Bikeability is “Cycling Proficiency for the 21st Century” as the strap line goes. It’s all about integrating cyclists with the rest of the traffic. It’s about riding assertively and ‘taking the lane’ whenever necessary. The training is delivered at three levels. Level 1 is carried out in a traffic free environment and consists of making sure that the rider has the appropriate bike handling skills to progress onto the roads. Go Ride club members should already be fully adept at this.
Level 2 equips the rider to handle traffic situations on quiet roads familiar to them; typically, a commute to school or to see relatives on the other side of an estate. The training is normally delivered to children in years 5 & 6 in primary schools, and year 7 in Secondaries. Level 3 deals with traffic conditions on all roads except motorways and is aimed at mid-to-late teenagers and adults.
Janice from Dowson Go Ride is a Bikeability trained instructor and the club is lucky enough to have two others. She reports that Bikeability training has been invaluable in giving club members the confidence to get to club sessions and events by bike, for riding to and from school and family rides on road.
Kenilworth Wheelers has Jackie, also a qualified Bikeability instructor, taking a lead on this. The Club has 43 members, a large proportion of which are under 5 and in the balance-bike section; not quite ready to ‘mix it’ with the traffic. In spite of this, she has 5 children lined up to do Bikeability but, as it’s an after school activity, she’s waiting for the lighter evenings to allow for more flexibility.
To quote from Jackie’s recent e mail:- “Parents and children are keen and I think the fact that it is through British Cycling makes it more special”
For more information on our scheme please click here.
If you have National Standards Instructors, preferably trained by us, in your club and would like to deliver Bikeability under the British Cycling banner, contact the Cycle Training Team on 0161 2742129 or cycletraining@britishcycling.org.uk and we’ll send you details of the options available.
