Luton’s innovative Bikes for Schools scheme has given cycle training to more than 6,000 primary school pupils.
There will be a special ceremony at Downside Primary School tomorrow (June 20) to mark the delivery of the 2,000th loan bike in Luton.
The project has been running since October 2011, enabling students to take part in cycling proficiency for the 21st Century, known as Bikeability. It’s aimed primarily at Years Five and Six pupils, aged from nine to 11.
The scheme is provided by the council’s road safety team national standard cycle instructors and funded by the Travel Luton initiative, with bicycles provided and maintained by sustainable transport charity Sustrans.
Sustrans spokesman Chris Wilkinson said they had decided to buy the cycles when it was discovered that many local children had no access to this form of transport.
He added: “Nationally, this is one of the only schemes to manage a fleet of bikes for cycle training successfully, and this is largely down to the teamwork between Luton Borough Council and Sustrans.”
> For more information email chris.wilkinson@sustrans.org.uk