Every child in Scotland should have the chance to learn to ride a bike: let’s give them freedom and confidence

There’s lots to celebrate in more young people cycling

As the national charity for everyday cycling, Cycling Scotland supports young people on their journey to ride a bike. From nursery children to primary-school pupils, more young people are getting on their bikes and half a million young people have now completed Bikeability Scotland training cycle training since the programme’s introduction in 2011, a huge milestone worth celebrating. 

However, at the same time, there’s still a sizeable proportion of children who are missing out and being left behind

Co-ordinators working in local authorities, who are responsible for organising school cycle training, report that an increasing number of young people are arriving at training (which typically takes place around the ages of 10/11 years old) unable to ride a bike. By this stage, young people typically would have mastered balance and pedalling skills and are ready to take part in the training, which focuses on the skills and confidence needed to cycle on-road. However, a survey with coordinators across the country suggests that more than one in five pupils cannot ride a bike before they come to do Bikeability training, with over half of respondents saying that they think this proportion is on the rise.   

So, what’s causing this?

In short, a number of interlinked factors. Parental confidence (often linked to busy roads and valid concerns about safety) is one element; it takes a basic level of experience on how to support a child ride a bike and two thirds of adults do not cycle. For many families a lack of access to bikes or somewhere to keep them will be an issue, and, while most areas offer activities like Play on Pedals in nurseries to provide opportunities at the earliest stage, this is not yet universal. Alongside all these factors is the legacy of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has exacerbated existing challenges, and created new ones. 

• Road safety: we know from extensive research that ‘not feeling safe enough on the road’ and a lack of safe infrastructure are the biggest barriers that prevent more people cycling, and this fear has an impact down the generations: adults concerned about traffic volumes and speeds are likely to be less motivated to support and encourage their own child to cycle on roads. 
• Parental perception and experience: the knowledge and skills of a parent or carer will naturally influence a child’s opportunity to learn to ride a bike. In a car dominated society, the number of parents with recent cycling experience is lower than it was two generations ago, creating lack of confidence in passing skills on.
• Access to bikes or places to store them: two-thirds of households don’t have access to a bike while at least a third of households are unlikely to have a safe, accessible place to store a bike. This can be a major barrier. While bikes are provided for many young people to enable them to take part in on-road training, they require several bikes of increasing size and cost throughout children to gain the freedom and independence. There are too many initiatives which do not adequately take into account inequities of access to cycling and therefore do not help enable more children to learn to cycle.
• Space: In many parts of the country, access to parks, greenspace or other public space where it is easy to teach a child to cycle is limited. Ensuring public space is safe and accessible is a key issue of social justice.  
• Age and stage: the nursery/pre-school stage is the perfect time for kids to learn to cycle: playing and growing their confidence on balance bikes, before progressing onto pedals. Supported by Transport Scotland, we provide funding for early years teams across Scotland to buy bikes and helmets for nurseries, and teach early year practitioners to deliver training to pupils – however, not all local authorities offer this programme yet, and parents and carers should have access to guidance and resources to help their children learn to cycle. 

The Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated existing challenges

Six years on from the first national lockdown, a significant proportion of the Scottish population is still feeling the effects of the pandemic, with ongoing research into the impact of Covid on children and young people. Amongst many other challenges for homes, schools and public health, there’s evidence to link the pandemic to a decline in gross motor skills, outdoor caution and a rise in obesity –  the latter due to a lack of physical activity. And for adults who are perhaps already juggling multiple responsibilities in terms of jobs, shiftwork or caring, teaching their child to learn to cycle to the mix. 

The impact on cycle training is only just playing out: children who were 4-5 years old during school closures in 2020 are now in primary 6 and starting to take part in Bikeability training. Some of them will have benefitted from learning to scoot on balance bikes and progressed onto pedal bikes, but others haven’t had these opportunities and are unable to cycle: data from a 2023 pilot activity in 14 Glasgow primary schools showed 70% of six- seven-year-olds were unable to ride a bike before Bikeability training. 

In terms of learning to ride a bike, Covid has had a significant impact and has also worsened some pre-existing trends. Barriers such as road danger, both real and perceived; existing pressures on nurseries, schools and caregivers; access to bikes; and issues linked with low incomes and deprivation, are all challenges that pre-date (and continue beyond) Covid, and need to be addressed, to ensure all children can learn an essential life skill.  

Being able to ride a bike: why does it matter?

There’s a wealth of evidence that links riding a bike with positive impacts on physical health, mental wellbeing, improved immune systems, emotional regulation, environmental benefits, and connection to communities. Being able to ride a bike means that young people can start to access an independent way of getting around, both for everyday travel, but also to spend time with friends.

Alongside this, independent research shows the benefits of taking part in on-road cycle training – improved performance in knowledge and hazard awareness, and tackling inequalities – as well as links between training and improved road safety. 

Cycling helps give young people confidence, freedom and, above all, fun.   

It’s important to recognise the challenges that face more young people learning to ride a bike, but also highlight the progress that’s been made.

In recent years there has been increased investment from Transport Scotland into ‘learn to ride’ activities means we will see more young people benefitting from these opportunities. Pupils that participate in nursery-based cycling activity are twice as likely to be able to pedal independently on starting primary school. 

Further along the life stages, we’re also seeing that the majority of adults we welcome onto our cycle training courses are absolute beginners: consistently over the last couple of years, almost a half of participants are totally new to cycling. The majority of those taking part in cycle training are women; research highlights that there is a cycling gender divide, so this is a welcome signal that more people are overcoming barriers to travelling by bike. 

And alongside this, the record level of investment into dedicated networks of safe cycling lanes, which we know is the most important action needed to make our roads safer to cycle on, is showing continued and positive results. 

Next steps 

Play on Pedals

Cycling Scotland can support local authorities’ Early Years across Scotland to embed learn to ride activities in the nursery setting. This includes orientation for all practitioners to develop as instructors, and grant funding is available to develop a fleet of balance and pedal bikes used by participating nurseries.   

Bikeability Scotland

Support, including access to instructors, resources and coordination time, is available for every primary school in Scotland - visit Bikeability Scotland for more information. Fourteen local authorities already deliver in every primary school. The training is managed by Cycling Scotland and is delivered in partnership with local authorities and others, supported by funding from Transport Scotland. More than 2,000 certified instructors, including staff and parent volunteers, help address barriers to ensure children across Scotland can access cycle training. 

Adult and Family cycle training

Cycling Scotland works with a network of over 60 delivery providers across Scotland to provide cycle training for adults, as well as families. 
More than a third of adults booking training are learning to cycle for the first time, while family sessions are very popular with parents who wish to build confidence making journeys with their children on bike. Almost 70% of survey participants said they cycled more after family cycle training.

This information supported an article in the Scotland on Sunday, published 5 July 2026.