Train GraphicClick on the map to explore geographics
 
I need help
FAQ
Emergency
About .
Travel & transport from BBC stories as at 13:55 29 Mar 2024
- Delays at Dover as millions begin Easter getaway
- Attempted murder charge after man stabbed on train
- KFC Nigeria sorry after disabled diner refused service
Read about the forum [here].
Register [here] - it's free.
What do I gain from registering? [here]
 02/06/24 - Summer Timetable starts
17/08/24 - Bus to Imber
27/09/25 - 200 years of passenger trains

On this day
29th Mar (1913)
Foundation of National Union or Railwaymen (*)

Train RunningCancelled
12:30 London Paddington to Weston-Super-Mare
13:15 Swindon to Westbury
13:15 London Paddington to Cardiff Central
13:48 Bedwyn to Newbury
14:12 Newbury to Bedwyn
14:19 Westbury to Swindon
14:57 Bedwyn to Newbury
15:14 Swindon to Westbury
15:22 Newbury to Bedwyn
15:28 Weston-Super-Mare to London Paddington
15:50 Bedwyn to Newbury
15:54 Cardiff Central to London Paddington
16:15 Newbury to Bedwyn
16:23 Westbury to Swindon
16:55 Bedwyn to Newbury
17:36 Swindon to Westbury
18:37 Westbury to Swindon
20:13 Swindon to Westbury
21:16 Westbury to Swindon
22:30 Swindon to Westbury
Short Run
10:55 Paignton to London Paddington
12:35 London Paddington to Exeter St Davids
13:10 Gloucester to Weymouth
13:42 Exeter St Davids to London Paddington
13:55 Paignton to London Paddington
14:36 London Paddington to Paignton
15:42 Exeter St Davids to London Paddington
16:35 London Paddington to Plymouth
16:50 Plymouth to London Paddington
17:03 London Paddington to Penzance
17:36 London Paddington to Plymouth
18:03 London Paddington to Penzance
18:36 London Paddington to Plymouth
19:04 Paignton to London Paddington
20:03 London Paddington to Plymouth
21:04 London Paddington to Plymouth
Delayed
09:10 Penzance to London Paddington
10:04 London Paddington to Penzance
10:20 Penzance to London Paddington
11:03 London Paddington to Plymouth
12:03 London Paddington to Penzance
12:15 Penzance to London Paddington
13:03 London Paddington to Plymouth
13:15 Plymouth to London Paddington
14:03 London Paddington to Penzance
14:15 Penzance to London Paddington
15:03 London Paddington to Penzance
15:15 Plymouth to London Paddington
16:03 London Paddington to Penzance
16:15 Penzance to London Paddington
19:04 London Paddington to Penzance
etc
PollsOpen and recent polls
Closed 2024-03-25 Easter Escape - to where?
Abbreviation pageAcronymns and abbreviations
Stn ComparatorStation Comparator
Rail newsNews Now - live rail news feed
Site Style 1 2 3 4
Next departures • Bristol Temple MeadsBath SpaChippenhamSwindonDidcot ParkwayReadingLondon PaddingtonMelksham
Exeter St DavidsTauntonWestburyTrowbridgeBristol ParkwayCardiff CentralOxfordCheltenham SpaBirmingham New Street
March 29, 2024, 13:59:19 *
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Forgotten your username or password? - get a reminder
Most recently liked subjects
[153] 2024 - Service update and amendment log, Swindon <-> Westbury...
[97] Infrastructure problems in Thames Valley causing disruption el...
[53] Travel for free on the m2 metrobus - Bristol - 4,5,6 April 202...
[41] would you like your own LIVE train station departure board?
[38] West Wiltshire Bus Changes April 2024
[37] Reversing Beeching - bring heritage and freight lines into the...
 
News: the Great Western Coffee Shop ... keeping you up to date with travel around the South West
 
   Home   Help Search Calendar Login Register  
Pages: [1]
  Print  
Author Topic: Children travelling alone - minimum age  (Read 2694 times)
grahame
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 40692



View Profile WWW Email
« on: September 12, 2017, 01:39:23 »

A story from Canada from The BBC» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page)

Quote
'Children under 10 too young to take bus to school alone'

A Canadian father is mounting a legal challenge after child safety officials told him his children aged 7-11 could no longer take the bus alone.

Adrian Crook said he taught his children to take the Vancouver city bus to school over a few months.

In a post on his blog "5 Kids 1 Condo", he wrote that he wanted to "raise capable, independent humans".

But the Ministry of Children and Family Development said it is illegal for children under 10 to be unsupervised.

[contnues]
Logged

Coffee Shop Admin, Acting Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, Option 24/7 Melksham Rep
Bmblbzzz
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 4256


View Profile
« Reply #1 on: September 12, 2017, 09:38:11 »

Beyond the obvious arse-covering aspect, there are two potential issues: something happening to the children (anything from missing the stop to abduction) or the children causing trouble on the bus and no one being responsible for them. It doesn't seem as if either of these issues have actually arisen.
Logged

Waiting at Pilning for the midnight sleeper to Prague.
ChrisB
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 12334


View Profile Email
« Reply #2 on: September 12, 2017, 12:17:07 »

Surely it is parental responsibility? As the UK (United Kingdom) recognises.
Logged
TaplowGreen
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 7750



View Profile
« Reply #3 on: September 12, 2017, 17:58:48 »

Surely it is parental responsibility? As the UK (United Kingdom) recognises.

Absolutely.

Myself and my pals used to get the bus to school from the age of 7 onwards (on the mean streets of Plymouth!), we managed to survive the dreadful dangers and hazards of sitting on a bus which clearly were overlooked at the time. May have had the occasional sing song but can't remember causing any trouble - we even used to offer our seats to old(er) ladies.

