national cycling proficiency scheme

[pjd57]

4 days? As much as that, eh?

What's your issue

 

[Drago]

What's your issue

Sorry, you've totally lost me there.

 

[pjd57]

Sorry, you've totally lost me there.

Good

 

[Drago]

Good

If you say so. I'm still no closer to understanding what you're on about.

 

[Ajax Bay]

I didn't do cycling proficiency as a child.
Last year I done the Bikeability instructor course.
I thought it was very good. Lot to take in over 4 days .
Worth doing if you get the chance

4 days? As much as that, eh?

Pour memoire. I assume you (expressing it with your legendary brevity) rather doubted that a Bikeability Instructor course had so much content that a most capable rider like @pjd57 (even without Cycling Proficiency training in his yoof back in the 60s) could not take it in his stride/pedal stroke. But he thought it quite a lot to take in in so few days. Learning patterns differ.

 

[Drago]

Ah, thanks for the succinct explanation Mr Bay.

I was expressing genuine surprise. I thought they did the training in an afternoon, was a bit of an eye opener for me that rhe training was as long as 4 days.

If PJD enjoys it and finds it rewarding then I have the greatest admiration for his endeavours.

 

[Ajax Bay]

https://www.nca-academy.co.uk/accredited-training-courses/l2aict-level-2-cycle-training/

 

[Pedropete]

Completely agree that L2/L3 Bikeability or equivalent should be a prerequisite for the driving test. And how about mandatory retesting every five years (including the cycling element)? Would nudge standards up a bit and force the issue of 'do I really need/want to drive?'. Would be fun politically too.

I cannot help but think it's a paperwork exercise. I suppose it does help some people but it just hasn't been my experience.

These days the focus is on key skills and behaviours that lead to independent decision-making:

• Observation
• Positioning (secondary, primary, proximity to obstles)
• Communication (eye-contact, anticipation, position, signalling)
• Priorities ('who goes first?')

Unsurprisingly, here in West Sussex we do Bikeability a little differently to the rest of the country:

Level 1 (day one) is pretty consistent across the UK: 90-minute group sessions on the playground covering basic equipment checks, bike handling, observation, signalling and prioritisation ('who goes first'). Absolute chaos! Riders deemed competent advance to Level 2 on-road training. For a variety of reasons not all progress; those who don't are offered additional training wherever possible.

Level 2 is run differently to rest of UK but content is largely the same: intensive 2-hr on-road sessions with two riders per instructor covering rules of road/signage, observation, communication, positioning and priorities along with passing obstacles, turns into and out of minor and major roads. Riders only get one L2 session each. Towards the end of the session - and if the riders are sufficiently consistent - the instructor may progress to early-L3 stuff, more complex junctions etc.

It's not a pass/fail assessment and if they've progressed from L1 and completed the L2 on-road (without being returned to school for behavioural issues) they all get their L2 certificate. The instructor marks the certificates against each of six technical competencies as being either 'independent', 'with practice', 'with assistance' (for riders who physically require assistance to participate) or 'not attempted'. Those competencies are:

• Indentifying and responding to hazards
• Starting and stopping on-road journeys
• Maintaining suitable riding positions
• Complying with signals, signs and road markings
• Communicating with other road users
• Negotiating junctions

The sad reality is that many of the kids don't have access to a bike at home or, if they do, there's nobody who'll ride with them to develop their skills. Most of them work incredibly hard during the sessions and make huge progress so you just have to hope they'll take the learned skills and behaviours forward, whether thats in cycling or driving.

in general the scheme does a good job of introducing and trying to embed key skills and behaviours in an incredibly short timeframe. There are issues with the national syllabus that stem from a fundamental ignorance (or disregard) of child and developmental psychology but the trade-off is always going to be time/cost vs availability/viability. Not sure how else you could do it without spending significantly more time and money on the endeavour.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

The sad reality is that many of the kids don't have access to a bike at home or, if they do, there's nobody who'll ride with them to develop their skills.

Saw this with next doors daughter. She did the bike stuff. Her parents don’t cycle. Not confident to go out on her own. The cycling stopped.

 

[Drago]

It took me two years to get everything needed my portfolio and the hours of training under supervision in my logbook before getting my advanced road skills trainers ticket. Never mind all the other skills.

But then some other bugger was paying for it all, so I was happy to avail myself of the top ticket. Might not otherwise have bothered.

Anyone who makes the effort to receive any type of training is doing themselves a favour, and anyone that delivers it is doing a noble thing.

 

[Pedropete]

Saw this with next doors daughter. She did the bike stuff. Her parents don’t cycle. Not confident to go out on her own. The cycling stopped.

Such a shame, but understandable if the parents didn't feel confident themselves. That said, many schemes - whether run directly by the local authority or third party - offer adult cycle training, from absolute beginner learn-to-ride sessions through to L1, 2 and 3, 1:1 or 1:2 sessions.

Cost is always a potential barrier but a lot of Cycling UK's 'Big Bike Revival' delivery partners offer free cycle skills training within the national campaign. Always worth checking who's doing what on the BBR map: HERE