twahl

Sure kids are taught, but putting myself in the mindset of a predator, I've never met a kid under 14 that I couldn't overcome and slam into a car in a matter of seconds. About 14, I've seen some damn big kids...

Keeping in mind that the predation and traffic safety are separate issues please...

Yes, I would love to see kids encouraged to bike commute. There is however one major intersection between my home and the elementary school where my daughter goes, and two major roads between here and the middle school where my son goes. If they could ride sidewalk I'd maybe fight for it, but I discourage that with my kids as much as practicable, and the street routes are very very busy at that time of day. There's also a commuter bus stop without shelter along the sidewalk route, and there tend to be quite a few adults milling about in the mornings. As I mentioned before...my sone rides an Allez, my daughter a Sirrus, and I'd really rather not have them ridden to and locked up outside the school.

My daughter will be going to a different middle school next year, having been accepted into a Math & Science program, and that trip would be out of the question both due to distance (well over 15 miles) and
LOTS of major roads that are very busy with morning commute traffic.

I don't think the policy here is district wide, I believe it's up to the individual school to determine whether or not to allow kids to ride bikes to school based on where their students are coming from in relation to traffic patterns. Some of the schools in the district would be just fine for the kids to commute to.

RocketsRedglare

My wife has adult onset, type one diabetes (juvenile diabetes) she contracted it when she was 30. Horrible disease thas you wouldn't want to wish on anyone. She has always been excellent shape, and always maintained (and still does) a rigorous excercise routine. She is on an insulin pump is constantly monitoring her blood sugars, But even still here blood sugars occasionally drop to the point were she goes into a seizure. In a best case scenerio, she comes out of it when you give here tons of sugar. In a worse case, its a ambulance ride to the ER.

Heading of a thread hijack:

What I've noticed living in SoCal and Long Island, where there is a huge gap between the "haves" and the "have nots", is that for the most part, the "haves" tend to be in better physical shape. Its kind of obvious that kids in the Haves have access to safe neighborhoods have access to, have good diet and are involved in many extracurricular activites.

The biggest factor seems to be that "haves" parents are much more motivated and involved in their kids lives.

But ironically its the kids in the poor neighborhoods that cycle to school. The rich kids all have mommy drop them off in their SUVs.

Sheesh

twahl

You know I missed this part the first time around. Our middle school seems to be very open to starting clubs based on the kid's interests. I think I'll see if I can talk Jason into getting the right teacher sponsorship to start a cycling club. I'd be more than happy to volunteer. He loves to ride...rode with the lead pack on our last club ride, averaged something over 14 MPH on a 30 mile ride. I was behind with my daughter and didn't see him most of the day, but several members made it a point to seek me out, and tell me how well he did, not just in keeping up, but also in his riding etiquette and overall manners.

RocketsRedglare

this is good. Parents involved and doing something about it. Good job, twahl

Dchiefransom

There ya go!!! In an article on this in my local paper, replacing stolen bikes constantly was the number one reason why kids didn't ride their bikes to school. At least our Jr High and High School have a fenced area with the bikes locked inside during school hours.

Dchiefransom

Yup, TOTALLY unfounded. My paper was covering the kidnapping of a girl off the street on her way to school in Vallejo, kept in a closet in San Jose, and "rented out" to other pedophiles for a couple of months, before the guy finally killed her. They found out because he's confessed after being convicted of another kidnapping where the girl got away eventually. This is a continuous assault of info on the senses.

* jack *

Help organize a Safe Routes to School program in your community:

https://www.saferoutestoschools.org/

twahl

I've visited that site and found it interesting, but there's no way around at least a busy 4 lane road between me and the school. I'm kind of boxed in between an interstate, the primary artery through the county, a 4 lane feeder, and Bull Run, which seperates us from Fairfax county. It's kind of discouraging really, but hey, my kids ride. Just not to school.

phidauex

Ok, since it caused a bit of a flareup, let me rephrase! Instead of saying 'juvenile diabetes' is affected by lifestyle choice, I mean to say, 'juvenile onset type-2 diabetes' is affected by lifestyle choice. Yes, I know they are different diseases, but my point stands. Doctors are seeing so called 'adult onset' diabetes in younger and younger patients, including children, and this change seems to be brought about by changes in lifestyle, including diet and exercise, which not only affect whether or not someone will contract type-2, but also when they contract it. If someone has a strong genetic risk factor, their lifestyle choices might make the difference between onset at 12 and onset at 55, which means a lot for their life.

Asthma isn't 'lifestyle' related in the same way, since diet and exercise aren't as big of risk factors. However, it is related to lifestyle in that air pollution is a major risk factor for asthma, and choosing to operate cars more than may be necessary is a lifestyle choice that can exacerbate asthma problems, though that occurs on a community level, rather than an individual level.

Does that help? I'm certainly not wishing these diseases upon anyone, and I'm well aware of the fact that there are many things that contribute to whether or not someone contracts a disease, and that one can't immediately 'blame' a person for their own disease. However, one can't discount the risk factors that people DO have control over, and lament their frequent ignorance or outright defiance of that. I have family members with diabetes too, and my comments weren't meant to be crass or insensitive.

You are your body, and every choice you makes affects it. There are some things you don't get to choose, and some you do.

peace,
sam

arboc!

i think kids dont ride bikes as much because...
1.they dont want their nice bike getting jacked
2. they dont want people ****ing with their bikes
3. ?

phidauex

https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/projects/cda2.htm

Some info from the CDC about the increased prevalence of early onset type-2 diabetes in people aged 10 to 19, noting correlation between obseity and low physical activity, as well as other factors like exposure to diabetes in uetero.

peace,
sam

sbhikes

That is so sad that schools take away the bike lock facilities and don't allow kids to ride to school. One of the best things is getting a bike and finally having the freedom over your own mobility.

