Becoming a Cycle Trainer

Sustrans' BikeIt features helmet compulsion for the trainer, I think. Is that correct?

As with a lot of things with Sustrans, there isnt a hard and fast line, we work with real world situations, which requires flexibility.

To make things realistic what I do, and I cant speak for 55 people, is always wear a helmet in the course of my duties. Give advice on helmet use, and be realistic about it, i.e tell children there is no point in us forcing wearing them, as we know often they take them off around the corner from school, but if you are wearing, show correct fitting- which is often half the problem with kids helmets anyway, and encourage wearing them (using the pros example has made this a lot easier over the last couple of years) So thats trainers.

Im being careful here, as it isnt the Bike It officers role to deliver Bikeability per se, Bike It staff work with providers both private and Local Authority based to help co-ordinate Bikeability training, and, where required deliver training to the officers individual level of qualification.

Trainees,
What happens in reality is that different providers of training have different rules,
so for example Bournemouth Council might hypothetically say 'no helmet, no training' whilst Poole again hypothetically would be flexible and allow training without.
So thats for kids and bikeability.

The official line on helmet use from Sustrans is 'Pro- choice anti- compulsion' which covers the position taken considering evidence on helmet wearing.
The evidence says that forcing helmet use is counterproductive to the benefits gained from cycling-hence the above position. Im sure its all on the website www.sustrans.org.uk

My own outlook also would be to advise reading www.cyclehelmets.org.uk contains the full evidence, and to any serious enquirers into this extremely interesting subject read up here to prepare for debates with adults.

Next subject, moving on please.