campaigning for proper cycle training

[will]

Ref recent posts in the thread initiated by Tim about 'facilities' (under the 'general discussion' ).

See a contribution below, because maybe this topic should belong to CAMPAIGNING :


Do you or anyone on this forum know what the current proficiency tests consist of nowadays? If there is a CTC official reading this can they give us info about these so-called proficiency tests and also let us know what if anything is being proposed by CTC Scotland for proper cycle training for adults and children in Scotland?will

[Cyclemadliz]

No replys at all to this Will?

I share your interest in the cycling proficiency and have done a little digging. What was the cycling proficiency is now the "Scottish Cycle Training Scheme" (SCTS) and is run in schools through the road safety officers in the police. Generally, enthusiastic parents deliver the training and then a road safety officer comes along and tests the kids.

There is no consistency between schools in one city, never mind across the whole of Scotland as to how, when and where this is delivered. Some do it in P6, others P7. Some do it over a course of afternoons in one week, others do one afternoon a week for a few weeks.

I contacted CTC Scotland regarding this at the start of April (2009, in case this post goes unnoticed for months) and was told that a positive announcement was due very soon. Thankfully, I didn't hold my breath, as that was 7 weeks ago.

I'd love to be involved in helping further this, but I am consistently banging my head against a brick wall. I think the crux of the matter is coordination (or lack of) between CTC Scotland and Cycling Scotland.

Would be interested to hear if you (or anyone else that may be reading this) has got any further?

[will]

No reply except for yours.

''.... cycling proficiency is run in schools through the road safety officers in the police. Generally, enthusiastic parents deliver the training and then a road safety officer comes along and tests the kids..''

This is worse than no training. Police ''road safety officers'' know absolutely nothing about the skills required for confident safe cycling in traffic. They are car drivers and probably never ride a bike. Reports in any local newspaper about kids being taught ''cycling safety'' suggest that it's only about promoting basic maintenence like lights, and no doubt indoctrination about helmets. Thats about it and mirroring what ''enthusiastic parents'' know ie less than nothing!

As far as I can tell in Scotland there is not only no worthwhile cycle training in here, but not even any cycle ''campaigning'' as I understand the meaning of this as exists in the active campaigns you will find in many English cities where activists are often also CTC members and active ''Right to Ride Reps'' eg see http://www.bristolcyclingcampaign.org.uk/

I have also tried to find out if Scotland has anything resembling the English CTC ''Right to Ride'' system of reps etc.

Apparently not.

Cycling in Scotland seems to be only about the concept of cycling as leisure or sport-not about cycling as a mode of transport and vital for environmental reasons.

No replys at all to this Will?

I share your interest in the cycling proficiency and have done a little digging. What was the cycling proficiency is now the "Scottish Cycle Training Scheme" (SCTS) and is run in schools through the road safety officers in the police. Generally, enthusiastic parents deliver the training and then a road safety officer comes along and tests the kids.

There is no consistency between schools in one city, never mind across the whole of Scotland as to how, when and where this is delivered. Some do it in P6, others P7. Some do it over a course of afternoons in one week, others do one afternoon a week for a few weeks.

I contacted CTC Scotland regarding this at the start of April (2009, in case this post goes unnoticed for months) and was told that a positive announcement was due very soon. Thankfully, I didn't hold my breath, as that was 7 weeks ago.

I'd love to be involved in helping further this, but I am consistently banging my head against a brick wall. I think the crux of the matter is coordination (or lack of) between CTC Scotland and Cycling Scotland.

Would be interested to hear if you (or anyone else that may be reading this) has got any further?

What a shame.

[chainstay]

This is a complex subject, but I want to pick up on a few points. The right to ride the network extends over the whole of the UK, and most Scottish areas do have a contact. The best way to find the list is to go to our website (click on the logo at the top left of the page of this forum) and select "campaigning" and then "list of rights to ride reps"). It's true that there are not many cycle campaign groups outside CTC in Scotland. I only know of 4 - the Perth cycle campaign, Highland cycle campaign, GoBike in Glasgow and Spokes in Edinburgh (but the latter has over 1000 members).

CTC Scotland , together with CTC UK, is involved in negotiations with cycling Scotland on the subject of cycle training but there have been delays both in getting agreement as to the content and method, and getting support from local authorities, and in getting finance. It is not true that nothing is happening, just that there is not much progress. We do have one member of the committee of CTC Scotland , who is very active in the current process of trying to set up a cycle training group.

I have to admit that right to ride reps are generally more concerned with road infrastructure than with user training, though, that is not universally the case. Even cycle campaigning groups have tended to shy away from getting involved with training, possibly because of the continuing stonewalling that they get from schools and local authorities, and sometimes the police and road safety people. Where there is training it is usually as a result of strong activity by enthusiastic parents. The shining example is the school cycle train at St Matthew's Bishopbriggs (put "school cycle train Bishopbriggs" into any search engine and you get about 20 hits).