A good sign that cycling is becoming normalised in Christchurch is when it’s not just the clichéd “lycra road warriors” to be seen riding to work or for exercise. So it was nice to receive this photo from a friend-of-a-friend who takes her two kids to Somerfield Playcentre on the green e-bike in the photo. Check out the rest of the bike rack…
Apparently this is a standard day in the bike parking lot there and represents at least 10 people who arrived by bike – fantastic! It’s not going to work for everyone (or for every day) but at least there is some counter to the argument that “I can’t bike because I have to get kids to school/kindergarten”.
The Somerfield Playcentre is also quite close to Roker St, the site of the future Quarrymans Trail, recently approved by City Council, but still garnering ongoing negative press. With an easy connection from the Trail through Somerfield Park to the Playcentre, maybe a few more future kids will also be making the journey there by bike with mum and dad…
Do you take your kids to school or playcentre by bike?
No, 🙂 my youngest is 22
I used to have my daughter on the back of my bike from very young until 5 1/2 because I didn’t have a car.
When we had 2 more children the toddler on the back of my bike the 4 year old on my husband’s bike on a wooden seat with stirrups and hooks that went around the seat stem and handle bar stem and the eldest on her bike…we lived in Queenstown then so often biked to Frankton along the Frankton track.
And today, for the first time I noticed the bike racks outside PakNSave Northlands were overflowing.
Just wait till the Papanui Parallel is finished!
Cyclists notice things like that. Drivers, would go past without even noticing. You’re a cyclist, Robert!
I have thought about taking my daughter into playcentre by bike but (a) her playcentre has no bike parking and (b) my wife doesn’t like us riding on the road due to safety concerns. Once the quarryman’s trail is built it should solve the second problem, but not sure what to do about the first one.
Yay.
ChrisM , I would suggest that you talk to them about it. It may surprise you how receptive people can be these days about this. Many of the schools, play centres etc have problems with vehicle congestion outside their gates, what you would like to do should help them alleviate the problem.