rain miles count double

Most road users in the UK will be aware of the annual surge of traffic that results from the schools returning after the summer holidays. Following a brief summer respite, the morning and early afternoon roads become ever more clogged with School Run Moms ferrying their precious to and from the school gates, one or two to a car. We moan, we complain, we wonder why they have to take the 4×4 instead of – oh I don’t know – cycling or something, but nothing ever changes.

This year, The CTC warn that it’s worse than ever, as more and more schools are actively discouraging or outright banning cycling as a viable alternative form of school transport.

Bikeability Training (picture by KarlOnSea)

Millions of pounds are spent on Bikeability cycle training in schools and millions more go on improving cycling infrastructure around our cities. Further millions go on campaigns berating us to reduce our carbon footprint, reduce our reliance on private transport and to seek healthier lifestyles, especially for the UK’s increasingly overweight and inactive children.

All of which are worthy goals and causes that are easily supported by cycling to school.

All of which are undermined when, as the CTC reports, schools spread unfounded and misguided fears about the safety of cycling, discourage pupils from cycling by demolishing bike sheds and banning bikes from school grounds and even attempt to ban cycling outright with harsh school policies.

What the hell are the schools thinking? Don’t they see their hypocrisy? Their short sightedness?

The issue has been reported by The Guardian (also in the Guardian Blogs), road.cc and numerous others. If it wasn’t so serious, it’s so mind numbingly wrong headed it would be worthy of publication on the Daily Mash or Onion satirical news sites as well.

The case of Sam O’Shea highlights the problem: a keen and proficient young cycling banned from making the short journey to school by bike because of safety concerns over traffic at the school gates. Traffic that would, of course, be reduced if all the pupils who wanted to cycled were allowed to.

In response, the CTC are launching a Right To Ride To School campaign.

There are many excellent programmes designed to promote cycling to children – such as Bikeability and CTC’s Bike Club.  But there remains a persistent problem – many children are unable to cycle to school [...] It is especially frustrating when children who have received Bikeability cycle training and whose parents are supportive of cycling are unable to cycle because their schools forbid them from bringing their bikes onto school grounds … or just forbid them outright [...] CTC will be releasing a campaigning kit for families who want their children to be able to cycle to school despite opposition from head teachers and/or governors.

I’ve no contact with schools myself, but I (and the CTC) would be keen to hear from parents who have run into opposition to their children cycling to school. All the reports I’ve read are from England so I’d be especially keen to hear from Northern Irish parents to see if the same thing is happening over here. Teachers , school governors and parents who support cycling bans are of course welcome to have their say too.

What’s going on?