This document complements and develops upon both "Adult Cycle Training, A Guide for Organisers and Instructors" (CTC, May 2003) and "Guidelines for the Management and Operation of Practical Cyclist Training Schemes" (RoSPA June 2000). The terminology used within this document is common to both these guides. Users will benefit by being familiar with their content. Setting a national standard for child cyclist training is crucial for the expansion of high quality training provision. This document consists of two sections. The first sets out a National Standard, which details the skills expected of children who have completed a training course. The second section sets out guidelines on current good and best practice in delivering training to achieve the standard. These guidelines are based on existing research and practice in training children to cycle. While the primary purpose of the guidelines is to ensure that all children have the opportunity, through the provision of appropriate training, to improve as safe cyclists, the complementary aim is to promote cycling. The need to expand training provision is one element of a broader strategy to increase cycling and the wide range of benefits, such as to health, this will deliver. Increasing the level of cycling in itself can improve the safety of cyclists as other road users become more aware of their presence. Training should be seen as an opportunity to empower children to gain the full benefit from their cycling experience. The guidelines will therefore give advice on how training providers and their instructors can be ambassadors for the whole of cycling. There is a growing recognition that good training not only improves the relative safety of young cyclists but also increases the amount that they cycle. Evidence from local authorities shows significant increases in the number of children cycling to school where training has been integrated with a full range of cycle promotion activities and infrastructure improvements. Children want to cycle. In year 6 (age 10-11) at primary school, the time when most training is provided, surveys have shown that cycling is the mode of choice for the journey to school for nearly 50% of children (Young TransNet online database, www.youngtransnet.org.uk). Yet less than 2% of year 6 children actually cycled to school in 2001. Once in secondary school the desire to cycle rapidly reduces. To meet National Cycling Strategy targets to increase cycling journeys it will be necessary to enable the current generation of children to fulfil their desire to cycle in order that they become the future generation of adult cyclists. To give children the best opportunity to training should be offered at the earliest possible opportunity in primary school, i.e. at the youngest age at which they can reasonably achieve the National Standard. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting