Thinking of ideas for activities and games to keep the kids busy outdoors can be tricky but Sustrans has lots of new resources at hand to help.

Why not download one of our activity sheets? From spotting sleepy eyed hedgehogs to springwatch cycle rides, they are jam packed with ideas for healthy, active outdoor fun that all the family can enjoy this half term.

Spring days can bring showers as well as sunshine but don’t let the changeable weather ruin your fun. Our All Weather Walk activities will coax the kids outdoors come rain or shine.

Bought the kids bikes for Christmas? Check out our Saddle up for Spring activity sheet. You’ll find information on how to get started along with hints and tips on finding local, family friendly cycle routes.  Sustrans has thousands of miles of National Cycle Network, many of which are free from traffic so ideal for practising cycling skills.  Visit our online mapping to see which routes pass near to you or download our free app from Android Market or the iTunes store.

Scooters are another great way to encourage kids to get their healthy quota of daily exercise. They’re fun, faster than walking, and can help to develop skills which will also help with cycling, such as steering, stopping and balancing. You’ll find plenty of tips on getting them riding safely and confidently in our Ready Steady Scoot activity sheet.  

After enjoying all that fresh air why not enter this month’s Free Range Kids competition? Answer three questions correctly to be in with the chance to win a Toddlebike worth £19.95 for your toddler. We’ve got two to give away!

Entries must be received by midnight on Friday 2^nd March. See our competition page for more details.

The mechanics, the prizes, the route, and which schools are registered are all at www.thebigpedal.org.uk. But what's more at the heart of the Big Pedal, is what we are trying to do and why it matters.

No doubt the schools will be pretty pleased if they win some new cycle storage, a day with a bike display team, or any one of over 50 prizes. But even without the prizes, you can be certain that the pupils will have been ecstatic just to be part of it.

Plenty of those pedalling will be doing something that they do day-in, day-out regardless. Others that maybe they do in the summer term, or once or twice a week. But tens of thousands will be discovering the buzz of cycling to school for the first time (at least regularly), spurred no doubt by the thrill of the race, but sustained by discovering the joy and freedom that cycling brings.

The Big Pedal helps demonstrate in the most practical way that cycling is not just safe but fun – that includes for the parents who soon realise that cycling is quick, easy and enjoyable.

When cycling hits a critical mass, everyone benefits. Multiple studies show that when cycling numbers rise, casualties drop. Drivers are more aware of cyclists and more likely to be cyclists themselves. The benefits don't stop there of course:

• Congestion falls – bikes take up far less road space and so all road-users can move around more easily (the CBI estimate congestion costs us over £20bn per annum)
• Families save hundreds of pounds – the school run costs an average of £367 per pupil who travels by car
• Pupils are more likely to cycle at other times – our work in Scottish schools showed that when regular cycling to school increased, girls cycling outside school rocketed from 17% to 58%

Not to mention the pollution reduced, carbon saved, fat burnt, fitness gained... and so the list goes on. It's also incredibly efficient – you can go miles on the amount of energy that would move a car mere yards. No wonder Radio 4 listeners voted the bicycle our greatest invention of the last 200 years (a whopping 59% of the vote).

This is what we could all benefit from if we replaced local car journeys with cycling (and walking of course). What makes the Big Pedal special is building momentum and habits from a young age that will transfer to cycling in adulthood.

A generation ago, the vast majority of us took walking or cycling to school as the norm – often alone, often in primary school. The Big Pedal demonstrates that cycling to school need not be an oddity, that it should and can be a natural choice for making this and other journeys.

This time round, schools will also be able to use the Big Pedal to raise money both for themselves and Sustrans, to help our work with schools and young people.

Last year was amazing – over 200,000 children, from 800 schools, made over 600,000 bike trips to school (plus another 600,000 back home). That's untold calories burned, heart beats raised, carbon reduced and smiles broadened.

This year, we are aiming for over 1000 schools and a million journeys... and that means hundreds of thousands of happier, healthier school children.

Find out more at www.thebigpedal.org.uk

The Big Pedal is powered by Sustrans and funded by the Bike Hub.

The Bike Hub is an industry-wide initiative developed by The Bicycle Association of Great Britain and the Association of Cycle Traders. www.bikehub.co.uk

The Big Pedal is supported by the following prize donors:

Cyclepods, LockIt-Safe, Team M.A.D., Fisher, Weldtite, Can of Worms

The Times newspaper has launched a campaign to improve cyclist safety - Cities fit For Cycling  

Here, Sustrans’ policy advisor Eleanor Besley explains why we’re joining in to demand our politicians stand up for cycling.

Given the recent spate of high profile collisions with cyclists and a dramatic increase in those killed and seriously injured, you’d be forgiven for thinking that cycling in Britain can be unsafe.  Here at Sustrans, we find that fear of traffic is the main thing that puts people off cycling – especially women and children.

We are facing a stark choice: abandon our bikes and keep our kids indoors, or fight for safe streets for everyone. The Times’ campaign aims to make sure that cyclist safety is taken seriously at the highest level – even though it’s a while since we’ve seen David Cameron on his bike.

