Can bicycle training for children increase active travel?

Abstract

Evidence in support of cycle training is limited, and its potential to improve safety and make a tangible difference to cycling levels is unclear. Nevertheless, Bikeability, the UK government's cycle training programme introduced in 2006, is widespread in schools and is actively supported by many parents/carers. This paper draws together a number of evidence sources in an attempt to understand the role of cycle training as one among several measures for increasing active travel. It reviews existing research regarding the role of and outcomes from cycle training for children before offering an overview of the current distribution of cycle training in English schools. Next it draws on two new data sourcesthe 2014 CensusAtSchool and the 2014 Bikeability School Travel Surveyto explore outcomes, experiences and perceptions of cycling and cycle training from a child's perspective. From this it draws conclusions regarding the role of cycle training in schools and elaborates on what this means for policy makers and practitioners. Engineering Sustainability Can bicycle training for children increase active travel? Johnson, Frearson and Hewson ice | proceedings

Effectiveness of active school transport interventions: a systematic review and update

“…Results are presented at the intervention level because three papers reported the findings of two different interventions. Specifically, Buckley et al [ 29 ] included a fall event without control group and a spring event with control group, Crawford and Garrard [ 34 ] included a pilot study with control schools (pilot schools) and a main study without control group (program schools), and Johnson et al [ 41 ] reported case-control analyses using data from two different surveys conducted in distinct populations (Bikeability and CensusAtSchool). Eleven interventions were conducted in the US, five in the UK, three in Canada, two in Australia, Belgium, Denmark and New Zealand, and one in Spain and China.…”

“…Year 6 students who received Bikeability expressed greater confidence (OR = 1.81; 95% CI = 1.26-2.59). None examined Johnson et al 2016 [ 41 ] England [CensusAtSchool] Bikeability , a national cycle training program for children and adults. Strategies: education only.…”

The impact of cycle proficiency training on cycle-related behaviours and accidents in adolescence: findings from ALSPAC, a UK longitudinal cohort

“…NCPS training was not available in all schools, and this remains the situation today. It is estimated that in 2013/2014 only around half of primary schools offered Bikeability training, and these schools are not evenly distributed across the country [ 19 ].…”

“…However, two studies that compared cycling rates in trained and untrained children did not have such positive results. One used two datasets to assess children’s cycling behaviour, and found a positive association with Bikeability training in one dataset but not the other [ 19 ]. The other study found that two months after the course finished, the trained children did not report cycling more frequently than the untrained children, despite reporting that training had made them feel more confident about cycling on the road [ 13 ].…”

“…We cannot rule out reverse causation as an explanation for the associations observed as we have no measure of bike use or of cycle safety behaviours in earlier childhood. This was also a limitation of a recent Bikeability evaluation, and signals that more data is needed on the differences between children who do and do not receive cycle training [ 19 ]. Finally, our sample undertook their training in approximately 2002–2004; the NCPS has since undergone some changes and been rebranded to Bikeability (although its core aims remain the same) [ 8 ].…”