Active Transit
Table of Contents
Introduction
Benefits of a Sidecar
These are similar to trailers, but allow parents and guardians to keep an eye on young children or passengers with disabilities. Being next to one another makes for easier communication, especially for anyone with hearing impairment, or who uses sign language to communicate.
Bicycle Sidecar
5:35 minute video shows the construction process for a bicycle side car, including cutting , welding, spray painting, adding a padded seat and safety buckle.
Safety First!
Eco-friendly traveling can require us to consider things we might not have worried about before. Letting kids travel to school on their own can be scary for us adults, but sometimes our fears aren't reflected by the data. For example some people worry about their kids being safe from strangers when out on their bikes, but studies found that girls with bikes were safer than girls without access to bikes, because they could move more freely and faster than children on foot.
Similarly people assume cars keep their kids safe, but the data shows most travel-related deaths being linked to drivers of cars.
Whether you walk or ride with your kid, or let them travel alone, children will be safer if you:
Establish rules and boundaries. Let them know if there is a road they can't pass, this boundary should expand as their become more reliable. Tell them if there is a time they need to be home by, and who to go to if they can't get home or another emergency happens.
If your mode of travel requires safety gear like a helmet or knee pads, make sure these fit properly and that children know they have to wear them every time they want to ride or roll. Click here to learn about properly fitting a helmet and basic bike-safety tips.
Travel around with them before letting them go out alone. Young children need to learn with a trusted adult how to safely cross a road, where important land marks are (the park or library for example), this can help them avoid getting lost.
Make a plan for you child in case they get lost. This should include an up-to date photo of your child, as well as making sure they know who to ask for help, such as a shop clerk or police officer.
Get involved in your community's safety programs.
General Tips for Stress-Free Travel
Don't feel like you have to change 100% of your habits immediately. If you don't usually walk or cycle, then start with one day a week, or just mornings or just afternoons, then build your muscles. Slowly challenge yourself to do more, or choose transport mode according to where else you will need to go on a given day, or with respect to weather conditions.
Try a test trip to places like school or your doctor's office before your scheduled visit. This will let you know if you need to add more time for to cross at intersections, or if a short cut through a park will let you cut off a few minutes that would have been spent sitting in traffic with your regular drive.
Bring water and a snack for long trips.
Wear appropriate protection. A sun hat or cap, umbrella, rain coat, and appropriate shoes or warm clothes can make the difference between a fun journey and extreme discomfort. Check the weather in case a cold front or storm hit in the afternoon.
Use map or app if you are in a new place.
Take breaks! This is especially important if you have a smaller child, or one of you isn't used to the new mode of travel.
Similar Types of Transport
Trikes
Trikes are often seen as training-devices to help kids learn to ride bikes, but they can be appropriate alternatives for kids or adults with physical disabilities, inner-ear problems or neurological issues such as seizures. They can safely transport groceries, backpacks, pets, or even children on the rear basket or foot bar.
Velomobile
An enclosed velomobile has an efficiency of about 12.35 km/MJ. They can be entirely person-powered, or battery assisted. They may be better for some people's backs than a traditional bike or cargo bike, while providing a sturdy foundation for carrying children, shopping, pets, and more. These are similar to recumbent bikes, but come with storage space and often an outer casing to protect riders from wind or rain.
Bakfiets
A bicycle or tricycle with a long wheelbase between the front wheel and handlebars holding a large box, originally used solely to transport goods but now also commonly for carrying young children.
10:44 minute video gives a personal account of transporting kids with a car vs a bakfiets, including the benefit of improved stimulation provided by riding in the open, vs being stuck looking at a car's boring head rest.
Bike Trailers
Pro: These are a great way to bring young kids along on a ride, even if they are too heavy for a seat attached to the bike itself. Kids get a great view of their neighborhood, and the seat is low enough that (once old enough) they can climb in themselves. The cover can protect children, pets, shopping, tools, or other cargo from rain and other unpleasant elements. The cover can also reduce road pollution reaching the child.
Con: Children closer to the road can end up breathing more pollutants than parents or kids higher on the bike (scientists were surprised to learn that kids in cars are also exposed to road pollution while waiting in traffic).
Pedicabs, Bicycle Sidecars, & Wheelchair Tandem Bikes
These are great options for a competent cyclist to transport children, elderly people, people with limited mobility, or those who otherwise might not be able to enjoy cycling.
