If you have a lot of kids, you spend a lot of time in the car — or at least most of us do. But for a growing number of urban families, there’s another option: cargo biking!
In this week’s episode of Best of Both Worlds, Washington DC-based lawyer Sonja Ralston discusses her family’s car-light lifestyle. By transporting her kids in a cargo bike, Sonja can avoid parking woes, get some exercise, and build in outdoor time everyday (to say nothing of lowering the family’s carbon footprint). After listening to this episode, you just might be reconsidering what is possible.
In the Q&A, Sarah and I discuss a common parenting challenge: getting kids to take medicine (e.g. antibiotics) without a battle.
Please give the episode a listen, and as always we welcome ratings and reviews!
I loved this! I wish we had bought a long-tail for that stage, but now my 6 year old is a faster cyclist than me, so he wouldn’t tolerate going on the back of mom’s bike 🙂
We live pretty rurally, a town of 7,000 in the outskirts of a big city, and have a 1.5 mile commute to school, which is the perfect length. There are a few tricky crossings but I’d rather us learn to navigate them together now then it being new when he’s going to school independently in a few years. I think the fresh air and the exercise helps my son get his wiggles out in the am and head into school ready to learn, and decompress in the evenings.
We cycle in all weathers except ice, just adding a cycling cape (I’m a spectacle around town…) or waterproofs when it’s wet.
@Coree – wow, good for you for biking in the rain – that is dedication. I do like the idea of kids getting some exercise before school – it probably helps them focus a lot.
Hi! Loved this episode as I just moved to DC and am learning to navigating city life with my 7 year old. Biking can be our next frontier. Much appreciated!
@Kristen – excellent. Enjoy DC – it’s a great city!
This got me so excited about city biking again that I just bought an electric bike so that I can start biking to work in downtown DC more regularly. I’ve done the 8 mile ride on a regular bike but there are a couple of big hills that slow me down enough that they’re a deterrent if I’m ever slightly behind schedule. With an e-bike, the bike ride should actually be comparable in time as driving and parking at the metro and taking the train in.
@Alyce – excellent! I hope your electric bike makes commuting much better.