Camden New Journal - Letters: School buses have their drawbacks

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Camden New Journal - LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Published: 31 May 2007

School buses have their drawbacks

• SCHOOL Transport Action Group (Stag) criticises those who have been pressing for Camden to stick to its guns in implementing its policy of withdrawing concessionary parking permits on the school run (School- run mums ‘set a bad example to children’, May 24)
Its chairwoman, Vicky Fobel, calls for consideration to be given to scratch cards, with the revenue from them “ploughed into subsidising American-style school buses”. Use of such buses is, of course, better than cars. However, they are not a desirable way for children to go to and from school.
Apart from the high costs, they have two significant disadvantages. First, they deny children the health benefits of regular daily exercise on that journey. Second, their use minimises the range of experiences in what could be called the “informal classroom” – on their way to and from school – where they can develop practical and social skills when on their own or with friends.
Hanging around waiting for the bus and the ride largely represent time lost to enhancing this aspect of the quality of their lives.
Ms Fobel attempts to justify car use by noting that there are parents with children at different schools and on their way to work as if this is so commonplace as to render invalid the withdrawal of the permits. Stag continues to fail to answer the accusation that parents, who have made the decision about the school they wish their child to attend and who “don’t want to use public transport”, in full knowledge of Camden’s 2002 decision to withdraw parking permits, have the gall to claim that Camden cannot reasonably proceed with its policy as it has a responsibility to first provide alternatives to the use of cars before the strategy is fully implemented.
DR MAYER HILLMAN
Netherhall Gardens, NW3

Send your letters to: The Letters Editor, Camden New Journal, 40 Camden Road, London, NW1 9DR or email to letters@camdennewjournal.co.uk. The deadline for letters is midday Tuesday. The editor regrets that anonymous letters cannot be published, although names and addresses can be withheld. Please include a full name, postal address and telephone number. Letters may be edited for reasons of space.

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