And it's even worse in urban areas
A YouGov survey has revealed that 19% of parents in Britain have a child who cannot ride a bike. This figure increases to 22% of parents in London.
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Total sample size was 4231 adults, of which 950 were parents of children aged 18 or under.
The survey also revealed 32% of adults would not allow their kids to ride a bike unsupervised, despite 84% of adults saying they were allowed to ride by themselves when they were aged 10 to 15.
When asked what cycling meant to parents, the four F’s were highlighted – Fresh Air, Fun, Freedom and Fitness – highlighting the well-known benefits of cycling.
To encourage more kids’ to take to the saddle, Sir Chris Hoy led a British Cycling HSBC Go-Ride session at Herne Hill Velodrome with Evans Cycles on Friday 20th April to show children the benefits of cycling. The development programme focuses on fun, local cycling coaching sessions delivered in schools and communities for riders under 18. The sessions always take place in traffic-free areas and the emphasis is on regular, local and affordable activities to make it easy to keep coming back and create a hobby and passion for life.
Sir Chris Hoy: “It’s great to be here with St Francis Primary School. I started out racing BMX at just seven years old and never looked back, I feel so lucky to be able to be pass on my skills and hope that British Cycling’s UK HSBC Go-Ride programme can help inspire young people across the country to take to the saddle.”
Claire Neillands, from Evans Cycles commented: “We are proud to be a partner of British Cycling’s HSBC Go-Ride programme, it’s a fantastic and important programme that is making cycling more accessible for children. With childhood obesity on the rise and more kids becoming hooked to screens, getting kids outside and riding has never been more relevant.”
Dave Ryan, Go-Ride Coach for Greater London, said: “Through HSBC UK Go-Ride we provide coaching in schools, communities and clubs, helping thousands of children to enjoy the freedom of cycling and develop lifelong skills.”