I live in the Netherlands and your assumption is pretty strange one. Mostly because it's not one or the other. You can do loads of things by bike while also having a car. Further, especially now with electric bikes you can transport an insane amount of children via a bike easily. Meaning: I see people transporting 5 or 6 children by bike (PS: this is on some fixed schedule, so not a one off, it is around the same time Mon-Fri).
A bike is often more convenient than a car.
No, I'm providing alternate explanations for an observation that the previous poster claims shows that cycling does not cause people to have less children. I don't need to prove it happens, just show it's possible. Of course the "burden of proof" will always be assumed to fall on me because I disagree with popular opinion.
I hope you enjoy the Netherlands. I never want to live in the Netherlands, and I'm sick and tired of people trying to turn the places I like into the Netherlands.
Biking sucks. I do not want to ride a bike. Take your self-righteous crap and fuck off.
-had 2 kids at the time(nearly 3 and 6 months), as well as cousins in town(same age) that we took on the bike as well, not that we used it that much, mostly to go out to another town like Zaanvoort on the coast (11 km away) or to the train station if we were going somewhere further.
Also, every single kid of school age got themselves to school by bike, so the whole pick up/drop up culture of North America wasn't happening.
Living in a walkable neighborhood with access to transit is so much nicer. I just pick the kid up in my arms and go out the door, and many destinations are a few minutes walk, all of which is time spent actively moving and being part of the outside world. In a couple years, if I need to drop him off somewhere within bike distance (but far enough away that walking is less practical), it would be great to use a child seat or little cart attached to a bike.
It’s going to be an even bigger difference when the kid is older, and can walk around and take transit and engage with the city by himself, instead of being completely isolated and dependent and needing to be chauffeured and chaperoned by an adult on every trip.
This. I don't think most Americans realise how detrimental and significant this often-overlooked aspect of average middle American suburban life is.
(Translation: a high street is a main street in an English town. They're usually car-free.)
Every time my son bolted, I had a full 30 seconds of slack before having to chase him down because there was no risk of him being squished under a tire.
It is very much a cultural thing in my experience. Nearly all children go to primary and high school on their bicycles, by themselves, although the trips for high schoolers are often < 8 km I would guess.
I think that touches on why it might not be as popular in other countries, as other countries might not be as flat or lack city planning that takes cyclists into account, e.g. dedicated bike lanes.
It’s also an excellent choice for a country of our size that has limited space, as bicycles make much better use of it than cars.
edit: I guess you could increase that to 3 children if you attach a bike trailer, but those aren't very popular here.
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/91/7c/7a/917c7a6c31acf962cb21...
Disclaimer: no affiliation/promotion/etc
Anecdotally from observing my kids school I’d say that yuba bike linked is very popular. As are the Dutch bikes with the big front thing for hauling kids.
That of course relies on living in a place with infrastructure that enables it. Which is what Berlin is trying to build...
https://jclindbikes.com/cargo-bikes/nihola-family/
Not sure why it would be any more/less safe for kids.
http://copenhagenize.eu/index/
People from non-cycling cultures tend to badly under-estimate the quality of utility cycling equipment and over-estimate the impact of weather on a well-equipped rider.
Schwalbe Marathon Winter tires have hundreds of steel spikes and will grip securely even on black ice. SKS Longboard fenders provide a huge amount of protection from rain, spray and road grime. Lobster mittens keep your hands toasty warm in arctic conditions, while still allowing you to operate the brake and gear levers. Epicyclic gearhubs provide up to 14 gear ratios in a completely enclosed and practically maintenance-free package. Good LED bicycle lights are stunningly bright, rivalling the performance of car headlamps. A long john or Christiania cargo bike will comfortably carry two children, a week's worth of groceries or even a washing machine; with electric assist, these bikes are viable even in very hilly areas.
https://www.christianiabikes.com/
They're so common that during the morning rush hour it seems like every other bike is a 'bakfiets'. They're a direct descendant of the old cargo delivery bikes from the previous century. There are two wheeled versions as well and then there are trailers to put behind normal bikes (though I don't like those much, because cars tend to overlook them due to their height).
I see this everyday in Copenhagen:
https://christianiacykel12.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/image...
What is interesting is that the countries these cities are in Denmark, Netherlands, and Germany have fertility rates of 1.7, 1.7, 1.5 births/female [0].
In other words, people aren't having that many children. When transporting children, cars become a whole lot more convenient than bicycles. You don't have to worry about them getting too cold or hot or wet. You can easily transport 3 children in the back of a car without difficulty (try doing that on a bicycle). The car can easily carry all the diapers and baby food you need for an outing as well as changes of clothing for inevitable accidents kids make.
Bikes are awesome for adults without children, cars seem better for those with children, especially young children.
I wonder if this push to bike friendliness is driven in part by the changing demographics of more adults without children.
0. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sovereign_states_and_d...