The kids are alright, #153

This week it’s about the youngsters - our future.

From the man that sparked a cycling to school movement in the US, to the passing of a legend who put parking on the map, and the gender gap in the school run. There’s still a looonnnng way to go until there’s genuine transport choice for youngsters, and their adults, but there are pockets of hope.

BIG STORIES FOR CYCLING ADVOCACY

BIKE BUS HERO. Cycling to school in the US almost became extinct – until one man revived the bike bus. That’s Sam Balto, aka Coach Balto, the former teacher in Portland, Oregon, who eventually quit his job to get kids and families cycling to school together. What started as a cool idea, and one that’s loved by the kids and adults who take part, has become a global phenomenon. Who says one person can’t change the world?

THE UNEQUAL SCHOOL RUN. Research by Sustrans has found a huge cycling discrepancy in the UK. In a poll of kids aged six to 15, 23% said they had cycled at least five times in the previous week - 28% of boys and 17% of girls. While 17% of boys said they were ‘someone who often cycles’, for girls that was just 8%. With more than half of kids in England failing to meet physical activity guidelines, it’s worrying that girls are missing out. The Children’s Walking and Cycling Index found 51% of kids want to cycle more, and kids wanted safer streets to do so.

AS FOR KIDS, SO FOR ADULTS. New research looks at the impact of bike lanes on different genders. We know women cycle less than men in many less-developed cycling cultures, with implications for their health and transport freedom. Counting users on protected bike lanes in Valencia, from 2018 and 2022, researchers found new bike lanes disproportionately attracted women cyclists - up to five times more on some segments.

CYCLEWAY VS TREES. The Coventry bike lane debacle enters its latest phase as campaigners take their battle to save 26 trees to the High Court. It’s worth reminding readers the group rejected (#149) previous designs of the Clifford Bridge Road cycleway, which narrowed general traffic lanes and moved parking, leaving the trees in place. It’s clear it was never about the trees. I hope common sense prevails.

PAVEMENT PARKING FINES UP. Most of us agree - pavement parking is a menace to pedestrians, it discriminates against people with disabilities, it’s dangerous and antisocial. In London, offenders will face stiffer fines after mayor Sir Sadiq Khan gave the green light for a £30 rise, to as much as £160. Pavement parking was among the biggest issues in a recent London Councils consultation, the Evening Standard’s Ross Lydall reports.

OTHER HEADLINES

REMEMBERING A PARKING HERO. Donald Shoup, a UCLA professor who brought the counterintuitive world of parking economics to the masses, has died at the age of 86. This wonderful obituary remembers the man who ‘Over more than a half century of clear writing, clever quips and exhaustive scholarship... became one of the world’s foremost experts and influencers on a topic seemingly as mundane as it is universal: parking.’

INTERESTING GRAPH OF THE WEEK: How kids travel every day. Too many kids are dependent on their parents for transport long after they could be travelling independently. Safe cycle routes are key to transport independence. Source.

ACTIVE TRAVEL WORD OF THE WEEK: Child-centric urban planning. Planning that encourages children to be active and visible in their daily lives on urban streets, parks, squares, and other public areas

Until next time,

Adam

Adam Tranter

Founder, #BikeIsBest