Walking my daughter to school this morning I noticed a lot of 4th year students walking their bikes to school. Apparently there was a bicycle safety session for all 4th year students planned today which required students bring their bicycles yet they banned the students from riding to school!
Fourth year students are all around 10 years old. In the evenings they're riding home alone from juku after dark. On the weekends they're riding alone to soccer practice, to the park, to friends houses or the convenience store. Yet today they were asked to bring their bicycles to school but told to walk them.
I'm not sure when riding to school was first banned at my daughters school. The school has a huge bicycle parking area which must have been chock full of students bicycles in its heyday. Now it sits empty except for a few teachers bicycles, hows that for a double standard.
Do you think kids in Japan should be allowed to ride to school?
What would be the reason for children in Japan not to ride their bike to school if they are allowed on weekends for short trips on their own?
ReplyDeleteNot surprisingly there are near empty bike racks at the schools I pass by on bike where we are in Vancouver. On the rare occasion I do see the regular parent cycling with their child to school/daycare. But these schools tend to be located in quieter residential neighbourhoods and where it is near a signed on road bike route.
The school is protecting itself from what is referred to as "Monster Parents" in Japan. If an accident did occur on the way to school parents immediately try to lay the blame on the school and then expect compensation regardless of the facts surrounding the accident.
ReplyDeleteI was speaking to one of my daughters friends father at the park today as our children played. He said he attended the same school and rode his bicycle to school every day. He'd never really thought about why cycling to school had been banned until I bought it up, and can not remember when the ban came into effect.
Just another example of the simple freedoms in life that are being taken away from the majority due to the actions of a selfish minority.