Cycling shouldn’t have to be a heroic act or a political statement. Just getting on your bike can create and inspire big changes. The more people that get on their bike, the more we’ll get seen, recognised and prioritised.

But the recent increase in tragic accidents is a sure sign we can’t do it alone – we desperately need our politicians to listen, and to act. Sustrans has pioneered walking and cycling schemes around the country – and we know what works.  We’ve seen neighbourhoods turned around by better routes, slower speeds and more people opting for two wheels instead of four.

The single biggest thing our politicians could do to protect – and set free – cyclists around the country would be dropping the speed limit on the streets where we live, work, shop and play.  Councils like Islington, Portsmouth, Oxford and Liverpool have already started to introduce a 20mph speed limit on residential streets.  The Times is matching calls from our Free Range Kids campaign by demanding this be rolled out across the board.

Another major way to help more people cycle safely is changing the places we travel through. Our work in London has shown that by developing a network of greenways – some off road and some on quieter streets - we’ve helped to get more people of all abilities cycling who wouldn’t have dreamed of braving London’s busy main roads.  

Cycling can help tackle some of society’s biggest problems, from rising levels of obesity to climate change. But many of the schemes that are helping people to get – and stay - on their bikes are facing an uncertain future because of funding cuts.  We urgently need politicians to support a long-term improvement in conditions for people choosing to travel by bike. This should include a commitment to dedicated funding streams for smarter and healthier travel.

If you, like us, believe that everyone should be free to get on their bike, why not tell someone who can make a difference? You can get behind The Times’ campaign here and sign Sustrans’ Free Range Kids pledge here

A portrait bench featuring life-sized portraits of the famous pair, alongside that of a saltworker to reflect the unique history and culture of Northwich, has been officially unveiled as part of a national art project from Sustrans.  Both stars have expressed delight at being chosen to appear on the bench.

Gary Barlow says; ‘When I was growing up in Cheshire I was outdoors a lot, either walking or on my bike.  This route will give local people, particularly a new generation of youngsters, the opportunity to be more active so it will be a huge asset to the area.  I’m delighted to be featured on the new artwork along the route and hope people feel inspired to use it regularly.’

Paula Radcliffe said; ‘I’m pleased to feature on the portrait bench.  I hope that it will encourage people to get out along the walking and cycling route and enjoy the health and wellbeing benefits that regular exercise brings.’

The three characters were selected as deserving local heroes to be immortalised in a portrait bench next to the River Dane after being nominated by local people.

The Riversdale bridge opened more than a year ago and is a quick and direct walking and cycling link between Greenbank and the Hartford Campus, and Leftwich and Sir John Deane’s College.

Peter Foster, Sustrans’ Director in the north west of England, says: ‘The bridge has given people more choice about how they make their local, daily journeys, meaning they can choose to leave their cars at home and walk or cycle instead.  Now that the portrait bench is in place, it is an even better experience with a unique, local significance.’

Local Councillor Helen Weltman said: “Cheshire West and Chester Council is delighted to work with Sustrans on this exciting project.  The portrait bench is a striking addition to the landscape.  As well as being a great place to relax and enjoy the surroundings, it is sure to be a real point of intrigue for passers-by.”

The Northwich portrait bench is one of around 80 other portrait benches being created along walking and cycling routes around the UK, each depicting characters relevant to their local area. 

It has been funded thanks to a grant awarded to Sustrans by the Big Lottery Fund, with the route and bench at Northwich led in partnership with Cheshire West and Chester Council.

Bike It, Sustrans' flagship schools programme, continues to demonstrate a powerful impact on levels of cycling to school. Just 2% of children in the UK cycle to school, even though half of them would like to. Bike It has consistently doubled levels of cycling to school, with one in four pupils cycling to school at least once every week. The results in some schools have been spectacular. Before Bike It at the Glebe Primary, Shoreham, 11% of pupils cycled to school regularly, increasing to 61% after two years. There was a tenfold increase in the percentage of pupils cycling to school every day, from 2.5% to 27%.  

This year, 78% of local authority representatives said that they thought Bike It had had a positive impact on the number of children cycling to school, and 94% thought that the programme had had at least some impact on reducing the levels of car use for school journeys. But does Bike It have an impact beyond the school gate? 94% of head teachers believe that pupils had become more physically active, and 59% thought it had increased engagement with parents, but we wanted to know more.

In order to investigate the potential secondary benefits of Bike It, Sustrans commissioned the Centre for Local Economic Strategies (CLES) to complete a two year independent evaluation of the programme. Interim results found that over one third of parents said their children were more physically active since participating in Bike It. Additionally, 30% of parents thought their children were generally healthier after Bike It and over a quarter felt that their children were more social. Parents were also asked about their own levels of activity since their children began Bike It: 14% said they were generally more physically active, and 12% said they were generally healthier.

The next stage will be further research with Bike It pupils and their parents to see if there is a similar impact across hundreds of other schools involved in Bike It. This will add to the findings of research undertaken by academics at the University of Essex in 2008 who found, by investigating pupils at Bike It schools, that children who cycle regularly tend to be more physically active than those who do not.

Given the long-established link between physical activity and children's lifelong health, the Chief Medical Officer's annual report last year called for "national targets ... to increase travel by bicycle eightfold". This evidence shows that the benefits of Bike It extend far beyond cycling, far beyond helping children to be active and healthy, and far beyond the school gate.

If you would like further information about the CLES evaluation please contact Ethel Sibanda in the Research and Monitoring Unit.

Sustrans Bike It regularly more than doubles cycling to school, which is good for children’s independence, congestion and carbon emissions.  However, to be sure about the health benefits we need to check that children aren’t just cycling to school in the place of some other form of physical activity.

So new work by researchers from two London universities, published in the journal Preventive Medicine, is very welcome.  They studied the behaviour of 8-13 year-olds, to look at whether children compensate for participating in physically active behaviours by reducing activity at other times or alternatively become more active at other times (activity synergy). 

The researchers found no evidence of activity compensation, indicating that “interventions increasing activity in specific behaviours may increase activity overall”.  Better still from an active travel point of view is their further report that “non-school active travel (a hitherto neglected behaviour) showed activity synergy with visiting friends and play” ⁽¹⁾.   This endorses the Free Range Kids philosophy – enabling children to do more active travel can lead them to play actively and socialise more.

In passing, the authors note that “children's active travel to play sessions also contrasts with their predominantly passive travel to structured sports, indicating wider potential health and environmental benefits of promoting unstructured physical activity”⁽²⁾.

Meanwhile, in the Journal of Physical Activity and Health, an international research group reports on the relationship between children’s cycling and cardio-vascular disease (CVD) over six years.  They found “a consistent pattern of better CVD risk factor profile in commuter cyclists compared with children using other means of transport”.

The authors also found much better CVD risk in children who had changed to the bicycle!  They say “participants who did not cycle to school at baseline and who had changed to cycling at follow up, were fitter, had better cholesterol/HDL ratio, better glucose metabolism, and a lower composite CVD risk factor score than those who did not cycle at either time point”⁽³⁾.  Who would not want those outcomes for children in their care? 

So, this week’s hot news is that you can benefit children’s health by helping them change to walking and cycling, active travel is associated with unstructured play, and the more they travel actively the more active they will be in general.  In other words:  Free Range is best…..

Sustrans’ Free Range Kids  campaign is putting pressure on local and national governments across the UK to create communities where children can travel more safely and independently, and play outdoors. The campaign calls for 20mph speed limits in residential areas and investment in walking and cycling routes, particularly to school – two important ways of making it possible for children to walk and cycle to school.

References

The evidence is growing that active children do better academically, and walking or cycling to school is the ideal way for them to be active

It has been thought since ancient times that a healthy body makes a healthy mind and that an active lifestyle supports learning.  More recently, evidence has begun to appear showing that an active lifestyle, in addition to combating the onset of conditions such as obesity and heart disease, can also contribute to improved cognition. 

In 2003, an analysis of literature found that time spent participating in physical activity is likely to benefit academic achievement⁽¹⁾.  This was followed by a study in Texas, in 2010, which looked at academic and fitness test records for over 250,000 students.  Their academic performance was related to cardiovascular fitness, independent of other socio-demographic and fitness variables.  It showed a dose-response association – the more active they were, the better the students performed.  The researchers concluded that fitness was strongly and significantly related to academic performance⁽²⁾.

Newly published is a robust review of 14 studies⁽³⁾. The authors found strong evidence that in young people as physical activity increases academic performance improves.  They recommend more high-quality studies on the dose response relationship between physical activity and academic performance and to understand the mechanisms of how physical activity impacts on academic performance. 

The four Chief Medical Officers of the UK recommend that children should be physically active for at least 60 minutes a day⁽⁴⁾.  Curriculum time pressures make it difficult to fit this into the school day, but of course the journey to or from school is an ideal opportunity.  This growing body of evidence strongly suggests that more should be done to promote walking and cycling to school.  Government policy should become much more explicit and directive in calling for active travel, the academic performance evidence backing up the existing strong pressures from the health sector.

Sustrans’ Free Range Kids  campaign is putting pressure on local and national governments across the UK to create communities where children can travel more safely and independently, and play outdoors. The campaign calls for 20mph speed limits in residential areas and investment in walking and cycling routes, particularly to school – two important ways of making it possible for children to walk and cycle to school.  

Dr Adrian Davis is an independent public health consultant. Summaries of Adrian’s essential evidence on the benefits of walking and cycling can be found on the Bristol City Council website.

References

(1)Sibley and Etnier, 2003 The relationship between physical activity and cognition in children: A meta-analysis, Pediatric Exercise Science, 15

(2)Van Dusen et al, 2011 Associations of physical fitness and academic performance among schoolchildren. J Sch Health. 81

New research findings from Sustrans provide “incredibly strong results showing the dramatic benefits in air quality on quietly trafficked and off road routes.”

A broad coalition of 10 organisations led by charity Sustrans has come together to call on the Mayor and all mayoral candidates to commit to a major increase in investment in walking and cycling as part of a wider approach to combating harmful emissions from road transport. Mayor Johnson has estimated some 4,300 deaths in London were attributable to long-term exposure to dangerous airborne particles in 2008 alone. Poor air quality is having a detrimental impact on the health and wellbeing of Londoners and this group led by Sustrans is calling for rapid and meaningful action.

