Then Jamie saw a woman riding a bicycle with a child in a box on the front.
“I had never encountered cargo bikes before. It sparked this idea in my head – that’s a genius way to get around the city.”
Jamie was not a regular cycle commuter.
“I never looked at riding my bike as a viable way of getting around.”
The family sold one car and bought electric cargo bikes.
Jamie has clocked up 5000km on his bike since March.
The other car stays in the garage most of the time.
Asked what happens when it rains, Jamie invokes a Dutch phrase that translates as ‘you’re not made of sugar’.
“Either wrap up, or don’t go out.”
No single mode of transport is perfect, he says.
“I get quite frustrated driving, being part of traffic, but when I bike, I’m very happy.”
The same is true for the kids, he says.
“I think they’ve almost forgotten about the car. There are so many options for where we can go on the bike . . . we can do a quick detour to a playground . . . and they see a lot more.”
Christchurch Electric Bicycles is organising a Cargo Bike Picnic on Saturday, October 28, as part of Biketober, so families like the Langs can meet each other.
“I get a lot of people staring at me, and saying: ‘Wow, look at that thing!’ Sometimes I wish cargo bikes weren’t such a novelty,” says Jamie.
Other Biketober events this weekend include a workshop to make bike trailers, and Dogs on Bikes, illustrating the load-hauling versatility of the trusty bicycle.
- For event details, visit www.biketoberchch.nz
