Comments on: Back to School

By: David Hembrow

David Hembrow — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 19:28:35 +0000

Aaron: Do you realise that Kevin lives in Canada - i.e. North of the US and with pretty harsh winters of its own. It's not quite so cold as Canada here, but Dutch winters do get pretty cold too. Last winter it got down to about -13 C for the morning commute. Despite this, children continue to cycle to school, just as commuters continue to commute and shoppers continue to shop by bike. Last winter it got down to about -13 C for the morning commute.

By: aaron

aaron — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 13:26:07 +0000

I like Kevin Love’s policy.

It’d never fly in the US. We’d need to find accommodations for distance commuters and the harsh winters would bring about a lot of whining.

By: David Hembrow

David Hembrow — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 07:45:15 +0000

Can I suggest that people also take a look at a video showing how Dutch children get to school. It’s the infrastructure that makes it possible.

Kevin might be interested to know that they do that here too. It’s illegal to stop a car outside many schools between 8 am and 4 pm (or whatever the times are…). Some of our primary schools don’t have a car park at all. The teachers all cycle too.

By: Yokota Fritz

Yokota Fritz — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 21:51:02 +0000

And in the bike email lists, discussion forums and blogs comes the annual reports of schools than ban bikes because of “safety” concerns.

By: Kevin Love

Kevin Love — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 20:50:41 +0000

This is a problem that is quite easy, simple and cheap to fix. Many schools around here have successfully implemented fixes using one or more of the following steps:

1. If the school has a car parking lot, chain it shut during school start times. Bicycle parking, of course, remains open.

2. Post nearby roads “No Stopping 7-9 AM.”

3. As part of his routine everyday patrol, the local beat policeman arrives at the school just before school start time to enforce the “No Stopping” laws.

We have found these measures quite effective in ensuring that children bicycle or walk to school.