Elections
« Back to list of all 39 questions for this election
Question 2 - we asked:
Schools in County Durham have bike shelters but they are often empty. Children who might like to cycle are often driven to school because parents don't consider our streets safe enough for children to walk or cycle. What are your views about cycling as a travel option for children? What practical changes would you like to see in your area to enable children to cycle?
We asked this question in these 36 divisions: , , , , , , Aycliffe East, Aycliffe North and Middridge, Aycliffe West, Barnard Castle East, Barnard Castle West, Belmont, Brandon, Chester-le-Street East, Chester-le-Street North, Chester-le-Street South, Chester-le-Street West Central, Coxhoe, Crook, Dawdon, Deerness, Durham South, Elvet and Gilesgate, Esh and Witton Gilbert, Ferryhill, Framwellgate and Newton Hall, Lanchester, Neville's Cross, North Lodge, Seaham, Sherburn, Spennymoor, Stanley, Trimdon and Thornley, Tudhoe, Willington and Hunwick.
35 of the candidates responded as below.
Those candidate(s) which were elected are highlighted.
| Michael Drummond Moverley SMITH (Conservative Party) |
How students travel to school is a matter of individual choice in conjunction with their parents. Many schools encourage cycle use by arranging cycle training courses and this I very much support. If the provision of a cycle route is a viable option I would support it. |
| Joshua WOOLLER (Conservative Party) |
The creation of safe cycle lanes and lowering speed limits may create the safe environment where more parents feel comfortable allowing their children to cycle to school. We all must do our bit to lower our carbon footprint and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. I would support any Council decision to incentivise cycling. Though, I understand this is a matter of personal choice for parents and what they believe is best for their children. |
| Jonathan ELMER (Green Party) |
This is only going to be adopted by the majority of students if cycling becomes safe and at the moment its not. Infrastructure is again the solution. |
| Roger Michael MCADAM (Green Party) |
I’d like to see more dedicated, clear cycling lanes, well separated from major traffic routes, for children to proceed safely. |
| Derek MORSE (Green Party) |
As things are at the moment with heavy traffic in the vicinity of schools, then encouraging children to walk to school is the only safe alternative option particularly as the Council provide road crossing personnel. What is needed in the future is for a radical overhaul of road usage. Increasingly minor roads need to be designated "traffic free" and turned over to pedestrians and cyclists. Linking these up to provide safe routes to schools then becomes a possible way forward. |
| Alan OSTLE (Green Party) |
Cycling is a healthy option for children travelling to school and when parents accompany them they get the same benefits. Safety is the key priority and I would look to designate safer cycling routes with appropriate speed limits and clear signage. Hazards created by inconsiderate parking can force cyclists onto roads or in conflict with vehicles or pedestrians. I would work with residents to identify parking options which balance the needs of drivers, cyclists and pedestrians. Speed moderation including physical restrictions and lower speed limits (20 is Plenty) during school travel times helps to demonstrate that roads are shared use. In some locations this could involve removing traffic signage altogether to create a distinctive shared access space for all users causing vehicles to use great care in moving around. |
| Irene OSTLE (Green Party) |
To encourage cycling in my local area there needs to be prioritisation of separate, safe, cycleways. |
| Ian Edward STONE (Green Party) |
Cycling should be encouraged for school-children. At the moment, sending a child off on a bike in the morning must (or would) cause many parents great anxiety, for the reasons listed in answer 1. Given physical limitations on sharing space, consideration should perhaps be given to modifying footpath use, where that is feasible. Other alternatives might be group cycling to school, organised in a similar way to the escorted walk schemes operating in some places, perhaps with strict speed and overtaking rules for traffic applied for short periods of the day. Businesses might be engaged in sponsoring routes (attracted by advertising and CSR). The best thing to do would be to improve the system for all cyclists, so school journeys are more convenient and safer. |
| Ryan Lee Pescod DRION (Independent) |
Many of the schools in the area attract pupils from other villages and other areas. Esh has both a Church of England and Catholic Primary School and getting too and from school by cycling would be impractical. Some parents do walk between Langley Park and Esh, but most drive. Langley Park and Witton Gilbert do have a lot of through traffic and often queuing traffic leading to rat running down back streets. Though I would agree that cycling has benefits, I can understand the hesitation of parents allowing their children to reach school this way. Speeding in all villages is a concern and all candidates have expressed this in their election flyers. In Langley Park, new estates built in the last 20 years would have enabled walking and cycling without the need to travel along Low Moor Road but land was allowed to be purchased to expand gardens which resulted in these links between estates closed. Hospital Road though can still be accessed from Maplewood Court there is now no link to Herrington Close which also links to Middridge Road. Schools also have breakfast clubs and after school activities which are there for parents who need to drop off their children early to get to work or pick up later. This means parents will drive to school to and from work. |
