Getting your child to school safely and on time is every parent’s priority, and navigating traffic is often a daily struggle.
But mother-of-two Lucy Denyer, from York, believes she may have found the ideal way to avoid the queues and get to school on time.
Lucy revealed the “horrible” stress of getting her two children, aged 10 and 7, to class on time when they both attend different schools two miles away.
He experimented with traveling by bus, bicycle, electric scooters and his car before finding the most efficient means of transportation.
But he ultimately decided that electric cargo bikes were the way to go, preferring them to traditional bikes and saying they saved him an hour off his 90-minute commute.
Getting your child to school safely and on time is every parent’s priority and navigating traffic is often a daily struggle (file image)
Lucy Denyer said taking her children to class on an electric cargo bike has saved her valuable time on the school run (file image)
Lucy shares schoolwork with her husband, but admitted that she largely does it herself to try to cycle to school with her children.
All three have bikes and she explained that it takes 25-30 minutes of pure cycling to get there, as well as 10-15 minutes of Lucy riding around before cycling home for 10-15 minutes.
lucy said the Telegraph: ‘In the summer months we cycle to school, taking a cycle route from our house through the local nature reserve, onto a dedicated cycle lane most of the way and then into town to drop off the child 10 years and then move on. ‘.
For the busy dad, the ride was effectively free, considering the fact that all three already had bikes.
He also cited speed and the possibility of enjoying the good weather, if it is pleasant, as advantages, although this can quickly go from a pro to a con depending on the weather forecasts.
While Lucy was a fan of the method, her 10-year-old son was not so much. She described the experience as “dangerous and frightening” after her brush with a passing car that failed to notice her while turning.
Lucy claimed that electric cargo bikes were the way to go, preferring them to traditional bikes and saying they saved her an hour off her 90-minute commute.
Lucy shares the responsibility of running the school with her husband, but admits that she largely carries it out herself. The photo above shows a father accompanying his daughter to school (archive image)
Her seven-year-old daughter was equally shocked: “You can fall, but it’s good when it’s warm and there’s no slippery mud.”
However, it was the more advanced version of the bike that won Lucy over.
Her husband was eager to get a Vespa, it would help him on his school run and carry one of their children on his back.
In the end, the couple decided on an electric cargo bike that allowed more weight for passengers and bought a long-tail version that could hold up to a maximum of 80kg on its rear rack.
It took them 39 minutes to get to the schools and only 10 minutes to get home, presumably due to heavy morning traffic.
While singing its praises, he confessed that he had shelled out £5,100 for the electric cargo bike, Tern GSD S10.
But despite the cost, Lucy said it was “the quickest and safest option: it has all the comforts of cycling, with greater speed and the peace of mind that everyone is in one vehicle.”
He added: “Even when I’m not carrying my kids on my back, I’ve started using it to get around town: it’s quick, easy and I can carry any amount of shopping; I’ve even taken the dog.
“What seals the deal is the race we have one afternoon: my 10-year-old son is embarrassed to be seen on the cargo bike, which seems childish to him, so I put him on the bus and chase him with the 7 years.
‘We got home about 15 minutes early and my 10-year-old son is glad he took the bus alone – a win for everyone.
I’m not in a position (nor do I want to) to get rid of my car completely, but as a cyclist and driver, I believe that sharing the roads ultimately makes them better for everyone.’
