Back to school...

[User169]

That time of the year already, today; younger daughter very excited to be allowed to cycle.

Ready for the off..

Parents' bikes outside school..

 

[threebikesmcginty]

Sometimes we get 3 or 4 parents' bikes outside the school, always more 4x4s though.

 

[Sandra6]

How cute do they look!
My youngest likes to cycle to school, even though it's just across the road.

 

[I like Skol]

Ha, Mine is the only parents bike I see at school (actually a lie, 1 other parent used to turn up by bike 2 or 3 times a year but not seen them do it for a long time). It's abysmal really as the junior school is as the centre of a large modern(post 70's) housing development so a good proportion of the pupils travel half a mile or less but no one cycles to school regularly.
I have to admit, I only take my kids to school by bike maybe 2-3 times a month and the youngest (6yr old) is a bit random at stopping at junctions so it is a work in progress but the boys love riding the 2.5 miles each way to and from school.

 

[summerdays]

I used to see at least 8 bikes daily, but there were another group of irregular cyclists (Dad's doing the occasional drop off/pick up) of another 10 plus cyclist. Probably more - but due to the layout of the building you didn't see all the parents as there were two entrance gates at opposite ends of the grounds.

I would of liked to have seen even more of them - especially as the distance you needed to live to get into any school around here is usually under 1 km, but obviously some parents move during the time the child is at school.

 

[fossyant]

My son's specifically got a 'commuter bike' for his high school run - he plans to ride every day. He regularly cycled to primary !

 

[User169]

How cute do they look!
My youngest likes to cycle to school, even though it's just across the road.

We don't have go that far - only 1km - but i think the little and often approach works well. They start to whinge if we have to travel more than a few kms!

 

[User169]

I have to admit, I only take my kids to school by bike maybe 2-3 times a month and the youngest (6yr old) is a bit random at stopping at junctions so it is a work in progress but the boys love riding the 2.5 miles each way to and from school.

The youngest (5) is totally unaware of anything else on the road. The good thing about a bike with an upright position is that i can keep a hand on her shoulder and steer her around obstacles!

 

[400bhp]

What is the commute like for most of the cyclists? On road/off road/cycle path?

 

[User169]

What is the commute like for most of the cyclists? On road/off road/cycle path?

For most people, I guess it's a mixture of roads and cycle paths (both segregated and strips-of-paint). We don't have to use any cycle paths, but the roads don't have much traffic on them. It's much more hassle to drive to the school to be honest, it's in the middle of town, there's no parking and the streets are pretty narrow.

Mrs DP forgot to pick up one of the children from school a couple of years ago, so her teacher brought her home. The teacher's bike didn't have a child seat, so our daughter just sat behind her on the rack. I think it's fair to say, there's a somewhat different attitude to bike-associated risk here!

 

[threebikesmcginty]

Mrs DP forgot to pick up one of the children from school a couple of years ago...

Easy mistake.

 

[User169]

Easy mistake.

Well that's the way I like to remember it, especially to Mrs DP! Actually, it was a mix-up between her and another parent - she thought they'd agreed that the other parent would pick up the children.

 

[snorri]

I think it's fair to say, there's a somewhat different attitude to bike-associated risk here!

Now there's a major understatement!
I have to say it warmed my heart whilst on my summer tour over the water to see youngsters standing on the rear rack and holding on to the shoulders of a parent as they pedalled along.
Can't remember when I last saw anything like that in the UK

 

[User169]

Now there's a major understatement!
I have to say it warmed my heart whilst on my summer tour over the water to see youngsters standing on the rear rack and holding on to the shoulders of a parent as they pedalled along.
Can't remember when I last saw anything like that in the UK

There's a boy in my daughter's class that always arrives like that! I sometimes have one of them on the seat at the back and the other side-saddle on the cross-bar.

 

[skudupnorth]

Right,i'm moving lock,stock and barrel to the Netherlands ! Sounds like cycle heavan to me Just need to let Mrs Skud know she will be riding her un-used bike more now