Bike, bus taxi... The making of multi-modal children

There have been lots of great Riding Phrius quotations from the kids this past year. They show how facile the boys have gotten at considering and choosing amongst all the transportation options we have. 

Bonding with Henry on the bus. 

While returning from the Fulton neighborhood’s Fourth of July parade last year I was riding our Winther Kangaroo trike, Hillary had Henry on the Bobike and Theo was on his bike.  We were riding along the Hiawatha Light Rail Train (LRT) in Minneapolis when Theo exclaimed, “I know, Mom, we can catch the LRT, put our bikes on it and then ride the last bit to our house!”  Great idea, Theo.  Why didn’t we think of that? 

“I want to go to the Minnesota Zoo.  Let’s rent a car!” - Henry.

“We’re going in a rental car?  Yay!” - Henry

Henry inspecting our rental car during a Wisconsin X-C ski weekend.

“Let’s ride our bikes!” - Theo

“I want to ride my bike” - Henry referring to what is actually a small tricycle that he will sometimes ride for mile-long trips. 

“How about we borrow a car?” - Theo.

“How about a taxi?”

“What, we’re taking a taxi instead of a bus?  Taxis are expensive.  I used to think they were a dollar a ride”. - Theo

Some readers of Riding Phrius have joked that Theo and Henry will want to drive big SUVs when they turn sixteen.  That could be, but hopefully our kids are gaining a deep experience of using a variety of modes of transportation.  I hope this experience will help them adapt in this rapidly changing world where transportation choices have important environmental, social, and economic implications for individuals, communities and society. 

As I was writing this I found this interesting Grist post on the decline in driving by young people. 

--> Theo and I showing off our ski boots and skis after  carpooling with friends to the MN Youth Ski League in Theodore Wirth Park.

We got a mini-van(!)...bike style that is

The addition of a second kid to an American family frequently leads to the addition of a larger car. Indeed we wondered how we could continue using bicycles as our primary mode of transportation with the addition of Henry to our family. With Theo, once his neck could handle it, we strapped a car seat into a Burley trailer to get him around with us. Although a Burley can carry two kids, it can't carry two kids and a car seat, let alone groceries. Like so many American bike things, it is designed more for recreation than transportation.

Traveling to Copenhagen in 2005 to visit Hillary's sister, Polly, and her husband Camron, opened our eyes to a city alive with bikes being used for transportation. It was absolutely amazing. Mamas and papas biking their kids everywhere on cool trikes of various designs, postal carriers on custom bikes, electric bikes, "posterbikes", etc. Check out the slide show to the right for pictures of bikes from our trip. If I remember correctly, about 80% of the population in Copenhagen uses a bike. Bikes are for transportation - no Spandex - people ride to work in their work clothes. One of my favorite shots is the woman in the business suit and high heels waiting at the red light.

With the birth of Polly and Camron's first daughter they bought a Nihola transport bike to get around during their year in Copenhagen. In the slideshow there is a picture of Hillary riding it. Interested in bringing these great bikes back to America, they also bought a Winther Kangaroo. Not needing two Danish transport bikes, they generously offered our expanded family the Kangaroo, which we affectionately call "Roo".

The Roo has been a wonderful addition to the family. Hillary felt liberated as she could take both kids with her wherever she went. Henry's car seat straps in securely leaving plenty of space for Theo. Theo can climb right in and sit down on his own. He loves looking out of his own zip-down window. With the kids up front, a strong metal frame supporting the pod, and a heavy molded plastic base it feels much safer than riding with kids in a trailer. You can also easily see the kids and hold a conversation. There is plenty of head room for years of growth. We look forward to sharing more Roo adventures! For another family's Kangaroo adventures in hilly Scotland check out Musings from a Stonehead.