On Thursday 13th June I visited a school which operates a Bikeability scheme teaching young children how to be safe riding a bike.
This visit was to mark Bike Week, which ran from Saturday 8th June to Sunday 16th June. You can watch my short video on Bike Week here: https://twitter.com/transportgovuk/status/1139819837201539072.
Bikeability is a very important cycling programme that focuses on teaching cycling proficiency to younger children and schools. It is based on the Government-approved National Standards for Cycle Training and is about gaining practical cycle skills and an understanding of how to cycle on today’s roads, giving pupils the skills and confidence for all kinds of cycling.
During my visit I was shown the programme that Bikeability implements to encourage and teach cycling in a safe way. The different levels that are involved on their course, starting from basic cycling skills and building up to road safety awareness, teach children how to cycle responsibly.
I support cycling as a form of travel and exercise, and I feel that programmes which educate children on how to cycle safely like Bikeability are so valuable to the nation. Teaching children from a young age that cycling is a much more environmentally friendly way of travel than driving, but also a far healthier and more enjoyable alternative, means that we may nurture a whole new generation of cyclists in this country.
Bike Week was a great way to start my tenure as Minister of State for Transport and I will continue to promote cycling.