When I was a kid a lot of horrible, newsworthy things happened to me and people I know. The difference between then and now is back then you didn't talk about it.

I think kids should be forced to ride to school. Put crossing guards at those busy intersections and give them the authority to stop traffic in all directions. The only exception to forcing kids to ride to school is please don't force 13 year old (or so) girls. At that age, riding a bike is complete torture, fraught with opportunities for total, feminine humiliation.

Roody

Do you think forcing them to ride would take away some of the fun?

forum*rider

I ride to school, as do alot of my friends. Most of them ride because it's their means of transportation, my parents are gone in the morning and don't come home until around 6pm, so if I want to get to school, go to a friends house, whatever I have to ride.

Fortunately for me my ride is fairly safe, most of it is on an enclosed bike path(concrete walls seperate the bike path from the 56 freeway) and then it's a short stretch on a 2 lane road. The only thing I worry about is the not-so-adept teenage drivers driving to school while I'm trying to negotiate traffic and get into the left-hand turn lane.

BTW, I ride a >$2k bike to school now, my solution is to leave it in one of my teachers classroom. He rides to school as well and understands how much a good bike can cost so he's understanding enough to allow me to leave my bike in his classroom.

pseudobrit

Much clearer. What's likely to be more deadly in the future is this generation of fat, sedentary kids growing up and becoming an even larger bloc of fat, sedentary adults than we've ever seen before.
If you're a fat little kid, chances are not on your side that you'll grow up to be a trim, healthy adult.

I predict over 10% of the public will have had gastric bypass surgery in 30 years.

AFAIK, onset of asthma has nothing at all to do with diet and exercise. Triggers are typically environmental and hereditary.

(I'm very asthmatic)

recursive

This doesn't have an effect on the probability of being abducted. Sure, with higher population density the weirdo will be closer to more kids, but at the same time, there are more kids to choose from for the weirdo. So the probability for a kid "near" the weirdo will decrease. Overall, assuming we don't know where the weirdos are, an individual kid's probability is exactly the same.

Roody

I think we mostly agree that it would be good for kids and for cycling if more students rode to school. I have read the following concerns or problems and also list some possible solutions:

1. Problem: Traffic safety. Possible solutions: Crossing guards and safety patrols, overpasses and other facilities, safety education.
2. Problem: Predatory criminals. Possible solutions: Teach kids how to avoid (not necessarily fight off) this danger, travel to school in groups, crossing guards and safety patrols, better police patrols.
3. Problem: Bicycle theft. Possible solutions: Racks for locking, theft prevention such as security cameras, education of parents and children.
4. Problem: School is too far from home. Possible solution: None--except long term solutions of return to community schools and rollback of urban sprawl.

People are thinking that it is more dangerous for kids to ride (or walk) to school, but maybe the real problem is that we are no longer set up for it. When I was a kid in the 1960s, we had all the "possible solutions" that I listed above. As far as I know, millions of baby boom kids like myself made it to school just fine!

ajay677

It's our perception of the risk that has changed over the years. Even if it "seems to happen daily", that is 365 occurrences per year in a total population of 300 million plus, people. I'd suggest that your child's risk is far greater of being seriously injured or killed in a car crash on the way to school than of being abducted.

Roody

Or dog bite, bee sting, lightning, etc.

Nevertheless, there is a real risk, and parents get paid the big bucks to think about things like this. They rightly worry more about a low probability risk with severe consequences, than a higher probability risk with lesser consequences. There are few consequences more horrifying than a child abducted by a sexual predator! I think the real answer is to teach kids to stay safer. Travel in groups, come straight home from school, stay away from all strangers, etc. These guidelines work well, and they are taught in schools and homes. Each parent knows if their own child is willing and able to follow the guidelines.

samundsen

One solution to many of these issues... ride with the kids to school. My oldest starts kindergarten in the fall. The road to school is too dangerous for kids to ride on their own (they need to cross a 4-lane high-traffic arterial road). I have a Burley Piccolo trailer bike on order for the specific purpose of riding my son to school. If the road had been safer he would certainly be capable of riding himself.

I'll send him on the bus if the weather is too bad for riding (does not happen often around here). What I will NOT do is drive him.

closetbiker

That's what I did. Rode with them the mile to school. How long does that take? Keeps them safe and you get to teach them how to ride (that translates nicely when they're ready to learn to drive) and you can get an idea what they look like when riding on their own (if you keep your distance and stay quiet on occasion).

People die and are severly injured every day in cars, yet parents often feel this is far safer than risk the rare chance of a random, stangers' abduction. Driving everywhere gets the kids in that frame of mind and leads to poor health down the line. A far greater risk.

twahl

That seems low, but again...the original poster misquoted the statistics in the article. that was 365 occurances of a non-family related abduction in the state of California over a 5 year period. Not the entire US, just one state. The national numbers are far more frightening and not nearly as reported as everyone seems to think. We get a couple a week on the national news, but with 58,000 occurances in one year, that's more than 150 per day! You want to dismiss that as inconsequential? You minimize the fear that parents may have, knowing that there will be 150 kids abducted by a non-family member that day? That's insane.

H_Roark

Excessive risk-aversion. Or, in more direct terms, being wussies.

twahl

Got kids?

genec

Your probabilities almost worked, except for the fact that families are having fewer children these days, therefore there are more weirdoes per square area, per child than there were in the past, when there were less people per square area and more children per couple.

I know one thing that really freaked me out vis-à-vis "weirdoes" was when my local city put the sex offenders in a database that allowed you to see the approximate location of them (not actual addresses, but density in an area). That was not a pretty sight. I imagine that in a less densely populated area, the dots that represent the weirdoes would be much further apart.