CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Infrastructure

School run by bike

(28 posts)
  • Started 6 years ago by davidsonsdave
  • Latest reply from LaidBack

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  1. davidsonsdave
    Member

    I have just been advised that adults are not permitted to take bikes into my local primary School grounds (which seems rather at odds with the painted cycle lanes leading to and from their car park) and they have suggested that parents can lock bikes to the School railings.

    I can forsee times where I will have the need to take a trailer with me which will be tricky to park out of the way outside the School grounds. Does anyone else have a similar experience or know if this is an Edinburgh-wide policy?

    Posted 6 years ago #

  2. acsimpson
    Member

    I have had no issues wheeling my bikes into our school playground. Either a tagalong/tandem or trailgator depending on the passenger's choice.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  3. Morningsider
    Member

    Not Edinburgh-wide. I regularly take my bike into two South Morningside Primary sites, as do quite a few other parents.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  4. steveo
    Member

    Never had a problem taking mine in, usually walking past and saying morning to headteacher.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  5. wingpig
    Member

    Not Edinburgh-wide. I have taken my bike into the playground with no problem - the racks are inside the playground. Other people bring in large buggies with no problem. There have been Christiana trikes in the playground before with no problem.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  6. SRD
    Moderator

    Have never had it questioned in Bruntsfield. I used to leave it outside on the pavement, but the pavement's so narrow and there are so many parents and kids, i decided it was better to take it in while locking up kids bike.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  7. SRD
    Moderator

    Bruntsfield has a 'no dogs' policy. but that's it.

    I do try not to cycle in the playground unless it's very empty.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  8. Snowy
    Member

    JGPS and JGHS both have plentiful racks inside the playground, and an abundance of bikes, scooters, trailers and other conveyances going in and out of narrow gates, no problems at all...

    Posted 6 years ago #

  9. Roibeard
    Member

    The local primary prohibited cycling on the premises, so everyone has to dismount at the gate (although the kids don't necessarily do so, and the prohibition may not have been repeated). However adults can walk in with the bike.

    Robert

    Posted 6 years ago #

  10. chrisfl
    Member

    Craiglockhart has no problem with parents taking their bikes into the school grounds, and there are usually loads of bikes leaning against various walls - including at least 2 other CCE'ers

    Posted 6 years ago #

  11. chdot
    Admin

    “I have just been advised that adults are not permitted to take bikes into my local primary School grounds”

    You willing to name?

    Posted 6 years ago #

  12. lapislazuli
    Member

    Happy to report that the new St Johns has no policy like that and ample covered and uncovered racks (including lockable pods if needed)

    Posted 6 years ago #

  13. gembo
    Member

    I have been in all secondary schools in Edinburgh, all special schools and most primary schools by bike. Sometimes pushing sometimes as SRD SAYS, IF QUIET, pedalling.

    This policy sounds specific to the person that informed you @davidsonsdave.

    The school which shares your name has racks right up at the main door - one of my favourite schools to cycle to.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  14. Greenroofer
    Member

    If I'm collecting from after-school club I ride my bike into my primary school's playground. Never had any problem. At normal drop off and pick up times I push it in. Never had any problem with that either.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  15. davidsonsdave
    Member

    @gembo "The school which shares your name has racks right up at the main door - one of my favourite schools to cycle to."

    And you are seemingly breaking the School rules to do so if you, as an adult, bring your bike onto the grounds, including entering through the staff car park.

    Although the racks at the front door are very convenient, I have only used them twice as it all gets rather congested there.

    On the two days a week we use the breakfast club I had been leaving the bike on the completely unused cycle rack in the staff car park for the 5 minutes it takes to drop-off.

    On the day I do the drop-off just before 9am, I do lock my bike to the fence outside the grounds as it is a pain to bring it in. Mine is the only bike I have seen there.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  16. davidsonsdave
    Member

    On a side note, the School is looking to redo their bike parking due as the existing bike racks (Sheffield stands) are well used to the point of utter congestion. If you do leave your bike there at normal School drop-off, it takes about 5 minutes to unpick it from the numerous other bikes and scooters which have been put on top of it in the 5-10 minutes you are away.

