12% of Families with Children Under 13 Have At Least One Family Member That Cannot Ride a Bike
A new survey has found that many families do not feel confident when it comes to cycling. These results came as annual Bike Week, June 10 through 18, 2017, approached. More than ¼ of the 500 families polled are not biking due to concerns about weather, ill health, and the possibility of colliding with motor vehicles.
In families with children under age 13, more than 12 percent (which is about one in ten) indicated that a minimum of one family member cannot ride a bicycle.
The charity Cycling UK along with Halfords, the retailer, called for the new poll thereby marking the annual celebration of Bike Week.
A significant finding was if there were more traffic-free areas, 76 percent of families say they would ride together.
Training may work, too, as just about ⅓ questioned, 36 percent, would bike ride if they had school clubs or courses funded by their municipality.
The chief executive of Cycling UK, J. Paul Tuohy, said: “During the Olympics the Government showed what can be achieved if we invest wisely in sport. Now’s the time to invest in more than medals, by funding the health and well-being of our next generation.
“Cycling UK wants to help millions more people to rediscover or find out for the first time just how much fun you can have cycling,” he concluded.
Cambridge, long known as the United Kingdom’s (UK) capital of cycling, sports thousands of bikes in motion through its streets daily.
A large investment of multi-millions of pounds has been made as part of the Greater Cambridge City Deal in new infrastructure for cycling citywide, a part of which includes five “cross city cycling” projects and construction of the Chisholm Trail, set up for both cycling and walking connecting the new Cambridge North Station and Cambridge Station.
The Greenways project is also being worked on by the Cambridgeshire County Council in an attempt to build a top end setup of passages traversing into Cambridge from local villages and towns within a five to ten-mile radius.
“Cycling is a core life skill and is one activity that can give children the exercise they need, and develop their confidence, health and well-being,” Halfords’ group cycling director Simon Irons said.
“We are encouraging schools to invest their physical education premium by making cycling a central pillar in active schools clubs to give children the confidence to cycle more.”
Funding for the effort is made by jointly by the Departments for Education, Health and Culture, Media and Sport.