It's little wonder the World is now full of snowflakes.
Logged
Bmblbzzz
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 4256


View Profile
« Reply #4 on: September 12, 2017, 22:55:21 »

Yeah... but you could argue the parent isn't responsible for the children at that moment if they're not there.

I'm wondering if the mode of transport makes a difference here? Would people (you, reader!) have a different opinion if the kids were not travelling by bus but by train, taxi, plane, ferry, or just walking to school?
Logged

Waiting at Pilning for the midnight sleeper to Prague.
grahame
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 40692



View Profile WWW Email
« Reply #5 on: September 12, 2017, 23:07:38 »

I'm wondering if the mode of transport makes a difference here? Would people (you, reader!) have a different opinion if the kids were not travelling by bus but by train, taxi, plane, ferry, or just walking to school?

I didn't put a vote on this one to find out reader views.

As a personal view, we live in a society that more and more "helicopters" its children.   I commuted to school by train - mile walk, train trip, half mile walk from age 7 to 11, then mile walk, different train trip, further mile walk to 16.  From leaving home in the morning till back later in the day, parents didn't know where I was.   And that was the norm in those days.

I am aware of at least one place which has a significant flow of school children by train, some not in their teens, unaccompanied, still.   Except that the school is just across the road from the station, and a teacher routinely goes across and make sure they leave safely; I suspect parents meet train at each intermediate stop to pick up their kids in the car.
Logged

Coffee Shop Admin, Acting Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, Option 24/7 Melksham Rep
broadgage
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 5398



View Profile
« Reply #6 on: December 08, 2017, 15:06:34 »

Yeah... but you could argue the parent isn't responsible for the children at that moment if they're not there.

I'm wondering if the mode of transport makes a difference here? Would people (you, reader!) have a different opinion if the kids were not travelling by bus but by train, taxi, plane, ferry, or just walking to school?

IMHO (in my humble opinion), it depends on the degree of complexity that the child has to handle.
Train, arguably not much different from a bus, should be fine for a child.
Taxi, OK if pre booked and pre paid for by an adult, but I would be doubtful about a young child having to find or book a taxi and pay the fare on their own.
Plane, fine for a domestic flight, international travel adds more complexity than I would want a young child to handle.
Ferry, probably OK for a domestic journey, but again I would not want a young child to undertake a proper international journey alone.
Walking should be fine unless there is some local factor that renders it unusually risky.
Logged

A proper intercity train has a minimum of 8 coaches, gangwayed throughout, with first at one end, and a full sized buffet car between first and standard.
It has space for cycles, surfboards,luggage etc.
A 5 car DMU (Diesel Multiple Unit) is not a proper inter-city train. The 5+5 and 9 car DMUs are almost as bad.
eightf48544
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 4574


View Profile Email
« Reply #7 on: December 08, 2017, 15:44:31 »

The Brockenhurst school train was notorious in the sixties. Regularly wrecked at the end of term.

Also had problems on the Romney School train
Logged
trainer
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 1035


View Profile
« Reply #8 on: December 08, 2017, 18:30:08 »

As always these matters have so many variables that generalisations always find exceptions.  Nevertheless, in principle, it should be safer today for children who have, as the Canadian father suggests, been taught about awareness and possibly have a mobile phone to travel safely on a city transport system.

I suspect the Brockenhurst train problem was crowds of adolescents unsupervised and too dependent on close supervision to know how to behave when without it. Drunken adults can act the same way when inhibitions are removed.

I would not these days allow a 7yo to travel alone, but a group of siblings on a regular journey at a time of day when their are others about may be a different matter. I did travel with friends to school on a corporation bus in Birmingham when I was about 8 (1d fare) but there was a conductor back then. (No...there were no horses at the front!).
Logged
JayMac
Data Manager
Hero Member
******
Posts: 18896



View Profile
« Reply #9 on: December 08, 2017, 19:15:56 »

I walked to school alone from aged 7. Just over 3/4 mile away.

This was in the Lambrook/Halcon area of Taunton. Probably the least salubrious area of the town.

Never did me any harm. Lips sealed
Logged

"Build a man a fire and he'll be warm for the rest of the day. Set a man on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life."

- Sir Terry Pratchett.
Do you have something you would like to add to this thread, or would you like to raise a new question at the Coffee Shop? Please [register] (it is free) if you have not done so before, or login (at the top of this page) if you already have an account - we would love to read what you have to say!

You can find out more about how this forum works [here] - that will link you to a copy of the forum agreement that you can read before you join, and tell you very much more about how we operate. We are an independent forum, provided and run by customers of Great Western Railway, for customers of Great Western Railway and we welcome railway professionals as members too, in either a personal or official capacity. Views expressed in posts are not necessarily the views of the operators of the forum.

As well as posting messages onto existing threads, and starting new subjects, members can communicate with each other through personal messages if they wish. And once members have made a certain number of posts, they will automatically be admitted to the "frequent posters club", where subjects not-for-public-domain are discussed; anything from the occasional rant to meetups we may be having ...

 
Pages: [1]
  Print  
 
Jump to:  

Powered by MySQL Powered by PHP Powered by SMF 1.1.2 | SMF © 2006-2007, Simple Machines LLC Valid XHTML 1.0! Valid CSS!
This forum is provided by customers of Great Western Railway (formerly First Great Western), and the views expressed are those of the individual posters concerned. Visit www.gwr.com for the official Great Western Railway website. Please contact the administrators of this site if you feel that the content provided by one of our posters contravenes our posting rules (email link to report). Forum hosted by Well House Consultants

Jump to top of pageJump to Forum Home Page