Devon County Council is preparing to reach an impressive milestone of delivering Bikeability cycle training to more than 100,000 children.
Since 2006, around 93,000 children in Devon have taken part in the cycle training delivered by the County Council.
With Devon being awarded a £440,000 share of the Department for Transport’s £20 million allocation for the national programme in 2022/23, a further 11,600 children in Devon will be able to benefit from Bikeability over the next year, which will take the total figure over the 100,000 mark.
Bikeability offers three levels of training, providing children with important cycling skills and confidence to help them cycle more safely and more often.
“Bikeability is a well-established and popular programme in Devon and this year it will be an incredible achievement to reach and exceed the total of having helped 100,000 children to take part in the cycle training. We have a good track record of delivering cycle training in Devon with an experienced and dedicated team of Bikeability instructors. Not only does it help improve health and benefit the local environment, but it also helps pupils to develop better road safety awareness.”
Secondary schools can host free Bikeability Level 3 courses, which is the final stage of the training. This equips cyclists with skills for more challenging roads and situations where traffic is busier, in order to understand driver blind spots and how to pass queuing traffic. Level 3 training is delivered in groups of up to three.
Family cycle training was introduced through Devon’s Bikeability scheme last year and another 50 places are available for families in the county in 2022/23.
Two-hour cycle confidence sessions are also available free to adults to either learn to ride a bike or brush up on their cycling skills, as well as providing advice on suitable routes.
For more information go to https://www.traveldevon.info/cycle/cycle-training
Alternatively email the County Council’s road safety team rshelp@devon.gov.uk or call 0345 155 1004.
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