Pedal parenting

My bike and kids 12

The Bike-To-Work-Week gods had plans for me ... even though I don't actually work.

On Mother's Day, May 13, a wheel fell off my stroller.

Biking with a kid trailer. Photo: iStockphoto

Walking is my main mode of transportation, and I love it. Even with its distance limitations, pushing a stroller felt like a safe alternative to driving and less annoying than taking the bus.

My daughters, 18 months and 3, are too old for us to justify buying another stroller and too young to walk the two-mile roundtrip to downtown, the playground, or the library.

Since I gave up driving almost a year ago, I've ignored the advice of cycling advocates, both on the web and in real life, because I thought walking served my family just fine.

Now, without a stroller, it was time to buy a bike. And a trailer that hooks onto the back. And helmets. And test drive it to the downtown vegetarian coffee shop for a breakfast sandwich.

And finally this week, I strapped in the girls for a ride to the playground -- and they loved it. Why, I think, did I wait so long?

The last time I used a bike for getting around town, I was an immortal 23-year-old riding against traffic in Washington, D.C. Sure Normal, Ill., is no East Coast, but am I risking my kids' safety, especially after the discussions about bike safety here on Gristmill in the last week? I'm sure I won't dangerously maneuver around cabs in rush hour traffic, but even on mostly empty side streets I worry about getting hit by a car, something I never thought about pushing the stroller.

Also, bikes are expensive. A one-income household has to make these decisions carefully. What if I bought a bike and trailer and never used them, thrusting my family into financial ruin?

Enter my husband, the voice of reason, who said, "You'll ride it to the pool with the girls, have a great time, and love it."

"Then," he added, "you'll pass the gas station on the way home, see people fueling up at $4 a gallon and think, 'Suckers'."

I can see why cyclists are passionate about riding.

The idea of running parental errands on a bike isn't unique. I've often thought about copying this grocery-toting Portland mom. And I see other parents around town carting their kids to the playground, although I have yet to see them at the grocery store.

A bike makes sense for any parent who wants to drive less. Biking to work doesn't have to mean riding to an office and back.

My ride to the community pool takes 10 minutes. A regional grocery chain plans to open a store a mile from my house, accessible from the bike-friendly Constitution Trail. I could lose 10 pounds.

After my first trip to the playground with the Trek hybrid and Burley kid trailer, I asked my 3-year-old if she liked the bike. Yes, she said. I asked if she missed the stroller.

Yes, she repeated.

Then she added, "I like the bike better."

Yeah. Me too.

Christine Gardner is a freelance writer making a daily effort to find ways moms can stop destroying the planet. She continues to use public transit, buy local, conserve energy, and live simply, despite fears her children one day will be labeled as “the weird Gardner girls” by their schoolmates.

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  1. mihan's avatar

    mihan Posted 9:35 am
    24 May 2007

    Bubble burstingChristine, I hate to tell you, but... biking burns fewer calories per mile than walking (my preferred mode of travel, too).
    But good for you! Enjoy, and make sure everyone has their helmet on.

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  2. Biodiversivist's avatar

    Biodiversivist Posted 3:13 pm
    24 May 2007

    I took my daughters everywhere in a bike trailerMy twelve year old climbed into it one last time for one last ride a few months ago on a trip to the hardware store. She had to curl up sideways and tuck her legs in. They grow up so fast. Sigh...

    In the end, it all comes down to biodiversity. Poison Darts--Protecting the biodiversity of our world

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  3. caniscandida Posted 3:33 pm
    24 May 2007

    Not that I could do it myself ...... but is repairing the wheel on the stroller really all that difficult?

    Chickens are our cousins!

    So are other sensitive animals!

    Enough is enough!

    No more factory farms!

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  4. PBrazelton Posted 2:23 am
    25 May 2007

    SynchronicityMy wife and I were just talking about you last week, Christine (hope that doesn't creep you out).  Our conversation?  Why you haven't picked up biking yet.  And here you are.
    Congrats, hope you love it!  We're heavy into biking now too and think it rocks.

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  5. Delay And Deny's avatar

    Delay And Deny Posted 5:21 am
    27 May 2007

    Not To Rain on Her Parade

    There is no way on earth I would ever, ever, EVER put a toddler on the back of a bicycle or "trailer" and take them on any road where there was automobile traffic, especially in the Puget Sound.

    John Bailo, The "Denier Guy"


    You Read It Here First

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  6. MarkUK Posted 5:25 am
    27 May 2007

    no wayI hate to say it, but I am with Jab here. No way I would put my 10m month old boy in such an exposed trailer. Especially taking into consideration how most car drivers go about things.
    Environment yes, but not at the expense of my child's safety.
    If would go back to living in the Netherlands I would do it for sure. Everybody cycles and car drivers take ranking 3 after cycles and buses.

