Commuting to school by e-bike?
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Anonymous
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Anyone here doing a daily commute to school via e-bike?
We're considering this - can you give me the good, the bad, the ugly? Things we should consider? How do you handle adverse weather? Do you have a "Plan B" for when the bike doesn't work for whatever reason, and if so, how often do you use it? Were you able to switch from the kid riding on your bike to them riding their bike next to you? At what age? Anyone taking multiple children this way? |
Anonymous
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It’s not safe enough for my kids.
Source: ER doctor brother. |
Anonymous
| Op, there’s a good Facebook group called DC family biking - you could get advice on your exact route and bike recommendations. A good E bike is $5k. A crappy one is $2k plus $3k in repairs. The answer is really route dependent as I would take my kid on a protected bike path but would never on a busy street. And never for more than 10 min. |
Anonymous
+1 |
Anonymous
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Where do you live? We live on the Hill and know dozens of families who do this. Most people get those covers that go over the kids' seating area to help with inclement weather. I think mostly it's fine even in winter (DC has mild winters) but the recent snow situation as annoying because it blocked bike lanes. That's atypical though.
We don't have an e-bike for commutes because we don't have a secure place to store it and I don't want to stress about theft all the time. Also, I personally don't think I'd be comfortable transporting my kids that way on a lot of streets. Smaller side streets, yes, but any road where cars go over 20 miles per hour, no. I had a bike commute to work for years and I got to the point where I could handle it for my own safety, but I also saw cars do insane things and had some close calls. That was before I became a parent. Now the idea of doing that with kids on my bike sounds awful, so it's just not for me. But again, super common where I live. |
Anonymous
| I would not. You are the one with a first grader and two younger kids? I just cannot see one adult safely managing that many kids while biking. When they get too big to be a bike passenger, they still aren't very good at riding on their own, and they'll ride really slowly compared to an adult's e-bike pace. It's going to be like an hour each way at that pace. Insane. And unsafe. |
Anonymous
| Also think about storage - they are super heavy so if there are any steps involved or an elevator that changes everything. |
Anonymous
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How would you go to ITDS? The path along Irving or Michigan is not very bike friendly. If you go along R St, that's a LONG uphill ride.
Why can't you take the red line and walk from the Bryant St food hall area, and then the adult can bikeshare to work? |
Anonymous
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So many naysayers!
We occasionally us an ebike for a 1.5 mile school commute, but the preference is when my kid bikes himself and I bike alongside. On rainy or cold days we drive. Being a very confident and safe biker helps. I'm not worried about the safety element (my biggest tip as a biker always is "assume that no driver can see you." The onus is always on you as the biker to stay out of their way.) |
Anonymous
| We are not naysayers. Op is looking at a 3-4 mile cross town commute with no easy bike paths - Adams Morgan to ITDS. |
Anonymous
With three kids!! Who, God willing, will grow heavier each year. |
Anonymous
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The protected bike lane along Irving is very nice.
I take my two kids on e-bike to school which we lotteried into. Pros: - Much faster and more reliable than any other mode of transit - Easy to park anywhere - Easy to carry large amounts of kid stuff - I am less tired from having to make the trip 4 times a day! Cons: - Traffic, cars, bikes, pedestrians it really feels like no one follows the rules - Construction - there is nearly always some form of construction blocking part of the way that lasts years - Safety, I do feel like it comes with a much higher likelihood of an accident - Repairs, these are inevitable and a pain with an ebike. We ride pretty much in all weather. I invested in good rain and snow clothes. Occasionally we take the bus when the bike is broken or it is too icy. I use side streets, protected bike lanes when possible and I tend to ride a low speeds without much assist even though I could go much faster. |
Anonymous
| You have to be insane to put a child on an e-bike. Do you let them play with guns too? |
Anonymous
the OP meant the parents are on the e-bike hauling kids, not the kids themselves. |
Anonymous
All of it seems incredibly dangerous. As a parent it really bothers me that people do this with their kids. |