| Michael GOULDING (Independent) |
I agree that it is especially dangerous for younger children to cycle on the roads. The location of schools, in relation to where you live, is a major factor which can't be ignored. I have also seen first hand lots of poor and unsafe behaviour by parents in cars next to schools - speeding and parking carelessly. As well as the physical changes required (cycle lanes and road crossings), changing the mindset of people generally, to encourage safer use of cycles, would be a tall order. |
| George Coulson GRAY (Independent) |
There school is only about five hundred yards from there home, When they are older and go to the secondary school I think that they will have to Bike there. |
| John Douglas MOORE (Independent) |
The current situation does not provide a safe environment for children cycling to school. The exception being where access is possible via the bridleways that exist around the town Reduce speed limits |
| Ken ROBSON (Independent) |
Cycle training safety should be compulsory. |
| David SMITH (Independent) |
The majority of children I see walk to school. I would prefer for children to walk to school as I think this is a safer and more sociable option. Walking to school in groups where they can chat to each other helps children develop valuable social skills. |
| Karon WILLIS (Independent) |
Whilst there are cycle lanes around the area, I think if it could be possible to make it around the local estates where children could safely cycle to school to assist them in gaining more independence and life lessons. |
| Chris VARTY (Labour & Co-operative) |
I think perhaps a trial during the spring/summer terms may be a way to test, but that would also have to include observation of traffic speeds for keeping to those speeds in the relevant areas. |
| Rebecca ASHBY (Labour Party) |
Young children often bike to school in the villages but their parents accompany them and return home with the bike. We would need to limit car usage around schools and have more 20 mph limits. Visibility of the bike racks so bikes do not get damaged or stolen. |
| Victoria Rose ASHFIELD (Labour Party) |
I think it will be dfficult to encourage children to cycle to school: the streets in the city centre are too narrow and too busy. More cycle-only ROADS as opposed to lanes might make parents happier to see their children ride. Across the county in those areas where the hills aren't too demanding cycle lanes could encourage oder children to cycle to school. |
| Karan Elizabeth BATEY (Labour Party) |
Cycle lanes |
| Anne BONNER (Labour Party) |
Identified cycle lanes in our villages and especially near schools for safety. No parking of cars should be allowed near schools. We're lucky that most schools now have 20mph zones. |
| Omide DEINALI (Labour Party) |
That would require a real tangible cut in crime levels which is beyond the scope of this scheme. |
| Christine Anne FLETCHER (Labour Party) |
I would like to see a positive push on the Cycling Proficiency Badge. I still have my certificate from the 1970s! The training has stayed with me. I would like to see cycle maintenance activities in communities. When I was younger we would wash and polish our bikes and oil the chains. Maybe there needs to be support. I'm a big fan of Recyke your Bike charity and the idea we can recycle bikes and sell affordable bikes to people who need them. |
| Brian Andrew FREEMAN (Labour Party) |
It is particularly difficult for parents and students to feel secure about using bikes as a means of transport to and from school when, as is the case with the Johnson School, the school is on a road with very heavy traffic. Better bike paths that segregate bike users from pedestrians would help as would enforced lower speed limits. Parents and the schools could organise bike convoys in which students meet at a safe place to then ride together to and from school; riding in numbers may produce a feeling of increased security. |
| Ben GRAHAM (Labour Party) |
I think this question really needs to be in two parts - primary and secondary/college/sixth form. For primary school age students then safety is almost definitely an issue, as well as parents not having the time to take kids to school, then return to get the car and then head to work. It’s a more general need to ensure that our roads, and our communities are safe for children to travel. To combat that we need to create a better flow of traffic, particularly around schools, and minimise the amount of parking that block residential streets. At secondary age and above, the bigger issue is going to be that kids often don’t want to travel to school on a bike. They prefer the more social aspect of walking or getting the bus with friends. |
| David Wilson HARDAKER (Labour Party) |
Cycling a good option sorry no idea about 2nd question as I am not a cyclist |
| John HARDMAN (Labour Party) |
