Professor John Pucher has authored another installment of his bi-weekly chat with European Cyclists’ Foundation for his upcoming book,City Cycling. This week’s discussion focuses on children and cycling.
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Velo-city Global in Vancouver is less than a week away, and yes, it’s going to be all about children. John Pucher & Ralph Baulher’s new book, “City Cycling”, dedicates a whole chapter to kids and they’ve been kind enough to share some insights with the cycling world.
“Cycling can provide children with a range of physical, mental, and social benefits, greatly enhancing their mobility and independence,” Pucher explains.
“But sadly, cycling rates for children have fallen in most countries in recent decades,” he admits.
According to Pucher, the downward trend can be explained by increased car ownership among parents, longer distances between home and school, increasing traffic danger, and parental fears about the personal safety of their children. His new book, ‘City Cycling’ examines ways to reverse the downward trend in child cycling based on successful policies in some countries and cities.
“Improving cycling safety, especially for the trip to school, is a key approach, but other complementary programs are also required,” says Pucher.
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