by Carla Caruso

Adelaide will play host to a protest ride, as part of the global Kidical Mass movement, this spring.

Kidical Mass is a growing worldwide body of people with the same vision: to allow children and young people to be able to safely and independently travel by bicycle, wherever they live.

The ride will take off from Bonython Park / Tulya Wardli (Park 27) on Sunday, September 25, at 10am, with a picnic following back at the start point.

One of the organisers of the local ride is IT engineer and father-of-two Chris Colhoun from Adelaide’s north. We spoke to him about his cycling habit.

Hi, Chris. Please tell us why you’re taking part in the Kidical Mass protest ride in Adelaide.

I am involved to proactively make our streets safer for kids, as well as the whole community.

I want to see safer and more engaging public street spaces.

How often do you cycle into the city each week? Why, and how long for?

We often do kindy and school drop-offs twice a week, and then I try to cycle into the city everyday – either for a shopping errand or a lunchbreak recreational ride.

Rides are usually only 30 to 45 minutes.

I used to commute to my work office at OG Road, Felixstow. But since the pandemic, my workplace has chosen a ‘virtual first, work from home’ preference, with monthly catchups in the office.

Lunchtime rides have been great as it’s often the quietest time of the day for traffic and it breaks up the workday nicely.

Kindy is Lucy Morice, near Melbourne Street, North Adelaide, and school is Walkerville Primary.

What are your much-loved city spots to ride to?

Our favourite parks for the kids are Glover Playground [in Lefevre Park / Nantu Wama, Park 6) – ‘Helicopter Park’ – or Bonython Park [Tulya Wardli / Park 27].

People are welcome to register for the Kidical Mass event in Adelaide here. Other protest rides will be staged around the world on the same weekend.

Chris recently shared these tips on Instagram for riding with kids of different ages:

As a dad with two kids (aged four and eight), I recently discovered, when my older daughter became more confident on her bike, we were unable to get out on longer rides as a family with my younger son in tow. (He’s still on his balance bike or scooter.)

I investigated kids’ seats for him but most also require a pannier rack to be installed and have weight limits (great for younger kids that require a harness belt).

In the end, I installed a shotgun-type kids’ seat and handlebar grips. It fits our needs perfectly, with my four-year-old being average to small in height. He enjoys the sensation of steering the bike, with me still in full control.

It also allows for great conversation, with him sitting in front, and great visibility for both of us. It gives him a taste of the balance and weight transfer while cornering, and the exhilaration and freedom of the bike.

We are now able to venture on rides that give my daughter the opportunity to build up her endurance and road awareness skills, which has really fostered a love of bike riding for her.

Trips to school, kindy, the local cafe, parks, swimming lessons etc. are now all achievable and are transformed into exciting adventures.