Schools urged to get on their bikes and encourage cycling

SCHOOL chiefs are being urged to make cycle training compulsory after it emerged just one in six primary pupils are receiving the lessons.

Calls have been made for a "cycling champion" to be appointed to drive up the number of pupils receiving training in a bid to help the city achieve its target of having 15 per cent of all journeys by bike by 2020.

Just 16 per cent of primary six and seven pupils received cycle training in school last year, with the city adopting an ad-hoc approach by leaving it down to individual headteachers to decide whether or not to provide it.

This has been condemned by cycling campaigners, who think there needs to be a more stringent approach such as making it compulsory in all schools in the city.

Green councillor Alison Johnstone, who asked the council to provide figures on cycling training, described the current situation as a "missed opportunity".

She said: "When I asked the question I was pretty astonished. Not only do we not have a target, but there seems to be far too much of a reliance on volunteers to deliver cycle training.

"Cycle training ticks all the boxes and we need to be taking it very seriously in terms of cutting down pollution and improving our children's health.

"Here we are in 2010 without a strategy in place, so it's high time this was viewed in a serious way.

"They need to throw real weight behind this if they're serious about achieving 15 per cent of journeys by bike by 2020.

"It's a missed opportunity on all sorts of levels and I don't see why it couldn't be made compulsory."

Cllr Andrew Burns, leader of the Labour group on the council and a keen cyclist, has called on the council to introduce a "cycling champion" to turn the situation around.

He said: "I do think it's a surprisingly low figure when you consider the targets that the local authority has got and has signed up to. A bigger effort needs to be made.

"There is a lack of overall co-ordination between the council departments on this.

"Cycling training for schools needs a champion within the current administration to make sure the figures are brought upwards because, at this rate, we are not going to meet our cycling targets.

"The crux of the problem is that a lot of it is based on goodwill of parents, teachers and staff, and if that's not always possible then the cycle training isn't happening."

The council says that all primary schools are offered the opportunity to provide cycle training but it is up to the individual headteacher to decide if they want to run it.

Their decision might take into account whether their school is near a busy road and whether all pupils have access to a bike.

City education leader Marilyne MacLaren said: "We want to encourage the uptake of all sports within our schools as it is important for all children and young people to lead an active and healthy lifestyle.

"Since the scheme started in 2006-7, the council has improved the uptake of the scheme significantly. We provided cycling training to over 1,000 pupils last year.

"If a school wants cycling training then our Active Schools team will organise and support the delivery of it."