【每日邮报】A tenth of children don't know how to ride a bike ……

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A tenth of children don't know how to ride a bike 'due to parents' fears about strangers'
http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/news/article-1192970/A-tenth-children-dont-know-ride-bike-parents-fears-strangers.html
By Daily Mail Reporter   Last updated at 11:15 AM on 18th June 2009

Safety fears: A tenth of children do not know how to ride a bike because parents refuse to let them play outdoors

One in ten children do not know how to ride a bike as worried parents refuse to let them spend enough time outdoors, according to new figures.

The number of under-16s unable to handle two wheels has risen over the generations, helped by youngsters now spending more time stuck in front of computer games and PC screens.

Overworked parents are also less likely to have the time to teach their sons and daughters how to ride said the study by cereal brand Kellogg's Bran Flakes.

Even if they wanted to, many may not have the necessary equipment as up to a third of homes do not even have a bike at all, the research added.

And around half of Britons never ride bikes at all, whether or not they know how said the survey of over 2,000 adults said Bran Flakes whose adverts feature Olympic cycling champ Chris Hoy.

Almost half, 48 per cent, of parents also said they did not think it was particularly important that their children knew how to ride a bike.

The 10 per cent of the country's under-16s who cannot cycle compares with just six per cent of adults, suggesting it is a growing problem among the younger generation.

Most people who can master the pedals have learnt to do so as children, often helped by a mother or father pushing them along a park path until they manage to stay up on two wheels.

It was once considered a rite of passage for any child to learn to ride a bicycle, even if they had to fall off a few times before they got it right.

But 74 per cent of parents admit that indoor activities like playing on a computer or texting on a mobile has replaced such outdoor activities.

Added to this is the fear of today's parents about letting children play outdoors without adult supervision either for security reasons or because they think there is too much traffic.

More than half, 52 per cent, reckon they would make more effort if there was a better network of cycle paths.

A spokesperson for Kellogg's Bran Flakes said: 'As committed supporters of cycling in Britain we are keen to do something about this worrying trend.

'It appears that the main barrier to cycling is a lack of local safe cycle routes so that's where we've started.

'We've created a website with hundreds of safe cycle routes situated all over the UK. All you need to do is type in your postcode and you'll be able to find all of your nearest cycle routes.'

Liverpool homes are least likely to actually have a bike - 48 per cent are cycle-free zones - while 14 per cent of Glasgow adults do not know how to it, the highest proportion of any UK region.