Parents ban children from cycling on the road

Parents Ban Children From Cycling On The Road (from The Argus)

Parents ban children from cycling on the road
By Andy Chiles
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Tens of thousands of children are being banned from cycling because their parents are too worried to let them out on the road, a new survey has revealed.

The figures show that three-quarters of parents in the south of England will not let their children ride alone despite being aware of the health benefits.

Cycling England, which commissioned the report, said the state of heightened parental anxiety had caused a generational decline in cycling and the creation of what it called "cul-de-sac kids".
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The body's chairman Phillip Darnton said: "Somewhere along the line, our fears for our childrens safety have overtaken the reality of on-road accidents, which are in long term decline."

The figures have been released at the start of national Bike to School week, a time when it is hoped thousands more children will take to the saddle.

The statistics, based on a sample survey of 1,079 people, show that most parents now do not want their children cycling on the road until they are 12-years-old, compared to the previous average of ten.

Only 22 per cent of those surveyed said they let their children cycle to school, despite 44 per cent of them being allowed to do the same when they were younger.

Just five per cent of children did ride to school regularly despite 64 per cent living less than two miles away.

Cycling England said families had to overcome their own fears if they wanted their children, and future society, to enjoy the health and environmental benefits of using bicycles.

It said sending children on cycling courses like its Bikeability scheme was a good way of giving them and their parents the confidence needed for them to ride safely on the road.

Mr Darnton said: "Every parent will want to ensure their children are kept safe, but they can't live out their lives within the shadows of the cul-de-sac, never able to venture further away from home."

Interior designer Alison Mewett, of Kirby Drive in Telscombe Cliffs, near Brighton, said many parents felt drivers did not take enough care which made them more nervous about the safety of their children.

She said it was symptomatic of the generally over-protective nature of parents now.

Despite her concerns Mrs Mewett, who has become part of a national mums' panel promoting cycling, said her daughter Betsy-Blue, 12, would be riding to her school in Brighton as soon as work on a bike lane on the South Coast Road and Marine Drive was completed.

She said: "It's sad really that we worry about letting our children play outside and feel that we've got to watch them all of the time. I think we really need to let go, even if its a difficult thing to do.

"Of course it does worry me a bit when she's out cycling but she's 12 now and has been on the Bikeability level two course. I know she is quite confident on her bike so I feel a lot better about her riding."

12:01am Tuesday 6th May 2008