A recent study conducted by Sustrans showed that the air quality on London Greenways (safe, quiet routes through parks, green spaces and lightly trafficked streets) was significantly better than on adjacent busy roads.  This not only showed the direct impact which motor traffic has on the quality of the air we breathe but also highlighted the wide range of benefits which come about through investment in walking and cycling infrastructure.

People in London must be warned about the dangers of invisible air pollution so they can protect themselves and reduce pollution for themselves and others.  The Mayor and mayoral candidates must commit to improving public understanding around air quality and help people to make choices which are better for them.

Investment in walking and cycling can help people to: get fitter and reduce levels of obesity; build skills and confidence among new and less experienced cyclists such as women, ethnic minorities and children; encourage people out of their cars; and reduce transport’s contribution to climate change. It also offers people who live in, work in or visit London a greener, cleaner choice of journey with less risk from air pollution.

The coalition of 10 organisations calls on the London Assembly to endorse the following motion:

“We call on the Mayor to commit to a major increase in investment in walking and cycling as part of wider approaches towards the reduction of harmful emissions from road transport.  We also call on the Mayor to make resources available for the education and involvement of communities in local air quality monitoring.”

Signed and supported by:

Sustrans

Association of Directors of Public Health (ADPH)

Campaign for Better Transport

Clean Air in London

Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH)

Environmental Protection UK (EPUK)

Healthy Air Campaign

London Play

Mapping for Change

Ramblers

The recently published Travel Actively Monitoring Report illustrates how the projects empower individuals and enable communities to deliver social, economic and health benefits. It demonstrates the excellent value for money provided and how hundreds of thousands of people have become more physically active through walking and cycling.

The report reveals that: 

• over 1.5 million people have been given the opportunity to become more physically active through daily travel choices
• over 337,000 people have increased their physical activity levels
• 296,400 people with common mental health problems now have increased awareness of opportunities to become more physically active through active travel
• over 3,800 people have volunteered.

Now Travel Actively is looking to the future. The projects offer solutions in a time of dwindling resources, strapped budgets and increasing obesity. During the coming year, in addition to working at the local level with community-led projects, Travel Actively will work with public health expert partners to develop recommendations for increasing walking and cycling.

As a starting point, we are calling on governments at all levels to: 

• put walking and cycling centre stage in transport, planning and public health policies and strategies – coordinated action through cross-sector working could make a real difference
• invest in walking and cycling – for ring-fenced budgets to be allocated by national government departments to enable local delivery of projects that increase walking and cycling levels and decrease car travel
• Department for Transport and Department of Health to renew the Active Travel Strategy – showcasing best practice project delivery and reinforcing the need for cross-sector working on transport and health at a local level.

Since 2008, Sustrans has been the lead partner of the Active Travel Consortium: a partnership of walking, cycling and health organisations from the third sector, committed to providing opportunities for 1.8 million people to become physically active through their daily travel choices.

Branded as Travel Actively and funded by £20 million from the Big Lottery Fund’s Well-being programme, the consortium deliver a portfolio of 50 projects, helping people in England to improve their health and well-being by providing the practical support they need to walk and cycle as part of their everyday lives.

The simple aim of The Big Lunch is to encourage as many people as possible across the whole of the UK to have lunch with their neighbours once a year for a few hours of community, friendship and fun.

The event can be anything from a few neighbours getting together in the garden or on the street, to a full blown party with food, music and decoration that quite literally stops the traffic.

Street parties are a great way of meeting your neighbours and creating a positive feeling of community where you live. Children will enjoy playing in a road without traffic or cars, adults can meet and chat and older people may like to share their memories of playing out when they were young.

You can even use your Big Lunch to raise money for Sustrans, where funds raised will go towards creating a world where kids can have the independence to travel freely and play outdoors every day.

In 2012, The Big Lunch is celebrating The Queen's Diamond Jubilee on Sunday 3 June, and a record number of people are expected to take part. And with two extra days off, there's even more reason to get involved!

There is loads of information and resources on The Big Lunch website to get you started with organising your event, including a free pack with invitations, recipe ideas, posters and much more. The Big Lunch is funded by The Big Lottery Fund and supported by MasterCard and Kingsmill.

Sustrans research on shoppers and how they travel has previously shown the importance of shopping areas for economic vitality, but also for the role that they play in community cohesion. It is clear from our research that retailers overestimate the importance of the car and how far their customers travel, with frequent calls for more car parking. However, with 36% of all journeys less than 2 miles being taken by car, there’s much opportunity to transform local travel by providing safe and convenient access and services that makes walking, cycling and public transport the obvious choice.

The Portas review put forward twenty eight recommendations for saving our high streets including several that Sustrans and others are working to take forward through the Sustainable Communities Act.  Proposals include supporting community use of empty business premises, increasing involvement in Neighbourhood Plans and giving councils powers to give business rate concessions to new local businesses.

