playbook
Optimising the school run in six mornings
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.
3u
duration
Free
budget
Ignite
pace
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
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by PlayTryBe team
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.
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.
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