Bike training aims to get kids pedalling to school

LONDON (Reuters) - Children across England will learn how to ride a bike safely on roads in a government-backed training scheme launched on Monday.

The Bikeability programme has been piloted with 3,000 children across the country since last September.

It is an update of the old Cycling Proficiency Test and is backed by 10 million pounds of government funding given to biking body Cycle England, which runs the scheme.

The government wants more pupils to cycle to school, but increasing levels of traffic mean few parents are willing to let their children to venture on to roads on a bike.

Children account for a quarter of cyclists killed on roads, and about a third of those injured, according to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents.

More than 134 cyclists were killed and 2,000 seriously injured in 2004.

Cycling England's aim is that by 2009 half of all 10-year-old children will be trained through schemes offering the Bikeability award.

Children are taught three levels of proficiency, starting away from traffic and progressing to learning how to deal with busy roads and junctions.

"Our long-term vision is that in five years, no child in England should leave primary school without having the opportunity to achieve their Bikeability," said Cycling England Chairman Phillip Darnton.