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 Lurch to the right: transport minister Tom Harris sharpens up his cycling skills in Leicester. Photograph: Fabio De Paula/PA |
The British, facing the same problems we face here, are making an effort to deal with childhood obesity and traffic congestion by attempting to reintroduce an old concept: children riding bicycles.
And, rather than just given cycling lip service, the British government this week rolled out a national program aimed at training children to ride safely in traffic. Children who pass the course will even get a “bikeability” badge.
“Bikeability is a great way to get our children cycling safely from an early age. We want our children to be safer, more confident cyclists, and to encourage healthier, greener transport options,” Transport Minister Tom Harris told the Guardian newspaper on their on-line edition: http://www.guardian.co.uk/transport/Story/0,,2043289,00.html
“The pilots for Bikeability have been a runaway success and I am confident that the national roll-out will see big increases in the number of people rediscovering the joys of travelling on two wheels,” Harris said.
Training had three proficiency levels and takes place on real roads, rather than on the playground. Children are also being taught to stay off the sidewalks, make eye contact with motorists at intersections and to ride in the travel lanes away from curbs.
”Things have changed. Fifty years ago, children were taught to keep close to the kerb, for example, but our new guidelines train children to be quite a commanding, confident presence. It’s quite a mind shift,” a program spokesperson said.
The British are serious. They are investing nearly $19.7 million with the goal of having half of all children trained through the program in two years.
According to the Guardian article, 2 percent of British school children ride their bikes to school. That’s down from 50 percent in 1969.
Here in the United States, according to the Safe Routes to School initiative web site, http://www.walktoschool.org/, only 3 percent of American school children bike to school if the distance is one mile or less. Only 1 percent ride if the trip is two miles of less. And, only 25 percent of American children get the Surgeon General’s recommended 30 minutes of daily exercise.
The Guardian article does question whether parents will allow their children to ride on busy roads.
The hue and cry would likely be much louder here, where traffic is congested, most roads have little or no shoulders and outside of the city and towns, sidewalks are non-existent.
Yet, at least the Brits are making an effort to help children learn. That’s more than we are doing.
