Celebrate Car Free Day and cycle to school with your children! Or feel free to take a trip after school!
Bike to school and kindergarten? It's possible even with the smallest bikers! Try it out on 22 September, celebrate the international and pan-European Car Free Day and show your children that there is no need for a car for short distances. More and more schools are tackling the new phenomenon of 'mama-taxis' - parents who drive their children to school and kindergarten, often for very short distances. This creates unpleasant traffic jams around schools, not to mention the environmental impact of such
of daily journeys. Paediatricians have long warned that children lack exercise and gain weight. Up to 80% of children lack natural exercise and 12% of girls and 25% of boys are overweight. Put a stop to your passive lifestyle, try it without a car and cycle to school and kindergarten! Riding in the fresh air will get your child off to a great start for the day, get his circulation pumping, oxygenate his body and brain, and energize him with positive energy and
a great mood that will last all day.
Especially safely
For younger children, it's ideal to choose a two-foot bike that you can comfortably walk alongside (even with a younger sibling in the stroller). It is important that the child is able to handle the bike safely and brake reliably. On a bike, as long as it goes slowly, a child can ride on the pavement, but on a bicycle he or she must already respect the rule that only pedestrians belong on the pavement, unless otherwise indicated by a sign, and that a child with a bike does not belong on it. It is therefore necessary to choose the cycle path and less frequented roads. If your school or nursery is in the city centre and there is a lot of traffic, it may not be safe to travel with children.
With bigger children, go by bike. Be sure to study the route carefully before your first ride to make sure you don't encounter any challenging sections along the way. Follow the rules of the road and ride carefully, try to anticipate potential hazards and avoid dangerous situations. Let your child ride in front of you and adapt the ride to their abilities and capabilities. Remember that children have a harder time judging their speed and are easily distracted from safely following the road. So keep an eye on them at all times and steer them when necessary. Don't let them dash headlong ahead and always have agreed points where your child will stop and wait for you. If the cycle path crosses a road, it is better to stop, transfer the bike together and get on the other side to continue the journey. Equally important is the right clothing and equipment - even on the cycle path the child needs to be clearly visible, so reflective strips, vests are great
and clothing in bright neon or phosphorescent colours. Of course, a good quality and well-fitting helmet is a must.
Secure the bike well
Remember to lock your bike securely before school. How to do it? Don't just lock the bike by the rim, the frame is the most valuable part of the bike, so lock it first and add the rear wheel and cassette. If you also have an additional cable at the lock, pull it through the front wheel. Anything valuable that you can take off, then take off the bike and take it to the locker room.
