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.
Radar tells me their closing speed, if they are slowing and how far away. Then I decide to say a prayer. The change of light pattern is incidental.
Quite so, which is why our village 20mph zone covers the whole residential extent. Of course, enforcement is another thing..
£4.
No, that's very doubtful while proper testing would be fully destructive.
In that £1000 exactly scenario, beginners should probably be made aware that pedals will be extra.
What's wrong with dropping down on to the Millenium Bridge, or the swing bridge, then the brief, but satisfying climb back up the hill? #training....
The relatives might of course disagree, but in general I'd countenance a relatively light sentence* if only we could fix it so that those who...
Id forgotten that I got a second hand set of project two's for my getting to work bike over twenty years back.
My bet is that all these tires popping off are from people with bad pressure gauges or they're simply just putting too much air in on purpose. ...
David9694 - you were right! These new autonomous vehicles really are conspiring to run out of control!...