The Car-Replacement Bicycle
Provided by: Not Just Bikes|Published on: December 13, 2022|Last updated: September 26, 2026
Grades: 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Type: Videos
Subjects: Geography, Health, Engineering
Authors: Not Just Bikes
Location: Earth
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- This video follows the experience of one family who switched from a car to a cargo bike, challenging the necessity of owning a car and some of the misconceptions about doing so.
- It examines the potential for cargo bikes to replace vehicles in cities that were built after automobiles were common (like those in Canada and the United States) and examines some electric cars as well.
Teaching Materials
Positives
- This video presents a relatively affordable alternative to gas-powered cars for able-bodied individuals.
- The video presents a number of reasons why cargo bikes are an ideal mode of transportation for some people when public transportation is not accessible.
Additional Prerequisites
- An ad will play between 6:15 and 6:20 and the video ends at 10:35.
- Before watching the video, students should understand the pros and cons of owning a gas-powered or electric car.
- Teachers should be aware that not all people can ride a bike (for various reasons, including disability) and it may not be safe to ride bikes in inclement weather or extreme temperatures.
Differentiation
- Have students consider why so many cities in North America have been designed to prioritize cars rather than pedestrians or cyclists.
- This resource can be used in social studies classes during lessons about urbanization and urban planning and in engineering classes during lessons about innovations in transportation.
- To extend the lesson about other innovations related to transportation, have students watch this video about 15-minute cities and this video about bicycle infrastructure.
- Health classes can connect this resource to lessons about physical exercise and the benefits of being outside.
This video discusses the pros and cons of using bakfiets (cargo bikes) over a traditional car. The history of cargo bikes, the newer modern electric cargo bikes, and how utilitarian the cargo bikes can be are also discussed. There is a good discussion about the cost and benefits of a bakfiets versus a vehicle, including a few words about the need for a traditional vehicle and options for ensuring that even when vehicles are required, there are more environmentally friendly ways to use a vehicle. This video would be a great addition to the discussion of alternative transportation and the effects of climate change and is recommended for teaching.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
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