Traffic is certainly the biggest issue in regards to children cycling in the area. With several schools in our area along with New College Durham, the potential for a much greener ward is there if safe passage can be guaranteed. Although I recognise improvements have been made in some areas, more safe crossing zones and safe cycling zones are required. For younger children, perhaps the possibility of parent-led ‘cycle parties’ at school run times could provide a short term issue. |
| Jed HILLARY (Labour Party) |
I would like to see a resurgence of the cycling proficiency scheme for children. I vaguely remember, many years ago, the Northern Echo running a Knight of the Road scheme for young cyclists. |
| Dave HYNES (Labour Party) |
Great idea but not practical at present. Distances to schools and terrain (in many cases) would be an issue. |
| Kester NOBLE (Labour Party) |
I think it is important that children should be able to travel to school by bike. the danger to children is sadly by parents that insist their children are dropped off school by car. On doing so they park on zig zag's and double yellow lines. The biggest threat to child safety on bikes are parents taking their children to school in cars. i would ban drop offs by parents within 500m of the school gates. |
| Julie Anne SCURFIELD (Labour Party) |
It's really encouraging that some of our schools have introduced green initiatives that encourage parents leave their car at home or park away from the school so that their children can walk, bike or scoot. There can be no doubt that increasing the numbers of children that bike, walk or scoot to school will have numerous benefits in terms of health and well-being and children's readiness to learn when they arrive at school as well as improvements in air pollution. If significant numbers engaged then the traffic build up and congestion at peak times around our schools would reduce, making this a fun and safe option for travel to school. Calmer, quieter roads during the pandemic has shown us that this most definitely does impact on greater numbers of people willing to travel by bike. Durham County Council could encourage some continuity of this to some degree by continuing to enable staff to work from home or through other flexible working arrangements which would support parents having the time to walk and/or bike with their children to school in the morning and afternoons before and during working hours. I will work with schools, parents and other partners to explore ways of improving the numbers of children walking or biking to school and will support the implementation of any such measures identified. |
| Julie Michelle STIRK (Labour Party) |
I can understand why patents would feel that way. I know of one local primary school, who has a walking train, where the children each have a hi-vis vest, there are walking 'stops for the children to be picked up and they're also supervised by adults an route to school. Perhaps we could achieve something similar with cycles? |
| David TONER (Labour Party) |
When our children were at primary school in lanchester we would always walk or cycle to school. Cycling to school is a fantastic way for Children to keep fit and active, we need safe routes to allow this to happen. |
| Liz BROWN (Liberal Democrat) |
More cycle paths. Certainly no cyclepath/pedestrian walkway mixes and cycleways must be off the main road. Something also needs to be done about motorists jumping the lights, ignoring the box junction at Nevilles Cross lights and stopping across the pedestrian walkway at NX lights. Not really relevant to schoolchildren but relevant to students and prospective users of the Community Centre is the provision of a crossing point from Mill Hill Lane to Park House Lane. This would slow traffic down and provide a safer crossing point than the refuge that is there at the moment. |
| Michael WATSON (Liberal Democrat) |
I tend to agree that sadly some of our local main roads are not very safe for children to cycle due to a lack of cycle lanes, decent crossing places and aggressive speeding drivers. Belmont Parish Lib Dems decided to look at this and introduced a 20 mph speed limit on all estates, despite opposition from Labour. We wanted to ensure motor vehicle drivers would slow down, therefore encouraging a confidence for children to play outside in the streets and to cycle to school or the local parks. We see some success with this scheme, however much more could be done by the Local Authority to introduce better cycle friendly infrastructure, like cycle lanes. I would encourage Durham County Council to do this. I would also encourage schools to get involved putting across the message that we must all help with addressing climate change. Children could do their part by cycling to school. If elected, I have the paperwork & will have the funding in place to introduce the 20mph speed limit in the Gilesgate area which will contribute to making the estate streets safer for children to cycle to school and the local parks. |
| Robert ARTHUR (Seaham Community Party) |
Cycling to school a great option for children but only to the older groups as traffic very heavy during school hours, gaining road sense and experience is vital and maybe the introduction of the old cycling proficiency test or is it still in use i am not sure. |
SPACE for Durham is a non-partisan body. All candidates are given an equal opportunity to submit their views. Information published by SPACE for Durham, c/o 35 Archery Rise, Durham, DH1 4LA.