Reasons NOT To Cycle The School Run

There’s a fine line between ‘reason’ and ‘excuse’.

There are plenty of perfectly valid reasons why people might not be able to (or want to) to cycle the school run. It’s not for everyone. I have never – and will never – suggest that everyone should cycle.

I also do not want to suggest that the reasons / excuses described in this article are not valid reasons. However, I do think that they can all be worked around, for most people. I don’t mean to be insulting by calling them excuses either – I come up with the exact same excuses myself on those days when I am just not in the mood for whatever reason. Those are the days when you need to remind yourself of all the reasons you do have for cycling.

Reasons Not To Cycle The School Run…And What To Do About Them

I hear a lot of people saying ‘I would like to cycle the school run, but….’. Below are the most common endings to that sentence, and why they needn’t stop you.

…But The Weather

I live in Scotland. It rains. Sometimes it rains A LOT. It can also be pretty cold. Some people are ‘fair weather cyclists’. This is not meant to be an insult – cycling is meant to be enjoyable after all. But, it’s worth thinking about whether the weather really needs to stop you.

I hate rain when I’m cycling. I hate getting wet. But I do still cycle the school run when it’s wet. I have waterproof trousers and jacket and these live in the panniers on my bike all the time. Scottish weather means that the sun may be shining when I head out, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be raining ten minutes later. I also make sure my waterproof coat has a hood (I get serious hair issues if my hair gets wet!) and that I can fit plenty of layers under it.

The thing which keeps my cycling when it’s raining even more than my waterproofs, is the thought of what driving is going to be like. The traffic seems to be so much worse when it’s raining There are more people driving, lots of them want to get as close as possible to where they are going so they don’t have to walk, and lots of them seem to be in a really bad mood. If I take the car, I have to sit in that traffic, then struggle to find a parking space. Then my kids and I have to walk from the car to the school….so we get wet anyway.

As for your children getting wet cycling to school – if they are anything like my son, the deeper the puddle, the better! Wellies, waterproofs and dry socks in his bag usually sort this.

When it comes to cold, my best advice is – GLOVES! Because they are out there at the front of you on the handlebars and you can’t put them in your pockets, your hands take the brunt of any cold weather. Make sure you have at least one pair of good gloves (ideally two in case one pair gets wet) and keep them with your bike. In the winter, I keep my gloves in my helmet which hangs on the handlebars so I don’t forget them.

Layers are always good when you’re cycling, as are pannier bags or a rucksack for carrying discarded layers.

I would like to give you advise on cycling in very hot weather – but I live in Scotland. Take sunscreen, wear less.

As for ice and snow…well, it can be done if you want to.

…But I’m Not Confident On A Bike

This is a massive issue for some. In my experience it is more of an issue for women than men.

If you are going to cycle with your children, you need to feel confident on a bike yourself. You do not need to be fit, you do not need to be fast, you do not even need to be able to use your gears. But you need to feel confident that you can stay upright and not wobble into your children. If your route involves roads, you also need to feel confident to share the roads assertively with other users.

If you do not feel confident on your bike (or you feel confident on your bike, but not on the roads), the best thing you can do is to find someone who is confident and cycle with them a few times. You will be amazed how quickly your own confidence builds when you ride alongside someone else.

In most areas you will find schemes to encourage and support others to cycle. Google is your friend, as is your local bike shop to find out what is going on where you live.

If you are a woman, I would highly recommend finding out about Breeze rides in your area. This is an initiative run by British Cycling, with a network of volunteers running free led rides for women. There is always good chat, and usually good cake. I am a Breeze Champion myself and I love running Breeze rides. (NB. Since I am writing this in 2020, I should point out that Breeze rides are more limited than usual at the moment, due to Covid-19 restrictions).

…But The Traffic

Yep, the traffic. If your route to school involves roads – and it probably does – then you are going to need to deal with other road users. You are going to need to do this at a time when the roads may be very busy, and when many of those other users are trying to get to the exact same place as you.

