If there was compulsory training for cyclists, would that put you off cycling?

modsandmockers

marleyboy wrote: »

We teach our children to ride a bike. Some schools have rider safety courses for the children

We teach our children to ride a bike?

No we don’t (except in a minority of families). These days, it’s much more normal for the middle classes to take the family’s bikes by car to some kind of traffic-free leisure route, which teaches nothing about riding on the roads. On the road (or pavement), most unaccompanied child cyclists are there precisely because nobody has taught them anything.

Some schools have rider safety courses for the children?

It used to be true that almost all schools offered these courses - what has changed?

Marco_Panettone

modsandmockers wrote: »

Some schools have rider safety courses for the children?

It used to be true that almost all schools offered these courses - what has changed?

No - schools used to teach 'cycling proficiency' which mostly involved riding round cones in a playground and stopping when told to. There was nothing about road positioning at junctions, interacting with motor vehicles, and certainly nothing about 'taking the lane' when necessary.

marleyboy

modsandmockers wrote: »

We teach our children to ride a bike?

No we don’t (except in a minority of families). These days, it’s much more normal for the middle classes to take the family’s bikes by car to some kind of traffic-free leisure route, which teaches nothing about riding on the roads. On the road (or pavement), most unaccompanied child cyclists are there precisely because nobody has taught them anything.

Some schools have rider safety courses for the children?

It used to be true that almost all schools offered these courses - what has changed?

Erm, well YES we do, quite a lot of us do. Maybe YOU don't, but try not to tar us all with the same brush eh.

Effyb4

We have taught our 3 boys to cycle on the road, from about the age of 8 years old. The older two are now 20 and 18 years old and I am quite happy for them to cycle on their own on the roads. Indeed the 18 year old cycles 6 miles to college and back every day. I'm still a bit unsure about letting the 13 year old out on his own, but he comes out with us frequently.

Tobster86

Effyb4 wrote: »

The older two are now 20 and 18 years old and I am quite happy for them to cycle on their own on the roads.

At those ages I should hope so to, and that you have no say in the matter!

brat

Marco_Panettone wrote: »

No - schools used to teach 'cycling proficiency' which mostly involved riding round cones in a playground and stopping when told to. There was nothing about road positioning at junctions, interacting with motor vehicles, and certainly nothing about 'taking the lane' when necessary.

Our cycling proficiency is 5 x 90 minute sessions the last three of which are on the road. We teach positioning for junctions and encourage the use of a safe secondary position. A primary position in traffic requires more assertiveness, speed and awareness, which is not usually present at that early age.

Cash-Cows

The problem I see with the school bike ability courses is that it doesn't seem to result in large increases in cycling to school. It seems that parents use the scheme as government funded after school care with no intention whatsoever of allowing their children to ride on roads to school.

The bike ability scheme needs to be updated so that there is on going engagement post training to encourage cycling to school.

Nebulous2

I posted before somewhere that I visited a primary school, which had a large sign attached at the front gate saying we support the bike to school scheme or something to that effect. I thought "That will make very little difference."

I went round to the carpark and they had two large bike racks, absolutely full. There must have been 100 bikes. I asked about it and they said they intended increasing capacity.

It was a predominantly middle class area though, with quiet residential streets.

Sustrans seem to have some success in getting children cycling to school.

modsandmockers

It’s interesting that those of us who care all feel as if we are qualified to teach our young to ride bikes on the highway.

But when the young require a driving licence we all seem to be resigned to the fact that we will have to pay a professional instructor.

The difference is that in order to get a driving licence you have to pass a test, and although we all regard ourselves as competent drivers, we all know that we would almost certainly not know how to teach our young to pass the test, even if we were allowed to try.

But the deeper truth is that, as in all other aspects of life, we start to teach roadcraft from the very first time we strap them into their safety seats. By the time they begin driving lessons, most teenagers will already have ‘learned’ how to drive, either from their parents or from their peers. The driving lessons will only teach them how to pass the test, after which they are very likely to revert to what they already knew.

Today, my grandson and I brought his bike by train from his place to mine. We enjoyed a late breakfast, I dusted off my bike, and we biked back to his place along the canal towpath. It was his first real bike ride, and we thoroughly enjoyed it, including the lockside pubstop. But why on earth would I start teaching him he could also start riding his bike on the roads?

wealdroam

modsandmockers wrote: »

But why on earth would I start teaching him he could also start riding his bike on the roads?

Why on earth would you not do that?

Unless of course you want to leave that to his parents... which is fair enough.