The cure for our too-mini van is a family bike bus
I never thought biking could actually be the mobility solution to one of our big family’s real mobility problems: too many kids for our minivan.
Shannon Johnson (Family Biking Columnist)
BikePortland Articles by Shannon Johnson (Family Biking Columnist)
Family Biking: What is car culture and how does it affect us?
Even today, I am struggling to root out some of these deeply entrenched car-biased behaviors and ways of thinking, even where I can see their dangers and negative consequences.
Our first Christmas lights ride, and how you can’t win ’em all
Seeing holiday lights while nestled up snugly in the box of a cargo bike is sure to be a lasting memory.
New cycle track in Hillsboro a game-changer for our grateful family
It’s a road we would never have used for biking or walking and always avoided.
How our family beat the winter biking blues
Fresh starts may be easier in the spring, but we need to restart biking now – rain and chill and dark included.
Using crash data to keep my family safe(r)
Where and how are we most likely to be hit while biking? It’s not a fun question. In fact, as I look at it, I think, “Well, that’s the start of an article about how we’re never going to bike with kids again!” But hear me out: Recently, our family twice avoided being hit by … Read more
Dark thoughts, near misses, and a mental health check-in
I am wrestling with our near-misses that didn’t result in crashes, but that still haunt me.
A biking birthday party (with fun and free ideas for more)
This month my firstborn turned nine. As I hold his image in my memory, the picture that comes immediately to mind is him, clad in his bright red helmet, patiently smiling for a biking photo. My sweet son has been my most enthusiastic and stalwart biking companion as I began this family biking journey, and … Read more
Sorting out the family bike pile problem
Family Bike Parking Problem #1: The Bike Pile Does anyone else have a “bike pile” in the garage? My kids’ bikes, scooters, helmets, tricycles, and whatever else – jackets, nerf guns, jump ropes–always seem to end up in a giant heap, with the desired bicycle perpetually at the bottom of the pile. After months of … Read more
Mass family transit dreams, and our first multimodal adventure
It is with a touch of envy that I read Shawne Martinez’s account of an epic carfree multimodal adventure to Seattle with his kid. How exciting! And yet for me – a mother of five – how impossible! As Shawne recounts, part of his trip was dependent on getting a bus with an empty bike … Read more
Create your own DIY family summer bike camp
I was inspired to create our own family bike camp after hearing about my mother-in-law’s stories of home-made summer camps. Too often, summer fun seems to be prohibitively expensive, but with a little creativity and effort, it can also be free. Here’s an idea for creating a Do-It-Yourself Family Bike Camp. All you need is … Read more
Why public transit is part of our family life
Disclaimer: Before I share our family transit adventures let me acknowledge my privilege: taking public transit is a choice for us. We have enough money to fund our old minivan and a typical driving life (or at least we did, before gas and food prices took a jump.) Many people don’t have a choice. They … Read more