Teaching kids to cycle in traffic - any tips?

Red Belly

Brought my 9 year old for a spin around the block last night. 4 roundabouts (turning left at each) and one right turn into home at the end. About a 2 k journey in total. I stayed on his right all the way which probably pissed off a few drivers but I guess they could see what I was doing as they didn't honk us out of it!

He's of a nervous disposition by nature and despite my best efforts I'm sure he picked up on my tension (and his mother's) as well. My plan is to bring him on the same route until he feels comfortable and then expand it from there. Anyone got any tips/insights that might help?

I was regularly cycling to school at his age and regularly off around my area, but that was the seventies! I don't really recall how I learned to ride in traffic, I think I was just thrown out of the house with a bike!

rb

No Pants

Be predictable.

CramCycle

No tips as such as I learned much like you, I was given a bike and told not to get into trouble. The only real tip I could give is drill in observation to him ie not to just look where hes going but to glance around fairly regular so he is aware of what is going on around him.

albert kidd

just stick at it..i done the same with me own fella a few months back and hes flying now..he will pick it up and his bike handling will dramatically improve spin after spin..its all about confidence..i was fairly nervous with my own at first and like you i reckon he picked up on it also which helps no one.

i tried a mixture less busier roads and then back into traffic a few times a week.

Skill Magill

This is what it looked like (embedding is disabled but click on the link(the youtube button) and it will bring you straight to the YouTube clip

Harrybelafonte

I might get in trouble for saying this, but I would t have him out on the road get. Especially if he's of a nervous disposition. It's not the 70s as you said, traffic is heavier and more aggressive. I let my ten year cycle on the path. Slowly. I don't care if it's illegal or not. It allowed him to build confidence and it means that the cycle to school in the morning isn't a gut churning experience. I may not be 100% right and I'm sure someone will vehemently disagree with the method, but a few months ago when a driver almost brushed his handlebars he remained calm and kept his head which I hope is down to building his confidence on the path.

In an attempt to cut off anyone getting shirty about path cycling, he knows he's not supposed to be there and knows that pedestrians have 100% priority over him. Like I said, I don't care about being right about this, but I'd like my kid to be a little bit bigger before he joins the ranks. We've already had three of four scares, two at traffic lights, so I'm not pushing it.

check_six

Having a familiar course is useful, are you planning on cycling to school with him? In any event, repeating the same course will allow you to discuss various junctions and hazards and strategies for dealing with them after the cycle.

When I cycle with my son I get him to cycle just in front and inside of me and I talk to him through the cycle. To do this effectively you need to be able to put into words all the things you are doing automatically in your head. This takes practice. You will find yourself warning him about blind corners, cars entering the road from sideroads, pedestrians who look like they are not paying attention, vans that are not normally parked on the road (dudes jump out from behind vans all the time), people exiting vehicles, loose devil dogs, bad road surface, big puddles, etc. You will find that your son will very quickly learn to spot these hazards by himself, but keep chatting away to him to reinforce the message.

I encouraged my lad to pick a line and stick to it in order to become a predictable presence for other road users. There may be marks on the road from old roadworks, or yellow lines, or just use the pavement as a reference. For example, if there are double yellow lines make sure he picks a line a little bit outside the right-hand line.

It's important to keep pedalling at a comfortable rhythm, so if his bike has gears, show him how to use them, and talk him through when to change up or down.

Try not to be intimidated yourself by other traffic. By holding a good position on the road and being able to go to single file with confidence that your lad will hold his line, you will be able to avoid any trouble with impatient road users wishing to hurry past you, but it is important not to panic if you are being bullied. Remain calm, stick to doing the right thing, and your son will too.

Good habits regarding rules of the road should be drilled in at the earliest opportunity. Talk your son through right of way and road signs as you meet them. When you stop at red lights at tricky junctions you can discuss strategies for taking the correct turn etc. Also talk about when discretion is the better part of valour (eg. a truck is about to do a u-turn, or some other weird manoeuver. Hold short, and let it do it's thing. This is especially important near school-run 4x4 tractors, which can be unpredictable.)

Situational awareness on the bike is really important. Constantly remind your son to check over his shoulder before making a manoeuver, even if he is just following your lead. Teach him to rely on his own observations and not just follow you blindly. You will find yourself saying "check over your shoulder!" *ALL* the time. Drill this in. I make a big fuss if my lad forgets to do this.

