Key features
The provision of cycle training can improve an individual’s propensity and capacity to cycle. This includes the actual ability to ride a bicycle, as well as the ability to cycle safely in traffic, and abide by traffic rules. The physical ability ranges from learning to cycle and being a safe traffic user, improving cycling skills to maintaining skills and even regaining skills that were lost over time through little or no bicycle use. The traffic training side refers to learning and applying traffic rules as a cyclist in addition to refreshing knowledge in a later stage of life. It can include practising specific situations, such as cycling at night or using major roads. However, both aspects of cycle training follow one ultimate objective: to get people cycling and keeping them on their bikes.
Function and objectives
Cycle training supports the idea of the “right to cycle” by teaching people of various ages and different population groups how to cycle. Offers start with early childhood and extend to courses for elderly people. The main objective is to increase a given level of cycling within the population. In this, it addresses a number of further objectives and makes use of a range of arguments to promote cycling.
Children should both learn how to cycle and how to apply traffic rules. Later on, it is about improving these skills. The measures should encourage independence and mobility, as well as being fun for children. Children also benefit from the physical activity and the greater awareness of traffic. Any cycle training for children can have the added benefit of raising awareness and increasing cycling amongst their families. Cycle training targeted at different age groups during childhood aims at establishing cycling as a natural modal choice, too.
Adults can be targeted for a wide range of objectives, such as learning to cycle, “re-learning” cycling, continuing to cycle, safe cycling or making use of new options in cycling. The actual objective is often connected to a specific target group (e.g. cycle training for beginners often sees a high share of immigrants coming from culturally non-cycling backgrounds). The target group variety is high, as training objectives can be tailored to specific population groups. The wide range of objectives results in a number of arguments for training. They include, amongst others, gaining and maintaining independence, physical activity, mitigating health risks and environmental concerns, time and cost advantages, being mobile and social endeavours.
Cycle training targeted at the elderly is largely concerned with continuing to cycle but can sometimes be focussed on re-starting cycling. Motivations include health and fitness, maintaining an independent lifestyle, feeling safe and comfortable cycling as well as to be safe traffic users as cyclists. An important trigger to motivate elderly people for cycling training is to give the training a social encounter notion adding a comfortable environment for the training itself. Training combined with input from medical staff or physiotherapists is a good option to attract elderly people to courses.
Cycle training is mostly a group activity comprising a theoretical and practical element. The two main foci – the actual ability to ride a bicycle and the ability to apply traffic rules as a cyclist in traffic – rely on the two elements of theory and practice. Theory takes place in classrooms or protected areas. It can include teaching of traffic rules, how to cycle in traffic, how to adjust a bicycle but also benefit related information like health effects. Delivery takes forms such as ex-cathedra teaching, first exercises, discussions and gamification elements. Practice covers a wide range depending on the training course scope. Elements can be exercises such as gaining balance, breaking, riding one-handed, following a set cycling course, testing different bicycles, practising cycling in road traffic in a training area and in real traffic conditions. It comprises learning to cycle, too. Additionally, cycling training extends to informational and promotional content, such as incorporating the theme of cycling to educational lessons in kindergarten or schools or providing a bicycle service to ensure bicycles are well-maintained. Cycling ability elements are also interrelated in any training addressing road safety, since the level of cycling skills directly impacts a cyclist’s ability to ride safe in traffic.
The physical environment for cycle training depends on the training objective. Some offers, such as skills and road safety training for children, work best if practice grounds and traffic training areas are at hand. In most cases, a space outside real traffic, which is large enough to cycle, suffices.
Options for cycle training are wide-ranging, such as: kindergarten programmes, focused on learning to cycle and interweaving the themes into daily life; cycling skills training and road safety education in school; testing and use of different bicycles such as e-bikes, pedelecs or cargo bikes; offering adults the chance to actually learn how to cycle or provide courses for elderly people to stick with cycling. The variety of training offers goes beyond the aspect of age, using other target group segmentation aiming at particular groups e.g. gender-specific training groups, employee groups or the promotion of special bicycle use, such as pedelec or cargo-bike training.
Complementary measures
Cycle training is connected to most cycling measures for the simple reason that promoting cycling requires people with the ability to cycle. Therefore, providing cycling training should be an element in any cycling development strategy.