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  7. Christine Gardner Posted 11:45 am
    27 May 2007

    Safe and soundWhile still too new to be an expert on cycle safety, the last week went fine in terms of safety and distance traveled (I somehow managed to get up at 6 a.m. for a quiet ride before the girls got up). I ride only on very light-traffic streets, on sidewalks alongside busier streets (probably a bike no-no, but it feels OK) and on an awesome trail that provides access to a playground and an ice cream shop.
    I came across this mom blog talking about Bike to Work Week.
    In our quest for safety, we have made the world a more dangerous place. ... Help end the madness."
    But I did run up against this little surprise. At this busy four-way stop near my house, vehicles were always more than willing to let the stroller pass. Strangely, they don't provide the same courtesy to a bike, even one carting a trailer.
    Lesson learned. SUV gets right-of-way. For now...

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  8. Biodiversivist's avatar

    Biodiversivist Posted 12:06 pm
    27 May 2007

    True,Stick to safe routes with a trailer. I find that the trailer gets deference at intersections, especially from women, less so from guys, especially younger ones. I also notice that women often peek to see what is in the trailer.

    In the end, it all comes down to biodiversity. Poison Darts--Protecting the biodiversity of our world

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  9. Espresso Posted 2:09 am
    28 May 2007

    Bike riding movementI cycled with all my kids some riding and some in a trailer. It was always stressful as I had to ride through the busy downtown area to get to most places that I wanted to go. I took it slowly and pretty soon people started noticing and claimed I inspired them to ride with their kids. The more riders the more cars notice riders. This is how movements start people.

    My 2 older kids still do not have drivers licenses and think nothing of a 100 Km ride.

    And for all those of us who do drive how about some excessive politeness for pedestrians and riders. Leave them lots of room, stop at crosswalks, slow down on residential streets. This is a traffic calming measure and sets an example to others.

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  10. Planner Posted 12:16 am
    29 May 2007

    Admiration for the Rider mom!But for those chiding her for 'exposing' her children to danger?  Can I get a 'puh-leeze!' And post all the stats you want - we all know that those numbers can mean anything to anyone with only a small change.
    Since moving to my new town where both my wife and I work in town - no more long commutes, yay! - we have been toting the 3 year old and 8 month old to their day care provider, daily, through busy school drop off (out house is across from one school and we pass another on the way). I can honestly say that I have NEVER felt the girls were in any kind of danger, nor threatened with any kind of harm. The 8 mo old sits in the back humming her little tune, giggling at times while the 3 yo chatters incessantly.
    Bottom line is this: Cycling is SAFE. Don't go blindly into the street though. In order to be safe, you need to be aware of whats around you. Its that simple, awareness. Listen for cars behind, watch for cars coming from the sides.

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  11. MarkUK Posted 3:19 am
    29 May 2007

    All depends.It's not me I don't trust. It's the car drivers. My children are safe in the car or walking with me on the sidewalk. They are not safe in a flimsy trailer. Like I said, if I lived somewhere where there were cycle lanes or traffic was more tuned in to cyclists I would. Where I live neither is the case...

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  12. schallerc Posted 12:37 am
    01 Oct 2007

    "That's very IRRESPONSIBLE, IDIOT!""That's very IRRESPONSIBLE, IDIOT!"  Was shouted at me as I pedaled the kids (in the trailer) past a busy intersection in Suburbsville, USA on a beautiful late-September afternoon.  I had the traffic light on my side and was first in line to traverse a hairy 50 yard section of road until a 3 foot "bike lane" gave me a little room to breathe.  I had played that crossing almost the entire ride, as do many riders when considering their routes, but there was no other way to get to the library from the route we had selected.
    The driver of the smashed up Toyota shouting at me wasn't an evil person, against all those who bike. Maybe he lost a child to an accident.  Pull over, confront me face-to-face, drop the "IDIOT" comment and I'll listen to you, now I'm just mad at you.  
    The lesson learned; I won't ride that route with kids ever again, but I'm not a bad parent. I love my kids, that's why I'm trying to instill the values of biking as a viable mode of transportation.  This is second time in my fresh parenting life the a stranger has called me out on parenting choices that wouldn't received a second thought 20 years ago.  I'm starting to get tired of the constant risk analysis today's society has forced us to consider before we enjoy any activity with our kids. I drive them in cars, take them on planes, and let them eat grapes don't all those things have a higher probabilistic likihood of causing a fatality?  And if they are in fact statistically more likely, aren't those things being "IRRESPONSIBLE, IDIOT!"?

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