First Sustrans Bike It School Mark in London
Devonshire Hill Primary School in Tottenham have just become the first London school to be awarded the Sustrans Bike It School Mark (Bronze), having increased cycling levels from 2 per cent to 17 per cent within a year.
Pupils at Devonshire Hill have transformed the school run in London by creating their own events to encourage classmates onto their bikes, including an end of term water fight where teachers were pelted with water balloons and wet sponges as they cycle around the playground.
Six Bike It officers are typically doubling cycling levels through events such as Bling Your Bike challenges, free bike breakfasts and basic mechanic sessions to repair punctured bicycles.
They engaged with nearly 20,000 pupils in the last academic year. And the results are impressive:
- 8 per cent of children said they now cycle to school every day, up from 4 per cent before Bike It
- 22 per cent of children said they now cycle to school at least once or twice a week, compared to 12 per cent beforehand
- The percentage of children who said they never cycle to school dropped from 78 to 63 per cent
Each Bike It officer works with up to 12 schools each year, followed by ongoing support as required.
Nearly half of children say they want to cycle to school and Bike It officers work to overcome the barriers which prevent them doing so. These can include low bike ownership, cultural norms, fear of busy roads, restrictive school policies and issues over bike crime and theft.
Sustrans, which launched Bike It in London in 2006, is piloting the School Mark this year to ensure the newly created cycling culture continues long after the Bike It officer moves on.
Find out more about Bike It.
Photo supplied by David Tothill / Haringey Council