Getting your child to school safely and on time is every parent’s priority and negotiating in traffic is often a daily struggle.
But mum-of-two Lucy Denyer from York thinks she may have found the ideal way to avoid queues and get to school on time.
Lucy revealed the ‘terrible’ stress of getting her two children, aged 10 and 7, to class on time, while they both go to different schools, two miles apart
She experimented with bus rides, bicycles, e-scooters and her car before finding the most efficient mode of transportation.
But ultimately she decided that e-cargo bikes were the way forward. She preferred it to traditional cycling and claimed it cut her 90-minute commute by an hour.
Getting your child to school safely and on time is every parent’s priority and negotiating in traffic is often a daily struggle (stock image)
Lucy Denyer claimed that taking her children to class in an e-cargo bike has saved her valuable time during the school run (stock image)
Lucy shares school duties with her husband, but admits that she largely carries them out herself by cycling to school with her children.
All three have bikes and she explained that it takes about 25-30 minutes of pure cycling to get in, and Lucy hangs out for about 10 to 15 minutes before cycling home.
Lucy told the Telegraph: ‘In the summer months we cycle to school, taking a cycle route from our house through the local nature reserve, most of the way to a dedicated cycle path and then into town to drop off the 10 year old and then continue to go ‘.
For the busy parents, the trip was essentially free, considering all three of them already had a bike.
She also mentioned speed as an advantage and the chance to experience the good weather, if it is pleasant, although this can quickly turn from an advantage to a disadvantage depending on the weather forecast.
While Lucy was a fan of the method, her 10-year-old was less so. He described the experience as ‘dangerous and frightening’ after encountering a fleeing car that failed to notice him while turning.
Lucy claimed e-cargo bikes were the way forward, preferring them to traditional bikes and claiming it shaved an hour off her 90-minute journey
Lucy shares responsibility for school management with her husband, but admits that she largely carries it out herself. Above is a father walking his daughter to school (stock image)
Her seven-year-old was similarly shocked: “You might fall, but it’s okay 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 wanted to get his hands on a Vespa, help him with the school run and put one of their children on the back.
Ultimately, the pair opted for an e-cargo bike that allowed for more passenger weight, and purchased a longtail version that could carry a maximum of 80kg on the rear rack.
It took them 39 minutes to get to the schools, and only 10 minutes to get home, probably due to heavy traffic in the morning.
Singing the praises, she confessed to spending £5,100 on the e-cargo bike, Tern GSD S10.
But despite the cost, Lucy said this was ‘the fastest and safest option – it has all the convenience of cycling, with the added speed and the security of everyone being in one vehicle’.
She added: ‘Even when I don’t have my kids on the back, I use it to buzz around town – it’s quick, easy and I can carry any amount of shopping; I even took the dog with me.
‘What seals the deal is the race we have one afternoon: my ten year old is embarrassed to be seen in the cargo bike, which he finds childish, so I put him on the bus and give chase with the 7 year old .
‘We get home over fifteen minutes early, and my 10-year-old is delighted that he caught the bus himself – a victory on all counts.
I can’t throw my car away completely – and don’t want to – but as a cyclist and driver I think sharing the roads ultimately makes things better for everyone.”