Cycle marshall training scheme expanded in Durham

Durham County Council’s scheme to train volunteers to provide guided rides for the public in and around County Durham has proved a resounding success and has attracted interest from other authorities both inside and outside the county.

‘On Yer Bike’ was launched in April 2001 in a deprived area of Durham. The aim of the campaign is to increase cycle usage and by so doing improve the health of participants. "We recruit and train volunteers to act as cycle marshals to take groups of the public out on day-long cycle rides," explains Alan Kennedy, County Durham’s senior road safety officer.

"The courses have been very successful and district councils have been badgering the county's road safety team to provide training for their own employees so that guided rides can be organised at a local level," Alan Kennedy adds.

The county council has now formalised the course and is to provide training over the next four months for two district councils and one other council outside Durham. The course is in two parts. Part 1 is a road craft course and develops the individual rider’s skills to be able to ride in busy traffic situations in confidence; dealing with roundabouts and other complicated junctions; dual carriageways; traffic signal systems.

"The course is a mix of basic skills that are taught to children in cycling proficiency - moving off and stopping correctly, for example - and the skills required by motorcyclists, such as visibility/appropriate road positioning and other observation skills training mainly taught in advanced driving," Alan continues.

Part 2 is the marshalling skills element. This involves group riding techniques; dealing with large groups at roundabouts/dual carriageways, turning right at junctions, crossing rural roads, off road riding, dealing with children and elderly riders, and communication.
"When the district councils’ teams are trained there will be greater access to public rides at a very local level," Alan Kennedy says. "These rides will in the main be shorter than those organised at county level and will appeal to newcomers and 'return to biking' folk."

In another exciting development for the road safety team, Northumbria Police has asked the County Council to develop a tailor made cycling course for 100 of its officers. The course will provide intensive road craft skills to enable officers to get through housing estates and busy town centres relatively quickly and safely, followed by an off-road riding session training officers to give pursuit through trees and along rough tracks safely.