I am not going to say that traffic is not an issue – it can be. But there are ways to make sure you share the roads safely. This has a lot to do with confidence, assertiveness and route planning.

As a qualified Ride Leader and a British Cycling Ride Leadership Award Tutor, I have a lot to say about this…and it’s important. It’s so important that I decided it needed an article all to itself.

For now all I am going to say is that I have never been involved in an accident on my bike in over thirty years of cycling, including over six years cycling the school run.

…But What If I Get A Puncture?

Punctures happen, and if you don’t know how to fix them they can be a disaster. Even if you do know how to fix them, when you have a child or two with you, they can be a disaster. If you have ever tried to fix a puncture in the pouring rain while two children whine at you that it’s raining and ‘is it nearly done yet?’, you will know what I mean.

I would recommend that you learn how to fix a puncture if you get to a point where you are cycling regularly. Otherwise what tends to happen is that the bike goes in the garage to be fixed at some point…and somehow weeks, months or years pass and it still has a puncture. Also, punctures are not all that hard to fix. You might find local bike shops or independent mechanics or enthusiasts running puncture repair workshops near you, or if you can learn from YouTube then there are plenty of videos.

However, if you do not know how to fix a puncture, DO NOT LET THAT STOP YOU FROM CYCLING! I don’t know how to change a wheel on my car, but it doesn’t stop me from driving. Do not feel that you must be able to fix anything on your bike in order to ride your bike.

What you should do is make sure you have thought through what you will do if you do get a puncture (or your chain comes off, or anything else). I am a big fan of the contingency plan. The great thing about the school run is that it is usually relatively short, so you are unlikely to be stranded 20 miles from home.

In the event of a puncture or mechanical problem you could:

• Lock the bike and walk home. You can come back later for the bike with a car or with somebody who does know how to fix it.
• Push the bike home if there’re someone there who can fix it for you.
• Know your local bike shop. Walk there with the bike and ask for help. In my case I fairly regularly get the bike to the bike shop, lock it outside, put the keys through the door, text the owner then walk home.
• Call home and get someone to drive down and collect you and your bike (one of the few advantages of 2020 is that home working means there is almost always someone in!)
• Get a taxi. Either with or without the bike.
• Get a bus. This one probably needs to be without the bike

You may notice that many of these contingency plans require you to have either a bike lock, money, or both with you. It’s always good to be carrying a phone too.

…But I Feel Silly Wearing Cycling Clothes.

The good new is that you are not alone – most people feel silly wearing lycra and padded trousers.

This is possibly the easiest issue to deal with – just don’t wear it! I may well wear padded trousers when I head out on my road bike. But when I head out on the school run, I wear jeans. If you are comfortable, and your clothing is not going to get caught in your chain, then it’s fine for cycling.

But I Really, Really Don’t Like Cycling In The Rain

Or the snow, or ice, or mist, or Wednesdays, or whatever it is that really puts you off cycling. For me, it’s windy days. If the met office says it’s going to be 20mph + winds, I leave the bike at home. A bike with a very large box on the front really does not handle well in high winds.

Just remember, nobody ever said you had to cycle every day.

Think back to all those wonderful, altruistic reasons for cycling. Now think about how many of them could be achieved if every family at your children’s school left the car at home and cycled just one day of the week.

Just Do It!

You will never know how achievable cycling the school run is for you unless you give it a go.

There are a couple of top tips I can offer which might help you. Beyond that, you just need to pick a day, commit yourself, and ignore the excuses.

 

Cycling The School Run Articles

This series of articles are based on a talk I gave in August 2020 for Greener Kirkcaldy. If listening is your thing, you can access the recording here. 

The articles follow a kind of order as shown below, but can also be read in isolation. If you have questions or comments I would love to hear them and will follow them up with further articles if I can.

1. Cycling The School Run
2. Why Cycle The School Run
3. Bikes For Cycling The School Run
4. Reasons NOT To Cycle The School Run
5. Cycling The School Run DESPITE The Traffic
6. Top Tips For Cycling The School Run
7. Cycling The School Run In Winter
8. Spreading The Love For Cycling The School Run