How much confidence do you need to cycle?

According to this York press report, "campaigners fear many parents and their children may be deterred from getting in the saddle due to a lack of confidence behind the handlebars." Well that's probably true, and it's because there's so little in the way of safe cycle routes and so much dangerous driving. The solution? "Offering families the chance to receive cycle training".

Sorry, but this is yet another case of money being spent not solving the underlying problem. People will go for the training, start cycling, have a couple of frightening  near-miss experiences and quit. Or they'll hear about a terrible accident like this one and decide it's too dangerous for their kids.

People don't cycle because of safety fears. Those fears are well-founded. Putting on a training course that kids people into thinking it's safe doesn't make it safe - you can put lipstick on the pig, but it's still a pig. This is a waste of money, money that in these austere times should be spent on proper, safe infrastructure.