Living a car-independent lifestyle with children
So much changes in life when a child is born. What does not have to change is that you can continue to cycle. However, it may be necessary to get a larger bike.
Throughout all stages, from pregnancy and infancy to finally doing the school run, family bicycles are a safe, healthy and inexpensive alternative to the car for transporting not only your children but a lot of other stuff as well.
A family bike is a cargo bike specially designed for transporting people. You can transport anything: big or small children, shopping, toys, musical instruments or gifts. It is almost a pram and wheelbarrow rolled into one.
Essentially, there are three types of family bicycles: Long Johns, tricycles, and longtails. Which family bike suits you best depends on how many children you want to transport, how and where you want to go, and how much budget you have available.
The family bike is safe and reliable: Having one means you are far more independent and largely unaffected by the unpredictability of city traffic. You do not need to plan for traffic jams and parking is less of a chore.
A family bike is relatively inexpensive and practical. Indeed, the bicycle is the most inexpensive and practical means of personal transport. While a car with purchase and running costs amounts to about 100 Euros per week, a good electric family bike costs only 15 Euro per week, or about 2 Euros per day.
And finally, the family bike enables you to be healthy and active. When you have children, you have to use time more efficiently, and using such a bike enables the incorporation of physical activity into daily routines.
Read more about the various forms and uses of the family bike in Transporting Children on the Family Bike, a guide for young families produced by the CityChangerCargoBike project.
Find the publication here in nine different EU languages.
Photo credit: Michael Colville-Andersen
Author: Richard Adams
