Category Archives: Problems and issues

An update on our carfree life now (elementary aged kids)

Posted on March 19, 2017 by nathan

It’s been years since we’ve written here regularly. But we’re still here. The kids are bigger. The jobs, commutes, and schools have changed. Our house is still tiny and we still don’t own a car or drive on a regular … Continue reading →

Posted in Benefits of being carfree, Biking with kids, Cambridge and Boston area, Child-related issues, Going and staying carfree, Problems and issues | 5 Comments

Guest Cargo Bike Reviews from a Four-Kid Family, Part 2: Xtracycle Edgerunner

Posted on April 2, 2014 by nathan

This is part 2 of two guest cargo bike reviews from a Cambridge MA family with four kids. Parents are Katie and Josh. You can see their prior review of the Madsen here. Here Katie describes their experience with the … Continue reading →

Posted in Being car-light, Biking with cargo, Biking with kids, Cambridge and Boston area, Child-related issues, How-to, Links and reviews, Problems and issues | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Sometimes pedestrians do stupid things for a reason

Posted on January 8, 2014 by nathan

Near the end (or the beginning if I’m going home) of my regular 50-mile commute (by subway, rail and foot), I have to cross a 3 lane road in Providence, RI. The road falls along my walking route from the … Continue reading →

Posted in Problems and issues, Sharing roads and paths, Walking | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

bikepool

Posted on November 20, 2013 by nathan

About two and a half years ago, my job situation changed and I took on a massive commute. I make a 50-mile 2 & 1/4 hour one-way trip by subway and train (sometimes bike & train) to get to work. … Continue reading →

Posted in Benefits of being carfree, Best of, Biking with kids, Child-related issues, Going and staying carfree, Living locally, Problems and issues, Public transportation | Leave a comment

Barriers to biking

Posted on June 18, 2012 by Nathan

When I talk to people about getting around more by bike, or any efforts to move towards less car dependence (but here the more relevant aspect is biking), I often say that even if things seem more inconvenient at first, … Continue reading →

Posted in Benefits of being carfree, Biking, Cambridge and Boston area, Problems and issues, Public transportation | 3 Comments

Learning to bike as a grown-up — reader advice please

Posted on March 21, 2012 by Nathan

A friend and sometimes commenter here recently sent a note asking for help and encouragement. She never learned to ride a bike as a kid and wants to learn how now, but she’s getting frustrated. I have a few thoughts, … Continue reading →

Posted in Biking, Going and staying carfree, Problems and issues | 13 Comments

On marriage, parenting, biking and blame

Posted on March 11, 2012 by Nathan

A few weeks ago, Angela got into an accident with our brand spanking new bakfiets. She caught the front wheel in a really bad pothole turning onto a poorly maintained street/alley near H’s Hebrew school. They went over hard. There … Continue reading →

Posted in Biking with kids, Problems and issues | 12 Comments

On sometimes driving.

Posted on February 5, 2012 by Nathan

With one notable exception*, most of our living is done within a couple miles of our home. R’s daycare is about six blocks away. H’s school is about four blocks away. Groceries are about a mile away in Porter Square … Continue reading →

Posted in Cambridge and Boston area, Car sharing, Problems and issues | 5 Comments

Unpredictable Driving

Posted on January 31, 2012 by Nathan

Angela and I are both mathematicians. Inevitably, when either of us mentions math, either that we do math, teach math, or studied math, the response we get more often than not is “Oh, I hate math.” You get used to … Continue reading →

Posted in Biking, Cambridge and Boston area, Problems and issues, Sharing roads and paths | 15 Comments

Kids’ walking personalities

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Nathan

Rebecca wrote a great post recently at Green Baby Guide that got me thinking about the impact of kids personalities on walking for transport with small children. Rebecca is a carfree mom with a fantastically unmotivated walker, and she bemoans the constant … Continue reading →

Posted in Child-related issues, Problems and issues, Walking | 6 Comments