Bikeability has experienced fewer children taking part in its national cycle training scheme sessions in the West Midlands, the trust behind the programme expressing concern that “the discussion around cycling online and in the media is very hostile”.

The trust was keen to stress to road.cc that on a national level it remains “on target to deliver Bikeability to more children than ever this year” and the programme is close to having trained 6 million children since 2007. However, the comments follow a BBC report into falling Bikeability participation in the West Midlands, 11 of the region’s council areas experiencing a percentage of eligible pupils receiving the cycle training below the national average, in many cases by a significant amount.

Bikeability delivers the national cycling training scheme, often formerly referred to as cycling proficiency. In the West Midlands, in council areas such as Walsall, Coventry, Dudley, Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire, less than a third of eligible pupils received the training in 2024-25.

Lilian Greenwood Bikeability
Lilian Greenwood Bikeability (Image Credit: Gov.uk)

Bikeability chair Emily Cherry suggested a significant factor is that “some parents are just scared to let their children on the road with other drivers”. However, she also pointed to the media’s attitudes to cycling.

“We are also worried the discussion around cycling online and in the media is very hostile,” she said. “Putting in a cycleway isn’t ‘a war on motorists’, it’s a space to keep children safe and healthy.”

Significantly, the BBC reported that many of the West Midlands councils with declining Bikeability participation are also those with lowest rates of cycleways for cyclists and pavements for pedestrians. The report also cited the Royal Society for Public Health which has predicted the majority of children in some of these areas, such as Sandwell, Wolverhampton and Walsall, would be obese by 2035.

When we followed up the BBC piece with Bikeability chair Emily Cherry, she explained that YouGov polling had shown “59% of parents felt that safe cycle routes and cycle paths would make them more confident in allowing their children to cycle on the roads”.

Bikeability training
Bikeability training (Image Credit: British Cycling)

“We believe that Bikeability training is a vital tool to get more people cycling and will have even greater effect when combined with other interventions, including high-quality cycling infrastructure, behaviour change programmes and access to cycles,” she added. 

“Cycle lanes make it possible for children to cycle safely and independently. But infrastructure isn’t enough – we need to ensure that all children have the skills and confidence to enjoy active travel, whether that’s by putting Bikeability on the national curriculum to guarantee cycle training for all or increasing access to cycles to make sure no child misses out.”

When it comes to changing parental attitudes, she suggested that the polling is clear: “Parental attitudes to cycling can be directly influenced by Bikeability training: after seeing their child take Level 2 training, 96% of parents are likely to encourage their child to cycle. In areas with low uptake of Bikeability, these benefits aren’t realised.

Bikeability training
Bikeability training (Image Credit: British Cycling)

“There have always been parental concerns over the past 18 years of the Bikeability programme. We know that children are more likely to want to cycle if their parents cycle, and you’re more likely to cycle as an adult if you had cycle training as a child. There is a training gap with some of the current generation of parents who missed out on cycle training as a child and who consequently are more wary of encouraging their children to cycle.”

Nationally, Bikeability remains on target, but in areas where participation is falling behind the trust is “working to boost uptake through a number of interventions”, including road safety campaigning, working to boost positive representations of cycling in the media, and improving access to bicycles.