Kids need freedom. Dangerous roads make it hard to grant it

(Image: Getty)

Sun, 17 Aug 2025

By Caitlin GibsonLaura Groenjes Mitchell is more than an avid cyclist. She’s been biking daily for 15 years; she’s a certified biking instructor; she founded the Minneapolis Cargo Bike Library, allowing local families to borrow cargo bikes free of charge. She’s a believer in the independence and joy that a bicycle can bring.But when it came time for her own kids, 6 and 9, to learn to ride, she found herself faced with a daunting reality: The children couldn’t practice safely in their neighbourhood streets. Their fam...

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