Opinion: Far less traffic on Tauranga roads when there's no school

Bring back free schooll buses. Photo/file

The most incredible thing happened to me yesterday.

I got to work in 20 minutes.

On a weekday nonetheless! What an achievement!

The difference? No school. Students were enjoying a teacher-only day while the rest of us made our way back to the office.

This to me indicates that a huge portion of our rush-hour traffic is contributed to by parents taking their children to school.

Unlike some, I don't blame "helicopter parents" for this.

Yes, children 50 years ago used to walk to school barefoot in the snow, warming their feet in cow pats along the way. Or so the story goes.

But things have changed. The number of cars and trucks on the road these days has increased astronomically, making it far less safe to walk or bike along busy roads.

The cost of school buses is also uneconomical for many people. A family with three school-aged children will pay up to $60 a week to catch the bus, depending on whether they have a Smartride card (it's $1.60 per child per trip with a card, $2 without).

That's more than I pay for gas a fortnight, for driving to work and back each day and small trips in between.

I can understand why parents would choose to make a detour on their way to work and drop their kids at school rather than pay that fee.

In other words, for a family with three kids, it's cheaper, more comfortable, quicker and easier to drive than catch a bus.

For those reasons alone, it's no wonder some parents would rather just drive their kids to school.

It seems clear to me that bringing back free school buses would do a lot to ease congestion.