Family biking blogs showed me that it was possible to be a family bike commuter. I had twins first ( a third a few years later) & it seemed ‘impossible’ to ride on a bike with my boys. One kid– I could figure out the single bike seat, but two???? It took me six years, a two-mile commute to a new job, & a friend who follows alternative transportation to discover cargo bikes. I could not be more THRILLED with our two: a Bakfiets & an Xtracycle Radish– both which have radically changed our lifestyle. I live in a city where I was not comfortable using a trailer (it sits low & behind me) but our Bakfiets has the cargo box in front.

There are a lot of naysayers out there about cycling with kids as one’s major transportation but there are families out their doing it day-in-and-day-out. It’s inspiring. Every day, my guys strap on their helmets as part of their morning routine. It’s just what we do now & we love it.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/larsdaniel/4103512657/

There was such an intimacy chatting with my four-year-old as we rode along like this. Memories…

Even this week after Orlando was listed as the worst place for pedestrians, law enforcement got it wrong when they ticketed peds for crossing at ‘undesignated’ crosswalks. About the only place where it’s illegal to cross mid block is in the heart of downtown Orlando. There are precious few places where there are two signalized intersections adjacent to each other.

I almost would like to contact the people ticketed wrongly. They probably have no idea what they did may have been perfectly legal.

I’ll take my awareness, skill and understanding of traffic dynamics over your steel cage and false sense of security any day.

Orlando is the worst city in the US for pedestrian safety. Would you accuse people of being bad parents for trying to use a crosswalk with their kids? No, probably not. It’s far safer to be a competent bicyclist in Orlando than to be a pedestrian, but nobody would criticize a family for walking with their kids.

Some of us work to make the roadway environment safer for all people, regardless of mode. Some just throw stones. Clearly, we know which one Rob Anderson is.

It has been said that the majority of accidents happen within 25 miles of home. Have you thought about moving, just to be safe?

To operate a any vehicle safely, one must have the proper training and skill set, something a majority of cyclists and motorists on our road and streets do not have.

When I moved to FL, I was given a home study driver’s manual and was not required to test any further past a vision test. I simply relinquished my old DL, signed the line, and became another one of the menaces on FL roads.

Do you honestly trust such minimally trained motor vehicle operators with the safety of your children?

Hello Mr. Pot, Meet Mr. Kettle!

Kevin’s comment:
It is impossible for babies under a certain age to wear a helmet, and highly inappropriate for a child of any age to wear one while on a bicycle.

Unless that child is a teenager doing racing or stunt jumping. Brings back memories of when I was a teenager. And did dumb and dangerous things. Like join the Army. An appropriate thing to mention today on Remembrance Day.