One thing that is surely not going to be missed this Easter holiday is the twice-daily mass migration otherwise known as the school run. It has become as commonplace to grumble about the traffic queues caused by parked parents on yellow lines as it is to comment on England’s fine display of unseasonal weather this year. It seems that no number of eco-friendly assemblies held for the year six classes will persuade pupils to make their own way to school. The 9am standstill is more reliable in its presence than the chimes of Big Ben and this should definitely not be the case – right? Every child-chauffer is a monster who is single-handedly responsible for the entirety of society’s problems – right?
Or maybe they are simply scared. There have been two incidents in which a student aged nine to eleven has been asked to get into a stranger’s car in Bromley in this past month. Both occurred in broad daylight and while the student was on their way to school. Some would argue this is an extremely valid reason to drive your child and drop them off in person.
Local schoolgirl Hayley Ngan said following the incidents “I felt less safe walking to school and I’m sixteen years old let alone eleven.”
No parent or guardian would happily allow their child to walk alone if their safety is not ensured.
It appears we are fluctuating from one extreme to another; from the danger of pupils being run over by the masses of vehicles around their school to the danger of them being kidnapped before they even reach morning registration. Perhaps alternate travel methods such as walking buses are a starting point in finding a middle ground in this prominent issue.
Kate Norton Bromley High School
