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Cargo bikes as symbolic markers of egalitarian gender roles

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Re: Cargo bikes as symbolic markers of egalitarian gender roles

#51

Post by thaumasiotes »

st26 wrote: post #17

Does anyone know why dads riding these are called "soft"? I've never ridden a cargo bike, but it takes strong legs & constitution to regularly tow a kid or utility trailer more than a few miles. Is it just that whole notion that fathers who are involved with their children are not masculine?

> Is it just that whole notion that fathers who are involved with their children are not masculine?

That would seem to be it, based on the rest of the sentence:

>> cargo-bike mothers are described as career-focussed mothers who are assertive and self-confident, while cargo-bike dads are portrayed as ‘soft’ and emancipated fathers

Re: Cargo bikes as symbolic markers of egalitarian gender roles

#52

Post by deltateam »

kaitai wrote: post #4

This is a really interesting read for me, as I'm considering the purchase of a cargo bike. Apparently, I fit the stereotype pretty well -- highly-educated urban coffee-drinker (no yoga, no vegetarianism, though). The cargo bike would solve the problem of hauling hardware-store purchases home with kid and sans car. But they're expensive! 1.5 or 2 thousand dollars! So for now we're making do with the bus and the stroll…

Some banks in San Francisco offer bike loans, like car loans specifically tailored for this.

There may be institutions near you that offer similar financing. With the right interest rate this would be cheaper than taking the bus.

Re: Cargo bikes as symbolic markers of egalitarian gender roles

#53

Post by muzfuz »

st26 wrote: post #17

Does anyone know why dads riding these are called "soft"? I've never ridden a cargo bike, but it takes strong legs & constitution to regularly tow a kid or utility trailer more than a few miles. Is it just that whole notion that fathers who are involved with their children are not masculine?

As any hands-on father will tell you, the idea that being actively involved in child care makes you "soft" is quite asinine. It takes a massive amount of physical and mental strength to be fully involved in raising these miniature terrorists we call children.

Re: Cargo bikes as symbolic markers of egalitarian gender roles

#54

Post by ebikelaw »

s0rce wrote: post #41
monkeywork wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

https://losangelesbicyclelaw.com/california-bicycle-laws-ove... "When there isn’t a bicycle lane, try to stay near the right curb. Unless you are moving faster than vehicle traffic, passing another bicycle, or making a left turn, you should typically stay close to the curb or road’s edge." http://www.calbike.org/bicycling_in_california_sharing_the_r... "The law says that people who ride bikes must ride as close to th…

While this appears to be the law, it seems to be unsafe. I bike in Oakland/East Bay and I've never heard of anyone getting cited for riding further over in the lane. I do this basically every day and I'd still suggest it. The only times I've heard of bikes getting in trouble is running red lights which is obviously dangerous and you shouldn't do. I don't like to suggest going against the laws but if you ride near the…

Nobody has been cited for any kind of traffic infraction in Oakland in many years.

Re: Cargo bikes as symbolic markers of egalitarian gender roles

#55

Post by monkeywork »

btrettel wrote: post #39
monkeywork wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

https://losangelesbicyclelaw.com/california-bicycle-laws-ove... "When there isn’t a bicycle lane, try to stay near the right curb. Unless you are moving faster than vehicle traffic, passing another bicycle, or making a left turn, you should typically stay close to the curb or road’s edge." http://www.calbike.org/bicycling_in_california_sharing_the_r... "The law says that people who ride bikes must ride as close to th…

"If the lane is too narrow to share" can legally be invoked in most cases from what I understand, because most lanes cyclists ride in are narrow enough. https://www.bikeleague.org/content/traffic-laws > Bikes can share the same lane with other drivers. If a lane is wide enough to share with another vehicle (about 14 feet), ride three feet to the right of traffic. If the lane is not wide enough to share, “take the lan…

Parent asked specifically about CA not TX ... thus my reply.

I'm not commenting on what you or I feel is safe simply what is written. Debating the "IF's" under that I'm not interested in.

