Madam, – Given the recent talk of whether it is acceptable for children to be driven to school, I would like to propose that the Government implement a Cycle to School scheme which would run on similar vein to the Cycle to Work scheme.
The Cycle to Work scheme allows people to purchase any bicycle tax-free. All students should be encouraged and be given a motivation to cycle to school if they are in the position to do so. I firmly believe, based on my own experience of my fellow classmates willingly cycling distances of over 10 miles to school, that students would not use such an incentive to buy a “flashy” bike, but one which would be durable and allow them to travel in relative safety.
The weight of schoolbooks issue could be resolved by the positioning of a carrier at the back of the bike which would take most of the strain off the young person’s back.
Unfortunately the problem of safety will still restrain many parents from allowing their children to cycle to school, but this problem, which faces all cyclists, will only fully be resolved when the number of cyclists on the roads is greater than the number of cars. So why not encourage more cyclists? – Yours, etc,