Around Town: Considering the rush to get to school
I started training at a gym in Pasadena. The gym is on the same block as a private elementary school, so I try to avoid the morning traffic jam by arriving 20 minutes early and walking around the block a few times.
The school is Waverly School on Bellvue Drive. The neighborhood is ground zero for private trainers and boutique dance, yoga and massage studios. There are half a dozen small traditional, functional and CrossFit gyms.
The Waverly School drop-off jam is a mini version of the morning mess at La Cañada’s public elementary schools. The recipe is the same — small streets, too many cars, few car pools, and impatient parents.
Every morning, harried parents pull up, shout a few reminders to kids who jump out of the car and run. No time for hugs. No soft words. No sweet goodbyes.
Everybody’s got somewhere to go, whether it’s first grade, Junior League, or that job downtown.
The other day, during my pre-workout walk, I saw something different. One mom parked two blocks away. She and her daughter exited the car, slowly, happily and together. Then they chatted and held hands while they strolled to the school.
This was their routine. This was their special time together. No phones. No laptops. No interruptions. Just a leisurely walk to the school, mother and child together.
I’m not saying that I ever did that, back in the day. I don’t recall too many walks up the hill to Palm Crest Elementary. We were always rushing somewhere. But I wish we had done this.
We did have an awesome car pool, as did others, which reduced the drop-off line at the school.
As for the current traffic issues, the Public Works and Traffic Commission has been addressing the Palm Crest issue all year, but has not reached a consensus between the local residents and the school families. The commission is considering hardscape, medians, stop signs and crossing guards.
Here’s another idea: the yellow school bus.
Granted, the Nov. 21 Tennessee school bus crash showcased every parent’s worst fears — an apparently intentionally reckless driver, no seat belts and no air bags. There had been complaints about the driver prior to the crash, but the district involved didn’t take action.
If the safety issues were addressed, would today’s LCF parents consider buses? They were used successfully throughout La Cañada Unified until sometime around the late 1970s district budget shortfalls, coupled with a parent population disinterested in paying for the service, led to their disappearance from our streets.
Some of us went to school each day on a yellow school bus. It could be fun. Well, it wasn’t that much fun in seventh grade, but it did give us a sense of independence. I would walk two blocks, wait with the other kids and ride the bus to school.
Would LCF parents ever consider daily bus transport with small buses, each fitted with seat belts, air bags and the guarantee of a great driver?
Some private schools offer a bus service. Harvard Westlake School, with campuses in Studio City and Holmby Hills, charges $2,375 for its middle school students and a reduced fee of $1,187.50 for the high school students.
The Buckley School, located in Sherman Oaks, “contracts with Tumbleweed Transportation to provide daily bus service. Eight convenient routes cover the west San Fernando Valley as well as Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, Culver City, Westchester, and as far as Pacific Palisades.”
Well, it’s an idea.
ANITA S. BRENNER is a longtime La Cañada Flintridge resident and an attorney with the Law Offices of Torres and Brenner in Pasadena. Email her at anitasusan.brenner@yahoo.com and follow her on Instagram @realanitabrenner and Facebook/Twitter @anitabrenner.