disappointed rant..

[hebe]

That's really interesting! Four way stop junctions always confuse me slightly, but I do find roundabouts quite straightforward. Some parts of the UK call them "islands", but to me "roundabout" does describe it perfectly. I do take the lane, especially with the trailer, and the hardest part is the camber which can mean that I'm setting off (often from a standing start), uphill, on a curve and with an extra 50lbs behind me.

The most difficult one I ever drove is in Swindon. Called the "Magic Roundabout", it comprises 5 mini roundabouts in a circle, and you end up with an outer ring of traffic going one way and an inner ring of traffic going the opposite way. Everyone gives way to the right and somehow it all works. It makes my head hurt though.

[hebe]

It's time for a quick update. I'm not riding the nursery run often. It's short, but quite unpleasant to ride. There are often lorries parked in no-parking zones, the route involves turnings at a lorry training school and then again at a building materials despatch company, and the car traffic can be very busy/congested if a shift is finishing at one of the factories along the way. The road surface is dreadful, small girl complains about the bumps. Pedestrians don't fare any better - where there are sidewalks there are few dropped kerbs and there is a lot of parking on the sidewalks. I really feel for the mummies who are pushing buggies to one of the two nurseries on the estate. All of that said, it looks like the petrol delivery drivers may be going on strike , in which case I'll be back towing again so as not to burn fuel on relatively short journeys.

[tinyhelmets]

We've started leaving the car home more often and have two little ones (1 and 3). If anyone is interested, my website is: www.tinyhelmetsbigbikes.com. We've done the trailer thing (great!) and have now upgraded to a Yuba Mundo (www.yubaride.com). I love how it gets my kiddos up off the ground and within arms reach. The boys love riding! I just try to be as visible as possible and use common sense.

[hebe]

It is lovely to see a child enjoying a bike ride. I think I'll be using a trailer for a while yet, and will switch to a trailer-bike after that.

I realised this morning that my car journeys are starting to be shorter than my bike rides, which is clearly wrong. I rode dd to nursery, and it was fine. I'm going to do it again tomorrow.

[tinyhelmets]

How old is your DD? Glad you're still getting some riding in. Have you heard of Kidical Mass? http://www.kidicalmass.org/ Maybe you could get one started where you live, safety in numbers and all.