On Thursday, 6th November 2008, Sustrans Cymru and Environment Minister, Jane Davidson, will be launching the highly successful Sustrans project Bike It at Traethmelyn Primary School in Port Talbot. This unique project encourages and supports young people to choose two wheels instead of four for the school journey.
With climate change and children’s health at the top of the agenda, Sustrans believes that encouraging young people to walk and cycle to school is a vital part of securing a sustainable and healthy future for Wales. Today, the ‘school run’ accounts for around a fifth of all cars on the roads during the morning rush hour and obesity levels in the UK are on the rise with 25% of 11 to 15 year olds being overweight or obese.
Bike It Officers tackle both these issues by working directly with pupils, parents and staff to help them overcome whatever it is that is preventing them from cycling to school – by organising cycle training, helping to install new bike sheds, contributing to classroom work and providing information about safe routes to schools. Currently there are 32 Bike It officers working with over 60,000 children across the UK. Participating schools across England have seen levels of cycling treble within the first year of the project – bucking the trend in declining numbers of children cycling to school.
Bike It Officer, Louise Powell said: “I am very excited to be working with 12 schools in the Neath Port Talbot area. It has been great to see the enthusiasm of pupils as they get involved with cycling. We know from our research that 47% of children would like to cycle to school when only 2% currently do. This means there is a huge potential for increasing the levels of cycling across Wales. Over the next year I am aiming to treble cycling across all the schools I am working with.”
Jane Davidson Minister for Environment, Sustainability & Housing said: “More cycling is a win - win situation. It gets people active, means fewer cars on our roads and reduces our carbon footprint.
“Getting children interested at an early age and encouraging them to travel to school by bike is to be welcomed, especially since the majority of car journeys are less than five miles long. Most of us will be aware of the congestion caused by the traditional school run.
“More children opting to use a bike will benefit all our communities. With the cost of motoring on the rise, cycling is a cheap, healthy, and sustainable means of transport.”
Phillip Darnton on behalf of the Bike Hub, a cycle industry initiative, said: “We are pleased to be able to support Sustrans Cymru and the Welsh Assembly Government in the launch of the highly successful Bike It project in Wales. The Bike Hub is the cycle industry’s levy scheme which is providing a third of the funding for the 2 Bike It officers in Wales. We are confident that Bike It will prove to be as great a success in Wales as it has in England”
Bike It is currently a pilot scheme in Wales with two officers working in Neath Port Talbot and Conwy and is managed by sustainable transport charity Sustrans. The project is funded by the Welsh Assembly Government, and the cycle industry through the Bike Hub. Locally Bike It is also supported by Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council and Conwy County Borough Council.
Staff, parents and teachers who are interested in promoting cycling and walking in their school are encouraged to call the Sustrans School Travel Team on 0117 915 0100 for free information and advice.
Source: Sustrans
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Sustrans Cymru, the Welsh Assembly Government and the cycle industry join forces to increase cycling by Welsh school children
