Cash boost for cycling proficiency in Wales

The Welsh Assembly today unveiled a national cycle training standard, and will invest £250,000 to train over one hundred instructors to teach children and adults to cycle confidently on the roads.

The Cycle Training National Standards have already been adopted by a small number of local authorities in Wales, but the new money and the partnership with CTC – the UK’s national cyclists’ organisation – will help ensure total coverage across Wales.

“The Welsh Assembly Government is committed to getting more people to cycle – as a form of transport; as a means of becoming more physically active; and as a way of getting out and enjoying our countryside,” said Jane Davidson, Minister for Environment, Sustainability and Housing.

CTC Director Kevin Mayne said: “It gives parents and children the confidence to make their daily journeys by bike under real conditions. We are delighted that the Welsh Assembly is encouraging more people to cycle.”

This news is a positive step in encouraging more children to ride safely on the roads, given that childhood cycling has been in steep decline in Britain in recent years.