Bike Sidecars
Safety Tips
How to Get Your Child to Wear a Bike Helmet "Riding a bicycle is an excellent way for kids to spend time outdoors getting exercise. It's also an Earth friendly way to get around. Falls from bicycles cause serious head and facial injuries, though, so make sure your child wears a helmet for every ride.
Here are tips on how to help your child get into the habit."
DUET Wheelchair Bicycle Tandem
5:38 minute video starts with the user being harnessed in, then shows how easily care givers can use this type of devise while also being able to reach forward and give care.
Shweeb
Resources
Community
NACTO: Urban Stree Design Guide "A blueprint for designing 21st century streets, the Guide unveils the toolbox and the tactics cities use to make streets safer, more livable, and more economically vibrant. The Guide outlines both a clear vision for complete streets and a basic road map for how to bring them to fruition."
School Zones
Safe Kids: Take Action Toolkit: How to Fix Unsafe School an Zone in Your Community "Find strategies, advocacy tips, model documents, and resources provided by our Public Policy team to help you work in your communityto make safety changes to your school zone. Changes covered in ouraction plans can improve safety for pedestrians, bike riders and all of us near schools.You can learn more about child safety risks in our report, "Alarming Dangers in School Zones," which led to the development of our Take Action Toolkit."
Family & Friends
How to Get Your Child to Wear a Bike Helmet "Riding a bicycle is an excellent way for kids to spend time outdoors getting exercise. It's also an Earth friendly way to get around. Falls from bicycles cause serious head and facial injuries, though, so make sure your child wears a helmet for every ride.
Here are tips on how to help your child get into the habit."
Organizations
For bike-specific organizations, click the Bike Advocacy Groups button to learn which organizations are working in your area, or explore the International section for resource on how to start your own group.
International
Safe Kids Worldwide® "is a nonprofit organization working to help families and communities keep kids safe from injuries. Most people are surprised to learn preventable injuries are the #1 killer of kids in the United States. Throughout the world, almost one million children die of an injury each year, and almost every one of these tragedies is preventable.
Safe Kids works with an extensive network of more than 400 coalitions in the United States and with partners in more than 30 countries to reduce traffic injuries, drownings, falls, burns, poisonings and more."TUMI "supports transport projects all around the world and enables policy makers to transform urban mobility. TUMI is based on three pilars: innovation, knowledge, investment. We support innovative pilot projects around the whole world. We share knowledge with planners about modern mobility concepts, in workshops and conferences. We invest in construction and modernisation of sustainable urban infrastructure."
North America
National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) "NACTO’s mission is to build cities as places for people, with safe, sustainable, accessible, and equitable transportation choices that support a strong economy and vibrant quality of life."
Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (PBIC) is a national clearinghouse for information about health and safety, engineering, advocacy, education, enforcement, access, and mobility for pedestrians (including transit users) and bicyclists. PBIC's mission is to improve the quality of life in communities through the increase of safe walking and bicycling as a viable means of transportation and physical activity. To accomplish that mission, the PBIC manages several websites, produces a variety of reports, guides and case studies, and offers training and technical assistance.
Walk Friendly Communities is a national recognition program developed to encourage towns and cities across the U.S. to establish or recommit to a high priority for supporting safer walking environments. Communities are recognized for working to improve a wide range of conditions related to walking, including safety, mobility, access and comfort.
USA
National Complete Streets Coalition News of complete streets activities from around the country and proposed federal legislation plus resources including fact sheets and a PowerPoint presentation.
New York
Transportation Alternatives "For 50 years, Transportation Alternatives has led the movement for safe, equitable streets in New York City. TA uses a combination of neighborhood-level grassroots organizing and citywide advocacy to push for changes in public policy, street design, enforcement, and resource allocation that transform our city’s streets for the better."
The Transportation Renaissance in NYC is being Led by THIS Group
23:24 minute video "Discover the transformative infrastructure changes that TA has advocated for over the years- like the iconic Prospect Park West protected bike lane, the game-changing Queens Boulevard redesign, and the ever-expanding network of Citi Bike stations."
Maps
North America
USA
Walk Friendly Community Map "A Walk Friendly Community is a city or town that has shown a commitment to improving and sustaining walkability and pedestrian safety through comprehensive programs, plans, and policies. Communities apply to the program to receive recognition in the form of a Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum designation. [With this map] you can sort and view profiles for communities that have been designated since the program began in 2011."
Washington
Explore the Walkability of DC Neighborhoods (Interactive) "Select a neighborhood to learn more about who lives in that community"
Further Reading
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