Background & ObjectivesIn Austria, the road traffic regulations state that children may only ride their bikes in public places after the age of 12. With permission from the authorities, this age limit can be reduced to the age of 10. To get that permission, they must take an exam that consists of a theoretical and a practical portion. In Graz, a city where cyclists account for 14% of all road users, bicycle training courses focus mainly on theoretical aspects, and cycling exams are held in the protected area of the city’s “Verkehrsgarten” (a traffic training centre for children and young adults). This is an unsatisfying situation since too much emphasis is placed on theoretical knowledge and the learning of rules and that in urban areas no connection is made between theoretical information and the realities of traffic.Therefore the Bicycle Training for Children in Real Traffic Conditions has been developed.
ImplementationThe following characteristics make this new method of bicycle training different from traditional cycling lessons in the traffic training centre for children and young adults:
The training sessions take place in the immediate vicinity of the school.
The pupils are only confronted with the realities of traffic after practising in a safe area: the schoolyard.
They practise cycling in real traffic conditions under the guidance and supervision of the bicycle trainer.
The children are able to improve their cycling ability in areas with reduced traffic (also including Graz’s network of cycling paths) in controlled group and - particularly important - individual bike trips.
They are gently prepared to become self-confident and conscientious road users.
The training programme focuses on practical cycling sessions in real traffic conditions.
Theoretical rules are only taught to the minimum extent necessary.
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ConclusionsSince the bicycle training programme was launched, more than 5,000 children have taken part in the training sessions. The children’s cycling ability is evaluated by trainers before and after training.
Favourable conditions / barriers:
Good cooperation with the local education authority, schools and the police is of great significance to the success of a project of this kind. The legal conditions must be clarified, as well as the insurance protection of the children (in Austria, the children are automatically insured against accidents during school events). To begin with, none of the authorities responsible could imagine that it would be possible to carry out such realistic “hands-on” training at all. Only after some time did the bicycle training become established as a component of modern mobility education. The key information on bicycle training provided by Austrian Mobility Research (FGM-AMOR) can be found at Radfahrtraining. There are information folders available in German, English and Portuguese.
AuthorGudrun Uranitsch
Contact Gudrun Uranitsch
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