“Bikeability is the government’s national cycle training programme. It helps you learn practical skills and understand how to cycle on today’s roads.”
from Bikeability.org.uk
The Bikeability programme is derived from and based on the National Standard for Cycle Training. It’s delivered across England by professional, qualified instructors. Whilst it’s primarily delivered to children and young people, the knowledge and skills that make up the scheme are very relevant to cyclists of all ages.
Within Bikeability there are three distinct core levels that are progressive in nature and designed to bring a new cyclist from their first ventures on a cycle up to being confident enough to ride in town centers and other areas with higher volumes of traffic.
In addition, there are other aspects of the programme that contribute towards the three core levels, known as Bikeability Plus.
Click on the expandable boxes to find out more about each of the different levels.
- What to wear when riding (including helmets & hi visibility clothing)
- Basic day-to-day cycle checks
- Starting and stopping a journey
- pedaling and gliding on a bike
- riding with one hand (for signalling)
- correct road positions
- starting and stopping
- turning left and right into and out of simple junctions
- dealing with parked vehicles or similar potential obstructions on the road.
It will often be delivered through a journey along a prescribed route (often chosen for it's use by the person or people attending the training) and covers things like negotiating more advanced junctions while maintaining suitable riding positions.
It will often use roads with higher traffic volumes and speeds, taking into account things like bus lanes and traffic queues in busier areas.
- Bike Balance Normally aimed at 4-7 year olds to help them take their first foray into cycling
- Learn To Ride The next stage on from Bike Balance and the stepping stone to doing Bikeability Level 1
- Family Cycling which is aimed to bring families together onto two wheels. In Suffolk, we offer FREE Family sessions which are at the standard for Bikeability Level 2
- Adult Cycling A supportive approach to help build your confidence in riding out on the road.
- Bike Fix to help you keep your cycle in tip top condition.
Bikeability is delivered to pupils in Primary Schools across England and Wales during years 5 and 6. This is funded by the Department for Transport and distributed across Local Authorities to manage themselves. The way the training is administrated differs between counties and regions, but the aims, objective and content of the courses are always the same.
One thought on “Bikeability”