    They are open to suggestions to resolve the current issues if anyone has any thoughts or good examples from other Schools.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  17. le_soigneur
    Member

    The background at D Mains PS is that there were one or 2 incidents of push-scooters crashing into people on the slope footpath down to the front door. So they said that inside the school gates, everyone has to be on foot.
    I can't imagine that this applies to the vehicle entry, as staff drive in there under a speed limit. I'm sure that unless you were reckless, you'd be ok to cycle but it is no great hardship to dismount for the few yards either.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  18. davidsonsdave
    Member

    @le_soigneur "The staff car park and racks are for staff only and never for access by parents with children unless the child has a disability and this is arranged by the school".

    "We do not allow adults bikes within the grounds unless the adults are working or helping out within the school due to lack of storage."

    It is no great hardship for me to lock my bike up to the railings at the front of the School before entering the grounds as they have suggested. There will be plenty of room as I will be the only one doing so.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  19. chdot
    Admin

    “I will be the only one doing so“

    No other parents cycle to school?

    Or are they ignoring new rule?

    Posted 6 years ago #

  20. gembo
    Member

    @davidsonsdave, this was a few years back and I was on work duty, think maybe before there were staff racks.

    D mains victim of its own success? Also downhill access.

    Lots of schools getting covered racks now, not sure where that could go at Dmains?

    Car park at Collins Bldg of Strathclyde Uni (West Richmond Street) had mini double decker racks like Waverley the other day.

    My route to Dmains was often russell road to drylaw and beyond all on segregated path, then cut through House O Hill or whatever it was called and down the wide boulevard to the Chelsea tractors all parked outside the school.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  21. davidsonsdave
    Member

    @chdot I see several other parents with bikes but they either park them within the grounds or walk with them to the assembly area.

    They are either ignoring it, or, like me, are completely unaware that such a rule exists as it is not mentioned in the School Handbook (admittedly, it does say that they don't allow drop-off or pick-up using the staff car park so perhaps I should have ignored the cycle markings there).

    Posted 6 years ago #

  22. le_soigneur
    Member

    D Mains put up barriers to cycling as far as I can see. One teacher had occasion to shout at my children on 2 occasions for not wearing a helmet OUTSIDE the school grounds and I met the head to sort it out.
    Their bikeability program is also laughable.
    There is a hard-stand inside the middle gate that they could put a bike rack on, it would be safer for the kids than hitting against bikes chained to the railing on the street footpath. This hard-stand is unused as is.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  23. HankChief
    Member

    Impressive turnout at Sciennes today

    https://twitter.com/Mr_Mark_Brown/status/1055726929448521728?s=19

    Posted 6 years ago #

  24. SRD
    Moderator

    Ross Crook (in pic) says 145.

    Someone else tweeted a short vid, which I have now seen retweeted from Nairobi and Cape Town. not bad.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  25. Frenchy
    Member

    I counted 120 people in the video in 45s, but I was seriously struggling to keep up.

    If they were in cars (even 5 people per car), they'd have taken 60s to get through the junction at 20 mph (with 2 s gaps between vehicles).

    If average occupancy was the more realistic 1.1 people/car, then it'd have taken almost five minutes and the queue would have stretched back to the top of Kirk Brae.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  26. himupstairs
    Member

    hm. I didn't know about this rule either, although i did hear that the middle (vehicle) gate is not to be used by anyone. however, because it has a wide entrance, and a nice wide surface, and bike racks (used by kids) loads of people still use it...

    when i drop my daughter off at d mains i generally abandon my bike somewhere out of the way within the grounds (sometimes at the nursery building where we are going), and have not yet had any grief.

    She has been told not to ride her bike in the playground though, which is fair enough given the congestion and generally riotous nature of the place in the morning.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  27. chdot
    Admin

    By contrast -

    https://twitter.com/keithmdunlop/status/1055724672128598016?s=21

    Posted 6 years ago #

  28. LaidBack
    Member

    The Sciennes school run is something to behold! Huge demand it seems. Imagine if we had a route south which actually priortised cycling, walking and bus travel.

    Posted 6 years ago #

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