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Funding threat to school cycling training in London says LCC

Campaigners urge public to contact councils as new funding rules come into effect

The capital’s schoolchildren are at risk of missing out on cycling training under new rules being introduced by the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson according to new claims by the London Cycling Campaign.

The LCC says that in 2009/10, around £3 million was spent on cycling training in the city for both children and adults, but warns that funding could fall dramatically during 2010/11.

Previously, money for cycling training for schools and adults in the capital has been ring-fenced, but LCC says that funds are now being allocated by Transport for London (TfL) under general headings such as “smarter travel” and “corridors.”

That means that as long as councils follow the new Mayoral Transport Strategy, they are able to allocate funds at their discretion, which could include giving more money to cycling training, keeping funding at current levels, or allocating none at all.

According to LCC, that could result in new pupils in years 5 and 6 having no access to training, and the campaign group says that a school in South London is already rationing places on training schemes, despite the new rules not yet having come into effect.

The LCC is urging people to get in touch with their local councilors to request that the relevant council’s Local Implementation Plan contains specific allocations for cycling training for children and adults alike.

It also asks that people specifically request whether all schools that ask for an allocation of funds will receive them.

The availability of cycling training is a key part of LCC’s Manifesto outlining measures it wants to see adopted by politicians in London’s local elections on 6 May.

Other measures called for in the Manifesto include greater provision of cycle parking, improving local access for example through contraflow cycle lanes, and reducing the danger from lorries through initiatives such as driver-cyclist awareness programmes.

The Manifesto also seeks 20mph zones to make streets safer, investment to ensure the target of a 400% increase in cycling by 2026 will be exceeded, access to the Cycle to Work Guarantee scheme for council staff, and promoting bike-friendly events and allocating more road space to cycling and walking.
 

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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skippy | 14 years ago
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There is a growing disconnect between cyclists and motorists as a result of the way people live these days!
Already it is "ME, ME, ME" and will continue this way until the children are taught otherwise in school since they will progress into driving a vehicle as they come of age.
Teaching children at an early age to share the rpad and respect the rules can be reinforced by additional training at 14yo so that there is continued progress into youth and adulthood. Parental involvement is needed as this training will instill into the parents the need to modify any anti social behaviours that they have come to think is acceptable.
Thus it is clear that more funds rather than less are needed to build a safer future for the young.
Vote out those who would not build the future for your offspring as they are breaking the mandate of leaving a better legacy from their efforts.
More needs to be done to publicise the "anti social" and i was happy to see that a "Hit & Run Driver" was followed onto an airliner in Sth Africa for identification, pity was that the Airline did not leave him behind to face the consequences "for being in a hurry"! More action such as this will cause more consideration on the road.
More blogs such as www.sharetheroad.com
www.ipayroadtax.org
www.rideinsilence.com
i use www.parrabuddy.blogspot.com to name "PYGMYs"

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