Re: Cargo bikes as symbolic markers of egalitarian gender roles

#56

Post by monkeywork »

s0rce wrote: post #41
monkeywork wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

https://losangelesbicyclelaw.com/california-bicycle-laws-ove... "When there isn’t a bicycle lane, try to stay near the right curb. Unless you are moving faster than vehicle traffic, passing another bicycle, or making a left turn, you should typically stay close to the curb or road’s edge." http://www.calbike.org/bicycling_in_california_sharing_the_r... "The law says that people who ride bikes must ride as close to th…

While this appears to be the law, it seems to be unsafe. I bike in Oakland/East Bay and I've never heard of anyone getting cited for riding further over in the lane. I do this basically every day and I'd still suggest it. The only times I've heard of bikes getting in trouble is running red lights which is obviously dangerous and you shouldn't do. I don't like to suggest going against the laws but if you ride near the…

I'm not commenting on what you or I feel is safe simply what is written. Debating the "IF's" under that I'm not interested in.

I would suggest that if the law requires change instead of encouraging people to go around it encourage the actions needed to change it.

Re: Cargo bikes as symbolic markers of egalitarian gender roles

#57

Post by kccqzy »

whiddershins wrote: post #35

Although bikes are well protected in Dutch cities, for American cities, I intuitively see taking kids around on a bike as extremely risky.

It's definitely a regional thing. I've seen people carrying their kids on a bike trailer several places in Palo Alto.

Re: Cargo bikes as symbolic markers of egalitarian gender roles

#58

Post by monkeywork »

kevinschumacher wrote: post #38
monkeywork wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is often very illegal to do on a bicycle. On a motorcycle lane position is very situational... however very very rarely if you are in motion is being in the middle of the lane a good idea. Generally speaking you should only be in the middle of the lane when you are fully stopped at a stop sign or light to keep cars from trying to squeeze by you. On a normal two lane road (one each direction) you want to stay in…

> [riding in the middle of the lane] is often very illegal to do on a bicycle. Where are you from? In the few major US cities I've lived, this is legal. The road laws here typically treat bicycles the same as other cars (with exceptions). IME, in urban, US east-coast cities, if you are toward one side of the lane, cars will try and pass you (even on the right... and yes that pushes the cyclist into oncoming traffic).…

I would suggest actually looking into the traffic law - MOST - places explicitly state that bicycles should (with very few very specific exceptions) remain to the right side of the lane.

The Cyclist community disagree's with this in most places I've seen it mentioned but that doesn't change what the laws are. I'm not arguing safety I'm simply stating what is written. Obviously this varies from area to area but again suggest looking up what it actually states rather than your impression of it.

As far as cars passing you - if you are to the right side of the lane as most traffic laws require then cars should be able to easily pass you on the left without incident.

In my opinion a cyclist should not be purposely using an entire lane and backing up traffic for faster moving vehicles (forcing them to pass as they would a slower car which can cause issues during high traffic periods) when simply moving to the right is all that is required. Using the entire lane as a matter of principle increases your danger by provoking aggressive driving / road rage.

Re: Cargo bikes as symbolic markers of egalitarian gender roles

#59

Post by extralego »

extralego wrote: post #10
bluejekyll wrote: post #2

I bike around SF with my kids in a Cargo bike all the time. The bike is freeing in the city, and the kids love it. As they’ve gotten bigger and older, I had to put a motor on it for the hills. I hate that bikes are controversial in the City, as they are such a great way of increasing mobility around town. eBikes, are also amazing for this aspect of mobility. With all the new scooters and rental bikes though, it’s str…

I hope u have a big flag. Cargo bikes scare me so much when they are on the road and kids are in them.

Interesting a comment concerned with child safety would get downvotes. How curious.

Re: Cargo bikes as symbolic markers of egalitarian gender roles

#60

Post by djsumdog »

whiddershins wrote: post #35

Although bikes are well protected in Dutch cities, for American cities, I intuitively see taking kids around on a bike as extremely risky.

I don't. So long as they have helmets in States with helmet laws, the risk isn't any greater than having them on one of those kid sets behind you or in one of the single wheel things you can attach to your bike.
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