Family Biking Profile: Leaving the Minivan at Home
Will and Carla Kessler ride with all three of their kids to school in the morning.
How long have you been biking to school?
This is the second school year we have been biking to school, from the Western Addition where we live to Grattan Elementary in Cole Valley.
Why did you start?
Driving the giant minivan is a huge waste and parking near Grattan is well to near impossible. Plus, we all love biking.
What’s one fun story from your bike ride to school?
Recently our 8-year-old was biking slower and slower, while his 5-year-old brother was getting faster and faster. We couldn’t figure it out for the longest time. Was the 8-year-old’s backpack just getting too heavy with homework? Was he going to bed too late? Then his mom figured it out: low tire pressure! This morning with full tires he screamed through Golden Gate Park.
How does walking/biking to school impact your ability to get to work?
Sometimes I end up getting to work a bit later than I’d like, but that’s also because I bike to work in the opposite direction. However, I have so much fun accompanying the kids (all 3) to school by bike that it’s worth it.
What advice would you give to other parents interested in biking to school?
Find the safest route, and repeat safety rules to your kids 1 billion times. They don’t stick. In a perfect world, we’d all have no cars on the roads when we’re biking too school, but since we must all coexist on the roads, make sure your kids understand traffic flow and where to look, and to check to see if drivers see them. Also, keep in mind, kids on sidewalks on bikes is legal * despite what some residents will scream at you… ignore them. Kids can ride on sidewalks if there is no bike lane.
