Pupils get on their bikes

Apr 30 2007

By Jane Picken, The Evening Chronicle

Pupils across the North East are getting on their bikes and wheeling their way to school in a bid to beat obesity. Health Reporter Jane Picken reports on the scheme's progress. Every morning teenagers from all corners of Wallsend, and parts of Walker, saddle up and ride their bikes up to five miles down the road to Burnside College. Once they arrive at the school, on the banks of the Tyne in Wallsend, their bikes are safely locked away in one of two futuristic clear Perspex bike sheds until the final school bell rings and lessons end. Over the past three years Burnside has been encouraging 11-14s to bike to school as part of their commitment to improving the youngsters' health. "Riding to school is a key part of us developing fitness for life among the children," said Roz Elliott, assistant head at the school for eight years. Story continues ADVERTISEMENT "We're really pleased to see to see the children riding their bikes to and from school and the capacity of bike spaces has grown much faster than we anticipated. "At Burnside we want to promote the notion that cycling to school is possible and as a school we have a duty to encourage healthy lifestyles." Back in 2004 there were only six pupils out of 1,220 recorded as using their bikes to get to school. Now all 140 parking spaces for bikes in the sheds are full almost every day. Each shed is locked by a member of staff after the spaces are full and is reopened at the end of the day, to ensure the pupils' bikes are secure throughout the day. As well as encouraging the children to cycle to school, Burnside also has an up-to-date fitness suite, which boasts a fully-equipped gym and a climbing wall. Roz says: "We sent out questionnaires to the pupils three years ago and there were loads who said they'd love to use their bikes but there was no safe storage. "So we got together with North Tyneside Council and between us funded the first shed - and we've just built a second one. "This just shows it can be done, and we're hoping to extend the scheme to other students as well. Wallsend is not the easiest place to bike around but we've managed to overcome that. "The council has even amended a bridge crossing on Hadrian Road to improve safety for cyclists." Burnside College's biking bonanza comes as Bike to School Week took place last week and there are potentially 87,000 cycling children in the North East who could take part. It is estimated that on average 81% of five- to 16-year-olds own a bike. But despite the health and environmental benefits of cycling, few children use pedal-power to get them to classes. In the North East, around a quarter of trips to school are made by car, compared with just 2% on bikes. Bike to School Week is now in its third year, and has been designed to encourage youngsters who do not normally ride to school to give it a go. Phillip Darnton, chairman of Cycling England, says: "All our research indicates that Newcastle's schoolchildren are itching to get on their bikes. And, with the lighter days and spring sunshine, it's a perfect time for them to ride out. "Bike to School Week is designed to lift bikes out of the locker and on to the roads, creating a generation of fitter pupils as well as quieter roads. "We understand that not all pupils will be able to ride to school, but over a third are keen to pedal, exploring the back roads and less-congested routes to class." The average journey to school in the region is just 1.75 miles, which is a perfect distance for a bike ride. Such a ride does not just improve general physical fitness, as regular cycling can increase life expectancy by two years and can also improve concentration in the classroom. --------------------------------------------------------- Safe route guides To avoid traffic on the roads, find out about alternative routes to cycle to school. Visit www.saferoutestoschool. org.uk for help. Kids may need cycling training before they get on their bikes. Bikeability is a new award scheme designed to give the next generation the skills and confidence to ride their bikes on today's roads. Visit www.bikeability.org.uk to find out more. Adults can also get training through Bikeability and local authorities may be able to recommend instructors in the area. For more tips visit www.cyclingengland.co.uk --------------------------------------------------------- Cycle to school aid for children A brand new pedal pack for parents and teachers is being launched in time for this year's Bike to School Week. The free downloadable resource, produced by sustainable transport charity, Sustrans, will help parents and teachers to organise cycle to school events, to encourage children to take to two wheels and enjoy a green, healthy and independent way of getting around. New research shows that just 15 minutes' exercise a day can halve the risk of childhood obesity, and cycling to school can be a great way of building exercise into children's daily routine. Sustrans draws on ten years experience of working with schools to create this information resource, full of tips and advice on how to get in gear organising a cycle to school day or week. Visit the website www.sustrans.org.uk/pedalpack to download the free pack.

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