# Sustrans Big Pedal 2020 Challenge



## LeetleGreyCells (27 Feb 2020)

For those of you with kids or grandkids at school, do you know about the Sustrans Big Pedal 2020 challenge? Children are encouraged to walk, cycle or scoot to school which as we on this forum know, active travel is much more beneficial to health and wellbeing, plus teachers will love that on arriving at school kids are energised and ready to learn.

*I've sent a letter (with the Big Pedal info sheet) to my daughter's school to try and persuade them to encourage children and parents to take part in the challenge*. I've don't think it will persuade them to join in even though I've offered to help them to run the challenge, but you can but hope and I need to at least try.

We live in a very nice, but extremely car-centric area. One of the reasons I'm doing the BC Ride Leader training is to encourage people from the area (not necessarily my village only - I'm optimistic not stupid) to cycle - I believe if they are given the opportunity to try they will likely enjoy it.

Every day there are lots of kids who are driven to my daughter's school who live less than a mile away. As my daughter and I are walking to school, we go past one child's house as the parents and kids are getting in the car. They drive 400 m to the school where they park up and walk the 10m to the school gate then the parent drives home. We always arrive at the school before them. What kind of example are the parents setting for their kids?

I'm hoping that the school will participate in the Big Pedal Challenge and encourage children and their parents to give active travel a chance.

For those of you with kids, are their schools participating? Any other thoughts on what else I could do to encourage participation in my daughter's school?

Here's a copy of the letter I sent:


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## Paulus (27 Feb 2020)

Good luck


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## Chris S (27 Feb 2020)

My Romanian neighbours drive their children to school in a Merc. I've left home walking and got there before them.
I suppose it's all about status. If Sustrans want this to work then they're going to have to get certain parents to buy their children top end bikes.


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## DCLane (27 Feb 2020)

Son no. 2 rides the 6 miles to school and back unless he's training/racing that day. He has done since starting secondary school. And yes, he'll tend to get there quicker than those in a car.

Unfortunately it's a mindset: travel = car. Getting someone out of this is extremely difficult.


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## LeetleGreyCells (27 Feb 2020)

Chris S said:


> My Romanian neighbours drive their children to school in a Merc. I've left home walking and got there before them.
> I suppose it's all about status. If Sustrans want this to work then they're going to have to get certain parents to buy their children top end bikes.


Tackling people's egos is going to be a tall order! But then, if those that care so much about status buy their kid a bike, they'll no doubt buy one of the most expensive they can find (but not necessarily the most appropriate bike for their kid or the type of riding they'll be doing). But those same people will probably be the ones complaining loudest when said expensive bike is stolen from the school because it looks expensive. 

We live close enough to the school to walk - no need to cycle there; but if my kids were to cycle there, I'd buy them a cheap second-hand clunker where it didn't matter if it got scratched/damaged, etc., they are young kids after all. I don't believe beat-up, old bikes are stolen as often as those that look expensive.


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## LeetleGreyCells (27 Feb 2020)

DCLane said:


> Son no. 2 rides the 6 miles to school and back unless he's training/racing that day. He has done since starting secondary school. And yes, he'll tend to get there quicker than those in a car.
> 
> *Unfortunately it's a mindset: travel = car. *Getting someone out of this is extremely difficult.


A national phenomenon and pity.


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## DCLane (27 Feb 2020)

LeetleGreyCells said:


> if my kids were to cycle there, I'd buy them a cheap second-hand clunker where it didn't matter if it got scratched/damaged, etc., they are young kids after all. I don't believe beat-up, old bikes are stolen as often as those that look expensive.



My son uses a cross bike as it's a fair way - and apart from the pupils breaking the horn and the top tube's got a dent somehow -  - it's been fine. Looks like this but with Fulcrum 5 cross wheels, so not a 'clunker'


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## Ming the Merciless (3 Mar 2020)

@LeetleGreyCells Have you had a response from the school?


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## LeetleGreyCells (3 Mar 2020)

YukonBoy said:


> @LeetleGreyCells Have you had a response from the school?


Thanks for asking  Unfortunately not . I was only wondering about this today. I even looked at the list of schools signed up on the Big Pedal website, but my daughter's school isn't on there. The good news is that the school in the next village has signed up I noticed which is positive.

I'm not sure what else I could do to encourage without hassling them. In the letter I wrote (above), I offered to help them with the challenge in whatever way I could.


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## Ming the Merciless (3 Mar 2020)

LeetleGreyCells said:


> Unfortunately not. I was only wondering about this today. I even looked at the list of schools signed up on the Big Pedal website, but my daughter's school isn't on there. The good news is that the school in the next village has signed up I noticed which is positive.
> 
> I'm not sure what else I could do to encourage without hassling them. In the letter I wrote (above), I offered to help them with the challenge in whatever way I could.



Can you get something in the local paper which they might see, just to up the pressure a bit?


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## LeetleGreyCells (4 Mar 2020)

YukonBoy said:


> Can you get something in the local paper which they might see, just to up the pressure a bit?


I don't know. The local paper is one that serves all of Sheffield so would be beneficial to all schools. I'll have a think how to approach it.


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