http://www.cycle-route.com/routes/Edinburgh_City-Routes-12.html
The journey included the synonymous 'Edinburgh cycle path': a dedicated passage for cyclists incorporating a mixture of various colours: red, green and blue these fluctuate between shared use of buses and taxi's and numerous other vehicles that stop, park, unload and fleet in and out of the designated area.
None the less, we must work with our resources and the city does embrace a good cycle network.
Here are my top 5 tips and general observations from this experience:
1. Position: - Pretty much the filler to the sandwich when it comes to cycling in a city but even more so when a small person is with you. In order to keep them safe from overtaking traffic and to avoid any crazy last minute movements I positioned Ski Pea about 2 foot away from the kerb and sat adjacent to her, so covering the same tyre tread as a car.
2. Talking:- Almost running a live commentary of what is going on in the peripheral vision, e.g. "A taxi is coming behind us on our right and its going to overtake us, a bus is pulling over on our left and we are going to move out to the right, I am just going to look over my shoulder and check it is okay and when I say so we will move out" This helps to keep the child aware and focus on your voice adding an element of control so they know what to expect and what they should do.
3. Gears: - A nice easy gear - so children can sustain a constant speed and its easy to stop and start. An easy gear also ensures that they can't go too fast or too slow. Also changing gear to begin with may add unnecessary problems.
4. Looking: - Be super observant - checking your child is positioned correctly and that you are aware of what is coming from front and behind, look around regularly in order to prepare for what is to come.
5. Listening: - Make sure that your child is ready to listen. I had a chat with Ski Pea prior to setting off on the busy road regarding the dangers of the road and the consequences. I told her she had to listen to everything I said and do exactly what I told her to do.
Overall, all went very smoothly, and we had a great Falafel wrap. I was really impressed with how courteous and patient the traffic were, especially the buses, who gave us lots of room and slowed right down.
John Franklin covers cycling with Children in his book Cyclecraft, which is very helpful for more advice and tips on helping children to be safe road users whilst cycling.
http://www.cyclecraft.co.uk/
