The UK government will equip more children with the skills to walk and ride to school through a £60 million ($115 million) investment over the next two years.
Of that, around $95 million will go towards bike training for one million young people. The new funding is an extension of Bikeability cycle training, which has taught more than four million children the practical skills to become bike riders for life since 2007.
The UK government has also committed almost $10 million to walk to school programs via the charity Living Streets. Investments will also be made in active travel ambassador schemes and the UK’s Big Bike Revival program to make riding more accessible to everyone.
“This funding will help us and our brilliant Bikeability instructors, training providers and grant recipients to work towards that ambition this and next year,” says Emily Cherry, chief executive of the Bikeability Trust.
“Together, we can make sure that no child leaves school without the knowledge, confidence and opportunity to cycle.”
The percentage of children aged 5-16 that walk or ride to school in the UK has remained steady since 2002 and sits at 43% and 3%, respectively.
In Australia, the number of children walking and riding to school sits at about 25%, a decline from around 80% in the 1970s.
While efforts to secure funding for Bicycle Network’s Ride2School program are ongoing, we are continuing to turn this trend around through Bicycle Network’s Open Streets, which recently earned recognition at the 2023 WeRide Cycling Luminaries Award.
By diverting motor traffic from the school gate, Open Streets creates an environment where kids are free to ride, walk, scoot and play on their way to class.
Read more about Open Streets
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