Action needs to be taken now to stem the decline. More than 25,000 shops have closed since the millennium with the expansion of the major supermarkets now considered one of the biggest factors behind high street decline; while on our streets speeding traffic is reported to be among the biggest threats facing us. However, change can indeed happen, with impressive results when communities are enabled to design their own street as residents in Oxford proved when they created a new kind of 'people-friendly' street.   

Access to services continues to be a difficulty for many people in the UK and good quality walking and cycling routes such as those on the National Cycle Network are providing the seeds of change that could transform our towns and cities. Already the Network carries over 420 million trips each year and comes within a mile of 60% of the population in the UK, linking up with local networks to make walking and cycling not only possible, but pleasant and safe. As the Network continues to expand more local businesses are starting to reap the benefits of walking and cycling networks whether they are alongside tourist trails or in town or city networks.

We need to go further, much further - towards communities where children can be Free Range Kids. Towards change that supports communities made possible by bustling local high streets and towards a 2012 of hope and ambition as imagined  by the winners of Sustrans’ ‘My Dream Street’ competition - with roller coasters, dragons and chocolate waterfalls!

The latest report for the schools in Scotland that work with Sustrans, shows that the percentage of children cycling to school every day has more than doubled after involvement with the charity.

The number of children regularly cycling to school (at least once a week) has also increased, rising to 19.3 per cent. According to figures from the latest Hands Up Scotland survey, just two per cent of children in the country cycle to school as their main mode of transport.

John Lauder, Director of Sustrans Scotland believes that encouraging children to cycle and walk to school is an easy way of incorporating exercise into their daily routine. He comments, “Over the last thirty years, children’s opportunities to be active and travel independently on foot or bike have rapidly declined, recent figures from Scottish Government reflect this, so children are much less physically active, with the consequence that obesity rates among children are shockingly high.  

“Simply encouraging kids to choose an active way of getting to school will get them outdoors and exercising everyday, help them be more alert and ready to learn when they get to school and lead to a nation of healthier, more independent children. Crucially, it gives children the belief that exercise is something not restricted to organised PE in class.” 

The importance of a healthy and active lifestyle was highlighted earlier this month in the 2010 annual report¹ of the Chief Medical Officer, Sir Harry Burns, which reports that Scots children are still suffering from unacceptable levels of ill health caused by obesity and lack of exercise.

The Scottish Government is still planning significant cuts to active travel projects in its budget, and Sustrans is calling on Finance Minister John Swinney to reconsider after a recent committee report questioned the planned cuts².  It recommended the Scottish Government restored funding levels to their previous higher levels or risk adding to Scotland’s health problems.

Mr Lauder adds, “We need to continue the good work that has been carried out in schools over the last couple of years and would urge Head Teachers, Parent Councils and local authorities to get in touch and become a part of the project. Just a small amount of funding can make a huge difference to Scotland, engaging communities, preventing health issues and helping the environment.”

Sustrans piloted the I Bike project with a total of 24 schools in Edinburgh and Perth encouraging children to choose active methods of transport from a young age. The huge success of the pilot means that 57 schools are now engaged with Sustrans in Edinburgh, Perth and more recently, Fife.

Cycling officer’s lead the projects by working with teachers, parents, children and local authority staff, to help organise cycle training, organise events, deliver new bike sheds, contribute to classroom work and to provide information about safe routes to schools. The I Bike project has a particular focus on encouraging girls to cycle to school and also looks at the decline in children cycling to secondary school as they move on from primary school.

Results from the project show that the percentage of female pupils cycling to school every day increased from 0.7 per cent before the project to 4.5 per cent after engagement in the project. This increase was also reflected outside of the school run with the percentage of female secondary school pupils regularly cycling outside of school increasing by 41.6 percentage points whilst cycling amongst their primary counterparts increased by 30.2 percentage points.

Mr. Lauder adds, “Putting freedom back at the heart of childhood is a key part of our Free Range Kids campaign and our work in schools, which continues to lead the way as one of the UK’s most successful projects bringing about change in the travel behaviour of young people.”

Sustrans’ ‘Free Range Kids’ campaign aims to create environments that encourage independent, active children. It calls for area-wide 20mph speed limits in residential and built up areas and investment from government in safe routes to make walking and cycling the norm for local journeys, particularly the school run.

To support the campaign, find out how free range your kids are and find out information and advice on how kids can be more active everyday, go to www.sustrans.org.uk/freerangekids

Download the 'Increasing cycling to school and beyond' report here.  To find out more about Sustrans work with schools please email Schools-scotland@sustrans.org.uk or call 0131 346 1384. 

NOTES

1. http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/365208/0124172.pdf .  Annual Report of Chief Medical Officer 2010. Health in Scotland 2010 Assets for Health. ISBN: 978-1-78045-584-6

2. http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/S4_FinanceCommittee/Reports/fir-11-03-vol2.pdf - Scottish Parliament Finance Committee report, active travel budgets highlighted on page 157.

Sustrans Scotland is the charity that’s enabling people to travel by foot, bike or public transport for more of the journeys we make every day. It’s time we all began making smarter travel choices. Make your move and support Sustrans Scotland today. www.sustrans.org.uk 

I Bike is a Sustrans Scotland cycling project taking place in schools in Edinburgh, Perth and Kirkcaldy. I Bike aims to increase the number of young people who cycle to school and for other journeys.  It is a partnership between Sustrans, Bike Hub and Local Authorities.

