Five thousand Buckinghamshire school children are set to benefit from increased road safety training thanks to £200,000 worth of funding that’s on its way to the county.
The money comes after Transport for Buckinghamshire successfully bid for it, by showing the Department for Transport that they could deliver Bikeability cycle training to youngsters.
£180,000 will come from DFT, with an additional £20,000 on its way from Buckinghamshire County Council.
The grant will be used to deliver both Level 2 on road training for children aged 9 to 14, and Level 3, advanced cycling for children of secondary school age, who have already completed Level 2.
Peter Hardy, Buckinghamshire County Council Cabinet Member for Transportation, said: “We have an excellent track record in delivering Bikeability cycle training and this has been recognised by the Government in providing us with this funding from April. Bikeability provides local school children with essential cycling skills and road safety awareness.”
Bikeability is a national initiative offering “cycling proficiency” for the 21st century which has been adopted by Bucks County Council as the cycle training standard in the County.
It provides trainees with a real cycling experience to equip them to confidently deal with traffic on short journeys such as cycling to school. The aim is to encourage greater use of cycling as a sustainable form of transport in order to reduce traffic congestion and carbon emissions.
Additional information can be found at www.buckscc.gov.uk/bcc/transport/cycle_training.page or call 01494 586639.