Youth \ other cycle schemes

Watcha all,

I work in secondary school and want to encourage both students and staff to get onto their bikes. Out of about 1400 pupils, I regularly see 4-5 kids on bikes... Staff is a bit better with a hard core of 5 everyday come rain or shine and another 5 or so fair weather cyclists.

I've got a number of idea's, but wanted to see if there's anything else you might have heard of, or if you know of funding for any of these projects...

Idea's so far...

For the students:-

• Bike parking (currently kids lock bikes to a fence)
  
• Training (Bikeability seems to be the latest thing)
  
• Publish 'safer' routes based the national cycle routes
  
• A series of basic maintenance course (would try to get LBS involved)
  

• Incentives (kids are greedy, but what / how?)
  For the staff:-

• Secure bike parking away from kids bikes (currently I use a lockup, which is fine, but some teachers keep the bikes in there rooms)

• Changing facilities (showers, lockers)

• Bike to Work scheme
  This is all very early days, so I'm including everything I can think of. I'm after anything that would get more adults or kids on bikes safely.

isnt it bike to school month next month? only a school has just bought a shit load of stock at our shop for prizes ( light packs bells locks light up valve caps and so on ) we did them a good price) may be you could do a simalar thing at your school, bike quiz's , slow bike race that sort of thing?

You've already got a school travel plan I assume?

Its a little late, but Bike Doctor seem to be heavily involved in this years Learning At Work week, and are offering basic and intermediate Maintenance courses at a number of companies / charities. You could speak to them about their services.

With the change in Awards for All eligibility criteria, your school can apply to them for revenue projects up to £10k. A bike conversion / modification project? There's a guy in Brixton who runs one for young people, i've got his card somewhere...

Maybe speak to your local council for voluntary service, or a local branch of Groundwork to see what ideas they have or could contribute to. Same with the education dept of your commissioning Local Authority.

Are there really only 5 kids who ride to school?

On the sies I've looked at, it appears it was bike to school week about 2 weeks back (oops).

Like I said, there's no bike racks, just some fencing. I rarely see more than 5 bikes there, never more than 10. The school also introduced a 'no cycling on site' rule meaning the kids (and staff) have to get off and push there bike.Not that it means much as I'm the only one who doesn't ignore the rule.

Thanks for the tips. There does appear to be money out there, need to start to pull together information to take to the head.

What scares me is that you teach in a school but use an apostrophe before a plural s as in:

idea's

and you use

there

for

they're

The Grammar Police are watching you.

C-

;)

But seriously, good effort though. Let us know how you get on with this. I am consistently amazed by how few people get their kids to school by 'sustainable' means. A lot of very groovy east London-type parents bring their kids to the nursery school my son goes to in Mercs and 4x4 and whatnot... without a flicker of conscience it seems.

Aaah my grammars crap, although three in 1 post must be some kind of record. (Does it help I don't teach english?)

It is a bit rubbish as:-

• majority of kids have a bike
  
• Most live within 3 miles of the school (easy commuting distance)
  

I dispute the second point Skully, surley it's 'their'

I dispute the second point Skully, surley it's 'their'

Whatevs

isn't that how the youngsters are are talking these days old bean?

I dispute the second point Skully, surley it's 'their'

PS Surely you don't spell surely 'surley'? Or are you referring to a bike maker called Surly?

:p

Watcha all,

. . . .

I'm after anything that would get more adults or kids on bikes safely.

What age range are they ? Nothing gets kids into anything more than fun/coolness/excitement/thrills.

Bike parking, Training, 'safer' routes, basic maintenance. All sounds pretty dull.

How about getting them excited about something first before telling them how best to clean it. Perhaps a screening of the MASH SF dvd might encourage death on the roads, but I am sure you could find a good compromise between full on thrill seeking and (what is essentially) a chore.

Give them an example that bike are cool and it not just people like this that ride bikes.

Which is half the problem. You meet the average cyclist and it's not surprising the general public don't want to be known as a cyclist. Chances are this person is also very sanctimonious which does not help.

See now we've got on to content which is a whole different kettle of fish. The first hurdle is to get the idea past the management and parents.

Which I feel you need to play up the safety aspect (I may be wrong, I've not done something like this before)

When it comes to exciting, what kind of things were you thinking about? A Junior polo team?

There are some good off road trails locally but mostly footpath orientated and I'm sure I'd need some kind of licence?

Yeah sorry I forgot about the old health and safety bit. I think the way to get around health and safety is by using data. Cycling is not as dangerous as most people think. Try and get data for accidents for the type of suburban roads you are proposing the kids to cycle in along. Compare this data to data for other activities such as football rugby e.t.c Also maybe a biking equivalent of the walking bus where the kids travel in groups, safety in numbers type thing. Good luck.

I guess the school is quite large - try via the PTA, there's bound to be some cyclists amongst the parents of the kids, who'll give you support / networks / spare hands. I've found loads of support amongst parents to get their kids to travel to school in a better way than in their massive Kiddie Wagon. Perhaps start using that documentary of the woman who got that town in Wiltshire to reduce their car intake and use that as a teaching aid / model, and as tommy says look at the catchment area and what routes they'd use?

Spraying / adapting / blinging bikes up might make some of them more interested than the standard tabard wearing cycling proficiency* types. In the first five minutes of my cycling proficiency at my primary school, i got so excited about being able to bring in my swanky new bmx, that i pulled a wheelie across the entire length of the playground and got chucked off the course.

• i know its been rebranded recently
  

I think it's got to be a bit of a many pronged attack. Some basic infrastructure, some training, some exciting bits. It's the balance that'll be the killer.

I do like the idea of the 'cycling bus' to start off things, hopefully we wouldn't attract some twat like that guy in Oz. I saw something on the news a while back about training for a cycle commute and one company did your commute with you for the 1st time, thought that was a nice touch.

Spraying / adapting / blinging bikes up might make some of them more interested than the standard tabard wearing cycling proficiency* types.

This is kind of where I thought the maintenance bit might go. Almost like the LGFSS open toolbox, I know my LBS charges a RIDICULOUS amount for a flat tyre fix, it could be a bit of a come along and help out...