Make sure that your son's brakes are in good working order and the gears are in good nick. Check them regularly. Make sure to get your son into the habit of checking his bike, and making sure to bring his gear (eg. lights, lock, raincoat, etc.). The lock is easy to forget!

Take it easy at first. You will find your son will develop the necessary skills very quickly at his age. Discuss the journey to see if you can learn anything new from it.

In summary:
- run through some guidelines as to keeping to lines and looking around you before the cycle
- say out loud all the things you need to check for and do on the cycle as you are about to do them
- be amazed how quickly your son picks it all up, and realise how clueless you were yourself at that age!

Good luck!

CatFromHue

Don't go up the inside of left turning HGV's!

That has to be up there with one of the biggest cycle killers out there.

CramCycle

Harrybelafonte wrote: »

I might get in trouble for saying this, but I would t have him out on the road get. Especially if he's of a nervous disposition. It's not the 70s as you said, traffic is heavier and more aggressive. I let my ten year cycle on the path. Slowly. I don't care if it's illegal or not. It allowed him to build confidence and it means that the cycle to school in the morning isn't a gut churning experience. I may not be 100% right and I'm sure someone will vehemently disagree with the method, but a few months ago when a driver almost brushed his handlebars he remained calm and kept his head which I hope is down to building his confidence on the path.

In an attempt to cut off anyone getting shirty about path cycling, he knows he's not supposed to be there and knows that pedestrians have 100% priority over him. Like I said, I don't care about being right about this, but I'd like my kid to be a little bit bigger before he joins the ranks. We've already had three of four scares, two at traffic lights, so I'm not pushing it.

I am pretty sure its legal, and rightly so, its one of the rare exceptions, children are often not mature enough to realise the danger and issues present and in most cases the pavement provides a good place to do this, from navigating obstacles to learning to wait your turn at junctions as well as learning to observe all the other road ways at a junction. It builds confidence and once they are ready they can start commuter racing like the rest of us in the morning times on their way to school. I often see it in my area with a dad on the road and the child on the footpath, everyone has to learn somewhere.

bambergbike

I'd practice shoulder checking not just because it's good to know what's going on behind and to make eye contact with following drivers, but also because cycling in a straight line while not looking straight ahead along that line is actually quite tricky - beginners tend to drift quite far sideways when they look around and it's key to get that under control.

Taking a single route and running through it again and again as you've started doing is a good place to start - once he has ridden it and been talked through the hazards and skills required a few times, you can switch from riding with him on your inside to riding behind him. Practice giving him instructions from behind so he will listen and react quickly if you do need to shout, but then just let him get on with it. With time you can drop further and further back and you will gradually get to the point where he can make certain familiar journeys alone.

I minded two children - four and six - one day last year. When we went out, the four-year old took her heavy red scooter, the six-year old took his bike and I took a large toy sheep (not my idea). We were able to get to the playground and to a restaurant on traffic-free paths, but we also passed a skate park where the kids scared the living daylights out me showing me their tricks - I was sure their parents would re-appear on the scene just as they split their lips or broke their legs, but I couldn't really lay down the law and ban activities that are normally allowed just for my own peace of mind, so I just kept an eye on them and made a few suggestions here and there.

Not all kids will be ready for cycling in traffic by the time they are nine or ten, but kids like that that already have fairly good bike handling at age four and have learned good roadcraft as pedestrians at age six should be able to progress up to cycling routine journeys alone (to school, say) once they are in fourth class. If all the possible routes are too hostile to permit that, I'd get campaigning. Every school should have a school travel plan - a map with hazards marked - and every council should be working to remove those hazards so that a new plan with fewer hazards than the old one can come out every September. If your school and your council aren't singing off this hymn sheet, I have a leaflet somewhere that explains how it works (unfortunately not in English, although I could turn it into English if I had the time.)

RainyDay

check_six wrote: »

When I cycle with my son I get him to cycle just in front and inside of me and I talk to him through the cycle.

This position is very important. I've seen a few parents cycling with the kids hanging along behind them, all over the road. Sometimes I've helped by taking up a protective position behind the kids to keep traffic away from them.