10 cargo bikes, 60 croissants, and at least 50 parents and kids in Belair Park on Friday, for our first Cargos & Croissants event. We thought it was a huge success (we certainly enjoyed it!), with a lot of chat, a lot of cycling, and hopefully a lot of confidence given, to what is undeniably a big decision to make: cycling your children to school in a cargo bike.
It was a chance for parents with cargo bikes to talk to parents thinking about buying cargo bikes, discussing what kind of bike would suit them and their children, in terms of age, types of journey and general lifestyle choices.
So many of the parents we spoke to were keen to swap from cars to cargos - better for their health, better for the environment, but were concerned about the safety of the journey, where they could store the bikes, and how they could buy them. There was a lot of interest in OurBike, a scheme that lets local residents rent a cargo bike, by the hour very cheaply.
There was also interest in the rental scheme (rent and if you decide to keep it, that rental money goes towards the cost of the full price) provided by Bicycle Nation, a local bike shop.
We hope you enjoyed it, and fingers crossed, this is something we can do on a more regular basis. Do get in touch if you're interested, either in getting a cargo bike or have one, and you're happy to discuss it with parents who are considering it.
Claire & Nicola