Question Earthority!

“Falconer is the Bike It officer for Bedford, Luton and St Albans and he is on the front line in the battle to get our children cycling. Every day he boards a train with his folding bicycle to visit schools in the three cities to promote cycling. This can involve anything from ‘Dr Bike’ sessions, where he helps children service their bikes, to Bikeability classes — cycling proficiency for the 21st century (see box) — and even classroom lessons covering health, geography and history. ‘I’m 37 now,’ says Falconer, ‘but when I was at school, cycling and walking were absolutely the norm. In fact, if one of your mates was dropped off in the car, especially at Year 7 in secondary school, you’d be like, ‘aaaagh!’ — they would be shamed because, why are they getting dropped off? Can’t they make their own way around? But it’s reversed a bit hasn’t it?’ From being the norm a generation ago, cycling is now seen as a lost art. Less than 1 per cent of the distance travelled on British roads is done by bike, down from around a third in the 1940s and Fifties. On average, only 2 per cent of children cycle to school; some put the figure even lower.” (06/25/08)