Originally Posted by
erg79
I can understand the thinking, and I've read/encountered attitudes of "well, it's fine for you to put your kids in a trailer, but what choice to they have?" Funny how no one ever says that about putting kids in cars, and the number of kids killed in car accidents each year is tragic.
Right. I guess there's just sort of a generally accepted idea that you are going to drive places and have your kids in the car. Personally, driving on I-5 with my kids scares the hell out of me and I white-knuckle it the whole time.
Originally Posted by
Lieren
We commute with our kids (almost 2 and almost 5). We've been using a Chariot (Cougar?) since the younger one was about 5 months old. We chose the Chariot for the ease in which it converts to a stroller, which is invaluable if you want to take the trailer with a sleeping kid into a store with you or if a non-cyclist (like a babysitter) ever picks the kids up from preschool and walks them home.
Yeah... that's pretty much exactly the age my kids are. Right now I don't necessarily have plans to have a babysitter pick them up from school but that's a valid point. I'm not sure what my future holds.
Originally Posted by
Lieren
If you search for my recent thread on "increasing my visibility" there are some great tips for side visibility for a trailer, which is my personal worry (that is, cars see me at 4 way intersections but don't always act like they see I'm towing a trailer--like other posters, I find that cars approaching from the rear are very respectful). I had wanted a bakfiet for the reason you mention but couldn't stomach the cost--but now I'm glad I have a trailer instead. The trailer is actually much closer to you than you initially think, the turning radius is easy to master, and once you drop off the kids you also ditch all your extra weight for the rest of your commute. At preschool, I lock the trailer with a cable lock through its frame; if we're running errands in a part of town with high theft risk I leave the trailer attached to the bike but lock the frame to my rear wheel (and obviously secure the wheel!). If I'm just running into the grocery store I leave it unlocked.
I see people with trailers all the time on the streets of Portland and yes... it seems to be a universal rule that drivers see a trailer and instantly think "there's a kid in there... I'm going to be really, really safe with this kid". I can get my visibility up for sure and even though they look dorky (in my opinion) I can ride with a trailer flag.
Originally Posted by
Lieren
I'm not so sure a trailer actually is an increased risk. If you're struggling with the issue, you might want to look at the website Free Range Kids, which is dedicated to the premise that we stifle children by always focusing on the most horrific but statistically unlikely outcome. (I don't think this particular situation per se is addressed anywhere on the site, but the site's general outlook might be philosophically helpful.) Furthermore, by using a trailer instead of a car (and we use the trailer rain or shine), I feel I'm demonstrating to my kids self-reliance, an active lifestyle, and the fact that you can find joy in even the most mundane aspects of life like commuting.
I've grappled with the safety issues and being overprotective of my kids. I'm becoming more and more oldschool (e.g. trying not to be a helicopter parent and just let them have fun more).
Originally Posted by
pityr
How far are you going? I used to take my kid in the trailer to and from pre-school and would just fold it up and lock it at the school. Shes 4 now and we have a Weehoo trailer that she can ride along with. Either goes well with running errands as the trailer can hold a few grocery bags and the Weehoo has some build in panniers.
Other parents at her school have the extracycles and heavy haulers and they look pretty cool. It would really depend on how much you want to use it. I couldn't really justify one with only 1 kid. I don't have a car (my wife does but she has to use it for work) and the trailers work well enough. I already have enough bikes
My commute is 4.1 miles each way. I am thinking about selling my car (which I basically never use) to justify it if I get a swanky cargo bike.