With my PEDALS hat on, I’m afraid I have to agree with every word of the above letter.
These young cyclists give all cyclists a bad name, which is a shame, as we would like more people to feel free and safe to cycle rather than clog our roads with cars.
As a human being and a retired teacher, I offer some more thoughts, in no particular order:
In the run-up to Christmas, messages about drink-driving are frequently broadcast on TV; we could do with similar campaigns about sensible and safe cycling and how to treat cyclists on the road. And by the way, when did you last read the Highway Code?
I am convinced that teenagers would cycle better if their parents practised cycling with them, not necessarily on school days; useful conversations would inevitably ensue.
If we reprimand an inappropriate cyclist, we might bear in mind that not many of us like being told to change our behaviour in any way. If someone calls you an idiot (or worse), even if you are in the wrong, how might you react – apologetically or resentfully or aggressively?
Children make their first vehicle journeys usually in a car driven by a parent; do all parents set a good example when, for example, they are annoyed by a fellow road-user? I remember my father (60+ years ago) getting immoderately angry when, for example, someone overtook us carelessly. Other people, including mums dropping off their children at primary school, can be heard using appalling language. How can parents be encouraged to set a better example? Are we becoming an angry, intolerant nation?
What can we expect of schools? They are overloaded with initiatives of various kinds, but there must be scope to teach basic safety; if safety on a cycle can be smuggled into lessons among other aspects of safety, e.g. financial, grooming matters, drugs and alcohol, social media, would that help? It would need to be mentioned frequently, as those children are growing up and having a range of experiences; not every message will ‘hit home’ on every child on every day.
And there is the basic psychology of the teenage boy (I don’t see many girls on bikes). He will feel the need to prove himself and experiment with his behaviour and attitudes, and after a day at school will feel the desire to ‘let off steam’ and throw caution to the winds. Of course the public road is not the place to try this, but the rest of us have to be prepared for it, because it happens.
I realise that I haven’t offered much in the way of answers, but above all I would recommend being kind and talking to each other; I can think of other places in today’s world where this would be desirable.
David Jones
PEDALS
