inside, cowered under brollies back to the car
and were driven off. It wasn't even raining hard, just misty
drizzle - the boys didn't care at all!
--
Guy
===
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after
posting. http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk (http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk/)
88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at
Washington University
On Sun, 18 Apr 2004 10:52:17 +0100, Gonzalez
<speedy.gonzalez@nospam.basher.com> wrote in message
<qsj480tuhftup9de1chhefiamt6bgn0uta@4ax.com>:
>England. London to be more specific and Lewisham to be even
>more specific.
That sucks badly. Letters to the council at 20 paces,
anyone?
--
Guy
===
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after
posting. http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk (http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk/)
88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at
Washington University
"Doki" <doki@spamtroNspidar.com> wrote in message
>
> Eat a bit less. I seem to be managing somewhere between 2
> and 4 pounds a week by eating less biscuits, having no
> sugar in tea and coffee and doing
a
> bit of cycling. That said, I've seem to be able to lose a
> couple of pounds
a
> week fairly easily if I'm not eating rubbish, and I barely
> drink at the moment.
This is a bit of an admission, but I drink about 50 units
of alcohol a week, all beer, so it's about 96 % water and
my waist is 30 ins. To prove it see here :-)
http://www.simonmason.karoo.net/zbeer.htm
50 units is 25 pints and a pint is around 200 calories, so
that's 5000 calories a week. I weigh 166 pounds and average
14 mph. According to the Schwinn table, that means I burn
around 500 calories an hour. 5000 / 500 = 10 hours of
cycling a week. It take 2 hours to commute to work and
back, 5 days a week = 10 hours. Job done :-)
--
Simon M.
On Sun, 18 Apr 2004 13:46:33 +0100, "Simon Mason"
<simon@simonmason.karoo.co.uk> wrote:
>http://www.simonmason.karoo.net/zbeer.htm
You're holding your stomach in, aren't you?
On Sun, 18 Apr 2004 16:27:39 +0100, in
<ph75801qj2hesdf3cfr0552491gnpeil35@4ax.com>, Gonzalez
<speedy.gonzalez@nospam.basher.com> wrote:
>On Sun, 18 Apr 2004 13:46:33 +0100, "Simon Mason"
><simon@simonmason.karoo.co.uk> wrote:
>
>>http://www.simonmason.karoo.net/zbeer.htm
>
>You're holding your stomach in, aren't you?
I think he's holding two separate tape measures :-)
--
When one is on a bicycle, all roads lead to roam.
www.artybee.net (same crap, different layout)
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