Sustrans Scotland is calling on the Scottish Government to invest in delivering the sustainable transport targets in the Climate Change Act, which includes delivering the Cycling Action Plan for Scotland (CAPS) – the target of which is for 10% of trips to be by bike by 2020. 

Sustrans believes every child deserves to be free range, with freedom from their front door to explore, play outdoors, and make their own way to school and beyond.  Find out more, join in and speak out for Free Range Kids at www.sustrans.org.uk/freerangekids

Congestion on the road network in London is a worsening problem, estimated to cost £20bn by 2025. A London Assembly Transport Committee investigation earlier this year revealed that congestion on London’s roads could increase by 20 per cent in the next two decades and that more than 30 per cent of road traffic is confined to just 5 per cent of the road network.

Carl Pittam, Sustrans London Director said ‘Road congestion in London is a problem which will only get worse as the population grows and which desperately needed an urgent review to ensure that road pricing benefits the suburbs as well as the centre.

‘The central congestion charge zone has proven to be a very successful way of rebalancing streets and making the best use of the limited road space available, but London deserves so much more. As the capital continues to grow, we now need to look at new ways of making a city fit for the 21^st century and tackling congestion must be a priority for all of London. This report from commissioned by the Green Party is the first of many steps towards making London work better.’

In July 2011 Sustrans launched ‘A quality of life manifesto for transport in our capital’. The manifesto contained a checklist of six policy actions including a review of congestion charging to look at the potential for a more sophisticated model that extends beyond the central charging zone, to tackle congestion where it is most severe.

Download ‘A quality of life manifesto for transport in our capital’

The majority of transport spending has been detailed in the National Infrastructure Plan 2011 which states that an eye watering £30 billion will be made available for investment in infrastructure. However, £25 billion of this is dependent on the Conservatives winning the next election and pension funds holding true to their promise of loaning from their reserves. 

Transport investment announced has prioritised investment in infrastructure – providing funding for 18 road projects, including 11 new bypasses and link roads, many of which are being actively opposed by Sustrans. Also under consideration is potential expansion of UK airports with the exception of Heathrow. Sadly, but unsurprisingly, investment in infrastructure such as Sustrans National Cycle Network did not feature – investment that could boost the economy by reducing congestion, protecting our environment and improving people’s health. 

On the positives, there has been recognition that rail and bus are vital for many people across the country with investment in upgrades for both.  Welcome news came for rail commuters as plans were scrapped that would of seen further increases in rail fares.    

The winners in the Autumn budget statement were undoubtedly, the business sector. Large profits will be made through the expansion of roads and airports and from a cancellation of the planned fuel duty rise planned for January. To further assist development a review of laws protecting England's wildlife and places of natural beauty will proceed with a view to reducing the burdens on businesses.

In addition to the investment in infrastructure it is perhaps the localism agenda which may in the long term to have more long lasting effect. New powers for England’s 8 largest cities outside of London have been announced to accompany the Autumn Budget Statement together with money for them to do with as they see fit.  However, recent Sustrans research revealed that local authorities in England are simply not prioritising investment in local sustainable travel – as low as 0.6% of their transport budget in one case.

To shift decisions towards smarter travel - sign and encourage others to sign the Sustrans Free Range Kids pledge to urge national governments across the UK to create communities fit for a 21st century where children can travel safely and independently, and play outdoors. Only then will we be able to boost our economy while tackling climate change and improving local travel choices.

Sustrans had encouraged the Northern Ireland Executive to include such targets and now the Draft Programme for Government states that the Executive wants 36% of all primary school pupils and 22% of all post-primary pupils to be walking or cycling to school by 2015.

At present, just 32% of primary school children and 21% of secondary school pupils in Northern Ireland use an active mode of travel to commute to school, compared to half of all primary school children and two-fifths of all secondary school pupils in Great Britain.

Sustrans has previously worked with a number of rural schools in Northern Ireland to encourage walking and cycling to and from school. The number of children walking and cycling to school has increased from 25% to 38%, alongside a reduction in those being driven to school to 50% from almost two-thirds.

The inclusion of this target is a welcome recognition of the importance of school travel, and the Executive now needs to put in place the appropriate investment to ensure the targets for increasing walking and cycling are achieved, or even surpassed.

With the Irish government having withdrawn its immediate funding for the A5 road upgrade, it seems likely there will now be approximately £400 million of additional funds for capital investment available to the Northern Ireland Executive over the next three years.  The Executive must now look at how the money can be spent to transform the way people travel for their local journeys.

Sustrans is also delivering the first phase of a new project linking communities on the east of the River Foyle to the city’s new Peace Bridge, allowing more residents to walk and cycle for their journey into town every day.

It’s crucial that the city develops more links that enable residents to utilise the fantastic new crossing of the Foyle, reducing congestion and leading to a healthier and more active Derry/Londonderry.

Today [Friday 9 December, 2011] more than 250 children from Maes yr Haul Primary School in Bridgend cycled to school to celebrate the national launch of the project. A similar event took place at Ysgol Corn Hir in Llangefni.

