London school makes pupils who cycle put number plates on bikes

This is hilarious......what happens if the child doesn't display one? He can't be identified!!!

Handy for school bullies to anonymously pick on other kids.

Fair discussion on Radio 4's PM programme today with contributions from CUK and IAM Roadsmart. Starts at 18:29

https://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/play/b0bkpjgt

How about a flexible numberplate that extends 0.75m to the kerb and 1.5m into the road? I suggest "flexible" because there is always the possibilty of a close pass!

The BBC have picked up on this: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-45636870

maybe if the number plates are 1.5 metres wide with jagged looking ends then drivers might give the kids enough space when passing

"I am not a number!! I am  a Free Man!!"

Unless you want teachers at the school to have the extra workload / time wasted chasing up and enforcing this completely impractical idea instead of ...oh I don't know...preparing innovative and interesting lessons to engage the kids and make them want to get to school in one piece, then this is a stupid idea IMHO and you would have hoped it's  Board of Governors twould have spotted this  is a waste of precious money - by letting the school waste it's precious funding by policing and enforcing a rather impractical and largely unenforcable rule, the Governors are not doing their job properly.

Public Money for schools - as crappy a pittance as the schools get - should (IMHO) be spent on educating the kids by: 

1: paying to train, recruit and retain decent staff, 

2: Maintain Decent resources and equipment (NOT rooms full of iPads or flash laboratories etc that are all style over substance)

3: paying to train, recruit and retain staff who can offer decent pastoral care to sort those  huge numbers of poor kids whose parents can't be bothered to parent properly

...then you can look at the extras like...

3: posh grounds, Norman Foster buildings etc etc etc,

..and finally,  number 1000,001 on the list of "1000,000 things to spend school money on" should be "Bike Number Plates". If at all.

This is not a story about bikes or biking to school really - it's a story about the sad reflection of a society where many people don't take any responsiblity for parenting their own kids ( i.e teaching them about safe riding) or monitoing their own behaviour towards others (i.e negligent school run drivers) and therefore using a hammer to crack a walnut (i.e a stupid overblown scheme to reduce silly cycling dangers).

This rather surprised me, but I checked up my local secondary school's policies and found the following:

6. Pupils’ Conduct Outside the School Gates

Schools have a clear legal power to regulate pupils’ behaviour outside of school premises, "to such extent as is reasonable".

This will include any misbehaviour when the child is:

 Taking part in any school-organised or school-related activity

 Travelling to or from school

 Wearing school uniform

In addition, misbehaviour at any time that:

 Could have repercussions for the orderly running of the school

 Poses a threat to another pupil, member of staff or member of the public

 Could adversely affect the reputation of the school.

So it could actually be within the school's power to enforce this. However, I certainly can't see that anyone could possibly think it is reasonable to insist on number plates on bikes. It's no more unreasonable for the school to insist that pupils all wear ID plates outside school, and that would clearly be exceeding the school's authority.

There are small groups of these kids on my commute - the worst thing about them is they challenge me to pop a wheelie which I am completely unable to do.   When you meet them you slow down, cheerly say Hi and most move out the way, the worst I've ever had is some mild joshing about the lack of air under my front wheel. 

When you see them them out driving and despite the lack of lights in most urban environments with street lights and headlights they aren't  difficult to spot if you are concentrating it's not exactly difficult to slow down keep a wide berth and remember the stupid things you did as kid and remember the forebarence you were shown by your elders and betters. 

If it is a problem and I can see some pedestrians finding them intimidating in certain environments surely focusing on the actual children causing the problem is the fairest way to deal with it and in my experience any teacher worth their pay check will know who they are.

As is so often the case RoadCC are making clickbait out of this and many posters are falling for it. The school cannot impose this. However then can prohibit any non registered bikes within school grounds.  The article doesn't say this although it could well have been researched or made clear.

Nothing to stop the kids riding to school but they cannot take their bikes in. Should they chose to lock them to a lamp post off school proprty then they cannot be stopped.

Lousy idea probably brought about by some kids being irresponsible little gits and some complaints. As some kids are.

Why do people jump on their high horse without thinking.  To talk about crappy parking is another issue.  We can't justify one set of stupidity by mentioning another.

Riding a bike is one of the few freedoms left for anyone.

Nazi schools fuck off (as sung by Jello Biafra).

Still is just more rules for people who already obey rules, meanwhile the rule breaking just have more rules they'll still break.

I'm quite jealous of the kids that can do long balance point wheelies - saw a couple on Friday when I was picking my daughter up from school.

I'd rather they weren't doing them in the middle of the road, but that's just kids being kids.

There are 2 schools on opposite sides of the road and a pre-school just along the road and all the roads are otherwise quiet residential streets - anyone driving around there should be well aware of the schools and drive accordingly.

Why don’t they make the little wankers who are getting the bus have a little number plate on as well? So they can be identified for “anti social behaviour” otherwise known as being as being a kid. And then where does it end, who else has to wear number plates in case they do something antisocial out of school, teachers, parents etc? I don’t believe the school can enforce something stronger than the actual law which doesn’t require number plates for cyclists, only cars as they are tonnes of metal driven at speed, meaning a very real danger. Which presents the most danger a schoolkid on bike vs yummy mummy in 4x4? They should be focusing on and addressing real dangers rather than focusing on (and persecuting) cyclists.

Is anyone else getting an advert for number/registration plate makers on this page? 

Well it's nice to see a school actually preparing its pupils for the real world they'll encounter when they leave.  A world full of self-important dullards in minor positions of authority, imposing petty and pointless rules on people they dislike because of their mode of transport.

Get used to it, kids.

There is also the questionability of some assumptions* made by the Head Teacher:

1. Is there an actual problem with antisocial behaviour that is specifically related to students and the way they use their bicycles?

2. Has he followed up with complainants to gather any actual evidence in support of their allegations? Indeed have there actually been any specific complaints given the statement in the report "...However, we are aware that across the borough, there are some children who are cycling in a way that endangers themselves and others."

3. Are the authorities, the ones who actually have authority over roads policing, currently following up complaints, and would the school not be better advised to aid those outstanding investigations before jumping in?

I know from local news stories over the years that several children have been struck and injured by motorists whilst walking to / from schools that are within 2 miles of my own front door. I have yet to read a story in the local press about any incident involving a cyclist of any description being the cause of injury to another road user or pedestrian.

*Assumptions of my own, are of course beyond reproach.

they need to electronically tag/number plate their teachers ... Just in case they become anti social outside of school https://www.standard.co.uk/news/education/london-teachers-in-drunken-bra...

There is also no 20mph zone near the school courtesy of Get Sutton Cycling https://getsuttoncycling.org.uk/2018/02/21/sutton-cycle-forum-january-2018/

'There are no cycle-specific proposals for this local committee area at the moment. The forum reported, again, on a proposal to introduce a 20mph speed limit around Stanley Park High School (Carshalton South and Clockhouse) [Open Street Map and Google Streetview]. Traffic speed may be an issue, but clearly speed of delivery of the 20mph zone is not.

Our Space for Cycling ‘ward ask’ for Carshalton South and Clockhouse in 2014 noted that “There is a lot of potential for access improvements to Stanley Park High School by bicycle, and this requires a review and audit for suitability of many local streets”.  This included the idea that Fountain Drive being redesigned as a linear park. Two of the three ward councillors supported the ask, but, hey, we still wait.'

The unlawful action of the head flies in the face of the LA's thinking on cycling https://sutton.citizenspace.com/chief-executives-group/cycling-delivery-...

Registration and regulation are sometimes necessary evils. I doubt that they are necessary in this case.