Sustrans, the sustainable transport charity, has announced that levels of cycling in schools benefiting from its Bike It initiative have doubled from 26% of pupils cycling to reach their place of study at least once a week, compared to 13% before the project began. Sustrans says that the figures provide evidence that cycling to school can help improve transport options for local authorities facing budget cuts of £311 million.
The figures have been revealed as part of Sustrans’s annual Bike It Project Review, which also shows that the proportion of schoolchildren cycling every day has more than trebled from 3% to 10%. Meanwhile, the percentage of children being driven by car every day to schools participating in the project has dropped from 29% to 22%.
Paul Osborne, Sustrans Director of School Travel, commented: “The Bike It project continues to lead the way as one of the UK’s most successful projects bringing about change in the travel behaviour of young people. Sustrans now works with over 800 schools and reaches approximately 150,000 children.”
He continued: “These latest figures come at a time of major cuts in local authority funding for school transport. As pupils’ journeys become longer, cycling projects such as Bike It play an important role in making a wider choice of schools accessible to their students.
Mr Osborne added: “We know that children who cycle to school are much more likely to be physically active than their peers – reducing the chance of children becoming obese and developing diabetes. Bike It also promotes road safety and cuts the number of cars on the road.”
The Bike It project, which is funded by bodies including Cycling England, the Department for Transport, the cycle industry’s Bike Hub levy, the Big Lottery Fund's Well-being Programme, the Welsh Assembly Government, Transport for London and other local authorities and primary care trusts, has been in operation for five years now in England and two years ago was expanded Wales and Northern Ireland in 2008.
The initiative sees Sustrans working in partnership with schools, teachers, parents and local authorities to help deliver cycle training as well as taking part in classroom work and giving information regarding safe routes to school, helping children overcome the barriers that stop them from cycling to school.
We are very disappointed in North Yorkshire Council....
Isn't the M6 toll road called the Midlands Expressway?
As ever, the reality is more complicated and nuanced than articles with headlines designed to get clicks, nor their comments secionts indicate. ...
Is that the Mr Starmer who's been advised by his publicity wonks to tell everyone how much he doesn't hate Thatcher?
Actually, any cycle campaign should be first and foremost for the right of children to cycle. This engages with the largest audience / is the most...
If anyone is interested, according to the latest census 61.4% of households in Maida Vale have no access to cars/vans....
some ebikes (with Fazua?) have USB output, so you could easily recharge this pump! that's sounds tempting.
I'd say it's fine to try and beat your mates up Box Hill when you all arrive at the bottom together, or to try and catch that wheel that you see 50...
Many years ago, an uninsured, unlicenced driver in a vehicle with no MOT and registered as scrapped with the DVLA, ran into the back of my car....
The reviewer says 'you can send texts'. Are these still the silly predefined ones from Garmin with no option to define your own from either the...