Cycling to school

[thirdcrank]

This is weird. If I look at the "Your posts" screen, the line for this thread shows the latest post is from blackbike at 5.30pm but it isn't here.

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Not surprisingly, this is now shown as the latest post, but what's happened to bb's post?

[Vorpal]

I had a notification that blackbike quoted me, but I couldn't see it. I checked the moderator logs, in case someone moving something left a shadow, or something, but I don't see anything...

[thirdcrank]

If this is the spooks at work, it's alarming that they pick a thread about cycling to school on a footway.

[Graham]

I made a minor edit, then approved it . . . and it disappeared !!!!!

I have never seen the database lose a post like this before. Transaction integrity is something less than 100% it would seem.

[drossall]

When I was at junior school in the late 60s we had talks from a policeman on road safety.

He told us not to ride our bikes on the pavement.

Has the law changed since then?

No, but perceptions have.

When I was at junior school in those days, I was taught that a bicycle was a vehicle and not allowed on the pavement. Therefore, you didn't wheel it on the pavement; you walked on the pavement and wheeled it in the gutter. Although I believe that there has been a court case relevant to this, it's changing perceptions that seem to have led to an outcome that a bike can now be wheeled on the pavement.

So yes, they have changed, quite a bit.

[thirdcrank]

I made a minor edit, then approved it . . . and it disappeared !!!!!

I have never seen the database lose a post like this before. Transaction integrity is something less than 100% it would seem.

I don't want to take the thread off at a tangent, but it was weird. I saw bb had the latest post, went to the thread and saw there was vorpal's after bb so I thought that was it, but when I went back to the unread posts list, bb was still shown as last. It was only after a bit of to-and-fro that I realised that the 5.30pm post was missing, even though it was still shown as latest post on the list.
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Back to the thread, more or less, it's interesting to know that the 20" thing is a bike trade guide to what constitutes a toy. Possibly useful to reassure worried parents that children are OK cycling on pavements - we have a Raleigh "pavement cycle" from the 1970's in the garage - but the legal reality is that young children cannot be prosecuted. It's pretty academic and the only time it might possibly be tested would be if there were to be some big compensation claim. The "toy" approach seems irrelevant here anyway, in that honesty jnr wouldn't be playing out, but rather undertaking the important and serious business of travelling to school; something that would be obvious from the outset. Looking at it from the bike POV, rather than the use to which it was being put, I believe a Raleigh Chopper qualifies as a toy under the 20" definition. MickF famously did the End-to-End on one but he'd not have been able to use the toy defence for riding on pavements. Not that he would.

IMO, the simple point is that cyclists are caught in a situation where they depend on a mixture of good luck and official idleness (Sorry "discretion." ) When the likes of Grayling condescend to publish their shabby cycling policies, this thread is the reality they should be reminded of.

[Tinnishill]

A fit of nostalgia convulsed me in to digging out an old "cycling to school" picture. The passengers are now both over 6 foot and cycling to college.

[honesty]

So far the 3 stages of getting to nursery/school:

IMG_20140219_073009.jpg (57.54 KiB) Viewed 4577 times

20170313_165608.jpg (56.39 KiB) Viewed 4577 times

[honesty]

First proper cycle to school for her today and she loved it. No problem's cycling on the pavement with her as it was completely empty as well. Seems to work. I was a little worried about the junction but she joined me on the road and did really well stopping and going when told then she went straight on the pavement the other side.

Now I have to work out how to carry a violin...

[Heltor Chasca]

First proper cycle to school for her today and she loved it. No problem's cycling on the pavement with her as it was completely empty as well. Seems to work. I was a little worried about the junction but she joined me on the road and did really well stopping and going when told then she went straight on the pavement the other side.

Now I have to work out how to carry a violin...

Great news. You'll need a cargo bike and then you can carry a double base.

I fashioned a hitch this weekend which bolts onto the back of my cargo bike. It is one of those QR clamps you fix inside vehicles. I take the front wheel of the towed bike off and clamp the forks on. Youngest then has her bike towed through the morning rush hour traffic, construction site and double roundabouts to the greenway. She sits on the cargo bike as per the norm. Quick assembly and off she goes to school without any traffic conflict. (Why should we go to these lengths?)

You can tow any bike. I'm rather pleased with myself. Now tell me how to remember to take the wheel with me!

[honesty]

We shouldn't have to but I salute your ingenuity! I want a big dummy but there's not really much need for here (as we get our shopping delivered) plus the light road summer bike, the hard tail trail mtb, the full sus down hiller, the pashley town bike, the brompton... and then a bigger garage!

[Bmblbzzz]

Many/most violin cases will convert into to rucksacks, so she - or more realistically you - can wear it like a backpack. A small girl will have a small violin (I missed or haven't kept track of how old she is, but 1/4 size?) so an easy thing for an adult to carry.

[Vorpal]

much easier than Littlest's cello...

[Cunobelin]

What about a tag tandem (single wheel trailer bike) as the next stage, if you are unsure about the road. second-hand they can be picked up relatively inexpensive, I paid a tenner for ours. I did have to do a little bit of work. on it,. Another alternative is a trailgator which tows the childs own bike and can be unhitched when conditions allow

This would be my thought

She gets to cycle to school, and also participate into process with hand signals, instructions and (limited) choices of what to do


It can be a very educational experience