Dozens of schools throughout London are being given grants to help them set up cycling clubs and buy bikes and other equipment for children. The initiative, which benefits 71 schools, is aimed at introducing children to cycling and training them how to ride safely, with schools buying pool bikes and putting on-site cycle parking in place. They will also host cycle safety awareness days and provide training to pupils, staff and parents.
A maximum of three applications were accepted per borough, with the inotiative concentrating on the 13 Biking Boroughs in Outer London, plus ones where there is high car usage, issues such as overcrowding on buses or what is termed “bus behaviour,” and boroughs that are defined as falling in the top ten congested areas in the capital.
Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: “We want the joys of cycling to be available to everyone, and children in outer London schools will now be able to join in, gain confidence, and perhaps inspire the rest of their families to get pedaling too.”
TfL said that schools in Biking Boroughs could apply for £9,000 in funding, while those in other boroughs could receive up to £3,000.
Director of Surface Transport Ben Plowden said: “This funding will enable more young children and families to experience and appreciate cycling in London.
“Creating greater opportunities for children to increase their ability and awareness of cycling at school gets them familiar with cycling from an early age – building for a greener, healthier future.”
A full list of the schools benefiting from the initiative can be found on the TfL website. Marcus Shute, the deputy head of St Aubyn's School in Redbridge, said: “We were very pleased to receive our £9,000 cycle club grant from TfL.
“This money has opened up a whole avenue of possibilities for our pupils. We plan to use the money to fund equipment such as pool bikes, locks, spare parts as well as organising events to promote cycling at the school.
“In our after school bike club we plan to teach the younger pupils cycle skills and with our older pupils we plan to run skill based games to further hone their skills. We really hope that by engaging our pupils in cycling activities that more of them will ride to school and help reduce congestion around the school.”
A list of the schools included in the initiative can be found here.
5 thoughts on “Dozens of schools across London to benefit from TfL cycling funding of up to £9,000 each”
Good news. I live in Newham
Good news. I live in Newham and there is a surprising lack of children cycling in the morning. Do you have any more information on the subject of ‘bus behaviour’? Are they aiming to move anti social little gits from buses onto the road? Why should bad behaviour attract any kind of funding? Great ammo for elements like the Daily Mail.
No, “bus behaviour” was what
No, “bus behaviour” was what it said in the release – the quotes were mine – it did seem a curious phrase to put in there.
From Kingston council’s YoungLivin'[sic] website:
Losing Your Free Travel
Free travel on buses and trams is a great thing. You wouldn’t want to lose something that useful. However, if you indulge in anti-social behaviour, commit a crime or break Transport for London (TfL)’s acceptable behaviour codes, then your free travel privilege can be withdrawn.
Bus behaviour
While riding around on London Transport, act sensibly and treat others as you would like to be treated.
Anti-social behaviour includes, but is not limited to:
Putting your safety or the safety of others at risk
Use of offensive or threatening language
Behaving offensively, bullying or threatening others
Smoking
Playing music out loud
Damaging or defacing an Oyster photocard
Letting anyone else use your Oyster photocard
Committing any crime on, or in connection with, London’s public transport network, in particular, but not limited to:
Physical or verbal assault
Unlawfully carrying a weapon
Criminal Damage or Trespass on London’s public transport network or premises
Theft, robbery or burglary
Misusing controlled drugs
But where are they going to
But where are they going to cycle? Can’t help thinking that making the roads safer for kids to cycle on would be a better investment. I only really started to think about this after I became a cycling instructor and started looking at roads from a child’s perspective. Roads are for people and not just the convenience of adults in cars.
I’m a keen cyclist and
I’m a keen cyclist and encourage my kids to ride a lot. They go here and there with me or my wife on short journeys around the area, rather than us getting in the car. I’m not sure I’d want them to ride to school though, unless either I or my wife were with them. The issue of making roads safe is crucial and 20mph limits around schools and areas with lots of homes (rather than major through routes) would be a step in the right direction, as would proper enforcement of existing laws on driving.
Time for a northern blinkered
Time for a northern blinkered London-centric rant yet? 😕