Christmas bikes, stupid parents, and cycling proficiency?
Discussion
Came very close to an eight year old becoming a bonnet ornament this morning. He shot straight out of a side road on the wrong side of the road, straight at me. Fortunately, as it was a built up area, I was only doing about 20mph and stopped quick enough for the child to swerve around me on his shiny new bike (he couldn't stop, and passed me on the wrong side).
So do parents just give "young Jimmy" a new bike for Christmas and wave him off as he pedals up the road completely oblivious to any sort of road safety?
And does the cycling proficiency test still exist? I had to do one before my parents let me out on the roads on my bike but I've not heard mention of it for years.
So do parents just give "young Jimmy" a new bike for Christmas and wave him off as he pedals up the road completely oblivious to any sort of road safety?
And does the cycling proficiency test still exist? I had to do one before my parents let me out on the roads on my bike but I've not heard mention of it for years.
See my thread on the issue http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=105... training now based on a few ideas from a loony left council rather than the Highway Code.
Young kids are unlikely to be offered any sort of cycling training any more. The Junior/middle school my boys went to actively discouraged kids from cycling as it is (and I quote from memory here) 'dangerous and likely to lead to injury'. No bikes allowed in school.
So instead of a nice bike ride to school my kids had a long ish walk instead. Not a big problem but a bit daft.
Now they are both at secondary (or whatever its called now) and even before starting at school they went in for a half day of cycling training both on the premises and out on the roads to gain their cycling certificate. The cert means they can cycle to school and have their bikes securely stored on site during the day.
Funny thing is these schools with opposite views on cycle safety are about 200 metres apart.
So instead of a nice bike ride to school my kids had a long ish walk instead. Not a big problem but a bit daft.
Now they are both at secondary (or whatever its called now) and even before starting at school they went in for a half day of cycling training both on the premises and out on the roads to gain their cycling certificate. The cert means they can cycle to school and have their bikes securely stored on site during the day.
Funny thing is these schools with opposite views on cycle safety are about 200 metres apart.
Jasandjules said:
Isnt't that simply modern parenting? It's someone else's job to teach them how to ride safely?
Having seen the state of some parents' driving, cycling, and even walking, it has to be said that it's a mercy that some of them DON'T teach their kids ANYTHING. Having said that, I travelled from Farnborough to Woking today for the Big Boxing Day Derby ('Boro lost 1-0), and took a bit of a meandering route. Plenty of 'Christmas Bikes' out and about, and a fair few were kids out with dads, and whole family groups. These groups, on the whole, were better behaved than adults-only groups. One kid out on what looked like a first ride on a new roadie was being well chaperoned and shielded by more experienced riders front and rear, although he wobbled a lot and it looked like the bike was too big for him.Of greater importance, in my opinion, were the large numbers of drivers who seem to have absolutely no freakin' idea of how to approach or pass a cyclist safely. This is particularly noticeable in the rear-view mirror, when I have executed a deliberately wide overtake, using the opposite lane and indicators to make it obvious what is ahead, then I glance back to find the following driver cutting too close to the cyclist, and failing to indicate around, thereby leaving traffic following THEM completely in the dark as to what is coming up. Plenty of inappropriate overtaking on bends and across contradictory road markings too.
Off topic, I know, but I was overtaken by a fake M3 bimmer today. I was already a teensy bit above the 40mph limit, but he still felt the need to go past at a solid white line through a series of bends. Further ahead, I caught up with him, as he had come upon two cars together (his awesome driving skill obviously extended to passing only one car at a time). Later, he pulled the same stunt again, on another bend on which any sane driver would not have passed. Where the feck can anyone be going on Boxing Day that requires a style of driving likely to endanger the lives of others?? Surely it's just not worth the risk.
XitUp said:
I was one of two in my year who failed the cycling proficiency thing.
I was having too much fun doing skids. I make the girl who failed cry by taking the piss about it too.
20 odd years later I don't think it's made that much impact.
Haha I only got a silver award as I was "to confident on my bike". She upset me when she said my speacalized P1 wasn't as good as a Duel Shock Raleigh! As I only had a rear brake. So to show how good I was on my bike I wheelied the hole corse and popped an endo at every junction. I will never forgot going past Fiona wobbling along like she had shat her self, me shouting go faster it will be easier. Then getting fed up popped a manual and went gliding past.I was having too much fun doing skids. I make the girl who failed cry by taking the piss about it too.
20 odd years later I don't think it's made that much impact.
I was about 3 1/2 when my dad taught me to ride on 2 wheels, he took me to the local park were the was a steep but short inbankment, So there I was on my little 12", bike feet at quater to three and he pushed me down. After a few goes he got me to pedal and Hay Presto riding on 2 wheels. If you did that now you would be locked away for child abuse.
" story! 
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