The School Car Pickup Line Is a National Embarrassment
The School Car Pickup Line Is a National Embarrassment
This article discusses the rise of car pickup lines at American schools, analyzing data that shows a decline in students walking, biking, or taking the bus, and a significant increase in being driven by private vehicle. The author, Ryan M Allen, attributes this shift to school consolidation, sprawling suburban design that makes walking unsafe, and a culture of 'helicopter parenting' driven by overblown fears. The piece contrasts the US with Japan, where children have more independence, and suggests solutions like better biking infrastructure and community-led initiatives like 'bike buses' to reclaim independence for children and reduce parents' time in traffic.
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my grandpa did walk many miles to school (in the snow)!
this discourse represents different windows into similar problems as thinking about where did all the parks go, why kids don't play in the streets, why people are afraid of their neighbors and all other versions of helicopter parenting.
there is a reason why suburban cities have the tradeoffs they have today and unwinding the ones we don't like will likely take as much time as it has taken to discover what we did lose while also appreciating what we have gained.
perhaps a continued investment in ideas like block parties, bike gangs and downtown street closures will be easier in a world of more self driving cars, high rises and remote work/schools?
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