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Councils struggling to deliver bike safety training

David Gregory-KumarWest Midlands environment correspondent
News imageBBC Four children are pictured on their bikes. They re all wearing high-vis jackets over their coats. A boy on the left is wearing a white helmet and smiling. A girl to his right is on a pink bike and wearing a pink and white spotted helmet. Two other boys are wearing black helmets. BBC
The number of children taking part in bicycle safety training is expected to drop further in some parts of the West Midlands, a charity says

Councils across the West Midlands are struggling to deliver bicycle safety training, with more than half seeing a fall in the number of children taking part.

The Bikeability Trust, which is in charge of delivering the national cycle training scheme for children, has said it is worried about the declining rates across the region.

Eleven councils show participation below the national and regional average, with Walsall, Coventry and Dudley among the lowest.

The number of children taking part in training is expected to fall even further next year in places like Wolverhampton, Telford and Solihull.

The training - often formerly referred to as cycling proficiency - is important, the charity said, as it is aimed at keeping children safe on the roads, giving them confidence and encouraging them to stay more active as they get older.

Training is funded by central government, but as the number of children taking part goes down, more and more cash is just handed back unspent at the end of the financial year.

According to the Bikeability Trust there are several reasons for this decline.

"Some parents are just scared to let their children on the road with other drivers," according to Bikeability chair Emily Cherry.

"But we are also worried the discussion around cycling online and in the media is very hostile.

"Putting in a cycleway isn't 'a war on motorists', it's a space to keep children safe and healthy."

News imageA smiling Emily Cherry has shoulder-length brown hair. She is smiling and wearing a black jacket
Chair of Bikeability, Emily Cherry, says cycleways should not be seen as a "war on motorists"

The future health of children who cycle is becoming more important.

According to statistics seen by the BBC, many of our councils with the lowest rates of cycleways and pavements for pedestrians are also the ones with declining Bikeability participation.

But these are also areas - Sandwell, Wolverhampton, and Walsall - where the majority of children are predicted to be obese by 2035, according to the Royal Society for Public Health.

Now the Bikeability Trust is working with councils to try and turn things around in the region and the government has said it will put more than £600m into new active travel plans across England.

This is on top of an earlier funding boost of £30m in funding in the region.

According to the trust, reversing this decline will lead to more independent, healthier and safer children out and about on their bikes.

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