(A straight copy this one )
I think that this is a great idea and one that we should adopt from the states
this migbht cut down on traffic - pollution etc..

gary


review is beginning of the use of US-style yellow school buses in the UK.
The review was set up by transport provider FirstGroup but will include schemes run by other operators as well as its own.

The group's Yellow Bus Commission is chaired by former education secretary, Labour MP David Blunkett.

He said parents felt yellow buses were safe and they helped to cut congestion on the school run.

Mr Blunkett told BBC Radio Five Live: "Even though the Americans have not paid a lot of attention to energy conservation and climate change I think it actually does help.

"And in Britain of course we have the school run and people in different parts of the country - because half-term varied - will have seen over the last fortnight the difference it makes when the children aren't going to school.

"You can actually, people have been able to drive to work in half the time."

Principle

In July FirstGroup published research suggesting 86% of British parents would like to send their children to school in dedicated buses.

There are or have been a number of yellow bus schemes around Britain, but no universal policy on the issue.

Yellow buses are characterised not so much by their colour as by the principle of being used only for school runs, picking up and dropping children locally.

In the US they are also mobile traffic lights, making it an offence to overtake them when their red lights and "stop" signs are lit.

The simplest way I can think of of cutting congestion - make school start at 8 and finish at 2.30.

Encourage shops to be open outside of nine to 5 (say open 10.30 - close 7.30). I am sure being open when everyone else is working is detrimental to trade anyhow, and its so much more civilised to be able to shop late like on the continent. (It may help break the supermarket monopoly too - ie currently if I want something outside of 9 - 5 Tesco is the best bet). ie the rush home would be tempered if we could do a little shopping first.

Ensure all office planning applications need shower facilities - for those who want to run, cycle, walk to work.

Introduce bus lanes, - and fine those using them incorrectly heavily. - There is a bus lane where I live - which mostly works well - but then someone parks in it and everything grinds to a halt. I have seen 8 cars parked in the bus lane at peak time , outside a police station - and no action was taken.

Indroduce bus services where necessary - and some controls on how they are run - deregulations thanks to MrS T is was a disaster - and only London to my knowledge has been allowed not to suffer anymore. Some innovative services - ie ring routes to train stations etc, hubs etc etc

The yellow bus idea doesn't convince me - some people are so dumb they have to drive their fat selves and their fat kids everywhere in their fat 4*4. Just make sure it takes them longer and costs them more for being so dumb, lazy and selfish! Should make all buses safe - not just safe "yellow" ones. Stupid.

Blimey Paul thats a bit of a rant -- mind you I agree with all of it .
I like the idea of dedicated bus(es) for Schools - possible run on bio diesl from the chip shops collected from around the towns

I don't see the point of a dedicated "Yellow" bus - rather than an ordinary bus - (one with innovative route and pickup points for schools) the only reason I can see - is for saftey reasons - and I would rather take measures to make all buses safe , rather than admit defeat and say all adults must travel on buses not fit for kids and the safe buses must have no adults on.(even if its the route the adult needs to take!)

That seems really dumb.

I am working on the principal driving is unsustainable - which it likely is - so the sooner we consider moving away from our cars the better.

understood - but the idea of dedicated buses would be to remove the little brats from the transport system and have it seperate - then the normal people could go about the daily business etc..

I admit the the idea of little johnnie have to walk, cycle to school appeals to me - however I am not prepared to let my daughter walk to school given that there are some real weirdo out there - I or my partner will walk her - or she will become part of the walking bus , failing that she will be given a lift to the nearest safe point to catch a bus (when she is old enough -only 2 at the moment)...

understood - but the idea of dedicated buses would be to remove the little brats from the transport system and have it seperate - then the normal people could go about the daily business etc..


Either way its a patch up - either adults aren't safe from kids or kids aren't safe from adults - and we need to keep them apart. Surely thats ridiculous.???

All other school facilities are being opened up to the public - ie sports facilities etc - its a waste to have them only used for a small amout of time by a small section of society.

Why not go back to building local schools instead of the factory farm comprehensives?:rolleyes:

cost......
i understand this - and agree centralised is more cost efficent(?) -
might not be the best educationally - but....
local schoold would cost more and we are already over taxed ..
g

Plus would mean no centres of excellence??? Cos no centres. So less excellence.

Just everyone as good as their average classmates allow them to be at everything.

Home tutoring ??
now that would be scary - but might be good for the old acdemics(?) - but social skills would lose out

cost......
i understand this - and agree centralised is more cost efficent(?) -
might not be the best educationally - but....
local schoold would cost more and we are already over taxed ..
g

Well that's odd, this system worked fine for years and not at an astronomical cost to the taxpayer:eek:

Well that's odd, this system worked fine for years and not at an astronomical cost to the taxpayer:eek:

thats when teachers were being paid very little -

thats when teachers were being paid very little -

The pay was comparable with other professions at the time and still is today