Children’s bicycle education is an important part of the school curriculum in countries with high rates of cycle participation and safety. The numbers of children travelling to school by bicycle has fallen dramatically over the last three decades and bicycle education is an essential requirement in any effort to reverse this trend. The following links provide information on the various bicycle education courses available around Australia:
Australia
- Cycling Promotion Fund
Child safety and bike riding
Highlights the importance of children’s participation in cycling and what can be done to help ensure cycling is a safe, enjoyable experience. This document provides useful advice for parents and carers on frequently asked cycling questions.
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- AustCycle - Cycle Proficiency Training
AustCycle’s aim is to deliver high quality cycling training, by accredited Teachers (trainers) to Australians of all ages so that they can ride further, more often, more confidently and more safely. This will result in healthier, happier Australians and a safer, cleaner environment.
AustCycle is a joint venture between the Amy Gillett Foundation, the Bicycle Federation of Australia and Cycling Australia.
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New South Wales
- Roads and Traffic Authority
- Bicycle education
Provides a list of contacts for bicycle education programs and centres across metropolitan and regional NSW.
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- Bicycle education
Queensland
- Queensland Transport
- Bicycle education
This webpage provides introductory information and relevant links to bicycle education programs and resources for Queensland.
Visit Site - Cycling: a guide for parents and carers, 2001, Queensland Government.
This guide outlines basic cycle safety information useful for parents and carers, as well as contact information for Bike Ed programs in Queensland.
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- Bicycle education
South Australia
- Department for Transport, Energy and Infrastructure
- Bike Ed Program
Bike Ed is the national bicycle education program and is designed for primary school children.
Visit Site - Safe Routes to School Program
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- Bike Ed Program
Tasmania
- Cycling South
- Cycle training courses
This webpage outlines a range of bicycle training courses on offer in Tasmania, including beginners, intermediate and commuter courses.
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- Cycle training courses
Victoria
- Bicycle Victoria
- Bicycle education for children and adults
This short document provides a brief overview of the importance of bicycle education programs, an explanation of Bike Ed and Cycle On, as well as a list of Victorian based cycle education providers.
View PDF - Traffic schools, 2006, Bicycle Victoria, Melbourne.
This document provides an explanation of traffic schools and their locations across Victoria.
View PDF - Education programs
This page provides a general overview of bicycle education, with useful links. TravelSmart (VIC), website, TravelSmart Education
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- Bicycle education for children and adults
- TravelSmart
- This webpage outlines the Victorian Government’s TravelSmart Education program; run in two separate streams, schools and universities.
- Education links - Visit Site
- School Travel Planning Guide - Visit Site
- National Ride2school Day - Visit Site
- Education links - Visit Site
- This webpage outlines the Victorian Government’s TravelSmart Education program; run in two separate streams, schools and universities.
- Environment Victoria
- Families of the future - cycling with kids
Introductory courses on family cycling for parents of young children and children riding together.
Visit Site - Walk and Ride Wednesday
Evaluation of a pilot project funded by Environmnet Victoria, Shire of Melton and the Australian Government Department of the Environment and Heritage - getting school aged children to walk and cycle to school.
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- Families of the future - cycling with kids
Western Australia:
- Department for Planning and Infrastructure (WA)
- Teaching a child to ride should be done in steps, Cycling fact sheet No. 15, Government of Western Australia. This document provides an outline of the steps involved in helping children to begin to ride.
View PDF - Children really benefit from riding to school, Cycling fact sheet No. 35, Government of Western Australia. This document provides helpful tips to parents interested in enabling their children to ride safely to school.
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- Teaching a child to ride should be done in steps, Cycling fact sheet No. 15, Government of Western Australia. This document provides an outline of the steps involved in helping children to begin to ride.
New Zealand:
- NZ Transport Agency
- NZ Transport Agency (2008) Cyclist skills training - A guide for the set-up and delivery of cyclist training in New Zealand, Prepared by Opus International Consultants Ltd
The guidelines have been adapted to suit the New Zealand environment from the UK Bikeability programme established on behalf of Cycling England. These guidelines have been evaluated as best practice, particularly for providing practical cycling skills on the road.
View PDF - NZ Transport Agency (2008) "Cyclist skills training: Summary of the guide",
Cyclist skills training: A guide for the set-up and delivery of cyclist training in New Zealand outlines:- a consistent ‘best practice’ approach for the delivery of cyclist skills training in New Zealand
- the cyclist skill sets (or outcomes) that need to be achieved at each level of training.
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- NZ Transport Agency (2008) Cyclist skills training - A guide for the set-up and delivery of cyclist training in New Zealand, Prepared by Opus International Consultants Ltd
- Christchurch City Council
- Cycle Safe Christchurch
Cycle Safe Christchurch is a cycling program operating in Christchurch for school pupils in grade 6.
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- Cycle Safe Christchurch
International:
- Bike Education Program Triples Cycling Rates in Schools
Sami Grover, 23 January 2010, USA: TreeHugger - Cars & Transportation (bikes)
From bike traffic schools in Santa Cruz to bike commuter guides, a little education can go a long way in helping people overcome their fear of adopting two-wheeled traffic. (Let's not forget the one most important tip for staying safe on a bike either!) But an innovative program in North Wales seems to be way out in front in getting people to rethink the bike. It's even claiming a three-fold increase in the number of kids cycling to school!
Visit Site - School transport management: encouraging alternatives to driving to school
Litman, T., 2007, Victoria Transport Policy Institute, Canada.
This section of the TDM Encyclopedia Visit Site provides useful information, including many hyperlinks, for those wishing to reduce car trips to school by making it safer and more enjoyable to cycle.
Visit Site - Cycle Training Standards Board
The Cycle Training Standards Board (CTSB) was formed in February 2007 by the Department for Transport as the custodian body of the National Standards for Cycle Training. The National Standards are the Government approved standards for cycle training. The CTSB replaces the development group, which over the last four years has developed and refined The National Standards.
Visit Site - Bikeability Website
Bikeability is a brand new cycling award scheme which before long will have thousands of children whizzing about on their bikes and pedalling their way to success.
Visit Site - P.S.76 Bike Rodeo
Robin Urban Smith (2008) StreetFilms (2:50 mins)
Students at P.S. 76, the Bennington School, in the Bronx, celebrated the completion of a month long physical education unit on bike safety and riding by holding a schoolyard bike "rodeo" on Wednesday.
Visit Site - Tips for Teaching / Learning to Bicycle
Mozer, D. IBike
The traditional method of teaching a kid to bicycle was to run along side them holding them up-right and pushing them until they final did it under their own power and coordination. A tool to help with this is the " EZ-Bar". More on common mistakes while teaching bicycling.
Visit Site - Infant / Baby / Kid; Bicycle, Trailer
Mozer, D. Backpack, Child Carrier, Helmet & Bike Safety
The primary determinant of when an infant can join his or her parents on bike rides is the strength of the the child's neck. Because of the jostling and the additional weight of a helmet (8-10 oz.), this is a few months after a baby can first hold their head up. Note: Some jurisdictions have laws requiring passengers on bicycles to be at least one year old.
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