Mr Jones stressed the importance of getting children cycling to school as part of the Welsh Government's efforts to improve health and tackling the school run.  The First Minister is committed to introducing a law to make Wales the first country in the world to have a legal duty to develop and maintain a network of routes for walking and cycling.

He said; “This work in schools is a win-win for everyone. It gets our children on their bikes and exercising, while also easing congestion on our roads. That is why we are proud to provide financial support and wish the project all the best as it spreads across Wales.”

Sustrans is working with 72 schools across Wales to boost the number of children who cycle to school. The charity knows that almost half of all children want to cycle to school, yet just two per cent actually do. Each school has its own Sustrans Bike It officer who devises a tailor made programme focusing on particular barriers which are preventing children from cycling to school.

After a successful pilot project in schools in north and south Wales, Sustrans work with schools has now expanded to five local authorities across the country.  £250,000 support from the Welsh Government for the project demonstrates the wide benefits of tackling the school run and getting children more active.

Sustrans Cymru Director Lee Waters said, “With support and encouragement for schools we have been able to demonstrate that it is possible to reduce congestion on the school run by getting children travelling in ways which benefit their health and the environment. We are thrilled to be able to spread that successful approach across Wales. The pilot project has been a huge success, we’re extremely pleased to have been awarded the funding to enable us to roll the project out to other areas in Wales.”

Sustrans’ ‘Free Range Kids’ campaign aims to create environments that encourage independent, active children. It calls for area-wide 20mph speed limits in residential and built up areas and investment from government in safe routes to make walking and cycling the norm for local journeys, particularly the school run.

To support the campaign, find out how free range your kids are and find out information and advice on how kids can be more active everyday, go to www.sustrans.org.uk/freerangekids

"Dunbar is a small town, and many of us moved here because of the connections to Edinburgh and London provided by the East Coast Mainline. The railway line has another hidden advantage, splitting the town in two and making the driving route from one side to the other circuitous. The three main access points under the railway are for pedestrians and cyclists only and this has been crucial to the initial success of our cycling campaigns - it really is faster and easier to cycle. Now so many folk from so many different backgrounds have taken up cycling, our campaigns make sense to many of those who might previously only have been drivers.

Sustaining Dunbar is a local charity which is working to strengthen our friendly local community and helping it to weather the storms of future environmental change. My role is to promote sustainable transport generally and this year I have been focusing on cycling projects. I live in the town and have three children who go to school here. Over the years I've been involved with promoting cycling to the primary school via Walk to School Week and other initiatives. At the local primary school, more than 60% of children now regularly walk and cycle to school, and the adults are following suit.

However, as my eldest has just started at secondary school, I'm now facing up to the challenge of encouraging teenagers to keep cycling. On the face of it, this shouldn't be too difficult. Cycling is an affordable, convenient mode of transport which allows teenagers to be independent of their parents; in practice we all know they don't see it like this. My son starts his commute on his bike, but only until he meets up with some friends, at which point he gets off and walks with them. There is a social aspect to walking and talking which appeals to teenagers making new friendships. I also admit to feeling some anxiety these cold December nights as he cycles home at 4pm in the dark.

So for me personally, the 20's Plenty for Dunbar campaign is about making sure the streets where I live are safe enough for my 12-year-old to cycle independently. He needs to get himself home from school and I don't want him mixing with traffic travelling at 30mph. 

It is about recognising that the streets are for everyone and that we can share them on equal terms. Just because cars are bigger and faster doesn't mean they should take precedence and we need to welcome other ways of getting about - walking, scooters, bikes - where folk can make eye contact and pass the time of day. It is also about seeing the space between our houses as communal social space rather than a thoroughfare.

The campaign is part of a national movement calling on the government to introduce a default mandatory 20mph limits on all streets where people live (with exceptions where these can be justified), but I'm calling on local drivers to start behaving as though these limits are already in place to make the streets safer starting from today."

For more information about car sharing schemes, including hints and tips for creating your own one, contact Morag.

Sustrans' Free Range Kids campaign is calling for 20mph speed limits in residential areas and investment in walking and cycling routes, especially to school. Make our call for these two fundamental requirements impossible to ignore by signing the pledge.

Have you had similar experiences in your area? Please share your thoughts by leaving a comment below - we'd love to hear from you!

UCycle Nottingham¹ and UTravel Active Leeds², both partnerships between Sustrans and a number of other organisations, show that cycling has increased by 38 per cent among staff at the University of Nottingham over the last two years and by as much as 66 per cent in Leeds over the last four years.

Malcolm Shepherd, Sustrans’ Chief Executive, said: ‘What these two projects have shown is that people are willing to travel by bike for their local, daily journeys if only they are given the right spaces, encouragement and information to do so.  Thanks to Sustrans and our partners, people in Leeds and Nottingham now have more opportunities to be regularly active, and enjoy all the health benefits that brings.’

The projects have provided a fleet of hire bikes in both cities, cycle training and bike maintenance sessions, advice on planning the safest cycle routes, group rides and more.

