Family cycling culture - could Britain be like Germany?

[plancashire]

Here in Düsseldorf I help out with an English conversation group. Quite by chance the two of my participants who turned up this week mentioned that they had often been cycling as children with the whole family. They talked about weekend outings through the woods, or a trip to a cafe with Dad. This would have been in the 1960s or 70s. Neither of them is a "cyclist"; they just ride a bike to get around. This continues: I see families out together now, including teenage girls.

I told my participants that, although I knew that my father had cycled quite a lot - he used to talk about it - he did not have a bike when I was a child and I never saw him or my mother on a bike. When I was growing up I knew only one adult who rode a bike, apart of course from the French onion man.

Could Britain ever develop a family cycling culture? How?

[Nearholmer]

It exists to some extent where I live in Milton Keynes, it being common to see parents and children cycling together for leisure in the summer, and small children to/from school. But, that’s only because we have motor-traffic free paths everywhere, so I’d suggest that might be the precondition (or, I suppose, an absolutely huge rise in motoring costs!).

[plancashire]

Thanks Nearholmer for the good news about MK. Yes, I suspect the barrier is roads full of cars and nowhere else to ride. Did all those people who cycle in MK move there because of the cycle infrastructure? I doubt it. Perhaps it shows the pent-up demand. Build it and they will use it, as happened in Sevilla.

[Nearholmer]

No, people didn’t move here for the cycling, and TBH the cycling infrastructure is underused in many parts of the city, because the roads are also very good, and because homes and workplaces are widely scattered, making ‘travel to work’ distances quite great for many people. The largest use of the infrastructure is actually by people walking (it’s dual use), and for leisure cycling, but as regards the question of families cycling together, and kids cycling to school, yes, they certainly do happen here.

I honestly think motor traffic is the big deal, because even adults who are comfortable cycling among motor traffic are wary of their kids doing the same, and TBH how much fun is a family outing, if as a parent you’re spending a good chunk of it trying to ensure that the little ones aren’t mown down by a passing car? Ex rail-trails are another place you see families cycling together, again no cars to worry about.

There is definitely latent demand, but “build it and they will come” doesn’t apply in full, because of other local factors. Some I mentioned above, but another example is where I grew up, which is in a very hilly area; you could install cycleways all over that small town, and still only fit youngsters would use them. It’s the sort of place where cycling gets down to walking pace, and it’s actually simpler to walk!

[Jdsk]

Last Saturday was the "Ride and Stride" day to raise money for historic churches. Biscuits and orange juice at each church. Lovely day out.

This year we ranged from 23 months to 73 years, with devices including child seats and tandems. Three families, but we often have more. But we didn't ride as families when we were children: we decided to do it as adults.

It's worth looking around this forum to see how much encouragement there is for family cycling. Or indeed for last Saturday's opportunity.

Jonathan

[plancashire]

Last Saturday was the "Ride and Stride" day to raise money for historic churches. Biscuits and orange juice at each church. Lovely day out.

This year we ranged from 23 months to 73 years, with devices including child seats and tandems. Three families, but we often have more. But we didn't ride as families when we were children: we decided to do it as adults.

It's worth looking around this forum to see how much encouragement there is for family cycling. Or indeed for last Saturday's opportunity.

Jonathan

Thanks. My wife and I used to do the Suffolk Historic Churches rides.

I don't doubt that there are plenty of encouraging words for family cycling in the UK. My impression is that it happens in Germany with less encouragement, unless you call decent infrastructure encouragement.

[pjclinch]

unless you call decent infrastructure encouragement.

Not only encouragement, but enablement.

Pete.

[Jdsk]

Last Saturday was the "Ride and Stride" day to raise money for historic churches. Biscuits and orange juice at each church. Lovely day out.

This year we ranged from 23 months to 73 years, with devices including child seats and tandems. Three families, but we often have more. But we didn't ride as families when we were children: we decided to do it as adults.

It's worth looking around this forum to see how much encouragement there is for family cycling. Or indeed for last Saturday's opportunity.

Thanks. My wife and I used to do the Suffolk Historic Churches rides.

I don't doubt that there are plenty of encouraging words for family cycling in the UK. My impression is that it happens in Germany with less encouragement, unless you call decent infrastructure encouragement.

My comment was about the lack of encouragement in this forum! : - (

The Ride and Stride day is an excellent opportunity for family cycling, and it wasn't mentioned....

Jonathan

[Jdsk]

Last Saturday was the "Ride and Stride" day to raise money for historic churches. Biscuits and orange juice at each church. Lovely day out.

This year we ranged from 23 months to 73 years, with devices including child seats and tandems. Three families, but we often have more. But we didn't ride as families when we were children: we decided to do it as adults.

