Cycle Winchester calls for bike buses to help kids cycle to school

At its latest monthly meeting Cycle Winchester invited members of the public to talk and learn about bike buses.

Currently, the district has two bike buses, the Colden Common and Twyford CycleBus which helps pupils get to Westgate and Kings School, and a primary school bike bus to St Bede’s.

Parents, councillors and bike bus leaders joined the meeting to gauge interest and the possibility of launching more bike buses across the district.

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Tony Higginson at the meeting (Image: Adele Bouchard)

Tony Higginson, who runs the Colden Common and Twyford CycleBus, believes the council needs to take a risk and invest in better infrastructure and cycling routes.

He said: “It should be an ambition that every primary school has one. When we started off people weren’t used to seeing us. It would be good to have more messaging on the roads, signs saying please don’t overtake the bike bus.

“It probably only interferes with a few drivers for a few minutes. The biggest issue we have is communication with schools. If we can get over a critical mass of kids, it becomes safe.”

Ed Chase, who also manages the Colden Common and Twyford CycleBus, said: “The traffic actually holds us up more than we hold them up.”

“Having it on mass makes it better. The real legacy here is for the kids.

“I have two kids at Westgate and I’m happy for them to now ride with a group of friends. They are cycle-aware and they enjoy it. Seeing them have fun and take ownership is amazing.”

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Emma Street at the meeting (Image: Adele Bouchard)

Emma Street, who leads the St Bede’s bike bus, said: “What we have in our local neighbourhood is a few families cycling to school and we ride together and we make it a thing.”

Winchester city councillor, Jane Rutter, said: “We are very very keen on encouraging cycling but there is a huge risk, all it takes is one accident and each school, group and ride is going to have its own unique circumstances. In principle I think it is a fabulous idea.

“As a councillor I would support community groups and school groups coming to us for help in promoting this idea. We all want to see much better cycling routes.

“You need the parents on board and the school on board, there is a lot that needs to come together.”

Winchester City Council leader and Hampshire County Councillor, Martin Tod, said: “I don’t think school transportation comes into their minds when considering cycling infrastructure.

“Anything you can do to say that we might be able to save you some money is hugely interesting to the county council as the council can’t find the savings.”

Neil Wyatt, owner of cycling café South Downs Social, said: “The more kids on bikes, the safer it is and it’s safer if everyone is together. It needs to be coordinated with the school which can be challenging. One more bike on the road is one less car.”

How does a bike bus work?

A bike bus operates with one or two ride organisers, usually parents, and some ‘spare’ riders to help keep the group safe. Much like a normal bus, a bike bus can stop at different locations along its route to pick up more children and safely escort them to school.

Equipment such as a trailer to help children with their bags and make the bike bus more obvious to nearby motorists is preferable.

Whatsapp groups help with communicating timings.

Anyone who is interested in getting involved or launching their own bike bus can contact CycleWinchester at hello@cyclewinchester.org.uk for help on how to get started