I was intrigued when I saw a front-of-bike child seat online recently, so I went over to my local bike shop. They told me that they absolutely don't sell them, and that in fact in the 1970s, they were taken off the market due to safety concerns. Studies show that rear seats are safer than front-mounted ones. Until someone tells me otherwise, that's what I'll buy!

this one and the last kid bike you posted totally reminded me of the film "contested streets" - its a documentary comparing lifestyles and street use in several cities. i think it's put out by transportation alternatives.

anyways, the segment on copenhagen is idyllic and shows so many people using bicycles to go about their daily routines. and it shows several of these kid chariot/wheelbarrow-style bikes in use. it will make you want to move in a second. kids in happy scandinavian fashions and beautiful produce happily driven around.

ok that's totally not the point of the film, but it is fun to see.

karey -

Thanks for the film recommendation; I'm definitely going to watch it. You totally understand my point. The NY Times piece that is the feature of my post introduces their roundup of bike carriers by talking about the increase in dedicated bike paths in the United States. While bike paths are great, it's the idea of using bikes and carriers as a real mode of transportation by families that I love!

that film sounds lovely karey!
i'm crazy about these style bikes

going farther off topic -
its a good film. it compares nyc, london, paris and copenhagen if memory serves. its more about the strategies that those cities have used to recontextualize urban streets and spaces as people zones not automobile zones.

for us new yorkers, its esp. interesting in light of bloomberg and his congestion pricing plan to see how that played out in the london segment. it seems to be screened frequently around the city. and i'm sure you could get a copy from the library.

p.s. my bike-to-work friends in philly have that kangaroo seat for their 1 yr old and seem to love it.

@ Gabrielle - thought this might help

In 2004 M.E.T Ltd were commissioned to evaluate the centre-mounted WeeRide seat. Back then it was known as catchy "Centric Safe-Haven" - anyway they concluded,

"The overall assesment was that the center mounted carrier system was a significant improvement in safety, ease of use and parent child satisfaction compared with common rear mounted carrier systems"

http://myweeride.com.au/Safety/Independent-Safety-Analysis.html

and

http://myweeride.com.au/History-of-Weerides/Things-To-Consider-When-Buying-A-Rear-Mounted-Bicycle-Seat-or-Child-Carrier.html

Jimmy

Bakfietsen (cargo bikes) and mamafietsen (mother bikes) are quite popular here in Belgium, and even more so in the Netherlands.

A mamafiets is a bike with a low instep (to make it easy for mom to get on and off), plus front and rear child carriers. You'll often see a little windscreen on the front to stop the wind from hitting the child in front.

Biking is simply another (normal) form of transportation here.

I live in Amsterdam (The Netherlands) and here it really is the norm to use a bike for everyday transport - to work, grocery shopping, going out to meet friends as well as transporting goods. So it only makes sense for parents to move around with their children the same way. If you search for 'bakfiets' on www.flickr.com you'll see plenty of examples. Like Devoir (from Belgium) says: front and rear seats are used, often parents carry two if not three children on a bike. Check out these images:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rbean/234884364/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/alicetexas/152561838/

Must say (I'm not Dutch but originally from Namibia) I was initially shocked when I first saw a bike being used as a "family car" but because cities like these are designed for safe cycling with bicycle routes and traffic lights, no one here (except for children and the occasional tourist) even uses helmets! I even found cycling a great relief in the last two months of pregnancy when it was much easier than walking.

-Mutaleni

p.s. the Dutch are so proud of the bakfiets that it features on one of the new 'Dutch Design' postage stamps.

i tried one of the bakfiet cargo bikes out a few months ago and absolutely loved it! they sell them here in st.augustine florida and i was pleasantly surprised at how easy and safe it was to ride. it was great to interact with my 4 year old while riding and be able to keep an eye on my younger infant son as well. the cargo bed can actually hold 200lbs and with 3 gears, it wasn't much harder than just riding myself around. i am saving my pennies(okay, dollars), i think it's well worth it. the company might have a website like dutchbike.com or something similar.