NEW ‘bike bus’ schemes are rolling across the Island each morning, helping children travel to school while keeping active.
Groups of children, accompanied by a leader, meet at designated “stops” and ride together along a set route, picking up other classmates on the way.
“Think of it exactly the same as a regular bus, just riding on your bike,” Jay Cracknell, active travel officer at Jersey Sport, said.
“It’s going to improve [the children’s] mental wellbeing. It gives them the opportunity to socialise with other students and adults as well,” he added. They learn how to ride on the road safely. It also gets them ready for learning during the day.”
Les Landes Primary School started a bike bus “many years ago now,” Mr Cracknell said. Since last December though, Jersey Sport has provided free training sessions to others wanting to run their own bike bus.
Grouville, St Martin and St Mary’s primary schools have also started a bike buses since, helping students get to school safely.
The leaders can be “anyone,” Mr Cracknell said, who added: “We’re always looking for people to come forward and start up a bike bus in their school, be it a parent, a teacher, or someone just passionate about cycling. We can support whoever it is that wants to start a bike bus.”
He hopes that children who establish safe cycling habits early in life will be more likely to continue commuting by bike as they move into secondary school and later to work.
Mr Cracknell said: “Not only [is there] the obvious cost of fuel, parking and insurance, but you’re probably going to be spending less money on doctors’ bills. You’re just going to be healthier and fitter from it in general.”
Jersey Sport provides free cycling confidence sessions designed to get people riding for the first time. It also offers a “Commute with Confidence” session where a qualified instructor will meet commuters at their homes to learn the route.
