Exclusive:Impact of the pandemic sees dramatic drop in number of children able to cycle
There are multiple barriers to learning to cycle but the impact of the pandemic is a main reason youngsters cannot ride a bike, experts say
Schools have seen a dramatic fall in the number of pupils who can cycle with experts warning of a post-covid generation missing the benefits of cycling.
Co-ordinators working in local authorities are reporting an increasing number of young people arriving at training unable to ride a bike.
A Scotland-wide survey showed more than one in five pupils cannot ride a bike by the time they come to do Bikeability training.
More than half of coordinators said they see that figure being on the rise.
At Riverside Primary School in Perth, teachers noticed the same trend of children being unable to cycle.
Instead of being road ready, pupils needed basic competency and confidence building groups first.
David Scott, depute head at Riverside Primary School, said the school was determined to give every child the chance to be proficient.
Rather than waiting until P7, the school started bike sessions in P4 and teamed up with charity The Bike Station for extra supports.
Mr Scott said a common theme was parents worried about their child’s safety on the roads.
In response, the P5 bike club was set up, giving pupils access to nearby safe cycle networks.
The sessions have gone down a storm and youngsters report going home and convincing their parents to head out on rides.
The Bike Station runs a bike library in Riverside that ensures every child - and their parents - has access to a bicycle and a helmet.
Riverside’s bike bus is also growing in popularity with pupils going both to and from school.
Mr Scott said: “It is a delight to see families standing by the roadside with their child and the bike and with their hi-vis on and their helmet on, waiting to be scooped up.
“There's a lovely sense of camaraderie and inclusion, but also safety.”
The bike sessions have also helped with attendance, particularly for pupils who are school refusers.
Cycling Scotland provides Play on Pedals early years cycling activities in 14 local authorities with funding support from Transport Scotland.
These sessions involve more than 2000 certified instructors, including staff and parent volunteers.
Bikeability takes place at around age 10 or 11 and children would usually have mastered balance and pedalling skills by that point.
Cycling Scotland said parental confidence is a factor, given two thirds of adults in Scotland do not cycle.
In a car-dominated society, the number of parents with recent cycling experience is lower than it was two generations ago, meaning a lack of confidence in passing skills on.
For many families a lack of access to bikes or storage will be an issue, and, while most areas offer activities like Play on Pedals in nurseries to provide opportunities at the earliest stage, this is not yet universal.
The legacy of the Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated existing challenges and created new ones.
Scotland’s national cycling charity said too many initiatives fail to take into account inequality of access to bikes.
Two thirds of households don’t have bikes and one third have no storage space.
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Space can also be an issue as families do not have safe parks or greenspace to learn.
Cycling Scotland also points to research showing that, since the pandemic, evidence shows a declined in gross motor skills in children and arise in obesity.
The impact on post-pandemic cycle training is only just playing out: children who were four to five years old during school closures in 2020 are now in primary 6 and starting to take part in Bikeability training.
Data from a 2023 pilot activity in 14 Glasgow primary schools showed 70 per cent of six to seven year olds were unable to ride a bike before Bikeability training.
Cycling instructor Kelly Fry runs Perth-based Small Fry Cycles and works in schools to support cycle training.
She says there are many barriers to children learning to cycle, from parents not being able to afford a bike to children using bikes that are too small for them.
In some schools, Ms Fry said, very few pupils need to learn to ride but in others she may have to take as many as 20 spare bikes - in a class of 30 - for those who don’t.
Ms Fry said some parents lack the knowledge to choose the right bike and keep it in good working condition.
“My own children are the Bikeability age and a lot of children their age are spending more time indoors, they have computer games and they’re not out around the neighbourhood as much exploring and having an adventure on their bikes,” she said.
Ms Fry also said parents are extremely concerned about safety and keeping their children off cycling on the roads.
One of the elements of Bikeability is to teach children how to interact with traffic.
Learning to cycle, she says, has “major benefits” that include increased self-confidence.
Ms Fry said: “Learning to ride a bike really impacts them, they feel like they've got this huge achievement.
“They've really done something different. Not every child loves school or wants to be in the classroom, but pretty much every child that we've seen learn to ride a bike is absolutely overwhelmed.
“They're so proud of themselves.”
Pupils gain independence and freedom as the reward for sticking in and picking up the skill.
At Riverside, Mr Scott the picture is the same.
He said there has been success with bikes encouraging these pupils to re-engage with lessons because they are excited to cycle.
The school has now been bitten by the bike bug - and has big plans for the next school year.
“We want to have a full bicycle store every day, building on our learning to cycle programme beginning in our nursery, develop pupil cycle leaders, continue to explore the safe cycle networks in Perth with our families and develop a bigger bike bus,” Mr Scott said.
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