Secret diary of a schoolkid cyclist (aged 13¾)

What's it like for a child to cycle on UK roads? We spoke to 13-year-old Emilia from London to find out.

What’s your preferred way of getting to school?

My preferred of travelling to school is bike, because it reduces a 20-minute journey to around 8 minutes.

Does your school make good provision for the students who cycle?

Luckily my school has a pretty good bike shed, where the bicycles are covered so they're not affected by rain.

What’s your route to school like? What type of roads etc?

Fortunately on my journey, I don’t cycle on any main roads although lots of drivers don't respect the 20mph speed limit. Also, part of my route is a school street and a park.

What do you like about cycling to school?

There's not much I like about cycling to school, only that it's a lot faster than walking.

Anything you dislike about it?

I dislike the drivers that I encounter most days, for example they won’t give you any space or time, or they’ll try their best to overtake despite being on a smaller road.

How does cycling to school make you feel?

I would say cycling makes me feel vulnerable on the roads, because I don’t have the protection of a car.

If you could change one thing about your cycle commute to school, what would it be?

More cycling paths.

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Cycling to school

Very few schoolchildren in the UK cycle to school. According to the National Travel Survey, only around 2 per cent of primary school children and 3 per cent of secondary school children cycled to school on a regular basis in 2019.

These low numbers disadvantage not only schoolchildren themselves, but wider society: benefits of cycling for children include improved physical health, mental well-being not to mention independence at a young age.

As you might suspect, a significant proportion of schoolchildren in the Netherlands cycle to school. According to a report by the Netherlands Institute for Transport Policy Analysis, in 2016, approximately 49 per cent of primary school children and 61 per cent of secondary school children cycled to school. These high cycling rates reflect the country's commitment to creating a safe and supportive cycling environment.

How can we encourage schoolchildren to cycle to school?

Children have to beat the odds even before they turn a pedal on their first commute to school. Segregated cycle lanes, 20mph limits and LTNs reduce road harm and foster the conditions in which cycling can flourish. However, the main obstacle to more children cycling on the roads is the poor standard of driving. And if that wasn't bad enough, schools themselves can be obstructive.

The email pictured above was sent to parents of kids at a primary school in a London suburb.

The school is well meaning, but the onerous list above is not matched by one requiring permission from the head teacher before parents drop their kids off at school by car...the very behaviour that creates road danger, air pollution and congestion in the first place.

School's shouldn't put obstacles in front of kids who want to cycle, but they're hardly in a position to improve conditions on our roads. We all have a responsibility to lobby our local authorities and local MP for better provision for cycling.

The ethical choice

The ETA was established in 1990 as an ethical provider of green, reliable travel services. Over 30 years on, we continue to offer cycle insurance , breakdown cover and mobility scooter insurance while putting concern for the environment at the heart of all we do.

The Good Shopping Guide judges us to be the UK's most ethical provider.

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