A school says it will continue to provide information after criticism of its pupils’ behaviour on cycles in Spalding town centre.
The issue of the habits of young cyclists has been raised numerous times in the past, including in council meetings.
This week a member of the public who wished to remain anonymous, contacted The Voice to complain.
They claim that they had witnessed young people in Spalding Academy uniform running red lights, running into pedestrians and causing cars to brake sharply.
“Before long, someone is going to be seriously hurt, whether accidentally or intentionally as disgruntled road users take matters into their own hands,” they said.
A spokesman for South Lincolnshire Academies Trust which oversees the running of the school, said: “The school takes road safety seriously and this forms part of our Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education programme for Years 7 to 11.
“As well as providing information on road safety in assemblies and tutorials, the school organises full days with external speakers including the Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership and Lincolnshire Police to improve the personal safety of our students.
“The school works with Brake, who are a national charity, to raise awareness of road safety and each year we use the opportunity to incorporate the Road Safety Week into our curriculum.
“As the school does not tolerate any form of poor behaviour, they enforce sanctions if students do not adhere to road safety.
“Since the start of this academic year, the school has ensured there is an increased staff presence from the senior management team outside of the school and at the top of Halmer Gardens.”
The sentiment was echoed by local cycling group PEDALS.
“What can we expect of schools? They are overloaded with initiatives of various kinds, but there must be scope to teach basic safety,” said group spokesman David Jones, of Spalding.
He added that not all parents always set children a good example during car journeys.
“How can parents be encouraged to set a better example? Are we becoming an angry, intolerant nation?
“Above all I would recommend being kind and talking to each other.”
l see page 8 for the full letters on the subject.
