Time was when for a lot of kids the “school run” meant climbing aboard a trusty steel bike and pedalling through quiet streets to enjoy a day of loafing around in the classroom.
Not anymore. Within a generation there has been a massive decline in the numbers of children cycling to school, and today only 2% do so. That decline has in part been driven by parents’ fears for their offspring on crowded roads where fast-flowing traffic is the norm.
But a Sustrans pilot project in South Wales is tapping into the potential of peer-to-peer persuasion in the hope of reversing the decline in the numbers of kids independently making their way to school, be it by walking or cycling.
The charity is working with 10 pupils each in three schools to devise an activity week that will be rolled out to other schools in the area. The pupils from Bishop of Llandaff High School in Cardiff, Maesteg Comprehensive and St Cenydd School in Caerphilly are working together to devise a programme of activities targeting children, aged between 11 and 18.
The three groups have collaborated to tackle the areas of marketing, policy and influencing.
Sustrans project co-ordinator Liz Thorne said: “I’ve been really impressed with the dedication that these pupils have shown throughout the project and support from schools has been incredible.”
While the pilot project will be rolled out across 10 schools in Wales, the hope is that hundreds more could be included in future.
The project has been funded by Sport Wales with support from Welsh Assembly Government.
Cycling infrastructure does not force drivers to break the law, drivers are the reason they break the law, no one else.
Ah but taking pictures of things to defy the man (avoid a fine) is righteous. Taking pictures of people to grass on them to the cops (perhaps...
But getting paid for it is the very definition of professional....
Never had a Shimano QR fail on me. They just work. And the top end ones look good too....
If you're only looking at the guy in front of you then you're going to crash whatever brakes you have, you need to look beyond them to anticipate...
As a woman, this works great for me! My chain broke once, and a kind guy stopped with a chain breaker and sorted it all out for me. We stopped at a...
Same. I also have gone through a bunch of their tyres, and only the extralight disappointed (torn sidewall) but the standards are fantastic....
thanks for the ideas....
Indeed - but it's no more inconsistent than our current road design - very often UK high streets are "for shopping" and also a busy through route....
If you ask the world's leading economic commentators how many people have been rescued from abject poverty by capitalism the average answer would...