Danish Cargo Bikes - Safe? | Kids To Go - Lonely Planet Forum

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Sat, 05 Feb 2011 02:53:20 +0000

We are going to Copenhagen this summer with a 4 year-old. Since the stroller will be sooo gone by then, I thought a good way to make good distance in a day (without the whining of too much walking) would be to purchase a nice scandinavian children's bike while we're there and ship it back home. It'll be nice as a souvenir and will hopefully get a great quality bike we can't otherwise purchase locally in Canada.

I was doing some googling to see what kind of scandinavian children's bikes are good to buy...came across danish biking sites talking about cargo bikes. It basically looks like a big crate attached to the front of an adult bike. I've come across photos of both adults and children sitting in it.

My question is...is a cargo bike safe for a 4 year old? Are there seat belts inside? If yes, because I know in denmark cycling is apart of their culture and they have designated bike lanes instead of north american biking where you're in the way of high-speed car traffic -- is it something worth renting while we're there instead of the children's bike option?

Any feedback is appreciated. Especially from families who have used cargo bikes in denmark.

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Mon, 07 Feb 2011 22:37:59 +0000

I would certainly not recommend letting a 4year old child ride at bike in Copenhagen traffic. You might let the child ride in front of you while walking on the pavement, but make sure to have some sort of “safety line” attach, so you can intervene in a potentially hazardous situation.

I myself live in Copenhagen, and I would certainly recommend renting bikes. All in Copenhagen owns a bike and it is clearly the fastest, and best, way to get around the city. Be aware though that bike lanes in Copenhagen are very overcrowded at rush hour. And for people not living in Copenhagen, it can seem very anarchistic and overwhelming.

The most common way to transport children around in Copenhagen is by bike. Most common is at children’s seat on a ”normal” bicycle, mostly placed behind the driver, some in front (only on male bikes).

The cargo bikes you write about are very popular in Copenhagen. And they are used for all kinds of things, carrying groceries, furniture and children. Most cargo bikes are custom designed for the buyer. Most people who buy them are families with children, and therefore they are also available with childrens seat belts and seats. I see children every day from 18 months and up, being driven around in these cargo bikes. So yes it is safe, but according to Danish standards. Danes are not that concerned with bicycle safety . In Copenhagen you will see that nobody uses helmets, and most children are not strapped down on cargo bikes, but the possibility is there.

But this type of bike (cargo) is very expensive, and I don’t think it will be easy to rent one, you should expect a very high deposit. To rent a "normal" bike with child seat will not be a problem.

You are allowed to carry 2 children under the age of 8 on a normal bike, on a cargo bike you are allowed
to carry 5 people of any age.

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Wed, 09 Feb 2011 01:48:21 +0000

Thank you very much for the feedback, especially being from someone who lives in Copenhagen. We have rented an apartment in the city center that includes adult bikes. So in this case, it may be easiest to simply buy a bike seat to put on my husband's bicycle. I've read "bobike" is very popular and has a model with head rests so the child can sleep as well. Perhaps for fun, we can rent a cargo bike for the day. You are right, they are VERY expensive. There is one place that sells the veloris model in Toronto, Canada (where we live) - I am interested in taking a look at it, if it's something that we fall in love with during our summer trip to denmark.

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Thu, 06 Oct 2011 12:53:57 +0000

Hi there,

I just read your post, unfortunately you've already been to Copenhagen. But, I can tell you that I ride a Christiania bike as my primary means of transportation and I use it to take my 4.5 year old boy to kindergarten every day and not once have we had a bad experience. We live in the middle of the city and there are cars all over the place but due to the fact that Danes are used to watching out for bikes, you'll rarely experience a scare. My son sits up front with his seat-belt on and is well protected with the sturdy wooden box around him. The bike has disk breaks so it's no problem stopping in a hurry should this be necessary. I have a blog for dads and I recently wrote a post about bikes in the city.

Bicycling in Copenhagen is a joy and over 30% of all traffic in the city is cyclists. I hope you had a lovely stay whilst you were here.

Regards,
sharpe.

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