Ellis Broomhall uses the bike hire scheme to make daily journeys from his home in the Forest Fields area of the city, to study at Nottingham Trent University.  He said, ‘The bike hire scheme is so easy, I can just grab a bike when I need one, and don’t have to worry about the security of having a personal bike on campus.’

Krystel Shelmerdine (28) a second year postgraduate student at Leeds University, has been taking cycling lessons as part of the project.  She says: ‘After just three lessons I’m already thinking ahead to how I can use my new bike.  I aim to cycle regularly to my work placement next spring.  I currently do the trip by car but it’s only three-and-a-half miles so it is easily doable by bike.  It means I’ll be fitting exercise naturally into my day, which is important as I’m really busy.’

Key Statistics

Nottingham

61 per cent of people replaced at least one mile of car travel per week with walking or cycling

56 per cent increase in cycling levels reported in travel surveys at Nottingham University Hospitals

570 tonnes of carbon saved by decrease in regular car journeys among staff at all three sites

Leeds

66 per cent increase in cycling levels

36 per cent have reduced their car travel by at least a mile a day

The proportion of students that never drive doubled

Notes

1. UCycle Nottingham is a partnership between Sustrans and Nottingham University, Nottingham Trent University and the University Hospitals NHS Trust and the Greater Nottingham Transport Partnership. The project will continue thanks to Nottingham City Council’s successful bid to the government’s Local Sustainable Transport Fund.

2. UTravel Active Leeds is a lottery-funded project and a partnership between Sustrans and Leeds City Council, working with University of Leeds, Leeds Metropolitan University, Leeds Trinity University College and Leeds Teaching Hospital Trust.  It has included a fleet of around 400 Velocampus Leeds hire bikes.

Pupils from Pantysgallog Primary School have joined Sustrans and Merthyr Tydfil CBC to officially open the new Pengarnddu Bridge on the Heads of the Valleys walking and cycling route.

The traffic-free bridge crosses an extremely busy road at Dowlais Top and will make it safer and more pleasant for pupils and others living nearby to walk and cycle more for their everyday journeys. 

Sustrans has been working in Pantysgallog Primary since September to encourage pupils to do the school journey on foot or bike, meaning they are more active, healthy and independent, as well as arriving at school more alert and ready to learn. 

Lee Waters, Sustrans Cymru Director, said: ‘Merthyr Tydfil is a great example of the importance of creating safer and more desirable space for people to walk and cycle in, then working to encourage people in the area to use it. 

‘At Pantysgallog Primary and other schools in Merthyr Tydfil, Sustrans is already helping children to make different choices about how they travel to school.  We’re giving them the skills and confidence to walk and cycle more, and creating exemplary routes like the Pengarnddu Bridge to do it on.’

The bridge forms part of the Heads of the Valleys walking and cycling route - National Cycle Network Route 46 – so as well as being a great resource for local journeys, it will be part of what promises to be a popular leisure ride from Pontwalby in Neath to the market town of Abergavenny.

Councillor Jeff Edwards, says: ‘Tourism and Healthy lifestyles are two important priorities for the Council and the investment made by Sustrans in the Pengarnddu Bridge in creating a safer walkway and cycle track will encourage greater usage by both visitors and local people, with positive benefits for the community.’  

The Pengarnddu Bridge was developed in partnership with Sustrans using funding from the Welsh Government via the Heads of the Valleys Programme. The bridge is part of an ongoing project delivered by Sustrans and local authorities that will see the creation of an additional 100 miles of new walking and cycling paths across the south Wales Valleys.

To plan a journey along walking and cycling routes in south Wales, visit www.routes2ride.org.uk/wales

But, of all the children's bikes on the market, which are the best? 

Well, Sustrans and the UK’s top cycling website Bike Radar sought advice from the experts by asking a panel of six junior school pupils from Bristol to ride and rate seven children's bikes.  Find out which bikes and how they fared  

The panellists were (above, from left to right) Arpita, Yovi, Lauren, Mani, Sadie and Kezia from years 4, 5 and 6 at St Matthias and Dr Bell's CofE VA Primary School and Chester Park Junior school, both in Bristol.  Sustrans already works in both schools encouraging the pupils to do the school journey on foot and bike.

The children spent a crisp winter afternoon cycling each of the seven bikes on the Bristol and Bath Railway path – a traffic-free part of the National Cycle Network – and really putting them through their paces.  We asked them to score each bike out of 3, tell us what they liked and disliked about each bike, what they would change and what their mates would think of it. One bike came out on top, with the panellists saying of it:

Mani: ‘I love that you can go really fast on this one.’

Yovi: ‘It's great, the only thing I would change is the name - it should be called “Speedster” or something.’

Arpita: ‘I love the colour. But I think my friends might say it looks boyish.’

Kezia: ‘It feels really smooth to ride.  Can I have another go?’

So, which bike were they talking about?  Read the Bike Radar article to find out and see how the other bikes fared.

We’re also giving you an exciting chance to win a brand new bike from the makers of the winning bike in our test.  All you need to do is encourage the children in your life to join in with Sustrans' winter competition to design up to two bike stickers.  Entries close on 18 January, 2012. 

If you’re not in the market for a new bike right now then discover some of the other great Christmas presents for kids and some top tips for getting children cycling. 

Merry Christmas!