Category Archives: alternative transportation

Park Your Car and Walk a Block to School

Posted on February 1, 2009 by Anne | 17 comments

Ever since my kids started school, I’ve become fixated on a strange American practice: the school drive-through drop off. Many parents it seems have made the choice to drive by the school, open the door and drop their kids off at the school entrance without leaving the comfort of their car. I know every one does not live walking distance from school and some parents must drive their kids to school. But is it necessary to do a drive-through drop off? Can’t they park their cars and walk their kids to the school yard?

Sure it may be easier, more convenient and less hassle to do a drive-through. But what about the impact to the whole community around the school? What about the unnecessary pollution and increased traffic they are creating and the sedentary habits they’re teaching kids? Continue reading →

17 Comments

Posted in alternative transportation, bigger than here, bikes, kids, neighborhoods, School

Tagged Safe Routes to School, schools, seattle, Walk a Block

Xtracycle Shuttle Service

Posted on January 19, 2009 by Anne | 2 comments

Since the kids were out of school today we decided to spend the day at the Science Center. The Science Center is in the middle of Seattle Center on Lower Queen Anne, six miles from our house and just a little too far for me to haul both kids on the Xtracycle.

One fifty–pound passenger is completely doable. Add another and they eventually get bored and pick fights with each other. No fun for anyone. Especially not the pilot.

Usually, when I travel distances over three to four miles with both kids, I take the bus. But after days and days of fog in Seattle, the sun finally appeared and it was beautiful. I just couldn’t bring myself to load everyone on the stinky bus for the 30 minute ride.

I really wanted to ride my bike. Continue reading →

2 Comments

Posted in alternative transportation, bikes, kids, xtracycle

Tagged alternative transportation, shuttle service, xtracycle

First Ride on the Girlfriend Rack

Posted on January 13, 2009 by Anne | 10 comments

He kicked me off when we got to the hill

Girlfriend Panda

I pedaled down to Lower Queen Anne today and met Tim for lunch. Instead of making the trek to the restaurant on foot, we took my bike.

I let Tim pilot since I’ve been looking for an excuse to take a ride on the girlfriend rack. Super fun. Tim reports that the Oma handles way better with a passenger on the back than the Xtracycle. He was even able to take some Panda shots while he was riding. And I managed to do the jump-on with out tipping us over. Now that’s stability! The Oma was made for carrying a friend.

Happy January!

– Anne

10 Comments

Posted in alternative transportation, bikes, dates, oma

Tagged carfreedates, girlfriend rack, oma

Merry Christmas

Posted on December 25, 2008 by Anne | 5 comments

Merry Christmas! We hope you enjoyed the holiday. We had a lovely day.

A rare snowy week in Seattle has paralyzed the city and kept us mostly confined to the one mile radius around our house. I guess 27 snow plows aren’t enough to keep the roads of an entire city clear.

I have to agree, snow in Seattle does force people to rediscover their legs. We’ve seen more people carless this week than normal. This seems kind of harsh, but it’s nice when people are scared or ill equiped to drive. The streets have been so quiet and serene. We could get used to these car-free roads. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could get rid of the snow and have the roads to ourselves? Continue reading →

5 Comments

Posted in alternative transportation, bicycle neglect, bikes, seattle, sustainability, weather

Second Annual Xtracycle Tree Haulin’

Posted on December 15, 2008 by Anne | 15 comments

We pedaled up to the local tree lot over the weekend and picked up our Christmas tree. Although the novelty of hauling a large tree by bike has faded a bit, it was still pretty satisfying to pull up to the tree lot on our bikes, park right in front, choose our 6′ Noble fir, strap it to Tim’s bike with very little effort, and pedal home. No drama, no fuss, no big deal. Continue reading →

15 Comments

Posted in alternative transportation, BIG Loads, bigger than here, bikes, kids, seattle, streetsblog, sustainability, xtracycle