It's worth looking around this forum to see how much encouragement there is for family cycling. Or indeed for last Saturday's opportunity.

Thanks. My wife and I used to do the Suffolk Historic Churches rides.

I don't doubt that there are plenty of encouraging words for family cycling in the UK. My impression is that it happens in Germany with less encouragement, unless you call decent infrastructure encouragement.

My comment was about the lack of encouragement in this forum! : - (

The Ride and Stride day is an excellent opportunity for family cycling, and it wasn't mentioned...

It's next Saturday. And again no mention in this forum. I don't understand this.

https://ridestride.org

Jonathan

[jgurney]

It's next Saturday. And again no mention in this forum. I don't understand this.

https://ridestride.org

Jonathan

For my own part, I had not heard anything about it and did not know it existed until I looked in this thread. I suspect you may be the only forum regular who does know of it, in which case no-one has mentioned it because like me they did not know of it.

The text of the home page of that website does not make it at all clear that it is an event featuring family cycling, or that it is open to all.

It reads:
"Ride + Stride is the single largest source of income for many Historic Churches Trusts enabling them to make Grants to places of Christian worship. Taking place on the 2nd Saturday of September the funds raised can be split between the nominated Trust and the participants chosen church or chapel.

Click the direct links below to your County – more Trusts were back doing Ride+Stride in 2022 – so keep supporting them!

As ever Ride+Stride is a wonderful way to enjoy getting out and about safely as well as raising much-needed funds to support Grant applications from churches and chapels across the country.

Some of the varying pictures beside the text show adults and children on bikes but the words "family ", "cycling", or "bikes" are not featured. While we, being cyclists, will associate "ride" with cycling, not everyone will.

The main emphasis of the text is upon church fundraising. That might well give the impression that this is some kind of internal activity for church members, perhaps some kind of sponsored cycle ride, although the word "sponsor" is not present. Since many sponsored cycle rides are for adults only, that might in itself lead to some readers assuming this one is as well unless they take notice of the contents of the pictures.

There is no overt reference to the public in general being welcome. I happen to know from general experience that many church-run events do welcome visitors, and if I had happened upon this website I would probably have assumed it was likely to welcome all, but many people might think along the lines 'it is for the church - I am not in the church - so it is not to do with me'. Some of the further pages contain terms likely to be unfamiliar to non-churchgoers, such as "your PCC Secretary" which again might give the impression this is something for church members or insiders as opposed to the general public.

I have just run web searches for "family cycling" and for "cycle with children". 'https://ridestride.org/' does not show up in the first two pages of hits for either.

[fatmac]

If you know of such rides, add them to the forum yourself, that's how people will get to know about them...

[Paulatic]

My comment was about the lack of encouragement in this forum! : - (

The Ride and Stride day is an excellent opportunity for family cycling, and it wasn't mentioned....

Jonathan

Yes an all too common snide remark to the contributors of this forum.
You knew about the event but didn’t alert anyone. To be be fair you have mentioned this event, along with Al Richard and Vorpal, for quite a few years but it has never stirred a lot of interest. I think you’d also have to be very interested in saving historic churches as well as an interest in cycling to get involved.

[Carlton green]

It's next Saturday. And again no mention in this forum. I don't understand this.

https://ridestride.org

Jonathan

Pile-ons are not for me but I am puzzled why people automatically think that some task is for others to do. With the greatest of respect Jonathan there’s an exceedingly good chance that you are the only active member that knows of this event. The event does take place across a lot of England, but perhaps news of it only reaches those that are associated with or overlap with particular churches.

The weather forecast for Saturday 13th is poor, but hopefully participants will have appropriate clothing on and enjoy the event. I wish the participants well and respectfully suggest that you take it upon yourself to start a thread on ridestride events and to update it every year.

[drossall]

I did the Historic Churches Ride some years back, although I don't recall it being called Ride & Stride then. It's got quite a long history. I knew about it through my church, although another club member, who has since passed away, did also do it once or twice for a church in a neighbouring village.

I think the point about culture is that these things are being driven by organisations whose focus is not cycling (the Historic Churches Trust in this case). That's when it becomes cultural. So it does happen quite a bit - there's a whole industry arranging sponsored rides of all types and lengths that seem to attract riders who have no connection with organised cycling.

Maybe there's a question about whether it's happening in spite, rather than instead, of us? Although the truth is, I think, more complex.

[Jdsk]

i think you’d also have to be very interested in saving historic churches as well as an interest in cycling to get involved.

There's neither a requirement nor a need to have any interest in churches or historic churches. The *children have a great time with the free biscuits and squash and seeing the range of HPVs that appears and sometimes swapping around.

If there is any sponsorship they also enjoy getting the form signed and seeing the list get longer.

And then there's a day's cycling. :- )

Not too late to take part.

Jonathan

*And adults.