Parents fear letting their children cycle unsupervised

12.00 | 27 July 2012 |

52% of parents won’t allow their child to cycle unsupervised once they reach age 12 because of traffic danger, according to a survey carried out by Brake.

The survey of more than 1,000 parents also revealed that 76% of families would cycle together, or do so more often, if local roads were made safer through 20mph limits and cycle paths connecting homes, schools and community facilities.

Through the Cycle for Life campaign, Brake is calling on the Government and local authorities to promote safe cycling by investing in measures to protect cyclists, such as traffic-free and segregated cycle paths and widespread 20mph limits.

They are calling on drivers to pledge to slow down to 20mph in communities, to look out for cyclists and give them a wide berth to help prevent devastating casualties and enable more people, including children, to cycle safely.

Julie Townsend, Brake’s deputy chief executive, said: “You don’t need to cycle to Olympic standards for it to change your life. Cycling makes you feel amazing: you get fitter and spend more time outdoors, and it’s an environmentally-friendly way to get around.

“The best way to encourage cycling, and protect existing cyclists, is to make it safer through widespread 20mph limits where people live and segregated cycle paths connecting homes and community facilities. We need the government to provide more funding for safety features like these, and we need more local authorities to make safe cycling and walking a priority.

“We’re also appealing to drivers to help make roads safer for young cyclists by pledging to slow down to 20mph in residential and urban areas.”

For more information contact Brake on 01484 559909.

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