Having been a cyclist since the age of 11, I know how easy it would be to get young people to get out and cycle, and how safe. Well, the answer, to both is “not very”.
Young people can be stubborn to motivate, and no one person can force them to cycle. Parents have been blamed for their children’s obesity, but in my opinion, the government are just being hypocrites. The Government say they want to cut down on child obesity, (and by the way, they only came up with the idea after TV Chef Jamie Oliver’s campaign), but I think it’s all mouth and no action. When push comes to a shove, can they really do as they say they’re going to? In my view, no!
Back in June, Alexander Douglas, Transport Secretary, said, “If we can get young people into cycling early, with a strong focus on safety, there are real potential benefits”. He’s right about that; there will be potential benefits such as fitness, weight loss and getting young people out of doors. But I think there are some more issues that need to be considered before the government spends £15 million on this cycling initiative. If teens are not motivated by the plan in place, then he’ll just be chucking away government money.
What I’m afraid of is that teenagers could put themselves in danger by cycling on city streets, especially if they’re using their bikes to get to school or college during rush hour. The government don’t seem to have any back-up plan: if a young person gets knocked over, where’s the accident insurance?
And it’s not just young people that could become a problem. How will motorists and pedestrians react to hoards of teenagers cycling on the road and maybe the pavement? People tend to have quite a negative view of cyclists already, and maybe we need to challenge those attitudes before encouraging lots of young people to cycle.
The space available for cycling and the laws about the correct clothing could also become issues. Parents won’t be prepared to fork out for special cycling gear, as well as the bikes themselves, if their children don’t seem keen.
All these problems don’t make the outlook very promising. And they’re still saying we’re better off by bike! Hmm...
About this team
This story was written by Lathaniel Dyer, 16, and edited by Ella Parry-Davies, 17. It was published on the Reach for the Sky website.