Cycle training also complements other measures that fall under Information, Communication and Promotion (see 3.1 Cycle information and awareness raising and 3.2 Cycle events). Combining cycle training with informational or promotional activities has the advantage of targeting certain groups regarding cycling, whilst providing them with the opportunity to learn to ride or to improve their cycling skills/abilities. This works especially well in combination with events, not only cycling-focused events, but also training for children.
Cycle training needs to refer to cycling infrastructure conditions to teach the right content in terms of physical skills and traffic rules. Any changes in regulations for cycling infrastructure or the introduction of new kinds of infrastructure in a city can be reflected in cycle training.
These aspects play an important role in providing people with the necessary skills and knowledge to cycle (and to cycle safely), whilst existing cycling infrastructure increases the likelihood that people will cycle after their respective cycling training.
Performance
The main impact of cycle training is on an individual’s ability to cycle – relating to riding a bicycle and to applying traffic rules in traffic environments. Increased road safety is one of the main impacts of cycle training, achieved through learning and abiding by traffic rules and being well-skilled and thus safe cyclists. Evaluation of the effects of road safety training on pupils in Graz shows that the number of pupils with good cycling ability increased from 53% to 67%. A study from the University of Ghent on the effects of a cycle training course on children’s cycling skills and levels of cycling to school showed that the cycling training course was effective in increasing some skills, although the actual level of cycling to school did not increase.
Moreover, safe cycling and an increase in the level of cycling can lead to an increase in health and fitness, whereby cyclists are at reduced risk of diseases, such as diabetes, as well as cardiovascular diseases. Safe riding in traffic also prevents injuries.
Cycle training can support the creation or maintenance of a positive cycling culture. Taking care that people are well-educated in regard to safe cycling highlights the value of cycling within a city. Moreover, group training courses help to create a community of cyclists and create a positive perception of cycling.
Cycle training is likely to have direct impacts on cycling modal share within a city. The main contribution comes from training for children, be it the actual ability to cycle or education regarding traffic safety and rules (which is also of importance for parents). Without global cycle training, such as training for pupils, fewer children would be able to cycle independently or at all. Yet, cycling training also impacts the number of adult and elderly cyclists. It supports the maintenance of cycling and encourages some individuals to cycle for the first time or after a long break.
Parameters of success or failure
Cycling training is a low-cost measure, with the majority of costs associated with employing trainers and organisational staff. The involvement of police, bike dealers, physiotherapists and kindergarten staff, as well as sponsors financing venues and equipment, can help to further reduce costs. The time required to plan and host a cycling training event varies depending background and scope. Large training programmes, covering an entire city, such as road safety cycling training in primary schools, require a long period of organisation and implementation. In contrast, one-off training events, may require less time. However, it can still take weeks to organise and promote events which are targeting a specific audience.
In most cases, schools deliver intense programmes year on year, which require organisation prior to the start of the school year. Most cycling training requires outdoor space away from road traffic, or designated traffic training areas.
Provision of good equipment or safeguarding that cyclists bring sufficient quality equipment is of importance too. This refers to the bicycle itself, which needs to meet any regional or national equipment or quality standards. The training event can simply provide the bicycles for the course or provide safety checks and maintenance services. Providing bicycles might be of interest to bike dealers, since they will get the opportunity to engage with possible clients directly. Provision of other equipment is also useful, including rain coats, helmets or reflective vests.
Training for elderly people is more effective if sufficient time is dedicated to the social element of the event, which is highly valued by the trainee group. Coffee or tea breaks, as well as any other forms of social encounter, are required during and after training. The latter requires provision of space and some catering nonetheless.
For children, gamification elements of training, such as learning the traffic rules by a board game are highly recommended. Responsible entities for providing road safety cycling training can analyse the current need for inclusion of such elements.
Key lessons for transferability
Cycle training courses require thorough preparation, taking enough time to attract trainees and partners, to fit to national or regional conditions for cycling and to exploit possible synergies with other actors.
Applicability of cycle training does not meet the same conditions everywhere: introducing any cycle training might be more difficult for low-cycling level cities. Attracting participants and/or gaining the approval of parents for their children's participation could more often meet arguments speaking against cycling, such as concerns regarding dangerous traffic conditions or hilly areas. However, it is these cities that need cycling training the most - for starting and accelerating the uptake of cycling.
Two important general aspects need to be stressed for offering cycling training:
- Providers of training are advised to contract an insurance covering the training activities.
- Good relationships with local police are crucial for any road safety related training offers.