Tagged 2008, christmas, Christmas Tree, local, seattle, streetsblog

Improve Your Chances of a Dry Commute with Hourly Forecast

Posted on December 1, 2008 by Anne | 2 comments

This time of year, the weather is pretty predictable in Seattle. More often than not, it’s gonna rain. Sometimes we get a break from the rain–maybe just a few clouds, maybe even some sun. To help us figure out the best time to head out on our bikes, Tim and I both use the Hourly Forecast on AccuWeather.com. Continue reading →

2 Comments

Posted in alternative transportation, bikes, weather

Tagged hourly forecast, rain, weather, winter riding

Val thinks you really need to see this

Posted on November 19, 2008 by Anne | 5 comments

Val, our cargo bike mentor, sent us this video yesterday saying it was the best safety video ever. The black light hot pants are a little much for our taste, but they get the point across.

The song just might be stuck in your head all day after watching it – thanks Val!

– Anne and Tim

Let’s Get Visible video from VACC, Momentum Magazine and B:C:Clettes via Val.

5 Comments

Posted in alternative transportation, bikes, safety gear

Tagged lights, Momentum, night riding, safety, video, winter

Bike the Vote: Car Free Days goes Xtracycle style

Posted on November 4, 2008 by Tim K | 6 comments

Anne and I are holdouts. We, unlike the rest of the county, prefer in-person voting over the mail-in/absentee alternative. Call us old fashioned if you like (and this article does), but we really enjoy seeing our neighbors while we soak up the mood at our local community center on Election Day.

We also think in-person voting is darn useful for getting get the kids involved in their democratic responsibilities at a young age. For my money, there’s nothing better for inspiring responsibility than bringing your kids with you to vote. I vividly remember standing behind my mom in the big metal voting booth and craning my head in wonder as she yanked the curtain and started pulling the levers that cast her vote. By the time I was old enough, those booths were gone (dang!) and I had to make do with hanging chads and coloring in bubbles.

But I still got to vote.

Booth or no, the experience is rich. Our polling place was just humming this morning. We’ve been voting at the same community center for 12 years and have never seen it so busy.

Continue reading →

6 Comments

Posted in alternative transportation, bigger than here, bikes, extravehicular activities, Human Powered Politics, xtracycle

Tagged bikes, election08, election2008, xtracycle

Kids Will Keep Us Honest

Posted on October 20, 2008 by Anne | 10 comments

This past Saturday my biking motivation was in the toilet. I had a terrible cold that left me feeling a tad lethargic, plus Tim was out of town and I was flying solo with the kids. I tapped all of my energy pedaling both kids to a soccer game in the morning. So, when it was time to go out again in the afternoon, I heard the car calling my name and begging me to take it for a short drive. I convinced myself that I could justify a trip in the car to pick up a birthday gift at our local bookstore and then drop the seven-year-old at the party. At least I was combining trips.

I had all of the excuses covered.

As we were walking out the door, I said, “Let’s go get in the car, kids” To my surprise, the seven–year–old protested said trip: “we’re not driving, I hate cars, let’s take the Xtracycle”. Continue reading →

10 Comments

Posted in alternative transportation, bigger than here, bikes, kids, sustainability, xtracycle

Tagged alternative transportation, biking, kids

What’s Your Favorite Seat Cover?

Posted on October 16, 2008 by Anne | 7 comments

It’s seat cover weather. This time of year, we always keep one stashed in the FreeLoaders just in case because in all likelihood, it’s going to rain and you’re going to need to cover your seat. Tim turned me on to the mail order bag variety. They are super bomber, fold down pretty small and last through multiple seasons–you can use them over and over and over.

What’s your favorite seat cover?

Does anyone have a good Snapdeck cover to keep the deck dry so little buns can at least start the ride dry? I usually keep a camp towel in the FreeLoader and give it a quick wipe before the kids hop on but if anyone has a good cover solution, I’d love to hear about it.

– Anne