Bikeability in London

The newly-appointed executive director of The Bikeability Trust, Emily Cherry, provides an update for road safety officers in the Capital.

The Bikeability Trust as you know does not provide grant funding for London Bikeability. However we work closely with TfL to ensure the quality delivery of the programme and it is our guidance that is used across delivery regardless of where the funding comes from.

Bikeability Delivery Guidance
This was updated in June 2020 using Government guidance issued at the time to ensure safe delivery of all Bikeability cycle training during Covid-19. The guidance and funding rates were agreed with Department for Transport and remain in place until September 2020.

We are now in the process of revising the delivery guidance and funding rates once again for September 2020 onwards delivery. These will be communicated in August.

The current Bikeability Delivery Guide: https://professionals.bikeability.org.uk/download/8692/ –

With a Covid specific addenda: https://professionals.bikeability.org.uk/download/8696/

Bikeability adult

We recognise that in this period a greater number of new, novice and lapsed cyclists are taking to the roads and we have therefore repurposed some of the Bikeability Plus module funding in England to launch a new adult training course. As we had withdrawn Bikeability Plus modules (Bus, Promotion, Recycled, Ride and Transition) – local authorities in England who had a plus allocation for those modules have been offered grant fuding to offer the new module. This has only just gone out them and we are offering around 3,000 places through that funding.  The Department for Transport has agreed that this funding can be used to deliver the new Bikeability Plus Adult module https://professionals.bikeability.org.uk/documents/

This module is designed to allow bespoke training packages to be delivered to adults, as per their need, using elements from core Bikeability Levels 1, 2 and 3, and Bikeability Plus modules at the providers discretion.

The module is accompanied by this page on the Bikeability website https://bikeability.org.uk/bikeability-training/bikeability-plus/bikeability-adult , with further development planned for the resources on this page.

An aspect of this module is the self assessment, where each adult will complete a form to provide some background information regarding their current ability.

We have shared the Bikeability adult course details with TfL.

Bikeability Family
We have also piloted in this Covid-19 period a new Bikeability family course for a whole household group. This is being piloted in 5 locations, and one of the providers does cover London. Results from the evaluation will be back in August and we expect to be able to offer this through the Bikeability grant program from September. We will be sharing the learning with TfL on this program.

Online resources
Recognising the slow down in training due to Covid we have developed some online resources, tools, tips and guides to safe cyling:

https://bikeability.org.uk/cycle-more/

We have also developed a Tools for School package with resources to help education settings to encourage more cycling:

https://bikeability.org.uk/tools-for-schools/

Find a Course:
Our handy course finder does cover all London boroughs and gives details of where people can access registered Bikeability courses

https://bikeability.org.uk/find-a-course/

Summer Cycle More campaign
At the end of July we’ll be launching a social media campaign encouraging families to share and send pictures of safe cycling. A series of tools and tips on what safe cycling looks like will underpin the campaign and we would love support in Boroughs to share this campaign. Follow the Bikeability social media channels:

I am very happy to answer any other questions people might have – please contact: Emily@bikeabilitytrust.org

28 July 2020