As a parent (of two young boys) the one real fear that I have when they're out and about is the danger presented by idiots in cars. We don't use the car much around town and it's bad enough just walking along the pavement without adding the additional risk of bicycles.

Until car drivers are forced to kill their speed and made wholly accountable for their driving (remember there's no such thing as an accident), then all other road users are going to second class citizens - unfortunately as we're not wrapped in several tons of metal that makes us extremely vulnerable.

I would not let my children have the freedom on their bikes that i had at the same age because of the volume of traffic there is now.

Training the kids aint the answer, training the nutter car drivers to respect other road users IS.

I was in Holland last year on a cycling holiday and it was amazing the infrastructure they had for bikes. Even in big cities like Rotterdam or Amsterdam bikes always had their own paths. The most dangerous thing was other cyclists.

However I do think parents are a little over protective these days. When I was younger I went everywhere on my bike even when there was a lot of traffic. My parents simply let me. If people worry about everything that could happen then you might as well stay inside the whole time.

Hi all,

I couldn't read this article without making a mention of the Bike It project run by Sustrans. This is a highly sucessful project aimed at reversing the decline in chilldhood cycling - for more info see www.sustrans.org.uk/bikeit

I also agree that there needs to be the infrastructure in place to encourage more people on their bikes. In addition, car drivers need to be more aware that other roads users have rights too!

Enjoy this lovely weather on your bikes!

Is there one, single cycling parent on this forum who would risk their (young) child's safety, by allowing them to ride unsupervised on modern urban roads? Its fine for the chairman of Cycling England to say "we need to remember that on-road accidents are in long term decline". However, my experience, and I expect that of many others, is that driving standards are going the same way.

I'm not talking about being cut-up every day, or being deliberately assaulted by motorists (although both have happened to me recently). I'm talking about the general lack of foresight, consideration or understanding shown by a sizeable minority of drivers, even those on the so-called school run.

My daughter is 2 now. When she is old enough to ride independently, I hope to take her to school on the bike, but if I feel it necessary we'll ride (slowly) on the pavement and be damned. Once she's experienced enough to ride on her own then that's fine, but I don't see it being before she is 10 or 12.

Maybe I'm being overprotective, but I don't want to be the parent who has to deal with the consequences of a 'minor error of judgement' on the part of a driver who puts my child in hospital, or worse.

I have 3 boys aged 9, 11,12. The younger 2 have to be picked up from school by a parent unless we give permission for them to leave alone. As a child I made my way to/from school independantly from aged 8. . If the survey had asked what percentage of children walk alone to school it woud have shown similar figures to the % of children allowed to ride on the road. We wrap kids in cotton wool and wonder why they cannot cope with traffic etc on there own. All 3 of my children ride on the road when accompnied by an adult, the oldest 2 (who have done the cycling proficency test) are allowed to cycle on the road without an adult. To me traffic is not a major issue, it is educating the children to behave on the roads and understand why we have traffic rules.

I just had to respond to this post ... I wonder what MOMBEE means by saying there is no such thing as an accident? if there is a collision it is either accidental or deliberate - there really is no other option - so she obviously lives in a very paranoid world where every driver is intentionally targetting other road users.

secondly there are a lot of people equating more traffic with more danger - I must disagree - it is on roads which are relatively quiet that I feel most at risk - this is where car drivers are going faster, paying less attention and have less awareness of cyclists.

London's streets are in my opinion now much safer - the traffic moves relatively slowly and the growth of cycling means that the vast majority of drivers are aware of cyclists. Of course you will always get the road rage nutters - but I have seen a good number of incidents where the inconsiderate behaviour was coming from cyclists.

The roads surrounding the schools are filled with the worse drivers of all, the parents on the 'school run', big cars up on the kerb, stopped in the road, normally on the school keep clear markings, everyone rushing. Complete ignorance and chaos. My daughter's school in North London, is too big for the surrounding roads to deal with, there are a whole number of other issues, regarding the lack of schools in the area etc that we will have to leave for the time being.

As a regular bike commuter, I see first hand how bad, not only car drivers are, but, buses, lorries, other cyclists and pedestrians as well.

We only live half a mile from the school, and my wife and daughter normally walk, I think I would like to keep it like that. Keep the cycling to the weekend and summer evenings.

It's obviously going into decline because of the proportion of traffic now on the roads - i.e. in the 50s 60s and 70s lots of children cycled, but there was less traffic than there is now. There is a direct correlation. It doesn't matter about accident statistics - they will rise as soon as more people start riding anyway.

I manage to pass by everyday to and from work on a school zone. Its just simply unbelieavable parents going at high speeds recklessly. It is very sad, many adults just dont care and have no shame on showing their indifference.

The general standard of driving is poor - it only takes one idiot to cause a crash. A statement earlier mentioned that there is no such thing as an accident: I think that meant that there is always somebody at fault - usually, they happen because somebody chose to drive poorly. "Accident" generally means that nothing could have been done to prevent it. Notice how the media report one "accident" after another, rather than "crashes".

I have two girls 5 and 2, I love cycling and have done since I was a young child, as I child I would cycle for miles with my brothers and friends, but you just cant do that these days.

For one just to many cars on the roads its just crazy, on my cycle rides I try and keep to the quietish b roads to be honest they are flooded with cars on the weekends.

I really don't want to deny my children bikes but do feel they are far to young to take on our flooded roads right now, may be when they reach 10 I would feel a little better about it.

I cycle to work everyday and have done for the past four years and every day its a mine field getting to work, you really do have to take care all the time, yeah I know most car drivers hate us but put yourself in our shoes its a lot scarier then you think.

So for now my girls will only be cycling in parks and just to the end of the road.

i got hit at a traffic light on a red, a black bmw decided that i shouldn't of stopped and RAN INTO THE BACK OF ME!! biie was ruined but didnt get to hurt but it proves that road users arn't equal and cars feel they are supirior just cuz there bigger.

my parents wernt to impressed but im riding everywhere still just make sure i wear a helmet

My two eldest children who are 7 and 8 have been cycling on the road with me since they were 5. I still wouldn't let them cycle on their own though. It's just too dangerous.

I think one of the problems today is that drivers just don't expect to see children cycling or walking on the roads and therefore don't adjust their speed to take account of the possibility. If more children cycled, drivers would probably take more care...but who want's to allow their children to be the trailblazers?