Optimising the school run in six mornings
3 hFree Active
Six mornings, six variations. By the seventh day you know which one is four minutes shorter and at which junction you won't get into a standoff with a rubbish truck.
The default route to school is usually the one Google Maps suggests, plus the tweak the neighbour recommended. That's not an optimised route, that's an average. On a cargo bike with two kids up front, you'll notice the difference within a week between a route with three traffic lights and one with a quieter cycle path two streets over.
The experiment is simple: ride six different routes over six mornings, clock the time, note where it causes stress, note what the kids point out. By the seventh day you have a route that isn't necessarily the shortest, but is the most enjoyable. And for six mornings you'll have looked at your own neighbourhood with fresh eyes.
Checklist
0 of 5
Standaardroute getimed
Dag 1
Drie alternatieve routes verkend
Dag 2 tot 4
Combinatie-route geprobeerd
Dag 5
Beste route herhaald
Dag 6
Definitieve route gekozen
Dag 7
Day 1: ride your standard route and clock the time to the second. Write down the time, plus three words about how it went. No more.
Suggestion: Times between 8:15 and 8:35 are peak school-run hours. Different routes have different levels of congestion then.Day 2: same starting point, but at the first main traffic light turn off into a residential street. Give yourself two minutes of detour before you actually check your phone.
Day 3: try a route that uses a dedicated green cycle path instead of streets. Sometimes it's slower but more pleasant.
Day 4: ask another cargo-bike parent which route they take. Try that one.
0Day 5: don't ride an experimental route, ride the same one as day 1 again. Compare how it feels to the first time. Fresh perspective.
Day 6: combine the two best sections from the week. The first part from day 2, the last part from day 3. Clock the time.
Day 7: look at your notes. The route with the fewest traffic lights and the most "look, a dog" moments wins. That's the school route, not the fastest one.
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For anyone copying this
Do as we did
Suggestions
- A Strava app or bike computer helps you measure times objectively.
- Ask another cargo-bike parent which route they take. A six-minute conversation often saves a week of experimenting.
- On every route, notice the turn where your child says "look, a dog" for the first time. That's a great route indicator.
- Avoid traffic lights where you regularly sit through two cycles. A quieter cycle path two streets over is almost always faster.
Variations
- - Met partner: deel de optimalisatie. Eén ochtend per week wisselen geeft variatie aan de kinderen.
- - In de winter: opnieuw experimenteren, want gladde plekken en regen-routes verschillen.
- - Met een ouder kind: laat het kind kiezen welke route ze leuk vindt. Dat is geen optimalisatie maar wel een goede dag.
- - Voor de fietsroute thuis-werk: zelfde aanpak, andere tijden, andere kruisingen.
by PlayTryBe team