to fly like a bird

11 January 2012

Trondheim Kommune

Trondheim

Norway

Dear Sir or Madam:

My two children are currently attending the Birralee International School Trondheim.  I was recently notified that they will no longer be eligible for a bus card due to the fact that the distance between our home and the new school location at Kalvskinnet is under the required 4 km.

I checked the website www.gislink.no/skoleskyss as indicated and it calculated the distance between our house and the Birralee School at 3.76 km with a walking distance of 45 min.  However, I argue that this estimate is grossly inaccurate for our house which is located high on the western hill above Trondheim.  As you will note in the graphic below, which is from Google Earth, the elevation is quite significant between the school and our house.  The distance you provide was only calculated as the flat 2-dimensional distance that a bird would fly following the route. 

Unfortunately, my children are not birds and cannot fly.  The true walking distance would be longer and the time calculated would be much greater (assuming an uphill ascent on the way home).  If you wish, I will walk the route with a GPS to calculate the actual distance with the associated ups and downs (troughs and peaks) in the path and provide you with a more accurate number.  I cannot assume that everyone in your office has a Ph.D. in geography like me, but surely you realize that your calculations are not correct.

For you to require a 9 year old, even a hearty Norwegian child, to walk 4 km through the loads of snow and ice in the dark for nearly an hour to and from school is ludicrous.  In the absence of growing wings, which would undoubtedly be an ideal solution for all parties involved, I feel there is no other alternative than you provide a valid bus card for my children's school journey each day.

Thank you for your attention and I look forward to hearing from you!

Sincerely,

Associate Professor and Working Mother