Cycling
Bike 4 Life
As part of the Change 4 Life campaign there are some free resources which are great for promoting cycling to school! See below to download the Bike 4 Life guides and posters. For more information about the Change 4 Life campaign go to www.nhs.uk/change4life
- Local Supporters Guide (PDF, 1.8MB)
- Getting and looking after your bike (PDF, 935KB)
- Fun ideas for cycling (PDF, 1.18 MB)
- Tips for safer biking (PDF, 972KB)
- Event poster (PDF, 121KB)
- Whizz to school on wheels poster (PDF, 140KB)
- Walking and Cycling Poster (PDF, 442KB)
- Walking and Cycling leaflet (PDF, 1MB)
Benefits of cycling to school
- Improves health and fitness of students
- Less pollution and congestion near the school
- Environmentally friendly
- Boosts student's confidence and independence
- Fewer problems with parking spaces
- Improves student's road safety awareness
- Gets students and staff to school on time
- Cheap mode of travel
- Fun and enjoyable
Data from Hackney Schools' School Travel Plans (STPs) shows that 33% of pupils from primary and secondary schools would like to cycle to school but only 3% do.
Encouraging cycling to school
Cycle promotion ideas for schools:
- Ensure there is secure cycle parking for pupils and staff at your school and publicise this well, for example in newsletters and during assemblies
- Organise cycle training for pupils to improve their skills and increase their confidence
- Encourage staff to cycle. Ask members of staff who currently cycle to work to become 'cycling' champions' to promote cycling to other members of staff
- Hold a cycling event, for example a 'bikers breakfast' or 'bling your bike' activity perhaps during Bike Week in June
- Reward children who cycle to school, for example a prize draw for children who cycle at least once a week, to win fun cycling related prizes
- Offer incentives to staff to switch from driving to work to cycling instead - e.g. prize draw or sustainable travel bonus
- Inform staff about free cycle training available from the Council
Cycle training
Cycle training helps children to develop their cycling skills both on and off-road and to become more confident.
Hackney Council offers a free cycle training course to any school in the borough and also one to one training for staff and parents. To find out about the range of cycle training being offered and make a booking go to the cycle training page.
Cycle safety
Advice for parents - children and young adults cycling to school:
- Provide bright and reflective clothing, supportive shoes and a back pack
- Never buy a bike for your child to "grow into". An oversized bike could be uncomfortable, dangerous and is likely to put your child off cycling
- Don't buy a bike as a surprise present as the child needs to be there to try it out
- Ensure the bike is the right size and properly adjusted. The child should be able to straddle the crossbar, standing with both feet on the ground, with 2 to 5 cm of clearance. The seat is at the right height if the child's pedalling leg is almost fully extended at the bottom of each stroke. The handlebars should be the same height as the seat and should allow an upright posture to enable a good range of vision
- It is a good idea to check the bike's weight. Many children's bikes are simply cut down adult versions and far too heavy. Ideally the bike should not weigh more than 13KG
- Make sure the bike is equipped with a full set of regulation reflectors (white at the front, red on the rear wheel and at the back)
- Buy a well fitting cycle helmet. You should only buy a helmet if it carries a CE mark and one of the normal safety standards eg. BS683:1989, AS.2063, ANSI, IZZ 90.4 SNELL, B90 or B95
- Teach your child how to lock up their bike correctly
Cycle parking
If your school wishes to encourage pupils and staff to cycle to school it is vital to provide secure cycle parking on site. The cycle parking facilities should be clearly visible and accessible and where possible be covered to provide shelter in poor weather. For more information regarding choosing cycle parking visit the Sustrans website.
A list of cycle shelter and pedestrian shelter companies can be downloaded below:
Cycle Shelter and Pedestrian Shelter Contacts (PDF, 22KB)
Funding
There are various ways for schools to receive cycle parking facilities at the school grounds. Find out about the different grants and funding sources available
Bike shops in Hackney
For an up to date list of bike shops in Hackney visit: www.hackney-cyclists.org.uk/info.htm#bikeshops
'On Your Bike' guidance
On Your Bike is a guidance booklet produced by Transport for London. It contains useful information and case studies about what other London schools have done to promote cycling to school.
Visit the Downloads page to download a copy.
Page updated: 2 Aug 2012
