This page rounds up topics around bike skills and cycling safety and also, further down, any other issues which don’t fall under ‘racks and routes’.

Other issues of interest to Cycle Malvern group members include:

  • Basic bike maintenance skills – how about some classes?
  • Bike skills for adults (Bikeability).
  • Bikeability courses for children – what schools are running these?
  • Places for children to cycle safely. Could include off-road, longer distance options (not just round a field, but see below).
  • School Streets, Safe Routes to School.

Cradley Playground, not exactly Malvern but close enough, has a bike track “for learners and those developing their skills”. See this Google search link for Chapel Lane Bike Track.

School Streets

School Streets are about restricting traffic around schools, at school arrival and departure times. As well as aiding social distancing during the pandemic, this seeks to increase walking and cycling to school, improve health (mental as well as physical), reduce pollution and help tackle the climate emergency.

While the approach has seen most take up in cities, it is not exclusive to those places. Gloucestershire County Council, at autumn 2020, is trialling School Streets including in Tewkesbury. Shropshire is also doing one in Shrewsbury, Nov. 2020. Unfortunately in Worcestershire the process to establish a School Street is quite involved. Hannah on our Facebook group tells us: WCC has said they would only do school streets if it is identified in a School Travel Plan, and as relayed by Sally in Barbourne, via Bike Worcester: Starting point is to prove that the school is committed to active travel, to do this you need to register with Modeshift Stars and file lots of evidence of other initiatives the school are doing to build a travel plan and get accredited.

For more help and information, see Group Resources page.

Child and man with carrier on the road in summer (Cycling UK)

Low Traffic Neighbourhoods

The Guardian has a good introductory guide to “everything from getting council approval to winning over the critics” on LTNS, from specialist journalist Laura Laker.

Wider matters

  • Encouraging cycling to work – at-work parking, changing facilities.
  • Greater use of bicycles, cargo bikes etc. as part of reducing environmental impact. This could include:
    • Increasing availability of electric bike loans for trial periods (via existing scheme?)
    • (Electric) Cargo bike trial loans, or hire even? For businesses to try out using one, perhaps, or parents to use for family outings with youngsters?
  • Cycle-based green tourism. Perhaps establishing routes or making electric bikes available so that more people can manage climbing the hills.

Covid-19 response

The government brought in an Emergency Active Travel Fund to encourage cycling and walking during the pandemic. The ‘Emergency’ label has been dropped from the second funding round. (Worcestershire County Council’s EATF web pages now retired.)

Get involved

If you have any ideas on these or similar issues, please get in touch. Particularly if you would like to be involved in making things happen!

Your thoughts are welcome

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