Moms win: Ban on using two-tot bikes to be lifted

The National Police Agency effectively caved in to protesting mothers nationwide Thursday by announcing it will allow them to carry two children on bicycles, but the bikes must meet new safety standards.

Reversed trike: Designed to carry two children up front, a prototype bicycle has two front wheels for greater stability. KYODO PHOTO

At the NPA's request, prototype models are now being developed by 11 bicycle makers and an engineer featuring enhanced safety features. They hope to complete them by the end of February.

The NPA will set new safety standards by March and lift the ban on riding a bike with two child passengers possibly next spring.

The NPA tried to fully enforce the ban out of safety concerns but dropped the plan in the face of strong opposition from users, particularly mothers who said they need to ride bicycles with their children aboard when they go shopping or take their kids to kindergarten.

The ban is based on rules set by prefectural public safety commissions. With the lifting of the ban, the rules are expected to be eased by next spring.

Six safety standards drafted by bicycle industry leaders and former kindergarten heads were submitted to a meeting Thursday of the National Public Safety Commission.

The proposed standards were formulated based on the assumption that two child passengers, riding in tandem — either both in seats in front of the handlebars or one in one seat up front and the other on a seat behind the person driving the bike — plus items being carried would weigh about 50 kg.

Required features under the new standards include a double-sided kickstand, a speed gear, an electrically operated pedaling system and a locking device to prevent the handlebars from turning when parked.

For households with children, bicycles are a key means of transport in urban neighborhoods with narrow streets and scarce available parking space for cars.

The NPA's lifting of the ban, however, places the responsibility for safety on adults who bicycle with their children as passengers.

Recently, traffic accidents involving bicycles have been on the increase, according to police statistics.