Newsround Tuesday 6th May 2008

Kids banned from biking to school

• Bike to school week.



• Only 1/5 of pupils in the UK are allowed to bike to school, because
  lots of parents wont let their kids cycle because of safety fears.



• Researchers found parents worry roads are too dangerous, and about keeping
  their child's bike safe at school.



• Transport charity Sustrans found nearly 50% of all pupils would like to
  cycle to school.



• Cycling England found 4/5 kids are banned from cycling to school by their
  parents, even though the number of road accidents are falling.

Rhama 10

"I do like riding bikes but I've moved house so I live further away from
school. It's too dangerous to ride to school. People drive fast and there's
been a couple of accidents so it's a bit worrying knowing that it could be
you."

Norma 10

"Sometimes it can feel scary when you're in the cycle lane,you feel like a
bus or a car is going to bash into you."

Darren 10

"I take my bike to school 3 times a week out of 5 and I always use the cycle
lanes. My parents sometimes worry about me."

Nicol 10

"I don't ride to school right now because my mum thinks it's so dangerous
just in case I get hit by a car or fall over."

Golden boot challenge-encourages everyone to walk or cycle to school and
back.

Hattie 14 London

"I am allowed to cycle to school. It's really fun and when I get to school in
the morning I feel all fresh and ready for the day ahead. There are also
lots of parks that you can cycle through to avoid heavy traffic. I think more
parents should understand that as long as children are sensible on the road
and respect everything on it, they should be able to cycle to and from
school."

Cycling Proficiency

Some schools don't like you to bike to school.