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11th June 2015
11:00am BST
A friend of mine actually cycled to the hospital to give birth. She did NOT cycle home.
When The Baby was born I was forced off the bike and on foot, which was a shock to my cyclist's system. No longer could I get anywhere fast, with buggy in tow I no longer whizzed, I pounded along the pavements and longed for a bike that I could hitch to the buggy. Now the baby sits in a baby seat on the back of my bike which is wonderful.
He loves the bike but there are a couple of drawbacks to the seat on the back thing that I had not anticipated, mainly once the child is on the bike you cannot let go of the bike for a second. You can't prop it against a wall while you lock the front door, you can't leave it on the kick stand while you run back inside to grab a forgotten item. This an issue when you are juggling child, handbag, nappy bag, bike and lunchbox. Also there isn't a buggy alive that is small enough to be carried on the bike unless you are literally this talented.
Bringing the buggy with is a problem particular to cycling parents, you may need the buggy for the child to nap in, or if continuing on from the cycle on foot for a considerable distance. This is where a cargo bike comes in. Behold the Game-changer.
So here's my top 10 reasons to make the jump from two wheels to, well, two wheels with what looks like a wheelbarrow on front:
1 You can safely load the bike while it rests on its kick-stand, as a regular child-transporter this fact alone completely REVOLUTIONISED my morning routine.
2 You are cycling something that is bigger and more visible to other road users, cars and pedestrians are more likely to give you a wider berth.
3 You can carry several kids at once and pets and shopping, buggies, toys, spare parts. It's like having a boot on your bike.
4 The cargobike can also take adults. Here's me and my fellow HerFamily.ie colleague, Katie Mythen, out for a jaunt.
5 It has all the environmental benefits of a regular bike but you are also inclined to use it more, as it is ideal for doing the shopping or going for a picnic – any outings where once you might have needed to carry extra gear in the car. Research has shown that half of all motor journeys are less than 7.5 km which suggests that we could all be leaving the car at home and cycling a bit more.
6 It is more interactive then having the kids on the back of the bike. With the cargo bike I can chat to my son and point out things on our journey.
7 Travelling in the front of the bike is a great sensory experience for my son. Sometimes he grumbles about getting into his car seat but he genuinely seems to love getting strapped into the cargo box.
8 Babies can come too. Babies from a few months old can travel in a car seat inside the cargo box.
9 Using a cargo bike will cut costs like parking and fuel in the long run.
10 It is genuinely so much fun.
Visit www.greenaer.ie and www.dutchbikeshop.ie.
The Phoenix Park Bike Week Festival, which runs from Monday 15th to Sunday 21st June inclusive, encompasses the annual ‘Pedal in the Park’ on Saturday 20th June, as well as the 2015 Irish Cargobike Championships, sponsored by the Embassies of Denmark and The Netherlands, on Sunday 21st June (Midsummer’s Day).
All Bike Week Festival events are free with plenty of activities for all ages including games, workshops in bike maintenance, stunt bikes, kids cycling workshops and bike polo. Each weeknight evening you can participate in a ‘Wheel to Reel’ - take a bike tour, followed by a film show.
Check out the Phoenix Park Bike Week Festival Facebook page and Twitter @CargoBikeDayIE, as well as bikeweek.ie and dublincycling.ie for more information about the events.Explore more on these topics:
