Three Families Cycling to Fight Climate Change – BikePortland

– by Family Biking columnist Shannon Johnson. She's previously written about when summer bike adventures go wrong.

I've recently been thinking about why I started cycling with my kids and how we've grown as a cycling family over the last three and a half years. Cycling has improved our lives and also caused us to change our lives, a process that continues as we grow as a cycling family. Today we cycle for many more reasons than when we first started. I often think, “The more we ride bikes, the more reasons we discover to do it!”

As I reflected on our own family's bike ride, I asked some other local cycling families to share their stories:

“Why do you ride bikes as a family?” and “Have these reasons changed over time?”

A common thread immediately emerged from the responses I received: local families taking up cycling as their personal contribution to the fight against climate change. Although this was not the reason I started cycling, I found these family bike stories uplifting as members of the community explained their personal commitment and major lifestyle changes to ensure a healthier environment for their children and future generations to fight.

I hope you are as encouraged to read their stories as I was. Please share your own story in the comments or email me longer answers at [email protected] (If you email me your own family cycling story for possible publication, please include a photo of your family cycling trip.)

Rachel Philip

Our original “why” for cycling as a family was that we don’t want our kids to live in a climate change hellscape, so let’s act like part of the solution by cycling instead of driving. Even after a year, this is still a big reason why (and what makes me get on the bike when the weather is particularly bad or I'm not feeling well).

But another reason we stuck with it is because we love it. We have a five-year-old and a two-year-old, and they both complain and sometimes cry when we drive to school. The time we spend cycling to school together is much nicer than in the car. We see nature, our neighbors' yards and count dogs, garbage trucks and school buses. We know where all the flamingo lawn decorations are. We discovered a rabbit running loose in a certain neighborhood. Lately my children have been screaming with joy on the long walk downhill to daycare. The screams in the car are not joyful.

Our guiding principle for cycling is: If we believe we can get to a destination relatively safely by bike, we will. We still get in the car for events in neighboring towns and Costco trips. However, as a family we tend to prefer local and more “bike friendly” destinations. There are several cool parks that we just don't visit as much anymore because we don't feel comfortable cycling there. On the other hand, loading the kids onto the bike and riding to the parks, which are on safer routes, is much less stressful than getting in the car, and we go there much more often.

James Schiffer

First and foremost because of the memories. It is difficult to convey the value of these memories in writing. Don’t get me wrong – we drive around as a family and have memories. But for numerous reasons, riding a bike brings back many more amazing memories than driving a car. I think it's because I'm generally happier/less stressed when I ride my bike. Maybe it's fine for some, but I find that driving in cities and suburbs makes me more nervous and uses an excessive amount of mental energy due to the traffic, parking and risk. I think my kids and certainly my wife notice this and it will end up coloring these outings. There are still problems with bike touring, but the consequences are much less and in general it feels more relaxed and fun to me.

Secondly, it is about giving my children practical skills that will facilitate their love of life and independence. Sense of direction, assessment of risk and opportunity, problem solving, value of preparation and, above all, the feeling of wind and speed. My 4-year-old daughter can use her 16-inch pedal bike to show the way to every single daily or weekly destination near our home. She plays fantasy games or shows me her “tricks” and grins from ear to ear. Having a bakfiets that can carry our one year old son and her bike helps immensely and eliminates negative experiences. I think it won't be long before she can overtake me if it piques her interest. The bicycle is a very humble and simple machine that opens the world around us wide. With a sweet potato and a bicycle, it's amazing how far you can go. No matter how much or little they decide to commit to it long-term, I know they will get a good return on their time and energy investment.

Thirdly, it is socially responsible transport. I've always avoided thinking too much about the state of the world and the future of humanity just because it was always so depressing. Through my children, I had to face the future and the numerous ethical dilemmas of my actions and lifestyle. I can't just raise them with the same short-sighted behavior and expect them to fix everything when they inherit the Earth. It's amazing how many looming existential threats can be counteracted by simply not driving to places less than 5 kilometers away: climate change, the housing crisis, obesity, depression, etc. Yes, there are a lot of other things to do – but cycling is easy, low-hanging fruit.

Initially it was primarily about climate change. As we drove, I realized how much I appreciated these experiences and how different it felt to go out. What started as a restriction on my lifestyle with the request “Don’t drive to places less than 5 kilometers away” has become the preferred and default option. Part of this could be due to how easily the bakfiets carry out everyday tasks such as family shopping or the home depot. I particularly liked Urban Arrow's rain solution. It could be pouring rain and we'll all feel comfortable and dry as we ride for hours. Good wet weather solutions make cycling trips the best option all year round.

Shawn Martinez

The main reason I'm car-free is so that my daughter knows that I've done everything in my power to reduce the burden of our decisions when the impacts of climate change are so extreme that they are beyond the reach of most People can no longer be ignored for them and their generation. 40% of Oregon's greenhouse gas emissions come from the transportation sector. Reducing or eliminating car trips is something we can all do immediately to reduce the impacts of climate change.

I will say that the first step in my “radicalization” to car freedom occurred shortly after my daughter was born and I tried to push a stroller through our neighborhood with no sidewalks or bike paths. We had to walk and roll in car lanes everywhere we went, which made me realize how dangerous our infrastructure is to people outside of cars.

When I learned how terrible diesel emissions are (especially for children), I felt extreme guilt for driving the pickup truck I had driven as a commuter vehicle for years.

In 2016, I built my own Bakfiets cargo bike by welding two bikes together in anticipation of competing in the Disaster Relief Trials in Portland. DRT opened my eyes to the cargo bike scene!

When the child started preschool, I challenged myself to bike 10 miles each way from Tigard to Tualatin Hills Nature Center. We rode our self-made cargo bike as often as possible. Riding a big, smelly diesel truck to a nature center seemed wrong to me, and I wanted my daughter to have fond memories of riding her bike to school. It turned out to be easier than expected, so we didn't drive much at all!

As my child grew, it became heavier and I became older. It became increasingly difficult to climb the big hills home. I decided to go all out and get an electric cargo bike. This purchase proved that I didn't need a truck (or car) at all. Anything beyond the capacity of the cargo bike can be delivered free of charge or for a small fee. Every excuse I could think of not to ride my bike was shattered.

Soon after, I sold the truck and became completely car-free. We have ridden over 25,000 miles on cargo bikes and frequently use public transportation. I've saved thousands of dollars over the years that I can use for fun experiences instead of car payments and associated costs. We are happier and healthier without a car!