Headteacher demands children cycling to school display number plates

[mjr]

Did the pedestrians walking to school never misbehave and require identifying?

I started cycling to school partly because it was too far to walk and the alternative was basically the Bus of the Flies. The school always made the right noises about clamping down on the zoo that meant some villagers walked up a hill, along a parallel street and back down to avoid the bus stop, but never did much that seemed to work for long. To be fair, at least they didn't try to fark over those cycling or walking in.

 

[Drago]

I recall we had to have our bikes safety checked by the local copper, who'd solemnly attach a brass disc to the saddle rail to show it was roadworthy to ride to school.

The problem there is that once the bike earned its disc you could go through your entire school years without having it inspected again. The really enterprising simply switched the discs from bike to bike.

 

[LeetleGreyCells]

Have you seen this article?

http://road.cc/content/news/232269-...y-cycle-school-if-they-fit-number-plate-their

I agree that all kids should be taught to cycle safely, but this is not the way to do it. In fact, this would put some kids off cycling for life which is a crying shame.

Thank goodness my kids don’t go to that school.

 

[glasgowcyclist]

Already under discussion at https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/h...cling-to-school-display-number-plates.226624/

 

[Laurentius]

Back in the day when I first went to high school the rules were that you were not allowed to ride your bike there until you had passed your cycling proficiency test. No numberplates though.

 

[LeetleGreyCells]

Yes, I did a cycling proficiency test at school too.

 

[summerdays]

This isn't the way to encourage and promote cycling to school.... where are they encouraging cycling in their statements. Where are the bike breakfasts, Dr Bikes? Cycle club? and offering cycle training during the school timetable as a positive rather than what sounds like a punishment for bad cycling?

And what are they doing about pupils being dropped off at school with the parents parking on the pavement ? Are they clamping their cars to be collected at the end of the day?

 

[Drago]

You like to think schools would be too busy teaching kids useful stuff to have sufficoent time spare to victimise those who's parents are too poor or sensible to drive them to school.

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

It's cockery

 

[Lonestar]

Thanks for notifying me of this the comments section is brilliant.

 

[MichaelW2]

All children should require a permit. I think this is the logical conclusion of headmaster-thought.

 

[BoldonLad]

All children should require a permit. I think this is the logical conclusion of headmaster-thought.

AND a machine readable barcode to uniquely identify each one.

Once all of the children (0-18) have been thus identified, the barcoding program should be extended to adults, in ten year bands (ie 19-29, 30-39... etc) until, eventually, everyone can be identified by barcode readers located at strategic positions throughout the country.

 

[mjr]

AND a machine readable barcode to uniquely identify each one.

Once all of the children (0-18) have been thus identified, the barcoding program should be extended to adults, in ten year bands (ie 19-29, 30-39... etc) until, eventually, everyone can be identified by barcode readers located at strategic positions throughout the country.

There used to be a Banksy in WsM with a caption along the lines of "Barcodes are beautiful until they're tattooed on your wrist". I wonder if @User remembers it and whether it was in the Madam Lane underpass that was filled in (because obstructing walking and cycling is cheaper than policing) or the next one west.

 

[bonker]

We had to buy number plates for our kids for them to be able to cycle to school. I think its more of a money raising/ bike shed security thing.

A sadder fact is when my oldest kid started at our local secondary school, about 13 years ago, cycling was the default way of getting there and there were 100s of bikes in the bike sheds. By the time the youngest one left ( 2 years ago) hardly any kids cycled. The routes to the school are now all 4x4 car parks in the morning.

I don't think the number plates stopped kids cycling it's parental/social attitudes.

 

[Mile195]

If it prevents kids from cycling to school that's a shame. But for the kids themselves, I suppose it means that the bike sheds can go back to being used what they're supposed to be for... In my day that was smoking cigarettes you'd nicked off your dad...