Through the iPhone and words of a tipster: “…perhaps the real reason the Pincuses never moved in to their Presidio Heights mansion: the pesky line of cars blocking their garage as parents drop off and pick up their kiddies from the school next door.”
∙ A Pincus House (But Never A Pincus Home) [SocketSite]
∙ PincusVille [SocketSite]
This would make a great zynga game. Driveway avenger. You could share badges with you fb friends based on how many times you called dpt for a tow!
While chauffeuring kids individually to school isn’t a very efficient use of street resources or parent’s time, the drop-off time melee isn’t that big of an inconvenience. The peak chaos only lasts fifteen or twenty minutes. I pass about six schools on my daily commute while many are mid-frenzy. Mildly irritating though a bit entertaining. Hardly a significant reason to dislike a home.
The Japanese have it figured out. Kids either walk or take the bus to school.
It certainly doesn’t help that SFUSD is cutting school bus services from 38 buses this year to 25 next year:
http://www.sfusd.edu/en/transportation/transportation-changes.html
MoD, the reality of SF is that you do not always have the luxury of living close to your kid’s school. And then you’ve got 2 kids at 2 different schools. You quickly figure driving is the best viable option.
What I do not like as a cyclist is that overprotective stressed-out parents are also temporary poor drivers. I know I have to plan for driver’s wild swings and abrupt U-turns when I cycle close to a school early morning. And those doorings!
Yes I’m on a bike too when passing through the dropoff chaos and know what you’re talking about. The most annoying are the parents who encourage their kids to jaywalk across the street mid-block. So any gap between parked cars can emit children at any moment. Gotta be alert.
Dedicated school buses are a poor solution. Better is for the kids to ride normal transit like they do in Japan. Too bad Muni sucks but adding more schoolkids to their ridership could attract more funding to improve Muni.
Newsflash to all of the DINKS and single men playing armchair parent, this isn’t Japan. You’re insane if you think you’d put a 8 year old kid on Muni to go to school.
I’m pretty sure a judge would find you negligent and child protective services would take your kids away.
I suspect the real reason they didn’t move in had to do with fact the home was sort of a design and architectural disaster. I think they largely sorted out those issues but it cost them a pretty penny. I don’t see the school issue a terribly large one. It was brought up before on a home on the corner of presidio. I’d love for someone to show some significant deviation due to proximity to school. My guess it doesn’t exist much at all. I think we’ve beat up on this home enough. Good luck to the new owners.
Obviously none of you live near a real school. Try living on the west side of Ashbury between Waller and Frederick (French-American) or on Jackson near Scott (Town) There are two one hour periods (am/pm) where you can not get in or out of your garage.
Newsflash to scurvy: you don’t put an eight year old on a Muni bus alone. They ride with older kids who look after them. Same goes for walking to school. I realize that this takes a little more organization than just firing up the minivan though it is workable.
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Rocco – Are you seriously blocked from entering the street for two hours every day? Even Truckee residents don’t have it that bad Sunday right after the lifts close in the middle of a blizzard.
I’ve found that not all schools are equal in this regard. I live across the street from a high school and the morning drop off rush is very light. There is a steady stream of foot traffic of kids arriving to school.
One block away is a combined high school/middle school and there is a bit more car traffic there. I’d expect an elementary school would be significantly busier.
There are quite a few kids getting off the 38L at Divis and Geary, so a lot of middle school and high school kids are taking Muni.
People are insanely overprotective these days. I used to walk 2 1/2 block to Kindergarten. This was in an LA suburb and not a particularly nice one either. Most kids walked to school.
I think that 8 y.o. is about the right age to start riding transit, except for the fact that people would freak out about it.
We have two kids at two different schools and handle it by carpooling. My wife only has to drive once a week now, but when she does it is with three kids. I take the other one to school on the bike. She uses the double bike to bring the kids home.
It takes a bit of doing but it is hardly as difficult as people make it out to be.
@NoeValleyJim, it’s not the 60’s anymore. Your 8 year old isn’t riding Muni to school.
Oh look at that, A TEENAGER WAS SHOT TODAY ON MUNI.
The crime rate in San Francisco is lower now than it was in the 60’s, at least the late 60’s. People are just insanely overprotective, that is all.
RE: Crime. Same block as Zodiac cab driver murder. Presidio Heights is not a primary home for most owners, too dangerous