Pedal power

YOU'RE never too old - or too young - to discover the pleasures of the push bike.

That's the message from the road safety team at City of York Council which offers one-to-one cycling training for all the family.

Most parents and pupils will know that the council runs bike lessons at York's schools for children aged between nine and ten.

The lessons are split into three levels: the first teaches off-road skills; the second involves six sessions on cycling safely on road and the third involves one-to-one tuition where the cyclist is accompanied by a trainer on road.

However, the council also offers one-to-one training sessions for all the family - at a time and place to suit them.

This is ideal, says council road safety officer Pete Zanzottera, for families with younger children who want advice on the best way to get around by bike.

That might involve teaching the younger child cycling skills, or giving advice to parents on how to use trailers and child-seats with their own bikes, but also helping families find the safest routes to and from their chosen destinations.

Pete, who uses a bike and trailer to transport his two small children around the city, explains: "For example, a parent might have two children at primary school, one aged ten the other eight, but wants them all to cycle to school. They might want to use a trailer, or a tag-along bike - whatever, we have experienced trainers who can help them. They will meet them at home and cover the whole route to school with them and give them advice."

A personal trainer can also give families more confidence to venture out on their bikes. Pete says: "A family might want to go on an outing to a leisure centre, or into town shopping, or go on a cycling holiday and we are really happy to give them some training.

"It's all about developing people's competence and confidence."

Of course, there are lots of advantages to encouraging more bike use in York: it's great for the environment and our fitness, but Pete says cycling is particularly good for children. "It encourages young people and helps them towards independent travel, to get around under their own steam and not be reliant on their parents."

He also added that faced with rising bus fares, cycling was a cheap means of transport, after the initial cost of buying a bike.

The good news is that York is leading the way in getting kids on bikes. Since 2001, one third more children are cycling to school.

Pete says: "We are leading the field in cycling training and school travel planning."

Safer routes to school and cycle storage at schools have worked alongside cycling training to get kids and parents out of cars and on bikes.

Research shows that cyclists make better motorists, mainly from gaining experience of using the road from an early age.

Pete also points out that getting more people on to bikes is a crucial part of the city's long-term travel plan.

He said: "It's really important to encourage more people to cycle. In York, we have very high car ownership and usage and not enough road space. Cycling is a non-polluting and fitter approach."

York mum-of-two Petra Chapman-Gibbs lives in the centre of York and uses a bike and trailer to get her family around the city.

She said: "York is great for cyclists. There are lots of cycle lanes and there is the riverside too. Cycling is quick, you can beat the traffic. It's also cheap and good for the environment. And it keeps me fit.

"We take the children out on bikes at the weekend, and we go cycling in places like Dalby Forest. When they are bigger, I plan to get the children cycling with me, and hopefully they will become good and confident cyclists."

Cycling courses cost £15 and a one-to-one session with a trainer costs £11 an hour, with most sessions lasting up to two hours. For more information, telephone 01904 551646

Updated: 08:52 Saturday, March 04, 2006